I'm such a bad costume blogger!
Feb. 19th, 2011 11:11 pmI haven't posted in ages! I've been sewing lots though, I took a picture to prove it to you, but I took the picture on Wednesday! And I'm only now getting round to posting it :(

The bodice now not only has the skirt attached, and the shoulder straps sewn in, but the skirt trim is nearly all sewn on as well! I should have posted this pic ages ago!
Cutting the strips for the pleated trimmings took aaaages. I stared at the original till I went cross-eyed, and decided they were plain cut scallops, about half an inch in diameter. So I made a template and drew hundreds of little scallops on what felt like hundreds of yards of fabric. Then I had to cut them out! My poor hand feels like it's never going to recover! All of Sence and Sensibility (the Thompson/Winslet version) and half of Emma (the Kate Beckinsale one) sheesh!
I just have to decide if i want the neckline trimmed as well as the edges of the skirt, and finish the centre fronts, and the gown is finished. Except I'm really not pleased with the sleeve heads. The way they pleat into the armscye is really not working, and after wilfing around look at all the Burnley and Trowbridge draping class pics I think my problem is I'm trying to put the pleats too far back, with my shoulders it just doesn't work, I think the pleats probably need to be almost on the top of my shoulders to work.
The petticoat flounce is also cut out (all those bloody scallops!!!) and I've started pinning in the pleats ready to sew it on tomorrow. I'm very glad the petticoat has a flounce, because I made it too short :( I think the gown is too short as well, but it's being polonaised so that's not such a problem.
I have lots of ideas for final trimming/finishing bits and bobs, such as what to use for polonaising, buttons or bows or what, and the neck trim, and I want advice, so I will actually pull my finger out and take some more photos tomorrow to show what I mean. If I don't, you have my permission to yell at me!

The bodice now not only has the skirt attached, and the shoulder straps sewn in, but the skirt trim is nearly all sewn on as well! I should have posted this pic ages ago!
Cutting the strips for the pleated trimmings took aaaages. I stared at the original till I went cross-eyed, and decided they were plain cut scallops, about half an inch in diameter. So I made a template and drew hundreds of little scallops on what felt like hundreds of yards of fabric. Then I had to cut them out! My poor hand feels like it's never going to recover! All of Sence and Sensibility (the Thompson/Winslet version) and half of Emma (the Kate Beckinsale one) sheesh!
I just have to decide if i want the neckline trimmed as well as the edges of the skirt, and finish the centre fronts, and the gown is finished. Except I'm really not pleased with the sleeve heads. The way they pleat into the armscye is really not working, and after wilfing around look at all the Burnley and Trowbridge draping class pics I think my problem is I'm trying to put the pleats too far back, with my shoulders it just doesn't work, I think the pleats probably need to be almost on the top of my shoulders to work.
The petticoat flounce is also cut out (all those bloody scallops!!!) and I've started pinning in the pleats ready to sew it on tomorrow. I'm very glad the petticoat has a flounce, because I made it too short :( I think the gown is too short as well, but it's being polonaised so that's not such a problem.
I have lots of ideas for final trimming/finishing bits and bobs, such as what to use for polonaising, buttons or bows or what, and the neck trim, and I want advice, so I will actually pull my finger out and take some more photos tomorrow to show what I mean. If I don't, you have my permission to yell at me!