MLS Designs

Here we go, photos from the dance demo on Wednesday! Or rather, photos from my friend's garden after the ride home from the demo ;) We were dancing outside a city centre library and museum, so it was far from picturesque, and it was so unbelievably hot that in between sets we just wanted to go inside and collapse in our air-conditioned room!! So while the others were changing before lunch, Mummy and I went outside and took some pics, and as always, ( they're under the cut. )

We're only going to the Victorian festival for a few days this year - a trip to the seaside, a day wandering around the town with a ball in the evening, and a day being suffragettes, with a 1920s murder mystery in the evening. So my pink plaid will get another outing very soon :)

After my last post I finished the kirtle, including binding the hem with a wide strip of chocolate brown silk velvet (it looks yummy!) and then, since, if the worst comes to the worst, I can wear just the kirtle with maybe a cloak for warmth, I moved onto the plaid bustle dress for the dance demo that's in a couple of weeks.
I'm using the pink ball gown skirt, and making a polonaise from some pale pink taffeta and the scraps of pink and green plaid from my crossbarred francaise. I started with my 1860s bodice, lengthening it and making up the lower half as I went along!



This is just pinned together to check the fit before sewing, hence the wrinkles! The green sheet is a false waistcoat that will be made from the plaid, there will be plaid elbow length sleeves with pink and plaid ruffles at the cuffs, pink and plaid ruffles at the neck, and there are now plaid bias bands edging the peplum and the back edges of the polonaise swoopy bits (that I am just bunching up in my hand for the photo!). If I have enough fabric, there will also be a big plaid bow of long loops and tails in the back coming from under the peplum between the edges of the swoops.

I've so far used practically all the scraps I had left, for the waistcoat fronts and piecing the bias strips, so I'm unpicking my francaise petticoat to cut out the top half of the back panel for fabric for the bias cut sleeves and loopy back bow! I wish I'd pieced in the top of the back of the petticoat when I made it, but at the time, I reasoned I'd probably have more use for plain taffeta than the plaid - I had no idea I was going to end up making a plaid trimmed bustle dress 6 months later!

I really need to get a wriggle on though, if I'm going to finish the dress (and make a hat and new hairpieces!) in order to have time to make a hat, coif, and loose gown for the Elizabethan as well! Although, I suppose there are 2 days after the demo to finish Elizabethan stuff ;)

Since finishing my sewing room (which I know I still haven't posted pictures of!) I've been a happy busy little girl, spending nearly all my time in there! I don't have a costuming deadline until the 3rd of August, so I've been making more clothes for everyday wear. I have several to show you, so ( the photos are under the cut )

I've still got loads of ideas for more dresses, skirts and blouses! At some point though, I'm going to have to switch over to costuming! We have a demo on the 3rd, doing Scottish Victorian dancing, and only have a small area, so my crinoline would be too big, so I get to make another bustle dress! I'm planning to use the left over crossbarred silk with some pale pink taffeta to make a polonaise to go over the newly re-modelled dark pink bustle skirt. I think it'll work, hopefully I'll have enough fabric, but if not, I can always take half of the back panel from the Francaise petticoat ;) I'm going to have a look through my dancing friend's huuuge costuming book collection on Friday for some ideas!

Sorry for the radio silence of the last few weeks! I've been a busy little bee and not had much to post in the way of sewing news. School is it's usual manic self, the GCSE exam performance is tomorrow, but then it should be a little bit calmer before the hell that is the yr7 play in June!

The thing that's kept me busiest the last week or so was Clare moving house to her new flat in Wales. This weekend was crazy! We collected the van at 5pm on Friday, and stopped loading at 9pm when we couldn't see anymore, then started again at 9am on Saturday! We got it all in however, and were on the road by half past one. By 7pm everything was unloaded again! On Sunday we took Clare to collect a washing machine and lots more boxes and bags! We were on our way home again though after lunch, and just got home in time for a cup of tea before heading out to dance practice!

Because of the move, we missed the Shakespeare musical evening, which I was actually glad about, because it meant the naughty Elizabethan stuff could stay in the corner thinking about what it's done!

I've been getting on instead with my new bustle stuff for next weekend's ball. ( I even have some photos to share! )

All that's left for the ball dress is some kind of ... thing for the back waist - either a peplum or swags or something. Because I needed as much length as possible in the back pannel I had to let down the 3" fold-over at the waist, so there's a noticable crease and line of stitch holes right on the top of the puffs! I don't know what I'm going to do yet, but I really need to come up with something!

I'm hoping I'll have enough pink silk left for another bodice. We're doing Scotish Victorian dance demos this summer, and I'm hoping I can use the left over cross bared silk to make something to wear :)

Also, I'm spending my Birthday shopping, and then my best friend is taking me out for a meal and we're going to come home and watch last night's Glee :D