Tuesday 29 January 2013

The Historical Sew Fortnightly.

A friend linked to a course that was being held at Made on Marion. A course on making an underbust corset, run by Leimomi Oakes, the Dreamstress. Corset making is something that I've always wanted to learn. So after checking that my husband would be fine to watch our little one on those nights, I signed up. After having a read through her blog, I found her Historical Sew Fortnightly challenge. Given I've been thinking about my medieval wardrobe lately, planning a steampunk party, have a massive stash that I really need to start using, and love a good challenge, I immediately thought, 'count me in'. 

I do know that I don't always complete challenges, but I always make progress, more progress than I would have if I wasn't doing the challenge. I think it motivates me to spend my time more productively rather than online or reading or flitting from thing to thing and not getting much of anything done.

The first challenge I did was #2. I found out too late to do the first two, and honestly, I'm not entirely sure I would have done them.
Challenge #2 was UFO. My plan was to work on my wedding dress. Now obviously, it's wearably finished, but that doesn't mean it's as finished as I'd like it. My plan was to finish covering all the internal seams with ribbons. At 7 shoulder to floor seams plus two running the length of each arm, that is a lot of hand sewing. Especially as it means sewing down both sides of the ribbon, and constantly checking to make sure I'm only sewing it to the interlining and not catching the silk dupion the outer of the dress is made of. I managed to do a couple of them, clocking about 5 hours of sewing. Then I got sick. Sore throat and absolutely no energy. My husband got sick, ditto on the sore throat and lack of energy. Then my daughter got sick, snotty nose, restless sleeps, grizzly and wanting lots of attention. No sewing happened. From Tuesday to Friday. Finally, I had a little more energy, so I cleared my part of my sewing room, so that I could fit my new sewing desk in (the old one went downstairs) and actually use my room to sew. Cue getting worse. It's now been 8 days and challenge number 2 has ended. I didn't finish what I wanted, but I made progress. That counts.

Challenge #3 is Under it All. I'm thinking I might just make a shift, out of stash fabric, I should have something suitable. I have a couple of overdresses, and I'm planning to make more, but I'd be better off with some more shifts. My other option is to make a coloured skirt to go under the Tudor and Elizabethan gowns that I have. Either way, it needs to come out of stash.
I might not even do it, depends on time. I have costumes to sort for my SteamPunk birthday party in two weeks and a house to clean for it.

Now, I should sleep. Guinevere's in daycare tomorrow, so I have a day where I can sew to my hearts content.

Monday 7 January 2013

Starting the new year how I mean to go on

I haven't written in awhile. I keep meaning to. I keep thinking of things to write late at night when I'm in bed. Then by morning I'm busy looking after a small child or doing something around the house.

We were meant to be leaving our daughter with her Granny for New Years and heading down to Christchurch, that didn't end up happening. We decided we were too tired/run down to drive the two hours to Granny's, drive back to the airport, fly down, party, sleep a couple of hours, fly back, drive 2 hours to Granny's, then drive another two hours home. So we stayed home. We invited a couple of friends over, and had a relaxed evening. With tasty food, some gaming, crafting, Doctor Who and drinking.

I started the year how I meant to go on. With good company and good food. With laughter. With decluttering (the bottles we finished were half empty already, it totally counts as decluttering....) My friends also took home some books that I'd already cleared off my shelves, I was happy to see those go to a good home.

I've also started losing the weight that I put on over the holiday period, 0.4kg of the 1.4kg gained is gone already. Then I can work on the other twenty odd kilos that I need to lose to get down to a healthy weight for me. Please note that I said healthy weight for me. If I went by the reccomended weight for my height according to a BMI of 22 I'd need to lose about 30kg and be around 58kg. I haven't been that weight since I was in high school. Even at uni, when I ate reasonably well, worked an active job, walked a reasonable amount and was going to the gym 2-3 times a week I was 60-62kg.

Right, now that I've gone off on a tangent about my weight, which really wasn't my intention, but making it public isn't bad as it's accountability, I'm going to go clean the kitchen and finish a sewing project.