If I Had My Own Blue Box:

I am awful about taking project photos. Between forgetting, not liking the unfinished look and low batteries, photos rarely happen.
I was able to snap two photos of areas I like on Dan’s frockcoat:

I like how these areas are laying. This is a leap forward from the clunkiness in the same area on my first paletot. Now, the “puckering” shows more then I would like. But…. that’s okay. Lots of pressing ahead.

Finally, my Netherfield Ball dress is just about finished. It needs closures and some tweeks. But, here it is, today’s work:

The tweeks include this pucker, wrinkle or what ever you want to call it. Basically, a half inch needs to come out of the length.

Just a quick post to empty my brain. I managed to get home and proceed to:
– Find all of Dan’s gear for the weekend. It is all, not so neatly piled in the kitchen
– Take apart one of his carpet bags and remake into something more functional. Fyi – Long, wide, shallow framed carpet bags are not very functional.
– Find in above process, the fans I plan to remake, my neckerchiefs and a few other must haves.
– Not find my undersleeves. Where in the world did I pack those?
– Box pleat enough bias for the neckline of the dress. Attached. I’m deciding about a second row.
– Try on said dress finally only to decide the shoulder gathers need to move a half inch in and the waist ones may as well.
– put theribbons & flowers on one bonnet and the ribbon on another. Flowers are assembled for the second, but now I think I may go with the blue instead. (That also means I may want to switch the pink satin for the pink moire. But the rose flowers won’t work with the plaid ribbon the blue flowers were going to go on. I’ll think about that tomorrow. Who knows the other plaid ribbon make change everything.)

Photos are lacking because it is too late.

Half-way into the week, there has been a detour, progress and, of course, some ponderings. First the progress (detour included):

• Tuesday – Assemble & attach sleeves. Put bodice & skirt together (green dress) Detour – food poisoning or food intolerance of undertermined nature
• Wednesday – Handfinishing on bodice (green dress) – Dress finish. Well, the base of the dress is finished and a make-do collar attached. It needs something. (see below)
• Thursday – Handfinishing on bodice (green dress). Finish hem. – (Hem done) Adding: Pull all of Dan’s clothes out of closet & dresser. Adding: Fix my cage or starch my corded petticoats.
• Friday – pack & see Dan off. Finish bonnet to wear. (Hope ribbon arrives.)
• Satuday – Work on NB dress as much as possible. Draft Dan’s coat & waist coat
• Sunday – Wear green dress
• Monday until? – Focus on NB clothes.

Now, the ponderings:

1. I think this something for the green dress will be pleated bias cut (pinked?) self fabric along the neckline and closure, along the opening of the sleeve or angled and something, maybe circles on the bottom of the skirt. Maybe, eventually a different color silk ribbon as well. Pink?
2. As I’ve opted for an open sleeve, I should have undersleeves. This is just the chance to wear the undersleeves entered in last fall’s Agricultural Society Fair. The sleeves I haven’t seen since said fair. Where, oh where are you my undersleeves?
3. I have yet to put together the silver-pearl grey bonnet I intend(ed) to wear for this weekend. Part of that is that I was waiting for my favorite ribbon merchant to return. The other part is I still can’t make up my mind on the ribbon for this bonnet. I was thinking pink then green then pink… Then I saw this nifty red/black/white plaid and thought “OOooo” Of course, that would clash horribly with the green dress and just about every dress I anticipate for this year. Back up option 1 is the slate gray bonnet trimmed in burgandy; option 2 is my white sheer that may or may not still have the flowers attached.
4. I don’t think I have the right stockings for the Netherfield Ball. Mine are cotton. I lack silk stockings. *pout* I honestly don’t think I’ll get around to getting silk stockings. Trying to be budget sensible while the want of silk calls is such a challenge. 🙂
5. I do believe I’ve remade Dan’s current carpet bags into a bigger one for him and one for Lily or myself a dozen times in the past week. I have one fabric that will work, assuming it is in the cabinet. What are the chances I’ll stumble upon a fabulous reproduction piece of ingrain carpet in an uber-clean state at a yardsale for ridiculously cheap?

Dresses always look so blaaa on the hanger. Once the detour is finally back on track, I can put my corset on & try this on.

As almost all of my other dresses have a name, this poor green dress needs a name. Nothing has come to me yet. As I have a rather looming deadline and lots of odds and ends popping up, I’m trying to keep myself on track. Taking a look at the plan I set last week, this is where I am at:

• Wednesday – Assemble green skirt (make Dan’s book if possible) Skirt assembled, set, hem faced at 10 pm. Didn’t get to Dan’s book
• Thursday – Cut out green bodice and NB bodice.  Cut out Green bodice & NB bodice. Assembled green bodice.
• Friday/Sat/Sun – Get Dan to stand still so I can drape his coat and waist coat. Cut bias. Do what hand work I can. I managed to get some of the handwork done on the bodice as Dan fell asleep Friday evening. The gathers at the waist were shifted out while the gathers at the neckline were shifted in. This is dead opposite of what I normally do. So, this may or may not stay as is. I did not get Dan to stand for draping. It seems like every minute of the weekend was full. I did however, get his book made. It does not look like what I had pictured in my head. He likes it though. I broke a few needles and bent another. Not the easiest leather to work with. (The little bags he wants may have to be done by machine with the walking foot.)
• Monday – Assemble green bodice. Decide on sleeves. – I decided to go with a one piece, open sleeve with a hint of curve, set on the bias. These are now in place. I do find it easier and neater to set sleeves by hand. This is good since sewing the leather last night threw the tension off again on the Bernina. I have to Not sew leather or carpet on that machine ever again. These must be done by hand or maybe with the Pfaff when she’s oiled up & has some tlc. I’ll put a photo of the bodice below. While I don’t think I’ll trim it before this wekend, I also have a photo of possible placement on the sleeve. There are several trimming option floating in my head. I still haven’t draped Dan. It turns out the random piece of muslin I picked up from Bits & Pieces turns out to be a nice heavy, wide piece that will be a quild back instead of toile scraps.
• Tuesday – Assemble & attach sleeves. Put bodice & skirt together (green dress)Adding: Pull all of Dan’s clothes out of closet & dresser.
• Wednesday – Handfinishing on bodice (green dress) Adding: Fix my cage or starch my corded petticoats.
• Thursday – Handfinishing on bodice (green dress). Finish hem. – (Hem done
• Friday – pack & see Dan off. Last minute finishings. Finish bonnet to wear. (Hope ribbon arrives.)
• Satuday – Work on NB dress as much as possible. Draft Dan’s coat & waist coat
• Sunday – Wear green dress
• Monday until? – Focus on NB clothes.