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| "Charles, I SAID tell me when you are READY to take the picture, and not ONE SECOND BEFO--" |
I don't blog very much about sewing here anymore, but I am planning to change that.
Actually, I don't blog very much here anymore, period, but I am planning to change that.
Some of you who know me "in real life" may already know this, but I am mildly involved in Civil War reenacting, with a keen interest in being involved on a deeper level. Time constraints, financial constraints and the fact that I don't live in the middle of a national park slash historic battlefield all contribute to limit my participation in every living history/battle reenactment that comes down the turnpike. However, I'm in possession of a job, a car and a chaste selection of unoccupied weekends. I could go to more events. My biggest problem?
My wardrobe right now doesn't cut it.
See, I started going to Civil War events "in costume" (you're supposed to say garb, not costume, in the Circles Who Know What They're Talking About) in the early summer of 2013, at which time I sewed an 1860's-ish (pay attention to that suffix ISH) day dress out of quilting cotton. I vaguely followed the Simplicity 2887 pattern and the finished product was... well, it wasn't great, but for a first Victorian-esque dress it wasn't horrendous. However, it is not period correct for a multitude of reasons. That dress is now a "ball gown" (again, pay attention to the quotation marks) and you can read more about how it got that way by clicking the link above. Still... not half as period correct as it could be. Although the lace is fun.
Later on I made myself a somewhat Little-Women-inspired ensemble that consisted of a skirt and matching zouave jacket, but since I knew very little about appropriate fabric use and since my inspiration mainly came from book covers that I had liked when I was younger, the dress was made out of a solid red broadcloth and trimmed with polyester black braid.
Heh.
Again, it served its purpose for the time and I got a lot of wear out of it and enjoyed the process of making it (AND learned quite a bit about putting together a garment that would actually fit) sO I definitely don't consider that dress a wasted effort.
Still and all, I need some new clothes, and I need some new clothes that look right. And since half the fun of sewing things is getting to show them off, whether in person or online, I fully intend to document the creating process here at the blog before I wear the finished product to an event. Plus, writing posts about what I'm sewing is great motivation to, y'know, actually complete whatever it is I started. My mom could tell many fascinating stories of the half-finished articles of clothing that have been stashed away and never seen the light of day again because I got bored halfway through. Um, anyways.
So, if you've followed this blog for slightly snarky movie reviews in the past and do not wish to see anything else, well, you may not be stopping by quite so often in the future. (Not that there's been much to read about in the past few months anyway... cough cough cough.) I'm certainly not intending to make this blog into a strictly needles-and-thread domain, which is why the title is staying the same and nothing is changing as far as the Look and Feel at the moment. But blogs change as people change, and my interests today are not quite the same as those of the sixteen-year-old girl who first hit publish on her inaugural post at this domain nearly five years ago. So, expect to see a good deal more about what I've been stitching, and if that's not your thing and you'd prefer not to stick around, I completely understand. (I may hop back in with a tongue-in-cheek takedown of Julian Fellowes' new monstrosity Doctor Thorne at any moment, though, so consider yourself forewarned if you hit that unfollow button.)
What else, what else... oh! And I made an Instagram for sewing stuff too. So take a sneak peek if you feel inclined, because there are snippets there from what I'm working on right now. A real post about THAT project will follow.
....Soonish.
9 comments:
sounds fun! I've followed the account! (miss_bennett)
Oh so Dr Thorne wasn't any good? Bother. (Or, as Chummy would say, bally, bally botheration. :-P) (How far are you in CTM? My sister and my mum and I are almost done with season three. GOSH I LOVE IT TO BITS.)
Anyhow, I definitely won't unfollow you! Sewing updates sounds very jolly as well. :-) And Civil War reenactments sounds really fun. I wish I could go to one! (Don't completely give up on reviews though! You have such a knack for them!)
Ooh, yay! I, for one, LOVE sewing blogs. I cannot sew (alas!) but it is my ambition to learn. I like nineteenth century clothing, but my absolute favorite is eighteenth century clothing. However, If I end up living in the southwest, as is my wish, I shall never have adequate access to the correct reenactments. The entire American Revolution was fought on the East Coast. (Again, alas!)
Anyways, sounds like bunches of fun. I can't wait. :)
BY GOLLY THE GIRL'S POSTED.
haha. Believe me, I haven't been blogging nearly as much as I used to, either. That weird thing called life and all. But I love getting to see sewing projects, so I'm looking forward to your posts.
Although, (*ducks*) I liked Doctor Thorne. Sure, it was predictable and slightly cheesy, but I liked the rather cozy feel to it- a bit more along the lines of Wives and Daughters than the racy period dramas that seem to be getting churned out at an alarming rate. I haven't read the book, though, so I didn't have that to compare it to. (We skipped all the Julian Fellowes talking bits at the end and beginning, though. Ain't nobody got time for that.)
Hey! you didn't tell me you ended up unimpressed by Doctor Thorne!!
Anyway... looking forward to these posts! And possibly some posts on... certain other sewing projects outside of CW... ;)
Furthermore, I think it's absolutely ridiculous that they insist upon you saying "garb"! Costume is a legitimate word for a clothing ensemble! They should look it up.
I'd love to hear more about your sewing projects--I'm no good with sewing myself, but I always enjoy seeing other people, who actually ARE good at it, show what they're doing :-) Because clothes are always fun, especially period clothes . . .
Huh. I've heard some positive stuff about "Dr. Thorne" from friends, but I've never tried watching it myself and really don't know much about it. I'm very intrigued to hear your thoughts/reactions now! ;-)
I have always wanted to do American Civil War reenacting, but I'm extremely small. I kept trying to find costumes online, and they were all WAY too big for me. I'd have had to wear a child's costume, and that takes the fun out. Also, I haven't the money to buy such things. It NEVER OCCURRED TO ME to sew my own. I have no idea how to sew, but maybe I could learn. I have tried knitting and disliked it, but I always thought to make a quilt would be lovely. :)
Anyway, the whole "small" thing extends to every day clothes. Literally, nothing ever fits. I have nothing to wear, except some children's clothes. I wear boys size ten pants. I AM INTERESTED IN SEWING POSTS, to conclude...
Yay, a post! I'm so glad you're going to try blogging more. I love your period-drama themed posts, but I'm sure I'll enjoy your sewing projects too. I've always thought civil-war reenactment would be so much fun, although I never really got the chance to pursue it. :P
Can't wait to see your projects!
This sounds like fun! I made an 1860's outfit last year to wear to a local event but I haven't done any historical costuming since. I'm looking forward to seeing your creations, as long as we still get the occasional slightly snarky movie review. ;)
Sarah A.
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