At Her Leisure

I finally too decent pictures of my new stays on me. I tried the other day, but somehow my camera was on manual focus, and they were all blurry. Of course, by the time I looked at them on my computer instead of the tiny camera screen, I had taken off the stays. This is better.

I'm really pleased with them.







The boning channels are machine-sewn, but everything else is hand-sewn. Rough on the fingers, but very satisfying.

I ended up doing a lot of cross-stitching this year, which made great inroads on my cross-stitch kit stash. Of course, that was at the expense of sewing, but I’m still pleased with what I finished this year.

My favorite thing of the year is my 1897 Harper’s Bazar ivory wool dress.


( The rest is behind the cut )

These are the current UFO's.
17th century knit garters: The first garter is 60% finished. This is a background or traveling project. They’re not going quickly, but they progress a little every week. I do expect to finish the pair by the end of 2018.


Early/mid-18th century stays: These are really close to finished. I need to bind half the tabs on one side and put in the lining on that side. I ran out of binding and need to get some more.


“Southern Belles” cross-stitch: This is barely started. I started it to have a hand-sewing project to work on at any given moment, but then I started my new stays right afterward, which gave me a hand-sewing project. I expect this one to be a very long term project, like may not finish in 2018 long term.

I managed to fit all the pieces of my new stays on the leftover brocade from my 1690's stays!



My daughters have decided they want to learn to sew. This happened once before. They picked out a pattern and fabric and lost interest maybe halfway through. I finished the things, and they never wore them. This time it's an even easier project - pajama pants. Even if I end up finishing them, I'm pretty sure they'll wear them. They ought to be done by the end of the weekend.



Other than that, I finished my c. 1790 gown (no pictures yet) and am really close to finishing my 1919 slipover. I just need to do the belt and buttons, but the belt is not cooperating. I'm trying one last thing before I give up on the crochet attempts and just knit it. (Have I mentioned I don't crochet?) I finished the pinball I knit over the summer but am waiting to share pictures. I technically started a new cross-stitch piece, but since I've only done one thread on it, it will be a long time before it's done. My 17th century garter is progressing slowly now that it's not my primary project, but it is definitely more than half-finished.



In summary, the UFO pile is in good shape - one vest-thing, one pair garters, one pair stays, and one cross-stitched picture.