At Her Leisure

This year was disrupted by an unexpected job change and relocation back to the area that I grew up in. Up until June I was working on needlework as usual, and I started a cross-stitched picture in July, but it didn’t move very quickly as we got the house ready to sell, moved to DFW, and started dealing with all the issues that you’re bound to find moving into a new house. I didn’t end up making my new favorite thing this year, but I enjoyed most of what I made.

It was still a sparse year for events. There was an outing in Phoenix, a whirlwind trip to San Jose, and Costume College. I had intended to go to two DFWCG events, but I had a houseguest for the Georgian picnic and the Christmas event was canceled due to rain. Here’s hoping next year I can start attending their events.

( This year’s projects behind the cut )

One of my goals for this year was to work from my stash. I was very successful. I bought the buckram and flannel for my 17th century petticoat, the marine vinyl for my husband’s welder cover, the “Cardinal Joy” cross-stitch kit, and the fabrics for my son’s Hallowe’en costume. My mother-in-law bought the fabrics for her blouse. Everything else came from the stash. Since I didn’t do a lot of sewing, my fabric stash didn’t decrease very much, but at least I didn’t add anything to it. I did decrease my yarn stash a little more significantly, though I’m trying not to even have a yarn stash. It’s mostly leftovers from projects where I had too much and some things that I bought in 2021 with specific projects in mind and just got a little too optimistic about what I could finish in a year.

After working on embroidering an 18th century pocket at the sewing circle for three months, I ended up doing the second pocket in eight days. So much for reserving it as a sewing circle project.



I expect I'll get all the bindings on this week. The original the pattern is based on has the slit bound but the front seamed to the back and then turned. I'm planning to do the more common binding around the edges.

I have a small cross-stitching project lined up as a new sewing circle project. We'll see if I end up just blazing through it once I'm halfway through. (A few weeks should tell since it's so small - 5" x 10".)

This is just a general progress update because I have a few things I've been working on the last couple of weeks.

After spending last weekend making a dress, I don't think it's going to end up getting hemmed this weekend. My husband is still playing in the garage so there's no way I'll get the hem marked and pressed and stitched in the next hour. Marking isn't outside the realm of possibility, depending upon when he comes in.

Last night I finished an 1840's bonnet I had started a few weeks ago. It was just down to the trimming, which is the unpleasant part of millinery. Why can't the thing have been plain hats with just a band of ribbon around the crown or something? Bonnet trimming always drives home to me how non-artistic I am. Yes, I am an engineer by training and by inclination. I am not an artist.

I spent a fair bit of time over the last two weeks reading and knitting. I've started the third ball of yarn in my 1934 Benedictine tunic and am nearly halfway through the decreases to the waist. It's really plain knitting - I'm past the raglan sleeves, and the patterned section doesn't come until the hip - so it's perfect for knitting while reading. I will have to buy some US2 (2.75mm) DPN's for the sleeves. I have 6/0-1 and 3 but no 2.

The border on my 1890-ish veil is finished, but I haven't gotten any further than that. I worked on the bonnet and then the dress and then got to reading, which does not work in tandem with lace patterns, and there she sat. I did chart the main pattern since I had read that there were two mistakes in the pattern - I had found one in the border but never found a second one - but that's as far as it went. It's been a weird two weeks with no TV on around me, which meant that I could just read and work on the Benedictine. That is bound to change soon.

I started a pair of embroidered 18th century pockets at the sewing circle a couple of weeks ago since embroidering the pansies during sewing circle sessions worked out really well last fall. I traced one pocket and worked on it one weekend and then didn't go to the sewing circle for the next two weeks. I'm using a Romantic Recollections pattern (https://romanticrecollections.com/product/mid-18th-century-pocket-hand/), but I'm doing it with backstitch and multiple colors of thread.

The next project is a 1920's dress with an embroidered yoke and waistband that I'm hoping to wear in April. I've got a pattern and printed it out. I've got the embroidery pattern, though I'll have to suit it to the curved yoke. The next step will be tracing the embroidery pattern. This will be turquoise embroidery on navy voile unless I decide some other color looks better with the navy.

I don’t really have any grand over-arching remarks, but I’m pleased with the things I made this year. It was a small year for events – only four: living history days at the Tucson Presidio, the George Washington Ball in Williamsburg, Costume College, and a Victorian Christmas ball in Mesa – but maybe that helped me to make a few things that I actually wear in real life. I hope 2019 will have more events.

January:
Mid-18th century stays


( The rest of the year is behind the cut )

Putting this together has made me realize that I’m actually rather in arrears on posting finished projects so I’ll have to put some effort into that over the next few weeks.

I got my stays put together enough to try on last night, and I'm quite pleased with the fit. I did a mock-up, but I’m still never quite sure how corsets and stays are going to work out. Next I’ll tackle the cross-wise bones. They’re obviously necessary on the stomacher, but I’ll put them on the main body pieces too.

The Victorian Ball was cancelled Saturday morning due to fumes in the hall after the floors were varnished during the week. I was disappointed, but at least it wasn’t something I had been looking forward to for months, and I hadn’t made anything new for it. On the bright side, it made me address the differences in shape between the two 1860’s corsets for one dress, and I added net undersleeves to it, which make it look more polished. I think the only thing I have left that I want to do for that dress is to add tails to the belt since they were so very popular in the late 1860’s. The cancellation notice said that they are planning another ball, but it didn’t say when or what period so I’ll just have to keep my eyes on the website.

Since I didn’t go to the ball, I got to work on my stays. I finished boning them earlier in the week except for the cross-wise bones that have to go in after some assembly, and Saturday night I finished the eyelets on one piece. I was also trimming and tacking down seam allowances. The skinnier pieces in the picture are the ones with their seam allowances sewn down so that they’re ready for seaming. Last night I did more of those and marked the eyelets for the second side of the front lacing. I’m hoping to start on that next batch of eyelets tonight.

I have stockings from Williamsburg. They’re huge. I’ve been seeing these lovely stockings that people have made and decided that I could do that. Then I could have clocked stockings that fit me and were wool because I love wool.



( And here's what I did... )
Thoughts after wearing:
Now I have stockings that fit! I don’t have my 18th century garters finished yet so I’m wearing them with my 1838 garters for now. There has been no trouble with these stockings slouching. I could have put a few more rows in the toes, but I think it will be fine for now. Next time I’ll be a touch more generous in the foot length. My shoes rub them a bit around the ankle, but I hope there won’t be any early failure there.

ETA: Here's the Ravelry page.

I am pleased to report that I have finished the bodice and sleeves of my robe a la piemontaise. I tore the skirt panels last night too so I should be starting to pleat the skirt tonight.

My 1907 sweater is moseying along. I've got about fifty rows left to finish the first sleeve.

And I tore panels for a new 1780's shift while the kids were bathing last night. I still need to cut out the gores and neck, but that will be my next little project after the piemontaise is finished. I'm using the information on Sharon Ann Burnston's website.