It’s a one-woman 18th-century sewing sweatshop around here

And it has to be, if I’m going to get all these outfits done before I leave for France in May! Holy moly, I’ve got so much to do. I had to cancel a bunch of social events on weekends (tho’ I’m still obligated to attend two SCA events & one faire with Bella Donna; I have jobs to do at the SCA events, & a performance to help with at the faire). Plus there’s at least one family event I can’t get out of (tho’ I can bring sewing to work on during the drive & while sitting with family; they won’t mind too much). I basically looked at my calendar & scheduled in sewing projects for every available weekend day, plus I’m trying to get at least some small amount of work done on weekday evenings (which is really hard for me to do after a full day of office work; my brain is usually just not able to engage in higher functions after 8+ hours of writing/editing/meetings, etc.).

So far, I’ve had a run of several productive weekends. After finishing the chemise gown, I completed a nice, simple dressing gown. Just burgundy silk taffeta in a kimono shape lined with an old burgundy sheet. I think the fiber content was bamboo; whatever it was, the lining is super-soft & cozy, so robe combines the swishy silk exterior with a deliciously comfy interior. I trimmed the neck, sleeves, & hem with some fancy woven metallic trim inspired by this portrait (linked before).

Then Kendra draped me (& at the same time, Sarah) for a francaise. Well I didn’t realize it till we were done, but the way she draped & pinned meant that I’d have to HAND-SEW the whole bloody thing! I mean, everything but a couple long skirt seams. Christ on a cracker. Don’t we know that I’m not a hand-sewer? That is not my forte, in fact, it is my nemesis. Ugh. I did not relish that prospect, so the pinned-up thang sat on my dressform for a few weeks to think about what it had done.

I finally attacked the goddamned hand-sewing on the freakin’ francaise. It was, as predicted, a royal pain in the arse. But I did it! I sewed the entire bodice BY HAND, muthafuckas! A true first for me &, I hope to the gods, a last! I’m not convinced that a garment hand-sewn by me won’t fall apart during or shortly after its first wearing, but it’s not like I had a choice. In fact, the way it was pinned & how close the cuts/slashes were in places meant I sewed a backstitch as topstitch almost everywhere. Now my crappy sewing shows right up front. At least black thread on black fabric is a tiny bit less noticeable. Still have some long seams to finish — by machine, thankyouverymuch. And it needs sleeves — also by machine, blessed be. But the main body of the francaise is assembled with something more than pins.

The state of my to-do list right now is mostly finishing these projects on deck, then revisiting the long-abandoned stripey redingote. After that, it’s accessories like a petticoat for the chemise gown, cap/hats/wigs, & anything else I’m missing. I feel like I’m halfway there. *fingers crossed*