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All but Hems & Trims

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Trystan

The problem with working on several costumes simultaneously is that I don’t get that “ah, finished!” feeling from having completed any one item. All my projects are in a state of half-done, all at the same time. It’s annoying & not my usual mode of operation. But I’m in deep now, & there’s no turning back.

The black silk francaise is completely sewn (mostly hand-sewn, OMG, never thought I’d say that about a dress made by me). It just needs to be hemmed & trimmed, & of course, those take forever. Similarly, the frockcoat is all done except it needs a collar (cut but not assembled) & trim (tho’ all the buttons are made).

Here’s some crappy iPhone pix to prove that I’m still going. Btw, the black lace trim on the francaise petticoat? That used to be the lace overlay on the skirt of my Eugenie gown. I completely deconstructed that skirt so I could use a swath of the lace in this project. Bonus: I also have a ton of gorgeous purple silk to do something else with later. Because, even tho’ that project was a major life milestone & a huge achievement, 1850s costume just isn’t my thing.

Robe a la francaise with petticoat, in progress
Robe a la francaise with petticoat, in progress
Closeup of petticoat with recycled Eugenie lace
Closeup of petticoat with recycled Eugenie lace

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Posted in 18th Century | Tags: black robe a la francaise, Eugenie project, fabric, France, handsewing is weird | 4 Comments
« It’s a one-woman 18th-century sewing sweatshop around here
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4 thoughts on “All but Hems & Trims”

  1. Kendra says:
    March 25, 2013 at 10:17 pm

    Yep, I’m in the same position — three simultaneous projects with no sense of completion! The flip side is I’m working on the bits that interest me and then swapping projects when I get bored.

    • Trystan says:
      March 26, 2013 at 11:00 am

      True, boredom isn’t a problem 🙂

  2. Pixel Pixie says:
    March 26, 2013 at 5:48 am

    You’re much braver than I am to hand-sew a whole dress. Nice job!

    • Trystan says:
      March 26, 2013 at 11:01 am

      Heh, first & hopefully last time!

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