jennylafleur | the mad week pt1

A rather belated happy Resurrection Sunday to you all! I hope you had a wonderful day of fellowship, celebrating and relaxing yesterday!

My pearl knotting class on Saturday was WAY too fun. The teacher was great and while it was probably something I could have picked up on my own I'm so glad I did the class. My teacher had learned to pearl knot while living in Japan. She worked in a shop run by a 60 year old Japanese man who had been taught to knot by his father. So we learned the traditional Japanese method as well as some of the shop shortcuts. She was very through about different materials and findings and why she recommended what she did. I love knowing the why of things. It was all very interesting - totally worth the $25!

I picked up the technique right away which was nice and finished my first necklace at the class. The dark blue beads were ones I bought at Bent's Fort in Colorado when I was 11 (the light blue I bought on Saturday to extend the necklace to the right length). They are nothing horribly special I know but I love the color and they have tons of sentimental value. The string they were on broke years ago and they have been sitting in a drawer waiting to be worn again. I'm thrilled to have them in a wearable condition again!

I've already started on my second knotted necklace, this one rose quartz for reenacting. I bought enough beads to make a double strand but I think I just want one now. So I have enough to make a second one to sell. *wink*

What I really want is a double strand coral necklace for my eighteenth century kit but I'm going to have to mail order those beads from Fire Mountain, as no one has period correct ones in town. Well I haven't checked the downtown shop in a while, I guess I should pop in there first and see what they have. I'm just not confident about sizing and so very unconfident about ordering online. It's hard to pick things out of a catalogue when you don't know what you want. :P

B's costume is going okay. I ran out of time to do a finial bodice toile and the whole sleeve toile so I'm going to have to do that on Friday I guess. The hem too, so it's going to be a very late night. I will be in Richmond for MK on Thursday but I think I can be more efficient in my own sewing room instead of dragging stuff down there, even if it means a couple hours less sleep Friday. Thank goodness I don't have to be at the tea until 11:30am!

I'm going to have to construct her bodice in such a way that I can alter it at the last minute, and do the finial fitting in the fashion fabric. I've never done that
before but Jean Hunnisett talks about it in her books so I know it can be done.

As far as my outfit goes, I have the pleats all pined down on Narcissa. I'm not entirely happy with the pleats but I think I'm just going to sew them down as is and fiddle with them again after the tea. I eyeballed the whole thing so one side is like 5/8" off, making the pleats on that side a little shallower. No one will notice I'm sure and I don't have time to re-pleat one whole side for the sake symmetry. Priorities!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The necklaces look great! I wish there was some place around here to take beading classes. It looks like a lot of fun.
I actually bought some pearls to make a bracelet for my Neapolitan dress but I can seem to find a good knotting tutorial online. When you get time, would you mind giving me some tips? :) *bats eyelashes*

When I have time... I wonder when that will be! *hee hee* I hadn't really planned doing a tutorial or anything on the site, it's much easier to learn in person. If you haven't come up with anything before that perhaps you can just bring the supplies to CC and I'll help you on Thursday or Friday (when were you going to wear the N?).

Speaking of scheduling shouldn't those class schedules be getting here soon? *looks at mail box with impatience* :>

Thanks! :) Im planning to wear the Neapolitan gown for the gala, so if I cant get it figured out, then I will definitely take you up on your offer. :)
And, I am impatiently wait for my schedule too!

Original garments were mostly pleated by eye, and slightly off sometimes. I can never get pleats to match on the underside, even when they look perfect on top. It bugs me so much I have been known to undo, remeasure and repleat three times, and it still doesn't work. I think the material shifts over from one side to the other when you are not looking *snigger*

That is what I figured, although in the end I did re-pleat the right side to better match the left. "Match" being a loose term of course, because they still totally don't!

Thanks Suzi! :>

"So I have enough to make a second one to sell. *wink*"

Oh, really. . . I'll have to keep my eyes open for future posts about that possibility! ;)

*hee hee*

The pink one is very pretty. And so is the blue one. I like the pink best. But I like the blue too. ;)

Thanks! The blue is sentimental, the pink pretty & period. I like them both! :>

the mad week pt1

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