Jenny La Fleur

The cotton voile for my Chemise á la Reine arrived today. Oh my gosh - it is gorgeous stuff! So fine and soft, like butter. And that is before washing too. I think I may need to buy some for underpinnings and a few summer tops... :>

In sewing news I haven't been up to much. I want to finish up old projects before starting on the new so I have trimmed down my stays straps (redoing the binding & eyelets), finished the lace on my pet en l'air sleeves, sewn down the bows. Still have the hooks and eyes to do.

I'm off to Fort Fred on Friday so I want to get some trim and sleeve ruffles on my red print English gown. Then I'm going to work on B's gown. Looks like she will be going to an event with me in May so I need to fix the tweaks. Like hems and sleeves that were sewn on backwards, that sort of thing. :>

May 6th is the countdown for my Chemise á la Reine so I've been busy researching that. It's amazing for so simple a garment there are endless variations. I want a 1780s dress so I'm going for longer puffy sleeves like this:
http://pics.livejournal.com/girliegirl32786/pic/0002zycr/
I think I want a little sweep in back, not a train and one ruffle at the neckline (maybe lace). I haven't seen much evidence for underwear showing through plus it would annoy me so I’m trying to decide if I want a lining or a bodiced petticoat of some kind. Now that my fabric is here though I just want to start working on it!!

After that will be the Victorian corset, anchor of my CC Gala and bustle outfits. I washed the new bustle fabric (gift from a fabric fairy :>) today. I got all the discoloring out which makes me happy (Oxiclean is such a beautiful thing). It still has an old musty smell though so it's out on the line drying in the lovely spring weather we are enjoying this week. I'm going to leave it there over night and see how it is in the morning. Dew can work wonders you know.

The robe volante is on hold for now. I sat down and listed everything I wanted to make for CC and prioritized it low, medium or high importance. The robe volante made it into the low category so I'm not going to even look at it again until the high list is finished. *looks longingly at fabric*

Today's stays progress: 4 eyelets.

So 4 down, 26 to go. *sigh* I've decided to go ahead with the pink seam binding, but in the narrower width. I think it looks cool and I figure I can always take it off if I change my mind. :>

Hancocks was have a marvelous *sale today so I am now the proud owner of 50% off interfacing (for pattern making), 50% off bias tape (for two pairs of stays), 50% off tiny silver sequins (once I take them off the trim - for the one-of-these-days 18th century ball gown), $.99 patterns for my Fire costume skirt (rubs hand in glee), and a swatch for the possible robe volante to ponder with. I also made an order with cheeptrims.com for rococo trim and lace my bleu jacket ensemble. :>

I haven't done any prep work for the embroidery lesson Saturday so I guess that is tomorrow's project... in between eyelets of course. :P


*for you local folks the sale runs through Sun *wink*