Wednesday 27 October 2010

The current state of the blue-grey medieval workdress

I feel like I should post something and prove that I'm alive, so here's the current state of the blue-grey medieval workdress. With one panel still not fully sewn in, and waiting for two more godets in the back (at the sides; I cut the original back side pattern pieces into two for them to better fit on the fabric - they were tapering out too sharply). But, and that makes me happy, with all the finished seams really finished. I knew that I'd be bored to death if I were to finish them after the whole thing was sewn, so I carefully folded and sewed down the seam allowances individually at each seam when I sewed it. I strongly recommend this practice for handsewing. It makes life easier (finishing the seams when the pattern pieces are freshly sewn in, without the bulk of fabric getting in the way) and the sewing more varied.

It hangs weird in the photos, but that's because I just quickly pinned it on with six pins, three at each side, over my full pleated houseskirt. So it's very likely to look much better when it is truly finished.




I also somehow - as a result of bad pattern marking, I think - managed to cut the back side pieces longer than necessary. Good that I did not cut them short!

I already have the upper sleeves. Including the tape for tying on the lower sleeves.

Anything else to say about it? Yes. As you can clearly see, I did not manage to finish it in time for the Historical Costume Inspiration Festival. The Greenland Gown site (which, mind you, I did not really follow as to the fitting technique) claims you can sew it in about 7 hours. I knew that could not be true. I forgot that the site also calculated all the finishing tasks, though. That seems much more realistic than I thought. Except that I am finishing the seams throughout, so all that calculation does not really apply to me. I don't know how long it took me so far, as I sewed every now and then...