Ow!
Now I know why they make a specialty tool set for inserting and removing tacks into an embroidery stretcher frame. I feel as if small but determined weasels have been gnawing on the meat of my thumbs.
I might tighten up the frame a bit more tomorrow, but otherwise I'm set to start the Goldwork sampler I picked up about a month ago. I'm somewhat annoyed that a printout of the instruction set was not an included with the kit (it is available on her site, but for the price I paid a printout would have been pleasant).
Oh, so, uh, I've been sewing a lot in the meantime.
The first thing I finished(ish) was a red velveteen underbust corset for mistressbliss's (rather Cry For Dawn-tastic) Uncommons outfit. Due to a small bit of stupidity on my part I have to do a bit more work on it but not too shabby for a last minute rush project (I did not coat the ends of the bones well enough and some of them tore through the lining, which I'll now have to reinforce).
I will not be making any more corsets any time soon.
Finished(ish) project the second was the new petticoat bodies style Venetian dress in deep turquoise linen. Sadly I don't have any completed pics of it yet, but other then a current lack of sleeves and a tiny bit of tweaking on the lacing it turned out pretty much exactly the way I wanted it to (my primary inspiration was the frescoes of Giovanni Antonio Fasolo). What is superfantabulous about that is the fact that I patterned not only the bodice but the skirt as well, so I can pretty much just bang them out as fast as I can sew them now.
Unfortunately that turns out to clock in at about "not particularly fast", as I've apparently become patently unable to cut corners on certain really time consuming aspects of construction.
Oh, and I finally got a lucet from Peter Hawkwoods at the 25th anniversary event yesterday so I'll be endeavoring to learn that too.
I might tighten up the frame a bit more tomorrow, but otherwise I'm set to start the Goldwork sampler I picked up about a month ago. I'm somewhat annoyed that a printout of the instruction set was not an included with the kit (it is available on her site, but for the price I paid a printout would have been pleasant).
Oh, so, uh, I've been sewing a lot in the meantime.
The first thing I finished(ish) was a red velveteen underbust corset for mistressbliss's (rather Cry For Dawn-tastic) Uncommons outfit. Due to a small bit of stupidity on my part I have to do a bit more work on it but not too shabby for a last minute rush project (I did not coat the ends of the bones well enough and some of them tore through the lining, which I'll now have to reinforce).
I will not be making any more corsets any time soon.
Finished(ish) project the second was the new petticoat bodies style Venetian dress in deep turquoise linen. Sadly I don't have any completed pics of it yet, but other then a current lack of sleeves and a tiny bit of tweaking on the lacing it turned out pretty much exactly the way I wanted it to (my primary inspiration was the frescoes of Giovanni Antonio Fasolo). What is superfantabulous about that is the fact that I patterned not only the bodice but the skirt as well, so I can pretty much just bang them out as fast as I can sew them now.
Unfortunately that turns out to clock in at about "not particularly fast", as I've apparently become patently unable to cut corners on certain really time consuming aspects of construction.
Oh, and I finally got a lucet from Peter Hawkwoods at the 25th anniversary event yesterday so I'll be endeavoring to learn that too.