Crazy Productive Day
Totally random thing that just happened: The writing credit for the Dick Van Dyke show I was watching came on the screen. Writer's name? John Whedon. Yes, grandfather of that other guy. 0.o
Anyway! Today was amazing, although it started meh and got a slow start. I woke up with a very stiff neck and mild headache, threatening to become worse. I got ready to mow the grass, since it didn't look like rain until the afternoon/evening; and just as I stepped out, it started misting. Bah. So I dragged myself upstairs and got to work on Lost Hope:
* Changed serger thread
* Realized it was a good day to change to summer sheets, so ran downstairs and started a load in the washer
* Finish skirt seams on Lost Hope gown
* Change back serger thread
* Sketch changes on pattern pieces for Lost Hope tunic (before discovering that I'd already done that a month ago and the pieces were in the envelope)
* Cut out Lost Hope tunic bodice, involving some reeeeally crazy scrap pieces of the silver knit, so it took some time
* Fought inexplicably with the sewing machine, which all but refused to sew on the silver knit which it had done so easily for Maid Marian
* Switched needles (ball point and various regular points) and thread repeatedly, tried stitch length and switching from straight to stretch stitch
* Somehow got the bodice assembled
* Made the bed
* Spent several hours cutting long pieces of knit into 1/4" fringe - very repetitive but calming, and good listening to Remington Steele
* Pinned all the fringe in place on the bodice waist (barely missed putting the lengths in the wrong places)
* Looked up "skipping stitches on knit" and decided to go with my very finest, sharpest needle; stretch stitch worked pretty well
* Ate lunch somewhere in there
* Tried on tunic; very swishy
* Worried about the fringe weight, so took up the shoulders 1" and edge stitched everything
* Discovered both straight stitch and stretch stitch work when the needle is small enough to go through all layers
* Remembered sleeves; decided on another fringe design, cut and applied
* "Finished" waist and front edges (this is totally going to be pinned closed)
* Remembered one seam not serged on the gown; changed thread, serged seam, changed thread back, had to fix tension
* Made a fast grocery store run
* Ate dinner
* Pressed hem on Lost Hope gown
* Mowed lawn before sun went down
* Shower
* Cleaned up work space: photographing vintage pattern acquisitions for last year, putting away/organizing same, organizing and putting away stack of drafted patterns, organizing UFOs, putting away accumulated notions and tools
Finally tired! But it's pretty nice up there now. And it's very good to have Lost Hope so close to being done. Aside from hand finishing on the gown, all I need is to decide how I'm going to do the chiffon drape thingy. I really need to try on both gown and tunic to figure that out, too. I hope the tunic has a good effect. The silver fringe looks AMAZING especially in a breeze. That said, it's still essentially a fringed vest and looks crazy 70s until I have it on. The upward curved back waist helps. I just hope it looks like a metaphorical thunderstorm. :D
Anyway! Today was amazing, although it started meh and got a slow start. I woke up with a very stiff neck and mild headache, threatening to become worse. I got ready to mow the grass, since it didn't look like rain until the afternoon/evening; and just as I stepped out, it started misting. Bah. So I dragged myself upstairs and got to work on Lost Hope:
* Changed serger thread
* Realized it was a good day to change to summer sheets, so ran downstairs and started a load in the washer
* Finish skirt seams on Lost Hope gown
* Change back serger thread
* Sketch changes on pattern pieces for Lost Hope tunic (before discovering that I'd already done that a month ago and the pieces were in the envelope)
* Cut out Lost Hope tunic bodice, involving some reeeeally crazy scrap pieces of the silver knit, so it took some time
* Fought inexplicably with the sewing machine, which all but refused to sew on the silver knit which it had done so easily for Maid Marian
* Switched needles (ball point and various regular points) and thread repeatedly, tried stitch length and switching from straight to stretch stitch
* Somehow got the bodice assembled
* Made the bed
* Spent several hours cutting long pieces of knit into 1/4" fringe - very repetitive but calming, and good listening to Remington Steele
* Pinned all the fringe in place on the bodice waist (barely missed putting the lengths in the wrong places)
* Looked up "skipping stitches on knit" and decided to go with my very finest, sharpest needle; stretch stitch worked pretty well
* Ate lunch somewhere in there
* Tried on tunic; very swishy
* Worried about the fringe weight, so took up the shoulders 1" and edge stitched everything
* Discovered both straight stitch and stretch stitch work when the needle is small enough to go through all layers
* Remembered sleeves; decided on another fringe design, cut and applied
* "Finished" waist and front edges (this is totally going to be pinned closed)
* Remembered one seam not serged on the gown; changed thread, serged seam, changed thread back, had to fix tension
* Made a fast grocery store run
* Ate dinner
* Pressed hem on Lost Hope gown
* Mowed lawn before sun went down
* Shower
* Cleaned up work space: photographing vintage pattern acquisitions for last year, putting away/organizing same, organizing and putting away stack of drafted patterns, organizing UFOs, putting away accumulated notions and tools
Finally tired! But it's pretty nice up there now. And it's very good to have Lost Hope so close to being done. Aside from hand finishing on the gown, all I need is to decide how I'm going to do the chiffon drape thingy. I really need to try on both gown and tunic to figure that out, too. I hope the tunic has a good effect. The silver fringe looks AMAZING especially in a breeze. That said, it's still essentially a fringed vest and looks crazy 70s until I have it on. The upward curved back waist helps. I just hope it looks like a metaphorical thunderstorm. :D