Gah...Save Me from Myself! (or alternatively, Push Me Over the Brink!)

[hsifeng]

OK, having had a blast on this shirt I am finishing up for the hubby, I find myself seriously considering working on a new chemise project for myself. It's an illness. *head desk*

So, what project am I thinking of embarking on?

Comments

[femkederoas]

Two thoughts - those MIGHT be the pleating threads left in... Or they might be lines from backsmocked cables holding the pleats in neatly. It'd be hard to pull threads just from PART of the smocking and not the rest.

If you've got a good bookstore around, pick up and leaf through this month's issue of Sew Beautiful. There is a little peach girls' top with a sort of "smocked" insertion that reminds me a bit of these cords. Worth looking at.

[hsifeng]

Thank you for the recommendations! Not being an "expert smocker" in any way, I hadn't even considered that this migth be the backside of a cable stitch. I was thinking that the outside bands of embroidery might be used to 'stabilize' the foreshortened gathering threads in the smocking over the broader area in the shirt front, while the smocking over the shoulders (and perhaps the back) was released once the top was secured. ie: Once the bands are in place, the threads are cut in the outside bits of the smocking and then sewn back to the verticle bands to keep them in place.

Thanks again for your thoughts and suggestions!

[femkederoas]

I've done quite a bit of smocking, period and mundane. You pretty much have to backsmock most garments to keep the shape you want. And since smocking doesn't go all the way THROUGH the pleat - all you see on the reverse side of cable stitch is sort of a straight line. I'll try to take some pictures for you.

[hsifeng]

*jumps up and down*

Oh yes, please!

[shadowd1]

i think it's about time you make yourself something nice!

[hsifeng]

Me too! *grin* Pop has been raking in the goodies of late, sewing wise. I think I get to make me some nice stuff. Of course, this is not the first project I will be tackling all out. I want to make my nice 'Melancolia' apron/skirt first. But I think I will start plugging away on this slowly...

[sstormwatch]

Oh MY! I wish you well with this project.

[hsifeng]

Well, *before* I get too far down the road on this new idea - I want to get together with you and photograph the hell out of our Steuchlein project! *grin* I am out of town part of next weekend, and the weekend after that is Mother's Day - but perhaps the weekend following?

[sstormwatch]

And the weekend after that is Queen Bess & the Pyrates, which I've been told we are doing as support for the new Queen (little Pat the GM of St. Augustine's, aka Lady Wolverine formerly of St. Elizabeth's). How about the weekend of the 23/24?

[hsifeng]

That's Memorial Weekend - we'll be down south. *hummmmm*

[dravon]

Dammit! *shakes fist at heavens* You keep taking all my long-term projects! Well, at least you are DOING them, not merely planning to do them as I tend to do. *shakes fist at self* I've been working through the book "Art of Fabric Manipulation" finding ways to get the braiding done right. But I'm exceedingly slow. *sniffles* Guess I just need to get off my fat ass and do something, eh?

I look forward to reading the progress reports!

[hsifeng]

I will be happy to provide them, once I get some time to fit the charting of the 'knots-n-hearts' pattern in! *grin*

BTW - As always, any advice is gladly accepted. If you see something that you can point me to, please let me know!