Tunic Panic!

[mightyjesse]

Hokai. So. I am lucky enough to have my very own Duke-Barbie (Technically, I think that should be Duke Ken, but I'm not sure the reference would be as universal then.) to play dress-up with and I haven't yet REALLY taken advantage of his good nature on that front. No... It doesn't involve putting him in tights. That trick is sooo last millennium. That and I've never really been fond of the men-in-tights look.

SO, I'm finally going to "do the needful" and make us matching outfits. (It's OK if you throw up in your mouth a little... I almost did, which is what made me decide that this project NEEDED to be done.) That is why I am currently in the process of making 4 tunics in 2 weeks. 4.

No, I don't know what's wrong with me. I have speculated that I spent so many years procrastinating that I now know exactly what I'm capable of accomplishing in an 8 hour sewing bender... And now that I'm planning ahead I fail to recognize that it's probably not the best scheduling practice to plan outfits that can technically be completed by the proposed deadline but only if EVERY NIGHT is an 8 hour sewing bender....



Right. So the basic idea is white under-tunics with yellow trim covered by shorter yellow over-tunics with black trim and white embroidery.

Due to odd fabric amounts, I started with the outer tunics first. First I did the white linen embroidery on the black linen:



I did Zig's white catamounts on the front of each collar and the white household eagles on the backs.





At this point, I have Zig's over-tunic mostly pieced together, but have yet to cut out my own...





I also have Zig's under-tunic mostly cut out and pieced as well... The reason I haven't done any of my own cutting yet, is because unlike Zig, I don't have any pre-existing garb in these shapes that I can trace patterns for... So I'm going to have to measure myself and make patterns... It's not hard, but the white linen has the bias stretch of death and won't stay straight on grain if you sneeze too close to it... so I'm still trying to figure out how I want to deal with it... I think I'm probably going to end up breaking down and making a pattern piece for myself to pin the fabric too, rather than just ripping a bunch of squares and rectangles the way I normally would.

Tonight I'll be going over to Eithni's Home for Wayward Girls to enjoy some of the social aspects of sewing... There's something therapeutic about hot lesbian sex tea and hand sewing... I'll be damned if I can tell you what it is, but it's good. (Maybe it's just the estrogen therapy. Lord knows I barely make any of my own...)


In other news, I STILL have "Three Bags Full" (which I cannot seem to say without singing) of raw wool to process. I'm still looking at drum carders online and trying not to drool into my own laptop. I hope I will have time on Sunday to go to Susan's Fiber Shop in Columbus pick up my new toy. (eithni has agreed to come with me - though probably NOT in the role of "responsible adult," provided she is not suddenly Princess at the time.) I hope the wool shop will have the toys I want...

I've been trying to take the disciplined approach to cleaning all this wool and have been "scouring" about 2 lingerie bags full in the sink every-other night. It's been taking about 2-3 days for each batch of wool to dry. Theoretically, I COULD speed this process along by using the washing machine, but I still don't trust myself to remember to turn the machine OFF at the right times so that I don't end up with sheep-sized felt balls... That would TOTALLY be "epic fail".

Time to go pre-reg myself for Pennsic....

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[mightyjesse.livejournal.com]

It's spring time and I'm half Asian with Seasonal affective disorder....

That means that my work ethic and discipline have just come out of hibernation only to realize that winter depression has caused SLACKING and therefore I am BEHIND ON MY WORK.

Besides... I'd like to become a laurel BEFORE my 40th birthday... That's my goal at any rate...