A Quick Pre-War Update

HOO BOY have I been nose-to-the-grindstone-sewing-machine lately.  Today I pulled ten hours straight!  I'm happy to say that I'm on schedule and moving right along.  I'm a bit apprehensive of this weekend; I'm taking the weekend off to attend a local event (after having spent last Saturday at regional war practice, and most of Sunday at a workshop day at a friend's house (at which I got many things done, actually)  - so I'll lose a day and a half of work time, but I definitely need the mental break!

So I have looooots of things to show you, mostly having to do with client sewing - but I forgot to take pictures of the two gowns I finished for said client last week before I delivered them, so I'll be getting with her soon to take some pics.

Some of the things going on lately: 

1.  A new LBGFD for me (Little Black [Gothic Fitted] Dress).  I'm happy to say that after upsizing and re-drafting the whole thing last year, last week I had to start sizing it down again, and adjusting some of the curves.  I made a second one from the new pattern today, and I'll have pics for you next week after the event coming up.

at war practice last weekend

2.  I finally got around to stripping down Violet and re-fitting her to look exactly like me.  At first I thought, "Wow, do I really look like a Russian Nesting Doll??"  but I'm actually pretty happy with my fitness progress of late. :) 

bewbs

3.  I've been dyeing a whole bunch of fabric: 

Forgot the gloves again. Typing this post with murder hands. 

4.  Painting lots of fabric, too: 

Rory likes to help. 

more heraldic flags for the campsite ropeline! 

Next Up

Tomorrow I'll be cleaning out the garage (because I can't even GET to my camping stuff as of right now, and I'll need it this weekend as well as for war, obviously). 

After that, I have some woodworking projects, which I'll show you; as well as a stack of client projects, and a couple of last things for me.  ONLY TWO WEEKS TO GO UNTIL WAR!  *breathes into a paper bag*  @_@

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A Quick Camp Makeover

Remember the fold-up camping cot I  bought in November?

Yes, this one: 

I took a page from Pinterest (at which no one was suprised), and made a pillow-mat for it, with a gathered skirt to hide the legs:

That's a bed sheet, a shower curtain, and a couple of bottles of Rit dye, baby.  Can't beat free. ;)

The back is split and edged with some blanket binding ribbon I had lying around; the pillows just pop right out so the cover can be washed.

At BAM in November I threw a sheet over this thing and set it up under the big, company pavilion, and people really enjoyed having a lounge space.  Now they have a comfier and and more attractive one. :)

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Company Table Linens for Feast

A quick fabric-painting project to spiff up company dinners:

One 96x48" white, cotton, Ikea RITVA curtain panel (linen-weave, cotton fiber), with 8" black linen border, painted with eight trios of Caerleon lions;  two 12x48" gold linen table runners with linen borders, Ansteorran star and Caerleon company motto (ut simus invicti: "together we are undefeated").  

The lions and star were first stamped, then painted in and detailed by hand.  The motto was written by hand with a large, flat paintbrush, over a chalk grid drawn in the center of each table runner.  (And no, I don't know what hand/font the text is.  I'm not a calligrapher or a scribe, hehe. This is the hand I know how to do. ☺ ) 

Paints are all artist's acrylics mixed 1:1 with fabric glue, and kept fluid by painting with a wet brush.  (I like working with regular acrylics much better than pre-fab fabric paints. The glue keeps the paint elastic and prevents cracking with wear, the glue and the water both make the paint soft and liquid enough to soak into the fabric on the first coat, rather than just sitting on top of the fabric where it might chip and peel with age).  

All pieces were finished with a silicone water-repellant spray treatment to protect the paint and to give the fabric some stain resistance. 

(Pic taken on my cutting table in the sewing room, with all of my feast gear, since I'm not at all certain of being able to take pics of the feast table at Candlemas this weekend - feast is usually lit by candlelight only, so, any pics of feast will likely be a big dark blur with a bunch of flames floating in it, hehe. (Well, fake flames, this year - the event site doesn't allowe open flames, which: booo!  But we'll make due).  

Tada! 

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