Girly Stuff
BOREDOM ALERT!
OK, I’m going bore you now with a Promenade Dress Update. 
Having made the bodice, added a drawstring, tried it on with Robert’s help, to check how much is to be gathered into the waistband, I have now moved on to the skirt.
The disappointment here was that I didn’t have as much fabric as 
I thought I did, so the skirt looks as though it’s going to end up being a tube gathered into the back…not what I wanted to achieve. I thought that angling the seams a bit would give me more ‘flare’, but not enough. (NOTE: perspective makes this look more angled than it actually is!)
As I need to make a placket opening in the centre back, I wondered if I made an actual seam and sloped that, too, it would look better….I won’t have so much to gather into the waistband, but it will add to the ‘flare’.
Then I saw the pieces that I had cut from the sides…hmmmm, I thought…if I sew them together and add them to the centre-back seam, that will be another eight inches or so to add to the hem width. So that is what I am doing. I just hope it works…!!
Diary of a Madwoman! 
I do too also Sandi, I believe you will end up with an eight gore skirt Yes? Back to form filling. 🙂 xx
Not quite eight gore…front panel, two side back panels…and two very narrow centre back panels = five.Good luck with the form-filling, Natalia…hope you\’re almost done…?
By jove I think it\’ll work you know! Another feather in your cap Sandi, I wouldn\’t have thought of doing that!I\’ve removed the oustide layer of papers and am about to do a two and half metre seam (flat felled so I\’ll have to sew it twice) on the backing fabric. Then *gulp* I can tack the three layers together and start the quilting. Scarey stuff!Sun is shining and there\’s a nice fresh breeze to go with it. Still too hot to sit out and the plasticery (don\’t have a pottery) needs watering twice a day. Got some runner beans, tomatoes and peas growing. Yum.Have fun. xx
All gobble de goop to me I\’m afraid.. only gore I know is our Simon! lol… I hope it all works out in the end though!
Way to go Rachel! All this talk of sewing has quite exhausted me (what on earth is flat felled?). Lunch consisted of me and Sandie sitting on the ground leant against the Abbey listening to a guy playing a hang – absolutely marvelous (although I now have a very numb bottom) tis beautiful out there 🙂
Yeah, like I\’m gonna have that one stitched into my dress…lord only knows what mischief he\’s get up to!!!Gore = wedge-shaped piece of skirt, ie the panels that make up the skirt.You\’re getting on well with your quilt, Rachel…with something like that, I pick it up and put it down and it would probably take me years to make!
Flat-felled is when you trim one side of the seam, fold the other side over the top, tuck it underneath then stitch it down…like on a pair of jeans.
Ah! Right! (I only got that when you said jeans.. I\’m really not the brightest when it comes to sewing..I can fix stuff and that\’s about it).
That\’s why I mentioned the jeans…people know what you\’re on about then.BTW…what\’s a \’hang\’? Sounds interesting.
It\’s a really cool instrument – I had to look it up, but it sounds like a really musical version of a jamaican drum but softer http://www.hangfan.co.uk/index.php it sounds excellent – I\’m a fan! Rachel should look into playing it, it sounds like even when learning to play it would still sound nice. I\’m sure it\’s not though!
That is a very pretty sound…perfect for a summers afternoon. Thank you for that link.
It is a lovely sound isn\’t it?
It\’s taken me a good year to get this far! I thought I would be doing the quilting last winter but it got put down for a while ;-)Kent learn to play a bang. Piano lessons start next week and I\’d better only do one thing at a time or I\’ll get confuseded. Old age is such a swine!!! I\’d also love to be able to play a digeridoo thingy. Now there\’s an instrument!!! When it\’s not being blown down it comes in handy as a weapon! Perfect. xx
Good luck with the piano lessons! I\’ve got a friend (on Facebook) that plays a diggery doo and drums – told him about the faery fest yesterday he\’s planning on going next year – was gutted he didn\’t know about it.
Came back for a listen (daft bugger forgot the link). Mesmerizing sound and well worth having a numb bum to listen to it first hand.(anybody want to comment about me calling the hang a \’bang\’ and I\’ll blame Sandi\’s keyboard!!)
😐 Did wonder spent a while trying to figure out if a bang was a similar type of instrument! But then spent ages trying to work out who Kent was! lol
I spent ages looking on you tube for a bang!!! I think it was the reference to drums that did it. I still kent learn to play it though!! I\’ll teach you \’ow to talk proper. xx
Lol!! Can\’t!! duh! There was me trying to work out who this Kent fella was.Just looked on u tube and I swear this is the guy we were watching! Sounds just like ithttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICZ3h5NnxIM
Um…well, you do \’bang a drum, don\’t you?!! At least, I always thought that\’s what one did with a drum…!Sorry, Rach…thought you\’d only jest started that there quilt…I thought you\’d got through it pretty quickly…hehehe.
Sure it will work, you is a clever girl.Do you wear petticoats underneath? What type of footwear/jewellery/hairstyle? How is Bobs cossie getting on?
Robert\’s costume = a partially-made shirt!I will probably make a petticoat if I have time, but I\’ll probably end up overheating with all the layers of fabric.Footwear is black leather pumps. I bought a lovely pair for £50 a couple of years back. They were the right shape and were really comfortably…and I\’ve worn them out!! So now I have bought a pair in Barratts for £10…leather, with leather lining and sock…but not such an elegant shape as the others…(sigh) Serves me right, I guess!!I will probably wear a simple pair of pearly-drop earrings, and get my hair cut before we go…I\’ll be wearing the bonnet, so it won\’t matter. Have a look at the Regency Costume & Jane Austen Festival album to get an idea…we went in 2007 and had a fantastic time…so this time we go in costume!!
I say \’we\’ go in costume…that will all depend on whether I get Robert\’s done in time…I will have more to \’work out\’ with his pantaloons and tail-coat…OMG!!!!
I think he\’d look fine in just the shirt Sandi. No need for anything else at all!
Methinks he\’s be carted off to bedlam!
I dunno about being carted off to bedlam.. arrested maybe ..
OK, then…arrested for being an escaped Bedlamite…! That better?
That sounds about right – is he on funny pills today? fish finger thumbs.. lol
LMAO!!! He\’s only on his hayfever stuff…hmmm…I wonder what\’s in those pills and inhalers…?!!!
I dunno but if that\’s all it is I want his hayfever stuff.. my inhalers etc don\’t work the same as his!
I like childrens night time cough mixture. It knocks me out for six!! Hmmmm, *cough* I feel a little horse *cough*. Maybees I should have some tonight so that I can sleep the whole night through *ahem* Ooops *cough, splutter*
I thought your friend Jack helped you in that department?! Best go take some of that there cough medicine before it develops into a really bad cough…
I\’ve got a cough anyway…something to do with having another cold!! (I haven\’t filled as many tissues as I did yesterday, so it must be passing…!) Cough is still a bit ticklish, though…! I did think of getting some full-strength Benylin….!
When Robert\’s shirt is finished, he\’s going to pose in it for a photo!
That sounds like a threat Sandi!!! Will he be in ……… erm …………… full costume for the photo? Nudge nudge.
Another cold! You\’ve only just gotten over the last one Sandi! (hope you\’re feeling better soon)
So do I!! Robert had a sore throat last week…then I got it. He\’s fine (apart from his hayfever) and I get the rest of the crap that goes with it. I think this is the second cold this year…I sailed through the winter with barely a sniffle!As for Robert posing, I can\’t remember if he suggested it or if I did…ne\’mind…no matter…we\’ll get a photo, anyway!!
Your comment went straight over Sandi\’s head then Rachel! lol
I got the partially finished shirt out, but can\’t find the first one I started. How annoying!! I need the first one for the neck and collar measurements, so I can get the collar sorted before he tries it on for size. It looks huge, but men\’s shirts were rather voluminous. I can\’t finish the sleeves until the collar is done…and he needs to try it on for that…and I\’m waffling again…!!
Full costume? You mean just the shirt?!! Yes!
I\’m at a stand, now. Have got a bodice, a waistband, and the skirt…and no idea how to put them together to make a dress! Shift it to one side and work on something else!! Spencer!!
Don\’t worry, you will probably wake up with an eureka moment in the early hours and know the solution and then when you try to remember what it was you will have forgotten.
You have \’em as well, Anne? That\’s it exactly! I tell myself that I must remember that idea…then fall asleep and forget! Bloomin\’ typical!!
There, you see…there I was steaming ahead with everything going right, then…now what?!!! How the heck do I put them together?!! Quick! It\’s gotta be in one of my books, somewhere…!!!!!
Morning,It\’s tipping it down out there and hot and muggy. I\’m in the office alone and the phone\’s not stopped since half 8 :\'(Roll on 5
Blue skies and high fluffy clouds, here. I hate muggy, though!!
My Mum says it has poured down where she lives near New Romney which is about 40 odd miles away. We have not had any but Kath only lives a couple of miles away from me and she said it has rained hard all night!News has it that it whole internet has slowed as word of Michael Jacksons death spreads.
No doubt we\’ll have rain before long…then I won\’t have to go out and water my \’pottery\’. We\’ve had no rain here, for a few days.
Don\’t worry Sandi, it\’ll come.Yes shocker isn\’t it? Sandie (my friend) was going to see him next month I bet she\’s gutted! I wasn\’t too keen on his music – take it or leave it, but he was an amazing showman.Sandi have you worked out what you\’re doing with your dress yet?
Morning all. Apparently the rain is going to miss us 😦 I was looking forward to just standing in the middle of the garden and lifting my face to the refreshing rain. Need it as it\’s not rained for what seems like weeks down here! Did you get a eureka moment in bed last night Sandi? (I\’m talking about the dress!!!!!)
Morning Sandi,It is raining here and my washing is on the line. I never understand what prompts me to do a wash the day rain is forecast. Maybe, I just don\’t care that much. ;o) With regards to Mr Jacksons demise, I read a comment on you tube last night paid in tribute to him. "He did more than anyone in bringing the world together" Really?? This just refelects how the celebrity circus influences the average mind. I shout, Ghandi, Mother Thersa, Martin Luther King!!! Wake up World or rather the world that revolves around the media hype. Regardless of my own personal ruminations of his demise, I agree with Eileens comment, he was indeed a showman.Love to you and I hope the rain has you dancing in it. ;o) xx
No. Nothing yet. So the books are coming out today and I will sit here and pore over them until I find dresses with waistbands, etc.Hope you get some rain, soon, Rachel…then you can shock your neighbours by \’dancing naked in the rain\’…ooooh er, missus!!!I guess we\’re not going to be able to switch anything on without being inundated with Michael bloomin\’ Jackson all the flamin\’ time!! Ye gods!! Is this another of his freaky \’stunts\’? I\’ll believe it when it\’s proved to be him…and not a so-called double! There was all this, a while back about him being dead, wasn\’t there…?!!Oh…you\’ve guessed…I\’m not a Jackson fan…!!!
Really Sandi? Was there I hadn\’t noticed. Speaking of which I have just revisited Kenneths blog he wrote a few months ago about Mr Jackson and an end of an Era……….. Perhaps you may read it and agree with his scathing and forthright comments.
Can I go home please? Why is it that on a Friday when I\’m in the office on my own the phones go mad and the world has gone bonkers? I can\’t even escape into the radio because it\’s bloomin Michael Jackson everywhere!
I know…drives you nuts, doesn\’t it!!! I declare my space a M*****l J*****n-free zone…!! Who?! That\’s the geezer! And talking of The Who…I was, and still am, a big fan of theirs…Roger Daltry…what a voice!!
And what a nose! lol
Yeah…just like Alice Cooper! (Sigh)
lol!
Men with little noses just aren\’t real men!! Gimme a big hooter any day!!!
I\’ve never really thought of it like that! Don\’t really pay that much attention – more likely to notice how bent a nose is.. what with me being rugby mad and all!!
The costume is on hold at the moment…have just sorted out some buttons to use instead of the self-covered ones…which aren\’t at the moment! Looking at costume pictures to see how many hve waist-bands…apart from that…can\’t get motivated to do anything…gggrrrrrr!!!!
Good luck – it sounds like you need a break Sandi
Maybe you\’re right…I\’ll just get ready for work and leavi it for a few hours. Maybe something with come to me while I\’m out…?!
Sounds like a good idea, I didn\’t realise they had waistbands, I thought they just sort of gathered from under the bust area – shows how much I know of clothing eh?Only 2½ more hours and then I\’m going to hit the bath and a large glass of something! This week has been hell
fell asleep halfway thruneedlework, best left to the women, thats what theyr here for after all
Then what ya doin\’ here on a blog that states that it\’s Girly Stuff…? Hang around long enough, Dai and I\’ll give you a seam to stitch…!! ;-DEileen, the pure Classically inspired gowns were made of white muslin and drawn in around the (high) waist and neckline with a drawstring (Greek inspired) 1804-1807 came Egyptian and Etruscan inspiration….maybe I should just add another blog ith the pictures to demonstrate the changes women\’s fashions during this period?
Dai, is my mascara smearing? How do they walk in these heels? This is the last time you talk me into dressing like a drag queen just so we can sneak into one of their girl talk sessions.
LMAO…ooooh, Chip….what are you like…?!!! I needed that!! A darn good laugh!! Got in from work grinding me teeth because of that arrogant sh*t at work.! Why can\’t we shoot f**k-wits?!! I\’ll vote for the party that makes it legal to shoot f**k-wits!!!!!
I\’ll do the shooting! I had one that was so jacked up that every time I looked at him an imaginary bull\’s eye formed right between his eye brows.
I\’ll have to remember that one! I have to keep reminding him to do what he is paid to do, but he seems to resent being told! Well, it is my job to make sure he does his work…if the A***hole doesn\’t like it, he knows what he can do!!! All I get from him, as soon as he opens his gob is excuses!! He\’s Chinese, and my boss does not like employing Chinese, as she says they always have this kind of trouble from them! Point duly noted for future reference!!
<< sniggering at the thought of Chip and Dai in drag >>Chip you\’re welcome over this side of the pond if you\’re gonna help shoot the feckers that do my head in!Dai.. I\’m still gonna slap ya.. just cos you need it I think more than from self satisfaction – honest!!
Another reason to have the twat shot is that he is arrogant, self-important, argumantative, and did I mention Arrogant…?!! He\’s a w****r!!! I don\’t want people like that…I want a team! He\’s so far up his own jacksy…gggrrrrrrrr…I wanna rip his eyes out and shove \’em down that throat of his….gggrrrrrr!!!!!!!I must calm down…it\’s Friday…weekend…relax…deep breaths…
Oh dear! Someone get the chocolate, quick!!!!
Oh dear… Bob.. quick chocolate fix needed!!Rachel you survived!!!!!
There is only one twelve year old left in the house. I survived to see another day and to do it all again next week!
I\’ve got the whole 16 year old one to do 5 days before my 40th Rachel.. seriously not looking forward to it.. I\’ve already started thinking aggressive behavior to my doctor to get the valium needed to cope… lol.. more like planning accounts so I can run away!Good luck for next week xxx
Stop sniggering, Eileen! The bikini wax was bad enough without you cutting up! Now, about this hit on the Chinaman; I hear it\’s pretty tough getting firearms into the the UK so I\’m thinking ninja chimpanzees. Dai, can you meet us at the territorial limit with a fast boat and 50 kilos of bananas? I would use the baboons already in place but a certain ginger bus driver sold them to a Chinese restaurant……..wait a minute. You don\’t suppose Simon is a sleeper agent for the Red Chinese take out syndicate……….
HARK…………….I HEAR A PISTOL SHOT……..A SHISTLE WOT……..A PISTOL POT…….OH..SHIT I\’M SHOT…Have I missed something here….LABW LABW Paw on pulse….LoooL xXx :)))
Can i join in ?Now i am no racist ,i have lots of welsh friends ?I think jayne is lovely ,in her way ?But the Chinese …..no i musn\’t …..bastards !
ROFL at you lot…!!!! Spot on, Robin! They should stick to supplying us with take-aways…!! Chis is totally barking (literally!)…Chip…what can I say? D\’ya think it\’ll work? Rachel and Eileen…good idea…gimme chocolate…!!!!!!!! That is probably why I feel so stressed…no chocolate!! The Chinese girl is a good worker…no complaints. It\’s him that has to go!! The other week he had a tantrum and shouted at me and accused me of \’treating him like a master treats a slave\’!! Yeah? A bloody useless, lazy slave…at least you can sell slaves on…!! I nearly took in a book by His Holiness The Dalai Lama to sit and read before starting work…you know the situation between China and Tibet…!!
LOL!! Oh Chinese.. mm I think a takeaway is in order tonight
Simon, we finally a chance to get those chimps out of your bunker once and for all. Sandi\’s offered to take them to work with her.Eileen – the Kung Pao chicken…..that\’s not chickenTigrx – Just hold the door and try not to look ChineseLABW – what have you been smoking and where can we get some?
Er…I\’ve already got one…don\’t want any more…unless they can do a better job than s**t-for-brains!!
Lol! Have fun guys and play nicely
Eileen, you\’re beginning to sound like Chip…!
Who me? ha ha…
Er…yes.
At the risk of having a dress fitted, my nationality changed, or species questioned (there are many risk\’s amongst this lot). I would like to make two observations. 1) Stupidity comes in all nationalites and flavours 2) Has anyone seen Sandi\’s dress? 3) Ha you thought I was going to miss count again! – I didn\’t. You have a challange there Sandi. OF course insert the extra piece at the rear will help hide the join. But using material with such a prominent line must be hard work? I trust you have a machine with broad overstitch- one slip and the lines will be really obvious! . I note the use of a liner. (I dont think it\’s the pattern?)Did you want a straight flare (angled out flat material) of \’flounced\’/\’ruffeled\’ look . If the later perhaps a fuller liner(or different material) will draw the top layer into more \’flounce\’. However experiments sometimes cost. Don\’t risk what you can\’t afford to lose (lesson for many things) Your\’s in Snippity Fashion (although late into the Game) Simon
Have I gone mad or has Chip changed his name?Sorry Sandi – I promise to be more \’me\’ in future ;-)Simon I didn\’t know you knew how to make dresses. . .
I\’m full of (it) Surprises- coming over to you in a sec…That is visiting your Spaces, that is will communicate with you in more detail directly- Sheesh, you have to cover your backside in this place !
lol
Hence the extra fabric in the back…er does my bum look big in this…?No, I\’m not adding any flounces, Simon, and I am wondering how it\’s going to look when finished due to the stripe…hmmm. I have only lined the bodice, not the skirt, and I\’m now thinking more in favour of dispensing with the waistband…shall baste it all together to see if it looks right…if not…undo it and do it again…simples!!
Quite. I\’ve been sewing button-holes today…how tedious! I managed three…and two buttons….then, at least, I\’ll be able to put on bodice, gather front and stitch into place before pinning to waistband or skirt…depending on what I finally decide on. It\’s all good fun.
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