I finished my CCC project with TIME TO SPARE!!!!!!!!! WOOOHOOOOO!!!!



This was not me sitting in my car the morning of the event sewing on loops for buttons after doing a 22 hour straight sewing binge and having the crown calling me incessantly to finish up. This was me working a few hours a day and getting things done on a schedule and finishing up the night before just after dinner and then taking my time to style a photo shoot and hand in the documentation and edited photographs.


Super fun and super comfy though I was getting hot sitting in the sun. It was 63F and we didn't have a lot of wind so warm but I love it. I felt very fancy and its all entered and ready for judging.

This is gonna be a photo heavy post so:

( Photos behind this link )

Well, I slept good last night though it took me a while to get out of bed this morning. The weather is changing and reading about my friends in Alaska and California without power due to winds and knowing that the weather is heading our way by tomorrow after noon. So my brain is doing the "sleepy snuggly" thing with me in a freshly washed bed. (I did bed laundry yesterday and that just makes sleepy so nice on fresh sheets and blankets).

But I got up and am now trying to plan my day. Yesterday was good. I had energy. Benton took the ornaments off the tree and we got it fully taken down and boxed up before dinner. After dinner mel helped me with Tetrising the closets the xmas stuff goes into and then I hopped on the Southern Scriptorium Monday night zoom. Its our 20th year now of being a scriptorium. Also, yesterday was 25 years together for mel and I...our dating anniversary. So that is also nice. It was also a Monday in 1996.

During scribble we had more folks on who were there to art and chat which was nice. I got the neckline on my dress tacked down with tiny whip stitches. Tonight I need to put away laundry and work on the dress or hat. We shall see how I am after hitting the gym. Cause yes, I'm going. Even if I'm tired.

Trying to keep this momentum up cause the deadline is in two weeks. Yikes!

I pushed myself to finish my dress for layer 2 for the CCC and I'm most pleased with it even after figuring out that my sleeves were set too high and had to tear our seams that I had already hand finished. Doh!

So here is the dress and I am happy. The Red silk trim really makes the dress pop.
My plan for the weekend is to cut out the next layer and get that working and to cast on my hat I'm naalbinding. I can finish the layer I think by the end of the month. If I work hard I may be able to finish a coat as well but we will see. I may be up for that challenge but its a lot of hand work.

Full Shot:


Arm Movement:



Back:


Seam closeup:



Sleeve and hem shots:

The doc was convinced its allergies and she was right. I hit my netipot and doubled up on a bunch of meds and low and behold life is much better and clearer. I now have not had a sore throat in 3 days which is glorious! Stoopid post nasal drip. No idea what is making me have allergies other than we had particulate in the air the last few weeks but still...good to know.

I started in earnest on my CCC project. Saturday I cleaned up my studio and put things away and got the ironing station setup and my dress form out and accessible. I took new measurements and started in working on new patterns. I need to make adjustments for what Ari calls the "flying squirrel" problem. This is usually a male presenting issue since their traps, deltoids, and lats can expand depending on movement. My flexed shoulder measurements on my back are 5 inches different than my front. So I'm modding my normal dress pattern to add in a separate shoulder gore to help with that expansion but keeping the front of the dress/gores the same. I had to math and think and chat with Ari on text to not over think things. But I think it will work. The other dress I needed to pattern was the gathered neckline underdress. Now this one is perplexing to me and most folks who have done this pattern have the neckline gathered with the sleeves. I'm going to try that out but I know I've seen this without doing that...maybe in a more modern piece?

This is the archeological find


I've got the pattern set with gathering with the sleeves we shall see how I like it. It seems bulky to me. I need to put an email into Mistress Raven to see how she did her pattern since her documentation for her project doesn't show pattern info.

I also got the room setup to bring in my gatelegged 1950s table to use as a cutting and sewing table. I'm also going to use my featherweight which research has shown is a 1947 221-1 Featherweight built in April of that year. I ironed fabric for my mockups and then cutout a mockup of the pleated dress. It will be a short dress but its an under and if it works it will be nice for summer. Ironing with playful cats was trying. I finally just kept hitting them with the sprayer. Though willow liked me misting her belly and rubbing it. So that was weird. I guess she was belly up cause she was hot.

Tasha on my first cut out mockup.



I hope to get the sewing on the mockup done this week so I can figure that pattern out. We are heading out of town for a quick weekend trip to see some things and order something in person. But we will be doing roadside geology and heading to where its not 100+ during the day. Summer still has not let go but it is cooling down at night into the 60s which is good. So you know fall is trying...it just can't quite get there during the day. My personal theory is that all of the west coast fires are affecting the weather patterns which isn't that far fetched.

The only downer of the weekend is we tried a new to us burger joint and it was disappointing. They messed up my order and the food was pretty mushy from transport and the burgers were not cooked to what we ordered. Oh, well. We know which places we like.

I did finish 40) Clockwork Dagger by Beth Cato and 41) Battle Ground by Jim Butcher. Both were enjoyable. I didn't like a choice made in the Butcher novel but I've been expecting it. Its sad but true. Now I'm reading 42) Clockwork Crown by Beth Cato. After that one I may dip into Terry Pratchet for a bit.

If you were paying attention to the last post you would see that I've been updating things as they go. Still lots TO DO but its slowly getting done.
Mel was awesome and let me sleep in on Sunday. Saturday night I had stayed up till midnight reading/finishing Heartless which is the 4th book in the Parasol Protectorate and is the 6th book I've read this year. I started the last book in the series last night and its a fun romp as always.

Mel was not feeling very well again. Sigh. Oh, well. Hopefully he's get better soon or see the doctor like I keep recommending. Ahem.

Saturday was awesome time spent with folks. Here is a picture of the finished Laurel and Leopard Lady Banners. Just need to set the paint and sew edges etc.



I did manage to finally sew Mel's tunic all of the way. I need to hem it etc but it fits (though a bit big) and looks rather smashing. Just wait until it gets its Hrafn Finery!



Tonight we will finish the main painting on the Hrafn Banner. Its simple but awesome and I ended up with getting a laurel pennant for myself out of the deal. I'll post pictures of that when its done but it will fly at Crown first.

Well, I have to say I didn't accomplish everything I wanted to this weeked but considering how I was feeling I don't feel too bad about it. So on friday I started getting really stuffed up in the head. My ears were full and my head ached and I was tired. I came home after a huge brain drain day and took a nap. Mel was awesome and let me sleep and picked up the Benton later than normal so I could rest. I ended up taking some sudafed but man I didn't feel too much better. I prepared for us to go to Sierra Vista in the morning but we had a plan if I wasn't up to it. Mel was awesome to make me grilled cheese to go with the tomato soup that I wanted.

Little boy decided that 615 was when he wanted to get up which was fine. I got moving and made coffee and breakfast after I fed him. I was feeling okay after I ate and I proceeded to get things going for the morning. Mel was awesome and drove to Sierra Vista. We had Mariyah with us and we had a good trip down. Got to site and got things settled and Ben was really awesome all day. I was tired though and I took it easy and made sure to drink plenty of water and keep the boy happy. Aunt Pat was great and watched him while I taught documentation. The classes got a bit rescheduled due to the rain but it worked out. I was very tired by the time it was time to leave. I drove us out of site and then managed to miss a sign and get a speeding ticket on post. I think I might defend my case on it since both mel and I didn't see the 35mph sign, only the 45mph sign. Its not the most expensive ticked I've gotten but it still was annoying. Unfortunately, since they were right behind us american_knight and duchess_asa got one too. That was the most eventful part of the trip. We got home, changed clothes, I fed the boy and then Mariyah and us went to Sweet Tomatoes. I was in the mood for comfort food and salad and soup hit that spot.

Got home, fed the boy again and I went to bed after a shower. I was feeling very stuff and my ears ached. I had really bad issues coming down from Sierra Vista (in elevation) and I blew my noised when we got home from dinner and I had to do the checks to see if I blew my eardrum. Ouch. All was okay but I was so icky. Mel had set his bedside light on and I went to bed to awake at midnight and realized mel hadn't come to bed. Which was odd. He had had a really good day fighting and was a bit keyed up when we got home from dinner. Well, he had stayed keyed up and had sat watching naalbinding videos. Silly boy. I am glad he had a good day and he came to bed when he realized what time it was. We went to bed and I fell asleep very fast him not so much. Oh, well. At 4am the boy made his monitor beep but it didn't set the alarm off. I got up to hit the bathroom and then realized that I needed to pump. I hadn't before bed and that was a mistake. I was back to sleep by 430 but when the boy woke up at 6am I was toast. Mel was awesome and brought him and the boppy to me and I slept/dozed while he ate. I had hoped he'd fall asleep with us in bed but he just wiggled happily while we dozed. Mel got up about 730 and took the boy with him and I slept until 930. It was nice.

I got up and felt my sinuses draining which was good and I felt better. I had breakfast after feeding the boy and then worked on getting the house picked up I think....I think I pulled fabric for my new dress and at 1pm Tym arrived to work on Rus pants. Throughout the afternoon he worked on pants with me supervising and I worked on understanding, making a pattern and then cutting out a new hangerrock based upon Nille Glaesel's Book. It is an amazing book and I finally figured out her patterning and cut one out. Dude, such efficient use of fabric! I hope to have it completed by crown on Saturday but I'll have to push through to do it. It won't have all of the fancy stuff on it but it should be nice. If that one works/wears well I'll do more from that pattern and get my clothing back up to snuff. I've needed new stuff for a while and I've been balking on it.

Benton had been a grumpy pants most of the day. I think he's starting teething cause he was warm but not really running a fever and he was chewing on everything he could get his hands on. Or he could be coming down with my cold. Dunno. He was cranky last night and was fussing on and off throughout the night. We put him down with out jammies and that was probably a mistake. I got up at 3am to cover him back up and give him his binky. He was right to sleep with his afghan but this morning he was still a bit cranky but that could have just been that he wanted to still be asleep. When he got to day care he was all smiles again but not as bouncy as normal. We shall see how this progresses. He's the right age to start with teeth or with a cold or both. Ah the joys of parenthood.