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| here we go again |
Why do I care that it's mid-November? Because my generalized project plan had November charted out to finalize the pattern for my dashing consort's cote-hardie, and I have done sweet F-A on that task to date. waugh
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| Did I get pictures of us at the event? Of course not. But here's how I jazzed up his over-tunic. I am pleased. |
Since it'd been some time since I first burbled out all my thoughts regarding prep for My Grand Day Out, I figured I should go through it all again and turn it into a proper organized sequence of tasks: not just his cote, but everything involved. I created headings for each garment of interest (with a separate catch-all for small bits) and then wrote a separate post-it for each task I perceived underneath. Now, at this stage, most of the tasks are high-level; I do not have separate ones for "cut out fabric", "sew back seam", "hem neckline", etc. at this juncture, because I don't need to yet. As each garment comes up on deck, then I will break them down to that level. For my dresses, which I'm not going to start to attack until mid-January[3], the only specific tasks are thinky-planny ones like "am I going to line the overdress, and if so, with what" and "fabric or metal buttons?". Similarly, for his cote, there's just a high-level task for "make the silk cote", but there is a ream of very specific tasks re: getting the pattern together. (My current working plan is to use the pattern pieces from the pourpoint as a starting place - his chest size is not dissimilar to my patron's - and adjust from there both for differing dimensions and for what I've learned about where the assiettes really want to be.)
Having littered a coffee table with many bits of paper, and ordered & categorized them, I then created a new Trello board and transferred each item to a "card". (Is this a waste of paper? Yeah, slightly; but I find it much more effective for me to start the process with physical entities; YMMV.) I also created labels for each garment and tagged each card appropriately, and added comments as needed so if I pick one up in two or five or ten weeks, I have some idea of what the heck was in my mind at the time.
My roadmap looks something like this:
- November:
- complete a first-draft pattern for his cote
- December:
- make up (enough of) a linen cote[4] to confirm the pattern
- adjust cote pattern
- make silk cote
- decide on his hose fabric
- read up on bycocket production; decide whether I have the spoons to do it
- January:
- buttons & buttonholes on silk cote [cursing intensifies]
- Bycocket production, maybe
- make final decisions on my overdress: lining, tippets, buttons, (extra) ornamentation, etc.
- Acquire fabrics for hose, bycocket, linings, etc. as needed
- Cut out hose for both of us[5]
- February
- Check fit on my underdress vs. current body shape
- Based on that, decide on pattern adjustments for overdress
- Cut out & make up overdress [more damn buttons]
- March
- Finish overdress
- Finalize adjustments to underdress
- Finish underdress
- Complete all non-essential items as time permits
I mean, yes, also there are holidays and birthdays and work going *foom* in there, but we'll take it as it comes.
[1] "Finish enough to wear", anyways. All the seams are still raw on the inside. BUT THEY ARE HEMMED SO SHUT UP.
[2] I always have the urge to play Skyrim this time of year.
[3] Der Tag is March 30; and my shape has been changing sufficiently that if I start them now, they won't fucking fit right by the end of March.
[4] which will then eventually be finished for him as a summer garment. WASTE NOTHING.
[5] the nice thing about the hose is, I can in extremis farm them out to helpful friends. Or in absolute emergency, I at least can wear my trusty old yellow wool hose.[6]
[6] something old, something new, etc etc
