It Has Been Eight Months Since My Last Confession

I was talking to one of my five regular readers, who pointed out I hadn't posted since January.  "Nonsense," I said.  "I must have at least posted in the run-up to My Grand Day Out."

Quotha:

okay that's awkward

So, yeah, I have been doing stuff, though since March nothing super-epic.  It's boiled down about like this:

• Jan-March: completely focused on getting everything ready for Mudthaw, which is when I became a Made Man™
• April: finishing the bits of the outfits for Mudthaw that didn't quiiiiiite get done on time, because there was a 14th-century immersion event at the end of April, and we had all these just-made fancy high-Gothic duds, and well yes
• May-July: Some small amount of Pennsic sewing, but mostly working on the planned gifts for the House Runnymede dinner that would be held at Pennsic
• Aug-now: mostly absolutely nothing, because not only is it start-of-semester at work, but my Service Desk manager left and I have been doing two jobs

And, the list of things what have been achieved:

• My silk under & over-dresses
• my burgundy wool hose[1]
• my dashing consort's silk cote
• my dashing consort's brick-red gabardine hose
• a new chemise with a better-shaped neckline
• 1 pair plain white linen hose (mine)
• Contrasting strip on the bottom of my lavender kirtle[2]
• new purse (mine)[3]
• 3 new lacing cords of various sizes
• Beeswax "aglets" for all current lacing cords[4]
• 10 painted cushion covers with Eastern baronial arms (that's the Runnymede gifts aforementioned)
• 2 sets of fake-hair braids.  (And I've actually practiced putting them on, TYVM.)

So, I mean, that's not awesome for 2/3 of a year; but I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty burned out for awhile; and could only manage things which absolutely had to get done.  It's only in the last week or so I've started to feel like getting back into it - and the most I've achieved is "sewing on some buttons that somebody else made".

That said, what is there I have to say to you, my readers, about advancing the cause of Science?  I feel like there's a lot I could or should post about my gown(s) and his cote, though I don't know how much of it I can pull back out of the sludge at this point.  (Other than that the difference between real and faux-silk brocade is epic.  EPIC.)  I also should have a round-up of all the work that other people did for My Big Day, much of which has its own blog posts, for your amazement and possible envy. The rest of the stuff seems kind of business-as-usual?  I think?  Not super-useful to add to the corpus of group knowledge?  But I'll try and commit to back-filling, at least until I have something new and exciting to share.

[1] Which were too small along my cyclist calves, and I burst the back seams during my peerage ceremony, FML.  But they have been regifted to someone with thinner legs and they all lived happily ever after.

[2] so the dress is now a) hemmed and b) no longer too short.

[3] Mostly done.  I still have to make the hanging strings for it.

[4] they worked SUPER WELL. do this forever

Here We Are Again

I'm really crap at updating over the holidays, aren't I?  --Well, let's be honest; I don't tend to get a lot done over the holidays.  There's all the chaos and wharrgarbl of holiday prep and possibly travel, and usually I have managed to get sick at least once each season; and the truth is, as has been pointed out to me this year, in December my creative efforts seem to focus themselves entirely around the kitchen.  Which is fine!  But I should factor that into my expectations going forward.

All of the above things were true this holiday season as well, especially the getting-sick, but I did at least manage to do some work on my dashing consort's cote (doublet, thing).  I started with the pourpoint pattern, draped it on him, made adjustments, created an edited pattern from that, and then cut out & made up a linen version.  It's actually pretty good, I'm happy to say, but there were some weirdnesses going on in the back of the grande assiettes so I had to put it on hold until yesterday, when I could get some expert consultation.  This having been obtained (in the teeth of a threatened snow/ice/something-storm that did not in fact materialize), I am now at a decision point: do I cut the actual fabric on the fly, using the existing pattern and just changing some things here & there where it seems right, or do I make a follow-up pattern, baste it & fit it, to be sure?    

*points at above image*

I know the right thing to do, I'm just...I want to move forward already, argh.  But I'll hate myself forever if I cut the silk and screw it up, so I guess it's time for Second Pattern.  Grumble.

As regards the other tasks on the docket, I've procured his hose fabric[1] and silk to line my overgown, and made some pending executive decisions, and helped fit and/or counsel a few other people, and researched bycocket production so that if there's spare time (HAW HAW) we can do a workshop day for that[2].  So, things are still in pretty good shape here, in spite of the various setbacks and lost[3] time. I have to continue flogging myself along the path, though; I keep slipping into avoidance behavior.  This morning, I opened like seven genealogy research tabs before I slapped myself upside the head and was all NO THIS IS NOT OUR CURRENT JOB.  Stupid brain.


[1] An exquisite dull-dark red wool gaberdine.  
[2] Hum, if I don't have time for a bycocket, should I make a hood for my dashing consort instead?   I have the pattern, I'd just need the fabric.  Hmm, hmm, hmm.
[3] == "wasted being sick on the couch and playing the new Assassin's Creed"