tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63325570595498132432024-03-05T07:19:15.300-08:00Dashwood Designs Historical fashion research and online sewing journalMelanie http://www.blogger.com/profile/15668318831939804852noreply@blogger.comBlogger318125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-71469014126480742932020-05-29T12:51:00.002-07:002020-05-29T12:53:41.978-07:00Regency Chemise <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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What's a historical outfit without proper era-accurate underpinnings? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8pSegmItEx0RtxA-ekbA0EzRjE2xfg22sIBKtcR0hEBbVuWJnhIa6l-3s0zrzDuhBLsmuZwnAWOvVUJFdk48fRs6jyi09JXo8QIuQbKpNhxxyI7pkA6PmnaB4yxCED6wv5vKwYd6nvs/s1600/SAM_1278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8pSegmItEx0RtxA-ekbA0EzRjE2xfg22sIBKtcR0hEBbVuWJnhIa6l-3s0zrzDuhBLsmuZwnAWOvVUJFdk48fRs6jyi09JXo8QIuQbKpNhxxyI7pkA6PmnaB4yxCED6wv5vKwYd6nvs/s640/SAM_1278.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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This project, finished in 2017, was completely hand-stitched, following Sense & Sensibility's Regency Underthings pattern (details to follow.) Here's a glimpse at the construction:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0jWbu-cYoYSQFspjx8qgZOPJMXFFDDmCYbyMrmIheiOGWnwLPWxbT1482z2UpmcxPTamnY8Wqiq3nrCnflgZiYLke0eSzdSIil0PzpTZT_F9Roz0JjvrkHGehHN43NG5I1g2YghUnaE/s1600/SAM_0375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0jWbu-cYoYSQFspjx8qgZOPJMXFFDDmCYbyMrmIheiOGWnwLPWxbT1482z2UpmcxPTamnY8Wqiq3nrCnflgZiYLke0eSzdSIil0PzpTZT_F9Roz0JjvrkHGehHN43NG5I1g2YghUnaE/s400/SAM_0375.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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There is something very satisfying about a flat-felled seam.</div>
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Scandalous!<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;">Pattern Used: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 13px;">I used Sense & Sensibility's <a href="https://www.sensibility.com/shop/b5h0schxcha8ypcy01wgnzixorylo8">Regency Underthings pattern</a>. I had used it years ago to make a chemise in plain cotton and returned to it again because it's an easy pattern to follow, and, well, why buy a new pattern when you already have a good one? </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;">Alterations to the pattern? </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 13px;">The only change I made, if I remember right, was adding to the length. I'm not sure why I decided to do that, but I did. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;">Fabric Used: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 13px;">I used a light-weight linen fabric for ultimate breathability and historical accuracy. The cording came from <a href="https://www.burnleyandtrowbridge.com/linentape.aspx">Burnley & Trowbridge.</a> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;">Would you sew it again? </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 13px;">Maybe... it's a simple, straightforward pattern to follow. But I'm always seeing these chemises with little puffed sleeves, and I'm kind of leaning towards that style for my next chemise. Who doesn't want little puffed sleeves, even if no one sees them? </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;">Would you recommend it to others? </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 13px;">Definitely, especially if you are starting off. You'll learn some interesting construction techniques and have a good foundation to start off your Regency wardrobe. </span><br />
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Melanie http://www.blogger.com/profile/15668318831939804852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-79572626502009507792020-05-29T12:24:00.000-07:002020-05-29T12:24:10.712-07:00Hello, It's Me <div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Dear Followers, </div>
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If you're anything like me, quarantine in Covid times has meant returning to long abandoned projects (in my case, both sewing and writing) and losing yourself in the comforts of old favorites like Jane Austen movies and favorite childhood classic books. </div>
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Apparently it also means returning to abandoned blogs. Unfortunately, the habit of blogging is one I've had a hard time getting back into over the years. I've been sharing my research and creations on my Instagram-- @melanie.designs -- and I lurk and occasionally comment in some fantastic Facebook groups. But I never got around to sharing my more "recent" creations or inspirations here. So here I am; let's see if I can stick at it! </div>
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Towards the beginning of quarantine, I delved into a re-read of <i>Sense & Sensibility </i>for the first time in maybe eight or more years. As you can guess by the title of this blog, and can see if you scroll back through, <i>Sense & Sensibility </i>has been a profound inspiration for me. I've always identified with the Dashwoods-- a family of three sisters, like mine-- and 1995 film adaptation with Emma Thompson was one of my earliest introductions to Jane Austen and to Regency fashion. Rereading the book was ultimate comfort for an otherwise troubled and worried soul-- like a spiritual hot bath. It also renewed all my Regency fashion inspirations and had me searching through boxes and tubs to find my tiny, abandoned collection of historical costumes I've made. </div>
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This then led to trying on <i>everything</i> to see if it still fit. </div>
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To my surprise, my stays which I made a good ten, no, eleven years ago still fit! Despite the fact that I've gone up multiple dress sizes and at least two bra cup sizes. I think part of this is attributable to the extreme fundamentalist religious sect I was in as a teenager, in which frumpiness was essentially next to godliness, which meant at the time I really didn't have a good concept about how things should fit and always made things too big in order to be "modest." A cousin of mine, who is a historian, shared an additional perspective, that clothing prior to the end of the industrial revolution tended to be more adjustable in order to fit longer, because you couldn't just pop over to J.C. Penney's when you're clothes started getting to snug. So it is not surprising that the design of the stays would be a little forgiving over the years. </div>
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I don't believe I ever shared my first set of Regency stays on this blog (all part of the modesty bit, and the shame I felt about anything that had to do with the female body.) Here they are, a bit yellowed from use (lots of Regency balls), but still in tact. The pattern is Jennie Chancey's <a href="https://www.sensibility.com/shop/b5h0schxcha8ypcy01wgnzixorylo8">Regency Underthings pattern,</a> which was the first pattern to usher me into the world of historical costuming. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqc7lsVpa6vmlO-sQRhyphenhyphenEQRjkkfkeB43groBCw3RC_16fFyJsWIuZt80N-yKK02ITGudzS6mFcLPasjC33z-o3cij8ZVBOiSPOGZUGr7cFMxfVqo7b_aNgYLFknZvLoJTnqwOqA-xWGw/s1600/IMG_20200409_172313_058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1343" data-original-width="1600" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqc7lsVpa6vmlO-sQRhyphenhyphenEQRjkkfkeB43groBCw3RC_16fFyJsWIuZt80N-yKK02ITGudzS6mFcLPasjC33z-o3cij8ZVBOiSPOGZUGr7cFMxfVqo7b_aNgYLFknZvLoJTnqwOqA-xWGw/s320/IMG_20200409_172313_058.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I was happy to discover that at least one of my Regency dresses still fit-- barely, but I still managed to get it fastened in the back. This was <a href="http://hooks-and-needles.blogspot.com/2009/06/white-regency-gown.html">one of my first dresses</a> and probably my least favorite, but I was pleased it still fit. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHnaFegAc_IIseEvWYJSMtvjwcc09T1SNHQNFHr5W8N5OiRxXTvAUITi_I6o6IMJGF7gYkkgHMqX0ERvyVGGSZcCPYp_bEAaHNClTYcnsdw-BS7BV9E0rBticqK9iPxVbVgcLEb657NA/s1600/IMG_20200409_163434337_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHnaFegAc_IIseEvWYJSMtvjwcc09T1SNHQNFHr5W8N5OiRxXTvAUITi_I6o6IMJGF7gYkkgHMqX0ERvyVGGSZcCPYp_bEAaHNClTYcnsdw-BS7BV9E0rBticqK9iPxVbVgcLEb657NA/s320/IMG_20200409_163434337_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The others didn't make the cut, which is sad considering I only ever got to wear my <a href="http://hooks-and-needles.blogspot.com/2016/08/yellow-regency-gown-finished.html">absolute favorite dress</a> twice. Weight loss goals, maybe? Either way, I have all kinds of opportunities ahead to make more gowns, with more historically accurate fabrics and more interesting details. Now, whether I'll have opportunities to wear them anywhere for a while-- that is the question. </div>
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Until then, here's a sneak peak at my current, almost finished project. I like to think of them as my Batman stays. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLNhPJAh5-BZsxeZV9bn7m9WjB2J65coNSbY4JtoMDLpVInGjyuHl9_nfWITU2hKABj34DsR37CpvonED5JLFb5wUYdStNSXXK6sIUI9oMJwrnm_6WLV_a85DDhvSlZwb2GCJA4TfZIo/s1600/IMG_20200412_190348547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLNhPJAh5-BZsxeZV9bn7m9WjB2J65coNSbY4JtoMDLpVInGjyuHl9_nfWITU2hKABj34DsR37CpvonED5JLFb5wUYdStNSXXK6sIUI9oMJwrnm_6WLV_a85DDhvSlZwb2GCJA4TfZIo/s320/IMG_20200412_190348547.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I hope, dear reader, wherever you are, that you are staying safe and healthy! </div>
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Until next time,</div>
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Melanie </div>
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Melanie http://www.blogger.com/profile/15668318831939804852noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-49833878392743511822017-01-11T12:20:00.000-08:002017-01-11T12:20:27.826-08:0030 Days of Sharing Historical Costuming ChallengeHello everyone,<br />
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It's been a while since I posted, but I have been busy. <br />
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Over the holidays, I had quite a bit of time off of work (which was glorious and I wish it could have lasted forever), and I was able to sew a little bit every day. My first project flopped (a Regency-era doll dress for which I chose too thick a fabric) but I picked myself up and started again on a modern doll dress, modeled by my newest American Girl model, Addy, which My Love got me for Christmas because he is amazing and so supportive of my sewing and hobbies.<br />
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Isn't she gorgeous? This dress is now available on my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/503740187/forest-princess-a-wrap-top-dress-for-18?ref=pr_shop">Etsy shop</a>.<br />
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Besides that, I have been reading up a lot on 18th century undergarments. I think I am stalling because I am terrified to cut into my beautiful new 3.5 oz. linen from fabrics-store.com. I want it to be perfect, which is perhaps expecting too much of myself. I am also still uncertain whether to go for creating a Regency or a Georgian wardrobe, though it just a chemise and therefore not really that much of a commitment.<br />
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I really should just make the first cut and get on with it.<br />
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Besides stalling on my shift/chemise project, I have been participating in <a href="http://historicalsewing.com/30-days-of-sharing-historical-costuming">Jennifer Rosbrugh's #sharinghistorical challenge</a> on Instagram. It's been so fun so far. I enjoy posting myself, but most of all, I love seeing all the inspiration shared by others. Today the theme is Sewing Techniques, and I have already learned so much. Swing over to Instagram and search #sharinghistorical, if you haven't already. To see my posts, check out my Instagram at @thedashwoodsisters.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9wKis-PbDR6fexi3y5aOzAUfockI5VagB2r_MIiguutAM0ylcBozNkX0WfI6eL3M2oydLuMe_Nwt6f4213ziRCIFTMGNsUMYnDYcRvMQSRQXqE8Zr1SJ6n5Sa88m2qe2-N_RG2nYxN4/s1600/Screenshot_2017-01-11-15-14-16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9wKis-PbDR6fexi3y5aOzAUfockI5VagB2r_MIiguutAM0ylcBozNkX0WfI6eL3M2oydLuMe_Nwt6f4213ziRCIFTMGNsUMYnDYcRvMQSRQXqE8Zr1SJ6n5Sa88m2qe2-N_RG2nYxN4/s320/Screenshot_2017-01-11-15-14-16.png" width="242" /></a></div>
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Hopefully, if I can get over my fear of cutting into my new linen fabric, you will be hearing from me again soon with actual historical sewing updates.<br />
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Yours,<br />
Melanie/Elinor<br />
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<br />Melanie http://www.blogger.com/profile/15668318831939804852noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-50865543682215530072016-12-16T13:10:00.002-08:002016-12-16T13:10:33.535-08:00New Etsy Listing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I put aside sewing while I was in college because I was "too busy." Now I'm finding the same applies for after you've graduated and you're working full time plus trying to keep on top of all the other adult responsibilities in life. So despite my desire to have at least ten doll dresses listed by now, I've only listed two. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/485878496/miss-austen-in-green-a-regency-ballgown?ref=shop_home_active_1">Here's the one just listed yesterday</a>: </div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/485878496/miss-austen-in-green-a-regency-ballgown?ref=shop_home_active_1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfwqbPA3Svsr2ZDSslSsoPGXBekLexcz7CboeZEyPbh_RAio20Y4HTdDY875VF-ryC1Ea9KYj0OfLK2WsLetAXAtfVUn1MugShj45ydX39W6KbQh-7pFMneTZqB5lNnxA0G0IvaeZmXY/s320/unnamed+%25281%2529.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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The dress was inspired by the one Anne Hathaway wears at the ball in "Becoming Jane". I ended up detouring with the pattern along the way and eliminated the waistband, finishing it with a lacy trim instead. The fabric I used is leftover silky polyester jacquard I had used years ago for my <a href="http://hooks-and-needles.blogspot.com/2010/12/elinors-sage-green-regency-gown.html">green ball gown</a>. I don't know why I chose polyester back then if I was trying to be historically accurate, but there are a lot of things I don't understand about what I did back in those days. Anyway, the point is, it's not as historically accurate as I'd prefer, but I do like the way it turned out in the end regardless of that. (Further note: besides being historically inaccurate, I never want to use that fabric again. It is an absolutely pain to work with because it slides and snags like crazy. It's gorgeous... but a pain.)<br />
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I named the item after Jane Austen (whose birthday it is today, by the way.) I am playing with the idea of naming different doll outfits after various authors to give the shop a more literary turn (I must do something with my English major, right?) What authors from various eras would you like to see represented?<br />
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On another note, I <i>finally </i>ordered some gorgeous 3.5 oz linen from Fabrics-Store.com, so it is time to start on my historical undergarments project. The question is, should I make more Regency clothes (continuing my theme from years ago) or dive into the colonial era? What do you think?Melanie http://www.blogger.com/profile/15668318831939804852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-53290409834084573792016-10-07T07:59:00.002-07:002016-10-07T07:59:41.940-07:00Regency Underpinnings ResearchAs I have said in previous blog posts, I hope to get back into historical sewing starting with foundations: chemise, stays, and so on. I already made those several years ago, but I didn't give much attention to historical accuracy, and this time I want to make them as nearly accurate as possible-- which means doing a lot of research. And even if that didn't matter so much, I've gone up a few pounds and dress sizes since the last time I was sewing historical costumes, so I really do have to start again from Square 1. <br />
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The last time I made Regency undergarments, I used Sense and Sensibility Pattern's chemise and short stays pattern. It was easy to make and turned out well, but I found that the stays were uncomfortable for my back. That could have been my own problem with sizing or lacing, but whatever the case is, I would like to try a different style this time. So I have been researching different patterns and styles as well as techniques.<br />
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Below are various links I've compiled, with helpful information on Regency-era underpinnings (both chemise and stays). I thought it would be helpful-- both to myself and to my readers-- to share my research progress as I go. Perhaps these links and images will come in handy for you as well.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Research</span></b><br />
<b><a href="http://oregonregency.blogspot.com/2011/03/undressing-regency-lady.html"><br /></a></b>
<b><a href="http://oregonregency.blogspot.com/2011/03/undressing-regency-lady.html">Undressing the Regency Lady</a></b><br />
<a href="http://oregonregency.blogspot.com/2011/03/undressing-regency-lady.html">http://oregonregency.blogspot.com/2011/03/undressing-regency-lady.html</a><br />
A helpful overview of the various pieces of Regency era undergarments. This article provides links to recommended patterns and also includes videos by costumers demonstrating the parts of Regency clothing.<br />
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<b><a href="http://kleidungum1800.blogspot.de/2013/05/short-stays-studies-schnurleib-studien.html">"Short Stays" Studies - Schnürleib Studien</a></b><br />
<a href="http://kleidungum1800.blogspot.de/2013/05/short-stays-studies-schnurleib-studien.html">http://kleidungum1800.blogspot.de/2013/05/short-stays-studies-schnurleib-studien.html</a><br />
This post (and in fact, the blog in general) contains a vast amount of useful research on transitional stays. The blogger has researched originally texts and images to recreate three different kinds of transitional stays from approximately 1810/11. The post is very informative and helpful, and the comments section has a wealth of useful information and discussion as well.<br />
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<b><a href="http://oregonregency.blogspot.de/2010/06/overview-of-regency-stayscorsets.html">An Overview of Regency Stays/Corsets</a></b><br />
<a href="http://oregonregency.blogspot.de/2010/06/overview-of-regency-stayscorsets.html">http://oregonregency.blogspot.de/2010/06/overview-of-regency-stayscorsets.html</a><br />
This post is inspiring and informative. It contains a lot of beginner information about busks, gussets, and the desired Regency silhouette. It also surveys three different kinds of Regency era corsets: short stays, transitional stays, and full stays, along with helpful information about which style works best for what size/body type, how difficult/easy they are to make, and which patterns to use (there are lots of helpful options!)<br />
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<b><a href="http://historicalsewing.com/fabrics-for-undergarments">Fabrics for Undergarments </a></b><br />
<a href="http://historicalsewing.com/fabrics-for-undergarments">http://historicalsewing.com/fabrics-for-undergarments</a><br />
One of my concerns is choosing accurate and beautiful fabrics with which to make my Regency wardrobe, even the part no one will see. Last time I made my chemise out of JoAnn's muslin, which was okay, but perhaps too thick. This link provided useful information about what kind of fabric to use to make historical undergarments.<br />
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<b><a href="http://oregonregency.blogspot.com/2011/10/achieving-proper-fit-with-regency-stays.html">Achieving a Proper Fit with Regency Stays </a></b><br />
<a href="http://oregonregency.blogspot.com/2011/10/achieving-proper-fit-with-regency-stays.html">http://oregonregency.blogspot.com/2011/10/achieving-proper-fit-with-regency-stays.html</a><br />
A discussion on the proper form and fit of Regency stays. It contains some helpful infographics for the parts of Regency stays and the proper silhouette they should create. There are also basic pictorial instructions for sewing gussets and cutout cups.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Tutorials</span></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.jennylafleur.com/study/runners.htm">Corded Boning</a></b><br />
<a href="http://www.jennylafleur.com/study/runners.htm">http://www.jennylafleur.com/study/runners.htm</a><br />
Here is a helpful tutorial on corded boning, something I haven't ventured into yet but would like to try possibly on my next corset project.<br />
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<b><a href="http://curiousfrau.com/2009/08/16/how-to-make-beautiful-hand-bound-eyelets/">How to Make Beautiful Hand-Bound Eyelets</a></b><br />
<a href="http://curiousfrau.com/2009/08/16/how-to-make-beautiful-hand-bound-eyelets/">http://curiousfrau.com/2009/08/16/how-to-make-beautiful-hand-bound-eyelets/</a><br />
As the title says, this post shows how to make hand-bound eyelets. I have never been able to successfully make eyelets look good, so I plan to follow this tutorial when it comes to making the eyelets on my corset, and I hope the result is good.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Patterns</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.lafnmoon.com/product_p/p115.htm">Laughing Moon Mercantile</a> - Long and Short Stays (leaning towards this one, both because of the variety and the time frame represented)<br />
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<a href="http://www.pastpatterns.com/001.html">Past Patterns</a> - 1820s-1840s Corded Stays (more likely for a later project if I decide to focus more on the later Regency/Romantic era)<br />
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<a href="http://www.pastpatterns.com/030.html">Past Patterns</a> - A 'Transition Stay' Fashionable Circa 1796-1806 (possibly too early of a style)<br />
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<a href="http://www.koshka-the-cat.com/1830_pattern.html">Koshka the Kat</a> - My 1820-1840 Corset Reproduction (I actually made a mock-up version of this years ago, and would love to make it again. Again, this one is a little late for Regency.)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Inspiration</b></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSY2zFHDuoZai7X6z3C9bmdIDmvrCt6uOBhhJo5WrvJO2h_lC8TRoSLl_ZgJx17whlU2-BdZ_7BQ2ExaaZSEvVYKrPI6eYGq-JiB7sxGsEtkQuAuPaw3evTGCOIzpYS2QHh-vhjdhsTQ/s1600/75e57f3baf9594ac7abccccf03333615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSY2zFHDuoZai7X6z3C9bmdIDmvrCt6uOBhhJo5WrvJO2h_lC8TRoSLl_ZgJx17whlU2-BdZ_7BQ2ExaaZSEvVYKrPI6eYGq-JiB7sxGsEtkQuAuPaw3evTGCOIzpYS2QHh-vhjdhsTQ/s320/75e57f3baf9594ac7abccccf03333615.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Transitional Stays. I read that these were part of the Kent State Museum collection but after some research, I've been unable to find any definite information on it. Nevertheless, I found some good images of various angles <a href="http://costumehistory.tumblr.com/post/76044414359/historicalcorsets-transitional-stays-about">here</a>. <a href="http://romantichistoryclothing.blogspot.com/2009/10/1790s-transitional-stays.html">Romantic History</a>'s Sarah and <a href="http://www.koshka-the-cat.com/1790s_stays.html">Koshka the Kat</a>'s Katherine have made inspiring reproductions of this.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNt-rmirOdomqSckWvR0BHRsm5OH144Nto_I9a6VqOEchP1pMVY-37oR1RLxAvj_GNjofLmWV6sl3A-tkwOfRRtv2SRAsgM_hpblOiUuQ5axdfbX62eez3SZ1JL9EHlV1raoVDwJMFaxU/s1600/9c7e5d073d4c810a02043cea8514c01a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNt-rmirOdomqSckWvR0BHRsm5OH144Nto_I9a6VqOEchP1pMVY-37oR1RLxAvj_GNjofLmWV6sl3A-tkwOfRRtv2SRAsgM_hpblOiUuQ5axdfbX62eez3SZ1JL9EHlV1raoVDwJMFaxU/s320/9c7e5d073d4c810a02043cea8514c01a.jpg" width="190" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/86424?rpp=20&ft=corset&pg=8&pos=142">Corset, ca. 1811, The Met</a></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_IjQOBq-4o-YydLRnPkbqkyJiXF6-AbTw2ZaC7LPSXb_SLL5xm2B-Wel4ggtL-ks80_SW8b9_543vByyD4Hu5RlhiJsUy5LrHP5Sz8uPH0ijPpdGj4rRdEZNMWvA39qoQj07JSQgsv4/s1600/2d77f7ea698477b9719a8ea29c84b106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_IjQOBq-4o-YydLRnPkbqkyJiXF6-AbTw2ZaC7LPSXb_SLL5xm2B-Wel4ggtL-ks80_SW8b9_543vByyD4Hu5RlhiJsUy5LrHP5Sz8uPH0ijPpdGj4rRdEZNMWvA39qoQj07JSQgsv4/s320/2d77f7ea698477b9719a8ea29c84b106.jpg" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O138889/stays-unknown/">Stays, ca. 1790 (Victoria and Albert Museum)</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIwkdAtXdTLEYxsg9zc8jlWP4M90o_nJTlPX1KRNwMxHMzYoY5PSfZQZoy4pvHqP7N3fQ35ZYTeQe6i-H2kQ_rfgfUjnlK7RwsKgmPrPjS_LCxEUZjOGk-WYMaZk7b0GTV46WxiplZBA/s1600/f301639851e41fb49f87e359b0daaf10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIwkdAtXdTLEYxsg9zc8jlWP4M90o_nJTlPX1KRNwMxHMzYoY5PSfZQZoy4pvHqP7N3fQ35ZYTeQe6i-H2kQ_rfgfUjnlK7RwsKgmPrPjS_LCxEUZjOGk-WYMaZk7b0GTV46WxiplZBA/s320/f301639851e41fb49f87e359b0daaf10.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr/en/work/bodice">Bodice, Pallais Galliera, musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris</a></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_E8R4WWxZ3n_fNKRzuoPgf3NpjIbcr7Sg0loaPghq76m7sym_CuzPMZJO-zvGs3TuTDC6YSDhqNB8gPhPvv1EVXb0Mkvdjzp3QdXr66a4cHziVvWuIidUW3RHtRPfxALWrNFXDlvQuXw/s1600/stays1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_E8R4WWxZ3n_fNKRzuoPgf3NpjIbcr7Sg0loaPghq76m7sym_CuzPMZJO-zvGs3TuTDC6YSDhqNB8gPhPvv1EVXb0Mkvdjzp3QdXr66a4cHziVvWuIidUW3RHtRPfxALWrNFXDlvQuXw/s1600/stays1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Transitional and long busked stays, found at <a href="http://americanduchess.blogspot.com/2010/11/regency-short-and-somewhat-transitional.html">American Duchess</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOV5tUQeUw9euhH-Vx5tnM4As0hCihGmhMY_EibXzNfoC2BJvrKljg9c4z3ZmjXOYhUaQApaze9Tzu9WuGow6Ss_xU-1KDWU9-shRWeFCk52H6S-I280LZpx4VyfTp92J8pco07ioYkE/s1600/09717624dd7e5c4fb748251720b4c014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOV5tUQeUw9euhH-Vx5tnM4As0hCihGmhMY_EibXzNfoC2BJvrKljg9c4z3ZmjXOYhUaQApaze9Tzu9WuGow6Ss_xU-1KDWU9-shRWeFCk52H6S-I280LZpx4VyfTp92J8pco07ioYkE/s320/09717624dd7e5c4fb748251720b4c014.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/167970261082046735/">Set of Cord-Quilted Stays: ca. early 19th century</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">A wonderful collection of images for further inspiration can be found at <a href="http://historicalcorsets.tumblr.com/">Historical Corsets</a>. (These are, of course, not all Regency-era items.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I've also been collecting images on my <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/manders9205/historical-fashion-underpinnings/">Pinterest page.</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">What links would you add to this post? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">What are some good resources you've found for research or inspiration? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">What is your favorite Regency-era stays/corset pattern? </span><br />
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<br />Melanie http://www.blogger.com/profile/15668318831939804852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-51161771037193257982016-09-20T10:35:00.001-07:002016-10-03T08:20:31.527-07:00UpdateI have still not been able to start with my sewing projects for my Etsy shop because I went to start on a doll dress yesterday and realized that I didn't have the pedal and cord attachment for my serger. Oops. My mom looked around for it at home (which is over an hour away) and couldn't find it, so it looks like I will just have to order a new one. So that means a couple days yet until I can start working on things for my shop.<br />
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However, my plan for after work today is to stop by the JoAnn Fabrics which is just around the corner and purchase some fabric for a Regency-era chemise. My Love is busy all evening so I can set aside a good amount of time to get started on this project. I am debating whether to make that completely hand-sewn for authenticity's sake or not. I am also curious whether anyone has advice on what kind of fabric to use? The last one I made was regular cotton, and it was okay, but I'd like to try something different this time. I was looking at JoAnn's Sew Classic Linen Solid Fabric but I have never used that product and also am not sure how nearly accurate it is. Advice? </div>
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The thing is, coming back to historical costuming, I really want to do it well, and accurately, as well as I can. So I am in need of all kinds of really good sources and lots of wise advice. </div>
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Also, recommendations for a good Regency era corset/stays pattern?</div>
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Wishing you all the best this week! </div>
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~Melanie/Elinor</div>
Melanie http://www.blogger.com/profile/15668318831939804852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-42762191855176599122016-09-17T16:47:00.002-07:002016-09-17T16:47:56.129-07:00ProgressThis last week I finally set up a sewing area in my apartment. It's the first designated sewing area I've had since I moved out of my parents' house in January 2012, so I am pretty excited. There's just something so motivating about having a special place just for crafting and sewing.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BKZnP6oBqXJ/?taken-by=m.anderson92"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoM6ayAwtxzklOgc5Hcu5mg8bCKjBcpxHSQwj78x5gUJrLwK0BmgAJp4WvgcDQpr_Rvf2Ct9piq3JAoedflrBoliAR6kbi7UCk9S9ER3B1MCL61bojY8PYTKv704FSazWWevZqrpPjSk/s320/sewing+room.JPG" width="319" /></a></div>
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This picture is hardly an accurate representation of what it will be once I actually get into sewing. For one thing, I have at least three tubs of fabric still at my parents' house, that I have yet to bring over and sort. Also, While I love having a place for everything, I have a harder time keeping everything in its place. </div>
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But I'm happy with how it is now. I have different projects organized in small tubs (thanks, Costco), and separated fabrics by type and color. Then there is a shelf dedicated to shipping materials for my Etsy shop. Ladies and gentlemen, we are good to go.<br />
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Speaking of Etsy, I relisted a couple items this last week to start easing people back into awareness of the shop and to give a preview of what is to come. The two items sold out pretty quickly, so I am feeling very positive for the future of my shop. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjemNRzcikNdzhdHSvT3BtoVq6JquAiKcxgIaAgrZyVOqxBwzE_bgTw6-4A9oqg3DiFR0YKjqSrYSuOXXx5Q510-Fr5RqCc6lnJ2rM9WeNk2m2tfluPCJ_7NRLN_OlVp2tb-RCXrZiARM/s1600/IMG_1507+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjemNRzcikNdzhdHSvT3BtoVq6JquAiKcxgIaAgrZyVOqxBwzE_bgTw6-4A9oqg3DiFR0YKjqSrYSuOXXx5Q510-Fr5RqCc6lnJ2rM9WeNk2m2tfluPCJ_7NRLN_OlVp2tb-RCXrZiARM/s320/IMG_1507+-+Copy.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuLBRZP4m5915MqWaY2asleo3OPeZqRQ_v-Qt5kcr0W3j8Z9JNFrr9EOESHEBN8riLwYZ0y9Ch3_N9md8WWmscT8n1pybXY30sxdV0CPfbPOZXal0yMDlGX0_UvZo7pLTiXuLz3lz8JFk/s1600/PlaidSchoolDress1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuLBRZP4m5915MqWaY2asleo3OPeZqRQ_v-Qt5kcr0W3j8Z9JNFrr9EOESHEBN8riLwYZ0y9Ch3_N9md8WWmscT8n1pybXY30sxdV0CPfbPOZXal0yMDlGX0_UvZo7pLTiXuLz3lz8JFk/s320/PlaidSchoolDress1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I am currently preparing to make a couple more modern-style dresses, as well as putting together a Regency line which I hope to introduce all at once. More to follow.<br />
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The challenge is finding the time to sew. I work 10-4 (9-5 if you include the drive) Monday through Fridays and also spend a great deal of time attending art festivals and orchestras, exploring Cleveland MetroParks, trying Cleveland's dining scene, and just generally spending time with My Love, and besides all that, I write for an arts, culture, and music magazine out of Akron, Ohio, so altogether, I just don't have as much time as I'd like for sewing. But now that my sewing area is all set up, I should be able to fit in an hour or more throughout the week for working on my projects. Hopefully by the end of next week, I can say that was actually the case.Melanie http://www.blogger.com/profile/15668318831939804852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-57300577342272740832016-09-07T13:52:00.000-07:002016-09-07T16:51:28.753-07:00Paige's Gray Ball Gown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Another project I worked on while I was away from this blog is a ballgown for a friend of mine. I made it in 2011 for the annual Regency Christmas Ball in Erie, PA, and the following year, Paige wanted to change up the dress a little, so we added some trimmings to change the look. </div>
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I used <a href="http://www.simplicity.com/simplicity-pattern-4055-misses-regency-era-costumes/4055.html">Simplicity #4055</a>, but made significant alterations throughout as usual. </div>
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<i>2011</i></div>
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The fabric Paige chose was a beautiful gray-ish green silky material that provided a truly elegant effect. It's been almost five years since I made this dress, so I regret to say that I don't remember the exact kind of material I used. </div>
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Paige wanted a button-front detail on the dress, so I altered the Simplicity Regency pattern accordingly. The buttons were just for looks, and the dress fastened with a zipper down the back. </div>
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<i>2012</i></div>
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The following year, Paige wanted me to add some details to make the dress look a little different and more complete than it had before. One addition was to add trim down the sides of the bodice. </div>
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I also added trim to the sleeves, a waistband, and a Regency-inspired trim around the hem.</div>
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Thanks so much to Paige for allowing me to share these photos, and also for all of her creative input in reinventing the dress in 2012. Also thanks to Renee S. and Brandon P. for the photos. </div>
<br />Melanie http://www.blogger.com/profile/15668318831939804852noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-84489696018105579692016-09-06T08:22:00.002-07:002016-09-06T10:41:19.016-07:00New Facebook Page!I have created a Facebook page to accompany this blog. Check it out at<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheDashwoodSisters09/">https://www.facebook.com/TheDashwoodSisters09/</a><br />
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Also, just as a reminder, if you are more interested in following the doll clothes aspect of my work, check out my Etsy Shop's Facebook page at<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/thedashwoodsisters/">https://www.facebook.com/thedashwoodsisters/</a>Melanie http://www.blogger.com/profile/15668318831939804852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-2579024266577354792016-09-01T10:47:00.002-07:002016-09-01T10:47:34.653-07:00Getting Back Into It As I prepare to get back into the world of sewing, I find myself a little intimidated. I haven't actively studied historical fashion for at <i>least</i> four years-- probably more like five. That doesn't mean I have been completely out of the scene-- see my <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/manders9205/historical-fashion/">Pinterest board</a>-- but I haven't actively studied and researched it for a long time. (The other day, I couldn't remember the term "Spencer jacket.")<br />
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I'd love to get some good recommendations for blogs and forums that would be good sources of inspiration and instruction for studying costuming. Any suggestions?<br />
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I feel like I need to start small as I get back into sewing. So I am not planning on doing any major projects that require yards and yards of fabric. I want to start back with doll clothes since the risk factor of ruining something is much lower there, and it also provides me with the opportunity to sell <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheDashwoodSisters">online</a>. Some ideas I had are as follows:<br />
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<li>Modern-day girl wear (less fun and interesting, but more marketable, and I have lots of patterns that would work)</li>
<li>A "Caroline" line (American Girl introduced a lovely Regency-era (1812) character in 2012, only to archive her in 2015. Excuse me a moment while I rant internally about American Girl's decline in marketing its historical characters since I was a kid. Okay. Anyway, Caroline was archived in December of 2015, which means her clothes are no longer available for the girls who want to expand their Caroline wardrobe collection. That, on top of my undying love for Regency era fashion, has me thinking this would be a pretty good place to start.) </li>
<li>A Georgian/Revolutionary era line (simply because I really really want to make some clothes for myself from that era, but am unable to at the moment, so might as well make it in doll size)</li>
<li>A "Doctor Who" line (because why not dress one's doll for the chance of spontaneous space travel with everyone's favorite time-travelling alien? Besides, there are some wonderful and iconic Doctor Who outfits that would be fun to recreate in doll size.) </li>
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Thoughts? Ideas? For those of my followers who are AG collectors or who have daughters who collect AG, what kinds of doll clothes would you like to see in my shop? </div>
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I really hope I can make something for myself again soon, though I am not sure what occasions I'd have to wear anything historical. I've been planning for years to make another Regency era corset for myself (the first one I made was a tester one, made from super cheap material.) It's also a little more manageable because it doesn't involved yards and yards of fabric. (My apartment is small and my work table/kitchen table is also very small.) </div>
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On another note, I won some tickets for the <a href="http://yankeepeddlerfestival.com/home.html">Yankee Peddler Festival</a> in Ohio. From what I can tell, it's a sort of living history event of Revolutionary-era pioneer living. There will be vendors selling hand-crafted and era-specific items. I'm kind of hoping there might be some fabric and notions there that I could incorporate into a future project. </div>
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Anyway, I'd love to hear about your recent sewing projects. Feel free to leave a comment~ I love hearing from you. :) </div>
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Best,</div>
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Melanie </div>
Melanie http://www.blogger.com/profile/15668318831939804852noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-10761300302850574262016-08-29T18:02:00.002-07:002016-08-29T18:02:49.654-07:00Yellow Regency Gown ~ Finished! Back in 2013, I cut into the most beautiful piece of fabric I had ever purchased. You saw a little glimpse into my project <a href="http://hooks-and-needles.blogspot.com/2012/11/yellow-regency-gown-part-1.html">in this post</a>, but were left in suspense, always waiting to see what came of it.<br />
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I completed the dress successfully, and to this day, it is one of my favorite projects I've ever made. Scratch that. It is my single most favorite dress I've ever made. It's not that fancy, but it's so pretty, and it feels the most nearly historically authentic of all my projects. I took extra time to hand-sew all visible seams and to cover the buttons, and while this is not an uncommon practice for many of my seamstress friends, it was a first for me, and I was really proud of it.<br />
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The dress's first outing was to the last Regency ball I attended. Unfortunately, the pictures I have of that particular event are few. They are also the last pictures you'll see of me with long hair from 2012 up until the present time.<br />
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<i>Photo credit goes to Brandon P.</i></div>
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You can see some details of the back in the following photos. It's nothing elaborate, but I enjoyed making the bias trim and the covered buttons. </div>
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As I said, those are the last pictures you'll see of me with long hair. The day after the ball, I cut my hair to the style I had always dreamed of: a pixie cut. It's a long story, but in short, I had always wanted short hair, and I had just been through a difficult break-up and had encountered my ex-boyfriend at the ball, which provided closure for me, and the next day I decided to be my own person and do the things I'd always wanted to do: cut my hair, and travel. So I did both. But more on traveling later.<br />
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A couple months after that, I brought the dress out again for another brief outing, along with the jacket you saw in an <a href="http://hooks-and-needles.blogspot.com/2010/10/regency-spencer-jacket-historical.html">earlier post</a>. Thanks to Amy W. for the photos.<br />
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This was in 2013, and it's the last time I wore the dress out. I was entering a period of my life where I had neither the time to sew nor the state of mind to be involved in things I had been before. Shortly after this, I left for South Korea to study abroad for one semester. I liked it so much that I went back. Besides that, I worked part-time, went to school full time, and assisted in leading an on-campus club, so needless to say, there was no room in my life for costuming or reenacting. I'm hoping that now I'm in a different stage of life (still different than the one before), maybe I can find some time for costuming and sewing again. </div>
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What kinds of projects do you think I should start back with? </div>
<br />Melanie http://www.blogger.com/profile/15668318831939804852noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-50599438862565789662016-08-29T09:21:00.000-07:002016-08-29T09:21:15.886-07:00Shout Out Into the VoidHello everyone!<br />
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It's been several years since I was here last and it feels a bit like pushing open the creaky door to a rickety wooden house and treading carefully, searching to see if anyone is still here. <br />
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This is Elinor, a.k.a. Melanie, several years older and now a college graduate. I feel like a very different person than I was last time I wrote here. Since then, I have graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Creative Writing, studied abroad in South Korea twice, led a club for Korean exchange students at my university, moved into my own apartment in Northeastern Ohio, gained two precious nephews, developed new views and philosophies, published creative and journalistic writings in several journals and magazines, and met the Love of My Life, Julian.<br />
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Now that I am done with school and have my own place, I am really hoping to get back into sewing costumes and selling doll clothes. Julian recently traveled to London and brought back several books for me from the Victoria and Albert Museum's costume collection, which heavily inspired me to get back into costuming (even though I've been talking about getting back into it ever since my last post here.) I think I am at a place now where I realistically can, so I am reinstating this blog to document my journey. I'll be cleaning it up a bit and publishing some posts about current inspiration and upcoming projects. I also hope to finally show you pictures of my finished Regency dress that I had told you about last time.<br />
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I am excited to get to know you all again. <br />
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Yours truly,<br />
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Melanie (Elinor)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-62961382294593705922013-04-19T13:33:00.001-07:002013-04-19T13:33:44.236-07:00New Link!Hi Everyone!!!<br />
This is just to let you know, I have imported this blog over to missdashwoodsewing.wordpress.com. I do most of my blogging on wordpress, so the transfer is for convenience. :) I'm still working on getting that page in order, but in the meanwhile, all the content here is there as well, and I hope to post updates soon! :D<br />
Thanks!<br />
~Melanie / Elinor DashwoodUnknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-81612982366455000372012-11-15T19:09:00.001-08:002012-11-15T19:10:13.714-08:00Yellow Regency Gown ~ Part 1!So! After months and months of putting off cutting into that gorgeous reproduction fabric out of fear and laziness and busyness and school....<br />
I have commenced work on my yellow Regency gown! :-D<br />
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The Christmas Regency Ball is just a month away, and as finals is the week before the ball, I thought it best to get it done while I have a lull in exams and homework. <br />
Today I undertook the scariest part of sewing.... cutting out all the pieces.<br />
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So glad that's over with! :-) <br />
Tomorrow I plan to begin work on the actual sewing. Because it is reproduction fabric and I want this to be as authentic as possible, I think I might try something new and hand-sew all the visible seams. I will also be sewing on blue piping to the neckline and sleevebands. I'm so excited! If it turns out as planned, it's going to be so pretty! :-)<br />
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And, after I finish the dress, if I have time, I am going to make a new petticoat and possibly a new corset. :-)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-12585082692256457122012-06-18T11:45:00.000-07:002016-08-30T10:22:40.497-07:00Miss Dashwood Has Returned!One day Miss Elinor Dashwood decided to take matters into her own hands. Because, in the 21st century, if a single young woman cannot inherit a fortune, she can still earn it, unlike in the days of Miss Elinor Dashwood the First. So she did something more along the lines of Anne Shirley and went away to college to study to be a teacher. However, in order to learn how to make money, you must have money to pay for the learning, so her busyness was added to when she took a job in food services, which was not her ideal, but it must be done.<br />
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Not only that, but there was, in those parts, a certain gentleman whom she liked very much. They decided they liked each other enough to be boyfriend and girlfriend. So now, with school and work, Miss Dashwood also had dinner dates and movie nights and visits with families and such, which, all things together, distracted her from her sewing for many months because she kept so incredibly busy.<br />
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Then one day Miss Dashwood and the gentleman and some other friends went to a reenactment called Muster on the Maumee, where many groups of reenactors from various areas get together for one big event. At the Muster was a shop, and in that shop were fabrics, shawls, hats, and other articles of clothing from the Regency era. Among those fabrics was a lovely yellow fabric with a blue floral print that reminded her greatly of a gown worn by Miss Woodhouse in the most recent film adaption of <i>Emma</i>. It cost more than Miss Dashwood, in her financial wisdom, usually cared to pay, but knowing it was not often that one finds a fabric they known so definitely that they want, and realizing that it had been well over a year since she had made a Regency gown for herself, she decided to buy it. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRaBy3Y5h4G88Hw9YalJT5WV73AVU9iCLsde_iQBUrs9qekqso5g_HncJGIRqdHdh74vWE7Jjg8O_eWNNqi41LOdlBV8XAmVMxnrpQ_s85y-5VuOfQXBexI9QOncYug9HhYZgwonwl1FI/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRaBy3Y5h4G88Hw9YalJT5WV73AVU9iCLsde_iQBUrs9qekqso5g_HncJGIRqdHdh74vWE7Jjg8O_eWNNqi41LOdlBV8XAmVMxnrpQ_s85y-5VuOfQXBexI9QOncYug9HhYZgwonwl1FI/s320/007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
She and her friend, <a href="http://fortune00cookie.wordpress.com/">Miss Hayley</a>, then began to plot to make themselves both Regency ensembles and attend a Jane Austen festival in Kentucky in July. Whereas this plan is yet to be decided, the plan for the dress has been mostly definitely decided and the fabric is currently being washed before being cut up into pieces for a lovely Regency gown which shall look a bit like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGt-hYAOid6Yf5nzcwFRagZvUabjA1sf2-0_qJ2n2L_m8B03zdNyE20Xk8mUL7VjYTrB_KQkL-0ZcwxthftaeY-TNq1QX6Y-KQrpSDkL_yYgeeH6_ne3MbgCEsmpXxZGxdxpOdvnh3p0V/s1600/tumblr_levqfg7rYA1qg7y43o1_500.png.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGt-hYAOid6Yf5nzcwFRagZvUabjA1sf2-0_qJ2n2L_m8B03zdNyE20Xk8mUL7VjYTrB_KQkL-0ZcwxthftaeY-TNq1QX6Y-KQrpSDkL_yYgeeH6_ne3MbgCEsmpXxZGxdxpOdvnh3p0V/s320/tumblr_levqfg7rYA1qg7y43o1_500.png.jpg" width="273" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtfPG8DY5ZAr-FNVYEvmEkxGn8HirqpuAHgEjaU0EW1LFTXtKtDfBiyZBofL709WL58OXDgMS7cywhbjNLRPbi6sr-DB6WMW8ryNTEmBHtLrlAg8xpWmEyd6FsabcPmKTU93XkPMv-UZg/s1600/emma04_2501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtfPG8DY5ZAr-FNVYEvmEkxGn8HirqpuAHgEjaU0EW1LFTXtKtDfBiyZBofL709WL58OXDgMS7cywhbjNLRPbi6sr-DB6WMW8ryNTEmBHtLrlAg8xpWmEyd6FsabcPmKTU93XkPMv-UZg/s320/emma04_2501.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Only it will probably have a gathered front bodice rather than darts. But the overall look will be the same.<br />
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So that's what's been going on in my life!! I am sorry to be so absent! I seriously haven't done any sewing since I started college, except for finishing up a simple skirt which I should get pictures of and post. <br />
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So that's what's new with Elinor Dashwood! I will hopefully get to work on that new dress this week, as well as some extra Regency accessories, so I will try to keep you updated! :)<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-48424978287807305562012-01-02T12:00:00.000-08:002012-01-02T12:02:44.679-08:00Disney Princess Themed Doll DressesFor Christmas I made some little friends of mine Disney-themed doll dresses, based on their favorite Disney princess. It was such a fun project, and my first sewing project in a long time that was my own idea and I could do whatever I wanted with it. ;) (I've come to the realization that I don't like custom orders because I have to make things according to how other people want them and can't play around with them and make them how I want; but with projects of my own invention, I can do whatever I want with them and be as creative or uncreative as I'd like. ;) It's so much easier. ;) )<br /><br />The idea started with this dress, made several months ago, from leftover fabric from the <a href="http://hooks-and-needles.blogspot.com/2011/07/bridesmaid-dresses.html">bridesmaid dresses</a>.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKkdwLSNwZpQ7R3Vkaa3YEllLcIYXpXt7xh0RzBYHEdTfYCpzW3WwZ_jQV6RuJB3cju2S4HOTVdeiXPdDYM6HfLASX_2yCGkvopR6e0GAy9-81vvHY4nc2Flc72ldRjj0mdhudxGerhB_/s1600/esther1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKkdwLSNwZpQ7R3Vkaa3YEllLcIYXpXt7xh0RzBYHEdTfYCpzW3WwZ_jQV6RuJB3cju2S4HOTVdeiXPdDYM6HfLASX_2yCGkvopR6e0GAy9-81vvHY4nc2Flc72ldRjj0mdhudxGerhB_/s400/esther1.jpg" width="300" border="0" height="400" /></a></div>I thought then that the coloring reminded me of Cinderella, and then I decided to make several doll dresses based on my friends' favorite Disney princesses.<br /><br />Michaela's favorite is Tiana.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjTzcNOHP81tOvW08BGWgm_XbutpjmT19MuRZpTblEieVhyphenhyphenoDG36PqnPZYmFrGH6YbVzJy8FlXlBlDHADru_30FaeMJ2MxQVdIiN1BROXHpoEo2sCa22b-OUVKUGfARkO6xcvUsX4TA4F/s1600/Princess+Tiana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjTzcNOHP81tOvW08BGWgm_XbutpjmT19MuRZpTblEieVhyphenhyphenoDG36PqnPZYmFrGH6YbVzJy8FlXlBlDHADru_30FaeMJ2MxQVdIiN1BROXHpoEo2sCa22b-OUVKUGfARkO6xcvUsX4TA4F/s320/Princess+Tiana.jpg" width="320" border="0" height="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCP2qbJA2sdxrG2nlEEphk0fEkuSYdCAJ2xLu5UFC8nxvayLZKMsb60lvwyMBtpzMSSkCYQ5Iopt9PDg5R_O2qGkeOn3tOJqV4YD5zSVz-7Ghzht2e-bZIU0cSpd79gfTS4_2tzWTaMv4/s1600/040+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCP2qbJA2sdxrG2nlEEphk0fEkuSYdCAJ2xLu5UFC8nxvayLZKMsb60lvwyMBtpzMSSkCYQ5Iopt9PDg5R_O2qGkeOn3tOJqV4YD5zSVz-7Ghzht2e-bZIU0cSpd79gfTS4_2tzWTaMv4/s320/040+-+Copy.JPG" width="205" border="0" height="320" /></a></div>For this dress, I used was the <a href="http://libertyjanepatterns.com/2010/05/american-girl-doll-clothes-pattern-the-wrap-top-dress.html">Heritage Wrap Top Dress</a> (which I also used for the Cinderella dress and as a base for the Snow White dress). The main fabric is a greyish-green polyester shantung. (It looks greener in person; the camera captured too much of the light reflecting off of it.) A silky off-white fabric (like was used for the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTmkQQUA3YiqgeOkWGc7N4exb0Y6y-F8GVRuQHAkt9lkXprjvgz7NaJF-gRCblGfhl61bg823peFwU9p1qpMqc1iOmcLucvL2wXPLOPBugVg2wW9nyXA9YGCsx4W32woHh_J-4RE9xOeI/s1600/amanda+and+me.jpg">sashes on the bridesmaid dresses</a>) forms an underskirt and the lining. I was going to put the flower on the side, like Tiana's, but ended up liking it better in the front like you see in the picture.<br /><br /><br /><br />Kirsten's favorite is Ariel.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rmWyKTQKrRc9cE8qUMzivrJ2IoBlTkSLzhJ_C1auuQEFWKPlksCY2Lt_YkaO0WhPP0LEYGMlfO3mI2jswq1o4uQ9yzcF6jbj3UXJahZgBXrKYEcIIAjtvHqWkOxj5yA-xSB80HR4VlA9/s1600/ariel2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rmWyKTQKrRc9cE8qUMzivrJ2IoBlTkSLzhJ_C1auuQEFWKPlksCY2Lt_YkaO0WhPP0LEYGMlfO3mI2jswq1o4uQ9yzcF6jbj3UXJahZgBXrKYEcIIAjtvHqWkOxj5yA-xSB80HR4VlA9/s320/ariel2.jpg" width="214" border="0" height="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMR1a24KVEsPRRKmkjiliRjn_DakpdVirK7VqFGcnSFCm9SdgvkF1Q7EVwJXQFmdxX-D72eG7WL1i8KAoY4UF8VJNn372_UceTAx4Q3JyNFFytYttZZx77B5HDm8GmcSSNwt3B0P3rSlJg/s1600/064+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMR1a24KVEsPRRKmkjiliRjn_DakpdVirK7VqFGcnSFCm9SdgvkF1Q7EVwJXQFmdxX-D72eG7WL1i8KAoY4UF8VJNn372_UceTAx4Q3JyNFFytYttZZx77B5HDm8GmcSSNwt3B0P3rSlJg/s320/064+-+Copy.JPG" width="227" border="0" height="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Ariel dress is the most unique of the four because I used a completely different pattern for it. I used the <a href="http://www.bunnybear.com/1940s/sweetheart-dress-patter">Bunny Bear 1940s Sweetheart Dress pattern</a> as a base, altering it so that it was sleeveless (and the back is a little different to accommodate the sundress look). The alterations were tricky, but I'm pleased with the result. The top is made from purple polyester shantung (from my <a href="http://hooks-and-needles.blogspot.com/2011/05/little-dorrit-dress-finished.html">Little Dorrit dress</a>). I'm not sure what the skirt fabric is; I received it in a collection of scrap fabric. ;) The flower on the side is completely random because I thought the dress needed an extra something. ;)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Brianna's favorite is Cinderella.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU90qUSxphIOzFA1n2wD1VluzDctvTwAZWtYOKX50nO6Y_ZyElVFqOhd3FZbm52jnCkWUlQxtNT-zH6AhsFNhG720BVOZL-UhByqkROrxovMM-yaK1y_2I8rQNLh365sCf5N-fLKrcSKGh/s1600/cinderella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU90qUSxphIOzFA1n2wD1VluzDctvTwAZWtYOKX50nO6Y_ZyElVFqOhd3FZbm52jnCkWUlQxtNT-zH6AhsFNhG720BVOZL-UhByqkROrxovMM-yaK1y_2I8rQNLh365sCf5N-fLKrcSKGh/s320/cinderella.jpg" width="314" border="0" height="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtNkacjvqmYiPDsNUQ4l6G0j_gY1YMCjZ9aBOAHLPRfDXe_M6VPlyrODDFnxFP3y_2rV4xSfZUDntuWykEoagYw9m_Rt4UgHu9iYTOimfIVuV3ZLPlXWFDMaagzC2jzv4hZUUcTwh_fTk/s1600/099+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtNkacjvqmYiPDsNUQ4l6G0j_gY1YMCjZ9aBOAHLPRfDXe_M6VPlyrODDFnxFP3y_2rV4xSfZUDntuWykEoagYw9m_Rt4UgHu9iYTOimfIVuV3ZLPlXWFDMaagzC2jzv4hZUUcTwh_fTk/s320/099+-+Copy.JPG" width="240" border="0" height="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Again, this is the first one I made.... if I had made it with Cinderella in mind, I might have done some things different with the pattern... but I still love the way it turned out. The fabric I used is cornflower blue satin, with an additional bit of silver ribbon across the waistband. I kept pretty much totally to the original pattern with this dress.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Ivy' favorite is Snow White.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs94qu-w4ZsocsgW7oDRdCy-_PbbjcCEdt2UcXe_trRtN1lCiXUqdg7lUjJt8F9r3VPy_xNIkHQlGuT10L80n4NEaZR_W-CsssX1Lgr048w8YMF61baqsbC_oKeE4kQ2O77AVH9R8Ij0Lt/s1600/Snow_White_Disney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs94qu-w4ZsocsgW7oDRdCy-_PbbjcCEdt2UcXe_trRtN1lCiXUqdg7lUjJt8F9r3VPy_xNIkHQlGuT10L80n4NEaZR_W-CsssX1Lgr048w8YMF61baqsbC_oKeE4kQ2O77AVH9R8Ij0Lt/s320/Snow_White_Disney.jpg" width="231" border="0" height="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatfJuj1UN7f4Y2dyCbeMEnmRjHG3Ops0oEkPViOcBuLTA59df9zJGZc1qa6MA_e3qSqx9q6Y4cYsu8kJoGj2IkjEClu9ddmadhCKkApg4LQzHRmWlERzBKi6nmRe8BYeOhl2I4seKt6Gp/s1600/136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatfJuj1UN7f4Y2dyCbeMEnmRjHG3Ops0oEkPViOcBuLTA59df9zJGZc1qa6MA_e3qSqx9q6Y4cYsu8kJoGj2IkjEClu9ddmadhCKkApg4LQzHRmWlERzBKi6nmRe8BYeOhl2I4seKt6Gp/s320/136.JPG" width="240" border="0" height="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> This one was definitely the most stressful one to make because I had only one day to cut it out and sew the whole thing. (I hate deadlines. :P ) I also didn't have yellow fabric for the skirt, as I would have liked... but I still think it turned out cute. The dress is a silky blue fabric, trimmed with a yellow ribbon, and the sleeves are a thin, silky white fabric (again, similar to the sashes of the bridesmaid dresses) with red trim ribbon. I used the Heritage Wrap-Top Dress pattern again, but altered it to no longer be wrap-top, but to have a rounded neckline instead. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I have one more I'd like to make, for another little friend, but I don't know whether she reads this blog or not, so I won't say any more about it for now. ;) </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I might list these on Etsy as made-to-order items, as I wouldn't mind making more of them; however, I am starting college next week, and hopefully a job soon as well, so my sewing time will be greatly limited. I'm not even sure if I'll have time to sew at all, or if I'll want the pressure of extra deadlines . So... I don't know. I may or may not list them. :P But these were so much fun and I really would love to make more, of the same, and of the other Disney princesses/heroines, when I have time. :) They're so much fun! :D </div><div style="text-align: left;">P.S. I really should post, too, about the Regency gowns I made for the Christmas ball this December. I'm afraid I always forget to post here though because I have several different google accounts and this one kind of falls into the background of the other ones. :P Oh well. I should get to that this week before I start school. :P </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-21424957747135346362011-09-26T14:00:00.000-07:002011-09-26T16:48:53.337-07:00Mid-19th century doll dressIn case any of you were wondering, no, I haven't been doing a whole lot of sewing the last couple months. ;-) I took a break after my sister's wedding and the break ended up being a little longer than I was intending. This was due to a lot of factors... my grandma came to stay at our house due to her declining health, and passed away in August; I've been working towards starting college and had things like my ACT to take and fun stuff like that; we went and visited family and friends in another state for a couple weeks.... lots of things like that. Busy busy.<br /><br />However, now that Christmas is coming, with school closely following, I've decided to get back to work on my sewing. I wrote out a page and a half of doll dress ideas, mostly movie costume remakes. :-) I also have some other large-scale projects coming up to get done before I start school in January, so I should be getting started on those soon too. Details yet to come.<br /><br />Anyway, I thought I'd show you my most recent project. I started it a couple weeks ago, but ran out of thread and then life and busyness picked up and I didn't get around to finishing it until this last week.<br /><br />The style was based on an absolutely fantastic specimen I stumbled across on [the world's most awesomest site] <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/111069408/">Pinterest</a>.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIhrMnI0fv1Rl2609jjL0voO1cqwjYQYmM6bVPyM8QfpzSk9ZOzbmXUfIlK8pCBQtykclE7XqFLHwz2gU7z_y796oolZmFr_iUCj-W3nzwfkPiQ0OfPtdp_O4UsHY-cv_0kcMzGD_-dbZP/s1600/yellow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIhrMnI0fv1Rl2609jjL0voO1cqwjYQYmM6bVPyM8QfpzSk9ZOzbmXUfIlK8pCBQtykclE7XqFLHwz2gU7z_y796oolZmFr_iUCj-W3nzwfkPiQ0OfPtdp_O4UsHY-cv_0kcMzGD_-dbZP/s640/yellow.jpg" width="403" border="0" height="640" /></a></div>I think this gown from 1844 is simply breathtaking. I would totally absolutely 100% wear this. :-) Unfortunately, historical costuming costs money I'm saving up for college, so the next best solution is to make it in doll size. :-)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFsr-pi-hhDDM3ZKEnpOjMfqEwsH6QmKqTMHxC8KKTJ5KW2dVDRX0sqGFYS0lvMuaoWlpsQXuF58HYUZzdYbqE0BO4IjRZUbJnHCu4phalJp8_habcBcN2IIq2od1ac7666vYSwEYbvG5/s1600/etsy2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFsr-pi-hhDDM3ZKEnpOjMfqEwsH6QmKqTMHxC8KKTJ5KW2dVDRX0sqGFYS0lvMuaoWlpsQXuF58HYUZzdYbqE0BO4IjRZUbJnHCu4phalJp8_habcBcN2IIq2od1ac7666vYSwEYbvG5/s320/etsy2.JPG" width="212" border="0" height="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0P0X_9VePBnGwJC8HIBzTxQyJ56x3EhupJo1-ixkspavU-LOs9mREzfmHgw_JjYxZkkD-u6iwoEv99IDSMr2jO2Tt-GEzLiUrsBgaqp3kDjaT-Cqgom5gfC41xL8kfvjUnPhyphenhyphenKXa5A5Gt/s1600/etsy7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0P0X_9VePBnGwJC8HIBzTxQyJ56x3EhupJo1-ixkspavU-LOs9mREzfmHgw_JjYxZkkD-u6iwoEv99IDSMr2jO2Tt-GEzLiUrsBgaqp3kDjaT-Cqgom5gfC41xL8kfvjUnPhyphenhyphenKXa5A5Gt/s320/etsy7.JPG" width="240" border="0" height="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0hVh4-kw2F-X_AcVYpO7Pk5HH1uTKg6YbYdHNyttkswwSsbGb22a40qbHIFj32uC9ADuUyS7NWYmjH8JbnoSRhKiJeh6s2hq4Cg9xoIPP8lFQRHiArAGS3hj1TJpSaI2I2LuapPJ1fk1/s1600/etsy4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP0hVh4-kw2F-X_AcVYpO7Pk5HH1uTKg6YbYdHNyttkswwSsbGb22a40qbHIFj32uC9ADuUyS7NWYmjH8JbnoSRhKiJeh6s2hq4Cg9xoIPP8lFQRHiArAGS3hj1TJpSaI2I2LuapPJ1fk1/s320/etsy4.JPG" width="240" border="0" height="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQip93ng0Ptc-tDGrkCLIcRamCAEOJIqFjdfX4VL127OSrp6ne4aa7u2uX_o2OESHJhjmcZ-aBYPIxNde1-WZ04Ij9t0l0-A7E8XDOBdI7Qaa3yAyU2ODmwvve0LdnfZD8wEjOjulzjWq/s1600/etsy5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQip93ng0Ptc-tDGrkCLIcRamCAEOJIqFjdfX4VL127OSrp6ne4aa7u2uX_o2OESHJhjmcZ-aBYPIxNde1-WZ04Ij9t0l0-A7E8XDOBdI7Qaa3yAyU2ODmwvve0LdnfZD8wEjOjulzjWq/s320/etsy5.JPG" width="214" border="0" height="320" /></a></div><br />I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, except that the bodice ended up a little shorter than I would have preferred, and the skirt is fuller than I expected-- it seems to stick out more like a hoopskirt. I listed it as an 1850s dress instead of 1840s because I figured that was about right...? I could be wrong though... :-|<br /><br />Anyway, this is now listed on my <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/82463662/purple-floral-1850s-gown-for-18-inch">Etsy shop</a>, which, by the way, I would like to change the name of, since I'm the only one who lists on there, and the products don't really have to do with the Dashwood sisters at all, but I would have to set up a whole new shop and transfer everything, come up with a new name, and confuse my Facebook fans... ;-) (and the rules about how many shops you can have are kind of confusing on Etsy, I've found). What do you think? Should I set up a new shop with a new name? Or is it fine as it is?<br /><br />Well, that's all for now. Hopefully you will be seeing more of me now, though, as I have more sewing projects to keep me busy now. :-)<br /><br />P.S. Question for [present or former] college students who sew: How did/do you keep up your sewing while in school/college? Or can you at all? :-PUnknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-40602633612385351232011-07-20T10:09:00.001-07:002011-07-20T10:10:44.213-07:00This is How I Feel........when I finish a sewing project. ;-)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBFb7Krr4LA3n0IBVZ57iDzU4kzdBt-IW9rD7gE8YZfbzzpzDVp57nz0KV_BeZHVYJW_4Dxtmu9H8k6JcxWUrPGSazYGgFbN6ObBl47p_gMi-H4X8pErDZE5psLK7HRiCe-iscJa70Rvxo/s1600/tumblr_l86dsiPQv71qbemqao1_400.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBFb7Krr4LA3n0IBVZ57iDzU4kzdBt-IW9rD7gE8YZfbzzpzDVp57nz0KV_BeZHVYJW_4Dxtmu9H8k6JcxWUrPGSazYGgFbN6ObBl47p_gMi-H4X8pErDZE5psLK7HRiCe-iscJa70Rvxo/s320/tumblr_l86dsiPQv71qbemqao1_400.png" width="232" border="0" height="320" /></a></div>Well, if the sewing project turned out. ;-)<br />At least my dolls seem to enjoy modeling better than Pascal does. ;-PUnknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-14430690377673889142011-07-12T18:18:00.000-07:002011-07-12T18:41:04.331-07:00Bridesmaid DressesNow that enough pictures have surfaced on facebook for me to borrow, I figured it was finally time for me to post about the bridesmaid dresses I sewed for Marianne's wedding.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yb3dsgciuQ9lXgNcOPu5asxsm6i4EgO7nkdH_FoxihUqZ3aJC9yjC_CZgShZ5_oq1s8Jy20MFa8Auy9qWLZEoSnQPqXuY55cnMkYxI3pPYUw35ia87VK3a40JF5-lUIYHF0CffkbsVHT/s1600/wedding1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yb3dsgciuQ9lXgNcOPu5asxsm6i4EgO7nkdH_FoxihUqZ3aJC9yjC_CZgShZ5_oq1s8Jy20MFa8Auy9qWLZEoSnQPqXuY55cnMkYxI3pPYUw35ia87VK3a40JF5-lUIYHF0CffkbsVHT/s320/wedding1.jpg" width="320" border="0" height="213" /></a></div><br />A friend, Chloe, and I worked together; she sewed three of the dresses, and I sewed the other three. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZx1NjAz1ZQHeFtAqwsalT-54gXPH0LNjUcnMIrNBUxlQHZCUxxjzLyFuSVz98T25Ss2AveE0GPMIXxJ-Gi-WXTh6byxM4i1BWzlgvyNtCMOtgyJqW19bsqSCOltpkyqekdecqXx7oR_l/s1600/bridesmaids1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZx1NjAz1ZQHeFtAqwsalT-54gXPH0LNjUcnMIrNBUxlQHZCUxxjzLyFuSVz98T25Ss2AveE0GPMIXxJ-Gi-WXTh6byxM4i1BWzlgvyNtCMOtgyJqW19bsqSCOltpkyqekdecqXx7oR_l/s320/bridesmaids1.jpg" width="320px" border="0" height="214px" /></a></div>We used the same pattern that I used for <a href="http://hooks-and-needles.blogspot.com/2010/10/medieval-dress-for-marianne-fine-plus.html">Marianne's medieval-inspired dress</a>. However, we did some things differently. <br /><br />Before I started on the dresses, I had come across <a href="http://workingwitheagerhands.blogspot.com/2011/04/my-new-formal.html">this post</a> by Olivia, in which she has pictures of a very cute cap sleeves design. I thought it was super cute and decided to make the cap sleeve option (View B) with a similar design with the bows. However, some of the bridesmaids preferred short sleeves, so we decided to alternate between the two styles, and also discovered a way to work in the bows into the short sleeves as well. It turned out quite well, I thought.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrFrGIdtv3_cM9X3Vc24onEYS66JymbZxgIlNknSHvlzHfdZw1Vas3qtvNebA9SM5WM6w7trx54Bp9VM5sn2hmMRStVynamcGUC50bQa_BOjXmgLqz28Wi7ZhAxKqlo5pNmRv70Jtbl4B/s1600/bridesmaids2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrFrGIdtv3_cM9X3Vc24onEYS66JymbZxgIlNknSHvlzHfdZw1Vas3qtvNebA9SM5WM6w7trx54Bp9VM5sn2hmMRStVynamcGUC50bQa_BOjXmgLqz28Wi7ZhAxKqlo5pNmRv70Jtbl4B/s320/bridesmaids2.jpg" width="320" border="0" height="213" /></a></div><br /><br />We used cornflower blue satin (JoAnn Fabrics Casa Collection) for the dresses. I think I may say with assurance now that cornflower blue is one of my favorite colors. It's so beautiful. And the satin was fun to work with-- except that it does fray a bit. But then, I had my trusty serger to take care of that. ;-)<br /><br />I made "Margaret's" and my dress a couple weeks before the wedding, but saved the last until the week of. Silly, right? Reason: I have this problem where I kind of like to fit the dress as I go *just in case* it's too big, small, doesn't fit right, whatever. So I really wanted to make sure this dress fit the bridesmaid right, but she lives all the way in another state. So she came the Sunday before the wedding to stay the week with us, and I made up her dress that week. Everything was done on time, I didn't have to hold things together with pins and duck tape.... so, all was well. :-) <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsv9HbOD67p2LJvBNe7ExxPJ_y6dpBSHnFPr9OvEYD_-EP7qFdMnTWTkaNK3ZPBvyKzI2-jFj_AcFyYIXCFGBkXzUE8Ceg5Jnf2DoI6ZWHEQEm5ltAcC7Hr-Av7UrM5iXAuYZ1_29GaQMk/s1600/bridesmaids3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsv9HbOD67p2LJvBNe7ExxPJ_y6dpBSHnFPr9OvEYD_-EP7qFdMnTWTkaNK3ZPBvyKzI2-jFj_AcFyYIXCFGBkXzUE8Ceg5Jnf2DoI6ZWHEQEm5ltAcC7Hr-Av7UrM5iXAuYZ1_29GaQMk/s320/bridesmaids3.jpg" width="320" border="0" height="213" /></a></div><br />The day of the wedding came, everything went smoothly, I enjoyed wearing my beautiful cornflower blue dress, had the hardest time smiling walking up the aisle as the maid of honor, had a blast getting pictures with the bridal party afterwards, got a cold and a fever the day after the wedding and laid low the whole next week, and still haven't gotten back to sewing, except I started work on a skirt but haven't finished it yet because I'm missing part of the waistband piece. :-)<br /><br />More pics for your enjoyment (you'll like seeing Marianne's dress too, though I can't take credit for that by any means ;-) ) :<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzrZ96iq9uk4hUAq1u5RFmjiff0EVeVvv0-QN8Yrzv8sMEt9o_zsh3bUo-nZZaKvIBxX2s6ZBgjsHi3c0JoxNY5W-lWYhGqod2-n0vyrUJ19-YWrIwakJObj_mqzEVNAnQAssMFo4g0-g/s1600/bridesmaids4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzrZ96iq9uk4hUAq1u5RFmjiff0EVeVvv0-QN8Yrzv8sMEt9o_zsh3bUo-nZZaKvIBxX2s6ZBgjsHi3c0JoxNY5W-lWYhGqod2-n0vyrUJ19-YWrIwakJObj_mqzEVNAnQAssMFo4g0-g/s320/bridesmaids4.jpg" width="320" border="0" height="213" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMfmq1m3lxP7qi4RrXBW81DM62bFuCe-mL5rWcu318WkOPqf04vWfEDDQ51apdbW19_zuSdu6Y2oJYnUrL1OiQEaxlEPgOxxj-gtjLUwMzwn9qpobGPxFf_cvEfgLx0-WE457EELq7d61/s1600/bridesmaids5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMfmq1m3lxP7qi4RrXBW81DM62bFuCe-mL5rWcu318WkOPqf04vWfEDDQ51apdbW19_zuSdu6Y2oJYnUrL1OiQEaxlEPgOxxj-gtjLUwMzwn9qpobGPxFf_cvEfgLx0-WE457EELq7d61/s320/bridesmaids5.jpg" width="320" border="0" height="214" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsJ3QOZJo0VLBnaOqa9iwJYsoiAbVJd53DKoKIZzSid3nb0bqoKDDIOeidipmqadyR5vMtKUnjZRtXbW9Vbx1vHs9fhXWnj-_SBAA2EZINAsQ7-7IrR_THTMkeSn001kbJ_jg2eWS5nTj/s1600/bridesmaids6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsJ3QOZJo0VLBnaOqa9iwJYsoiAbVJd53DKoKIZzSid3nb0bqoKDDIOeidipmqadyR5vMtKUnjZRtXbW9Vbx1vHs9fhXWnj-_SBAA2EZINAsQ7-7IrR_THTMkeSn001kbJ_jg2eWS5nTj/s320/bridesmaids6.jpg" width="320" border="0" height="220" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSVG1IStSOkpvjES1fd9d4rKaoEGq6aaNVa70UrFJ7rJUP03-Rcs25tHUptHWrN7vrKhuv_CHC0RyMHledtze3A176tFaxaQlS0qgqG5uqjixQaUyFDuqeqcTLsC63DkOex_7L4vH1ZuA/s1600/wedding+party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSVG1IStSOkpvjES1fd9d4rKaoEGq6aaNVa70UrFJ7rJUP03-Rcs25tHUptHWrN7vrKhuv_CHC0RyMHledtze3A176tFaxaQlS0qgqG5uqjixQaUyFDuqeqcTLsC63DkOex_7L4vH1ZuA/s320/wedding+party.jpg" width="320" border="0" height="204" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">"Margaret", sister-in-law-in-law Anna (the groom's sister, that is), friend Christie, and yours truly</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRB-hzsUyO1RpI8fKVLRzjQnCMY23NRBdJCUwjQ4B19bqZBrRLl7rdMkdcAr8aHkg2sOkzpwiChQOpgndV62kRwWBlwP3Ej-Bs4Zm-hVlkWZtPIuIeUJ_Z2SFx5afPUuoioTW44OiZLoA/s1600/beth+anna+christie+and+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRB-hzsUyO1RpI8fKVLRzjQnCMY23NRBdJCUwjQ4B19bqZBrRLl7rdMkdcAr8aHkg2sOkzpwiChQOpgndV62kRwWBlwP3Ej-Bs4Zm-hVlkWZtPIuIeUJ_Z2SFx5afPUuoioTW44OiZLoA/s320/beth+anna+christie+and+me.jpg" width="320" border="0" height="214" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div> Margaret, dear Mamma, and yours truly<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsmYkrwWyo2VIp1yRFqboaLS0uXrqQ3tCEfmHII45yGmlD054z0IAgcbQvPqe_XbBf7n1S_RBmxyUy9lP9CcawjgTfM48CcLoH0C8Ac4kKG-kx2jnOmsuvTucK53cHVB7_bTvljW5zdXM8/s1600/mommy+beth+and+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsmYkrwWyo2VIp1yRFqboaLS0uXrqQ3tCEfmHII45yGmlD054z0IAgcbQvPqe_XbBf7n1S_RBmxyUy9lP9CcawjgTfM48CcLoH0C8Ac4kKG-kx2jnOmsuvTucK53cHVB7_bTvljW5zdXM8/s320/mommy+beth+and+me.jpg" width="320" border="0" height="214" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">and yours truly with the bride, my sister and my best friend :-)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTmkQQUA3YiqgeOkWGc7N4exb0Y6y-F8GVRuQHAkt9lkXprjvgz7NaJF-gRCblGfhl61bg823peFwU9p1qpMqc1iOmcLucvL2wXPLOPBugVg2wW9nyXA9YGCsx4W32woHh_J-4RE9xOeI/s1600/amanda+and+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTmkQQUA3YiqgeOkWGc7N4exb0Y6y-F8GVRuQHAkt9lkXprjvgz7NaJF-gRCblGfhl61bg823peFwU9p1qpMqc1iOmcLucvL2wXPLOPBugVg2wW9nyXA9YGCsx4W32woHh_J-4RE9xOeI/s320/amanda+and+me.jpg" width="214" border="0" height="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Until next time (whenever that may be ;-) ),<br />ElinorUnknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-64158264120042111482011-06-27T10:27:00.000-07:002016-12-04T10:46:57.334-08:00And they were married :-)<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDJC30QkcdlieF1ap2X6xnInGQ3pjzsHgL92utWqHUBmX2Yx3BUshXG4oHehVB91g_RdZvyX1uMsjJRHVDku0QUPqL1MTmZ-G9_R5TOvXcRsdp-yaHD7BQ5zNpQLDcp4d67iqpasdOeOy/s1600/262619_229207157101776_100000374810230_750480_2773657_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656777864278680818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDJC30QkcdlieF1ap2X6xnInGQ3pjzsHgL92utWqHUBmX2Yx3BUshXG4oHehVB91g_RdZvyX1uMsjJRHVDku0QUPqL1MTmZ-G9_R5TOvXcRsdp-yaHD7BQ5zNpQLDcp4d67iqpasdOeOy/s400/262619_229207157101776_100000374810230_750480_2773657_n.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a>On Saturday, "Marianne" and "Colonel Brandon" were joined together in marriage.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSx5INCGyf2VgPCSWEO5MsdvyaN-XfV30XIqk629SIXIJ0kBwyo8WcdbKIjL6fYWf4jv5Qc2tiWd_zPGS5IfMAB_tJHu7Cqd3LRiFGTFTTpAwXZMa6pEKdtaxWvZBEzHdgHcUQRIen_MMY/s1600/262019_229206173768541_100000374810230_750467_1926111_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656785114989186066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSx5INCGyf2VgPCSWEO5MsdvyaN-XfV30XIqk629SIXIJ0kBwyo8WcdbKIjL6fYWf4jv5Qc2tiWd_zPGS5IfMAB_tJHu7Cqd3LRiFGTFTTpAwXZMa6pEKdtaxWvZBEzHdgHcUQRIen_MMY/s400/262019_229206173768541_100000374810230_750467_1926111_n.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkzXnmeoU7phYLMjy_Ua9s3sl2oVZ_i3bmMb1sngBYTGEQ9DIKq_tR6ExBVj8a8fHbQdhSFJnhRPW1emP7vNUTOC0CDsLDW1JGr6Hc48JT3uoa5-cwjswDi_VH-aNBvbBNA3Xt6y7w9zIk/s1600/260462_221363124562155_100000654069029_699602_6052240_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div>
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The ceremony was absolutely beautiful. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kUH-4hrSdhfXk0Mv_6Tj-ZqwdH0r1QlH0c1upaCcQmJEZe4LohMq0xx7233ZQ8ptdDHbAbY-kXC1ODXaQqkw8_7zusMQxKvPXrTZWx8MFEHBFp-b5WHk0ig3zMsPRYbcmXRfbQPAWJAN/s1600/261895_10150249261562510_780482509_7292739_446417_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656784736078944290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kUH-4hrSdhfXk0Mv_6Tj-ZqwdH0r1QlH0c1upaCcQmJEZe4LohMq0xx7233ZQ8ptdDHbAbY-kXC1ODXaQqkw8_7zusMQxKvPXrTZWx8MFEHBFp-b5WHk0ig3zMsPRYbcmXRfbQPAWJAN/s400/261895_10150249261562510_780482509_7292739_446417_n.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 267px;" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "tahoma";">SONNET 116 by William Shakespeare</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "tahoma";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "tahoma";">Let me not to the marriage of true minds<br />Admit impediments. Love is not love<br />Which alters when it alteration finds,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "tahoma";">Or bends with the remover to remove:<br />O no! it is an ever-fixed mark<br />That looks on tempests and is never shaken;<br />It is the star to every wandering bark,<br />Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.<br />Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks<br />Within his bending sickle's compass come:<br />Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,<br />But bears it out even to the edge of doom.<br />If this be error and upon me proved,<br />I never writ, nor no man ever loved. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjfUPivYmY7JMQjvUej_uG769hV7qplRbva7mNOhVIPvTl9VFztildBF8XdLFRe_UiNvbHF0KDgXd4iPJEh-dhWlDnIYcK5Ppscpv_3dp9B4kYLh5iSpfRKtTkURGXchuND2kZ7VFe2n8/s1600/edit5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjfUPivYmY7JMQjvUej_uG769hV7qplRbva7mNOhVIPvTl9VFztildBF8XdLFRe_UiNvbHF0KDgXd4iPJEh-dhWlDnIYcK5Ppscpv_3dp9B4kYLh5iSpfRKtTkURGXchuND2kZ7VFe2n8/s320/edit5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
P.S. And yes, that sonnet was read at the wedding and couldn't be more applicable. "Looks on tempests and is never shaken..."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivlI55UU-m8XUzcC0SbNpCNAvVJNCGUWT6P63xzC0cpE4S0nAdEf5RjCGTZ6XeN-qCQwiNs3OSmoBPmVL3eYeSmk2XKBk1x1pJWadIttbq1KL2-NkDhnqLK54OZNzgVx71NcDnHkd1yEZ-/s1600/268192_221358414562626_100000654069029_699541_858526_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivlI55UU-m8XUzcC0SbNpCNAvVJNCGUWT6P63xzC0cpE4S0nAdEf5RjCGTZ6XeN-qCQwiNs3OSmoBPmVL3eYeSmk2XKBk1x1pJWadIttbq1KL2-NkDhnqLK54OZNzgVx71NcDnHkd1yEZ-/s320/268192_221358414562626_100000654069029_699541_858526_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9zUWzy7Wfx1lx5lNFaMrVhcYzJug1Pr4sPqP-_Nx68D-vpRNRRHjC5S70kXi1P7OzGl4zrUgze0yHbrdcmwuknCX8J-IHSJ5PBmATGUEtfCCmCBigL0PMfGRh8ECgoAN2aI-1UYageqI/s1600/EDIT13-A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">CONGRATULATIONS</span> </div>
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to my beautiful dear sister and her new husband.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "tahoma";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc9b0ImC0tpViPx0i2W1WS4ieBZeFzbzN6XZD-xC9VZiAZZ_I7VAGZEMaYwZDd5NhYPNe7aeW7Oi9UfVujPOUGjfgMb4WqtVtuoWRTgLdeY3wfVMXnjj65RLMWquUaGzHNczMihAQFHjPJ/s1600/264661_229207903768368_100000374810230_750492_1384042_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656785555561143554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc9b0ImC0tpViPx0i2W1WS4ieBZeFzbzN6XZD-xC9VZiAZZ_I7VAGZEMaYwZDd5NhYPNe7aeW7Oi9UfVujPOUGjfgMb4WqtVtuoWRTgLdeY3wfVMXnjj65RLMWquUaGzHNczMihAQFHjPJ/s400/264661_229207903768368_100000374810230_750492_1384042_n.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-35405426962644803452011-06-21T16:37:00.000-07:002011-06-21T16:37:18.125-07:00News :-)Wow, it's been, like, almost a month since I posted!! Life has been SOOOOOO busy. Lots of family things keeping us busy; our grandma, who has been suffering from health problems, has moved in with us; and we've been preparing for "Marianne's" wedding!!! Which is in FOUR DAYS!!!<br />
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Part of the preparation on my part has consisted of sewing 3 of the bridesmaid gowns and the sashes. The first two dress were Margaret's and mine, and the other I put off until....<span style="font-size: x-small;">this week<span style="font-size: small;">... because the bridesmaid lives out of state and I wanted to make sure it fit as I sewed it. This week she is here visiting and we're working on it together. I'm about 1/2-way done with it and should have it finished tomorrow.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">And the wedding is on Saturday. :-D</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am SO EXCITED!! I will be sure to post pictures afterwards! :-)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well, that's about all for now, but I thought I really should update, as this poor blog has been so neglected! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">So what have you all been up to lately? Any special sewing projects? </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-91220265534694996292011-05-27T11:55:00.000-07:002016-09-02T12:02:57.501-07:00Little Dorrit Dress<div style="text-align: center;">
I am happy to say that I finished my Amy Dorrit ballgown in time for the Literary Ball!</div>
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I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, though I wish I could have found a buckle for the front of the waistband, like on <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSLPVtCaGu-Ki951RN2CK6FZ7NfhVTlaPm6vatGbRVg_Ps5VX8gUKYRZVyHksP1DdKlCTdHgwptfkGbdX491WO38pEvMSD7YdV9iEXsFoU9JEcGnpCznCOP71mZW3K0fLaOoIuVfZgSMN/s1600/ballgownfront3.jpg">Amy's</a>. I'm sure that's a feature I can add eventually.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWa7s2vPQT48WcyR07upOuj4J6TH9xhBhDIqqPZ48T8SkjGm5cJmvbsTpO9pPK6chiw7HPUMtGMw-NjR7Pk6-mual6p4GDwO7C3LhBU02uq_kVQD0m0bF1QaBbRIOkyORH3geUVH2N1kp/s1600/BLB73+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWa7s2vPQT48WcyR07upOuj4J6TH9xhBhDIqqPZ48T8SkjGm5cJmvbsTpO9pPK6chiw7HPUMtGMw-NjR7Pk6-mual6p4GDwO7C3LhBU02uq_kVQD0m0bF1QaBbRIOkyORH3geUVH2N1kp/s320/BLB73+-+Copy.jpg" width="154" /></a></div>
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<b>Pattern Description: </b><a href="http://sensibility.com/patterns/romantic-era-dress-pattern/">Sense and Sensibility Pattern's Romantic Era Dress Pattern</a></div>
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<b>Pattern Sizing:</b> Size 8</div>
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<b>Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?</b>Yes and no... I made plenty of alterations. </div>
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<b>Were the instructions easy to follow?</b> Yes, though I made up a lot of my own directions.</div>
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<b>What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? </b>Jenny Chancey's patterns are always a delight to work with. They're easy to understand and the results are lovely. The instructions also tell how to make a wide variation of styles/looks from this one pattern. </div>
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<b>Fabric Used:</b> dark purple polyester shantung from JoAnn Fabrics<br />
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<b>Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: </b>I didn't make very many alterations, but the</div>
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alterations I made were big enough to change the look. I cut the bodice piece wider, and at a slight angle, and pleated the front. I also brought it in a little at the shoulders as my shoulders are a lot more narrow than the pattern allows for. </div>
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<b>Would you sew it again?</b> Not this particular movie costume, but I do plan to use this pattern again, yes.</div>
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<b>Would you recommend it to others?</b> Of course! </div>
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Here are some random pictures from the ball that include more shots of my dress.</div>
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(Thank you, Brandon P, Mrs. R, and Mrs. F for the pictures! )</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-34297006929312482452011-05-02T14:35:00.000-07:002011-05-02T14:35:03.208-07:00FYI....Due to so many requests to write movie reviews, and my interest in commentating on various movies and characters in blog posts, just for fun, I have started up a movie-related blog. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://melaniesshelf.blogspot.com/">Floating Lanterns</a><br />
http://melaniesshelf.blogspot.com/<br />
<br />
The title unashamedly admits by huge fandom for "Tangled". :-) <br />
I may be transferring my period dramas review to that site. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEC4Y52ihW4vcUOrAkhnvBLgLn-9A_F4PeaV-cIg2SZR9r9tXnHHMdCgAdt6tprYSw7lZj7ab68qY7Q9SHPU5hRYqYT_n1vkLyq8zF7wiLfTp3_P1W5-WIzR4XE6VYr9YGNQg6Z_udF3BP/s1600/tangled2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEC4Y52ihW4vcUOrAkhnvBLgLn-9A_F4PeaV-cIg2SZR9r9tXnHHMdCgAdt6tprYSw7lZj7ab68qY7Q9SHPU5hRYqYT_n1vkLyq8zF7wiLfTp3_P1W5-WIzR4XE6VYr9YGNQg6Z_udF3BP/s320/tangled2.png" width="320" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-137556982267300302011-04-21T09:05:00.000-07:002011-04-21T13:06:45.448-07:00How Could I Be So Forgetful?Okay, remember Alex, mentioned in this post?<br /><a href="http://hooks-and-needles.blogspot.com/2010/10/medieval-dress-for-marianne-fine-plus.html">http://hooks-and-needles.blogspot.com/2010/10/medieval-dress-for-marianne-fine-plus.html</a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBiMVXCXQoxUojiIQf_wGSqiWDenZ2DCR1JRZ3Zp8EUdGdL2FRTHxUdW5zKb4Hwvysv5ooxr4G3fJoCzlEHOxIpM3W9BDEdOT8G7utNDg6f2b-Jm0WiZ1pI5Bf66k3aiYgIOgyYFyUdHBG/s1600/197091_1594534828221_1381463127_31262906_5962171_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBiMVXCXQoxUojiIQf_wGSqiWDenZ2DCR1JRZ3Zp8EUdGdL2FRTHxUdW5zKb4Hwvysv5ooxr4G3fJoCzlEHOxIpM3W9BDEdOT8G7utNDg6f2b-Jm0WiZ1pI5Bf66k3aiYgIOgyYFyUdHBG/s320/197091_1594534828221_1381463127_31262906_5962171_n.jpg" width="320" border="0" height="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">:-)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCKamsYrxUpmIm7JEWUIvWrqK35tgWZNSm31vD3ro60B1X7hO_KBCXAjPB3d_OE9Q8hAL_N68yNQWDVYO9DeJ0l93kMgq0fCVFCU59bd1QVqIDLLafudA_0Un0czhirkxb2L7k3-ZknOC/s1600/AandA3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCKamsYrxUpmIm7JEWUIvWrqK35tgWZNSm31vD3ro60B1X7hO_KBCXAjPB3d_OE9Q8hAL_N68yNQWDVYO9DeJ0l93kMgq0fCVFCU59bd1QVqIDLLafudA_0Un0czhirkxb2L7k3-ZknOC/s320/AandA3.jpg" width="320" border="0" height="192" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Alex proposed (a couple months ago! :-P )... and she said yes. :-D</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So now I'm getting ready to embark on sewing three out of the five bridesmaid dresses. They will be made in cornflower blue satin (JoAnn's Casa Collection) and have dark blue sashes. I'll be using this pattern:</div><a href="http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m4491-products-414.php?page_id=493">http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m4491-products-414.php?page_id=493</a><br />with some alterations.<br /><br />I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!<br /><br />*off to cut out some mock-ups*<br /><br />(I'll nag Marianne and see if she will post more about the proposal here...it's very cute. ;-) )<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332557059549813243.post-88689981792449582302011-03-19T11:15:00.000-07:002011-03-19T11:15:57.201-07:00Little Dorrit dress, Part One "That's a lot of hair..."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlx7lefU-QnduVYxPHf5dazZdRd4kNV8tXIxlotZ0OZWREjJUtkuDLnLV3eAdqQc8SFeQTywTIWAHQekxSHZ3XErVhuVOqeYUonmRWY9sf2Hn7T1I2eGC0NceowaAGASaZNyeGo1Q-arvV/s1600/tangled.+hair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlx7lefU-QnduVYxPHf5dazZdRd4kNV8tXIxlotZ0OZWREjJUtkuDLnLV3eAdqQc8SFeQTywTIWAHQekxSHZ3XErVhuVOqeYUonmRWY9sf2Hn7T1I2eGC0NceowaAGASaZNyeGo1Q-arvV/s400/tangled.+hair.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
...errr, fabric. :-)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQq8T8rvPhLV5-W2fmGuirx2vH4kuz3XgInBC3HUbFC201rZiJbuuf3MC_4pKrRMrlMYidzMbnkfW1dPWVqllDu0L0Xg4Pl4yD2efM95PvyhZszKo7S1-j7WX6JSsb81lpwhILZC-o9HeY/s1600/117_0096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQq8T8rvPhLV5-W2fmGuirx2vH4kuz3XgInBC3HUbFC201rZiJbuuf3MC_4pKrRMrlMYidzMbnkfW1dPWVqllDu0L0Xg4Pl4yD2efM95PvyhZszKo7S1-j7WX6JSsb81lpwhILZC-o9HeY/s320/117_0096.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8nILBneiKhzYwW3FC5Yj-30M8n0xijNAg3uY-c56kfvJ_rh38v3y1D0POuiUmxgrow4BGFqkZuCASmrhuiN84i5WuD64ry0DkxBrtyGRdGMRBqAKQeJm9Mx_AgEeCBUxRxPVKtYBft78/s1600/117_0097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8nILBneiKhzYwW3FC5Yj-30M8n0xijNAg3uY-c56kfvJ_rh38v3y1D0POuiUmxgrow4BGFqkZuCASmrhuiN84i5WuD64ry0DkxBrtyGRdGMRBqAKQeJm9Mx_AgEeCBUxRxPVKtYBft78/s320/117_0097.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> I've been working on my<a href="http://hooks-and-needles.blogspot.com/2011/02/amy-dorrit-ballgown.html"> Amy Dorrit dress for the Literary Ball</a>! For a while, it was looking like I wouldn't be able to attend the ball, but everything's seeming to work out that I can go, so I'm VERY excited. :-D :-D So last week we were at JoAnn's and the polyester shantung fabric was on sale, and it was the right shade for my Amy dress, so I purchased it. This week I've been working on the mock-up, and yesterday I spent several hours laying out the main fabric and situating the pieces and thinking about it... I can't tell you how scary it was making that first cut into the expensive(to me) fabric. ;-) <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLUiwmP3s6uF2IJb-Z540s7-a4ozxETCx0CF75SDl6DNDcBvTrRAIJoGRuJIvHH-r275MRxXj7sMvQ0-F3bGuDjTaCx98AXrJJ0Vhb1f-zfmSevVO_UJRf8CV2_vX0cR8lwuzP9oY8cst/s1600/117_0098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLUiwmP3s6uF2IJb-Z540s7-a4ozxETCx0CF75SDl6DNDcBvTrRAIJoGRuJIvHH-r275MRxXj7sMvQ0-F3bGuDjTaCx98AXrJJ0Vhb1f-zfmSevVO_UJRf8CV2_vX0cR8lwuzP9oY8cst/s320/117_0098.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now to start sewing the actual bodice. *is very nervous* Please pray all goes well!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">BTW, thought I might mention that the quote and picture at the beginning of this post are from <i>Tangled</i>, and no, I actually haven't seen it yet, only watched the trailers (English and Japanese) and clips from it over and over again. ;-) But, I have pre-ordered it from Barnes & Noble and it should be shipping in 10 DAYS! I am SO EXCITED! I can't WAIT! :-D :-D :-D</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com14