Got there about 10:15--left at 6pm. I parked the bug in the parking lot behind Pray-Harrold (the very odd name of my old building which is right next to Quirk Theatre). That parking lot is still closer in appearance to a minefield than a smooth sheet of asphalt. I was going to attend a garb making workshop hosted by the talented (and lovely) Mistress Melisant otherwise known as Prof. Schuessler of the theatre dept.
http://www.faucet.net/costume/index.html
She helped me alter my fave blue silk gown and get the arms less tentlike.
I learned tons of stuff about industrial irons, fabric grain and sergers. Vincent learned you can make raspberry kool aid in the washer with burgundy rayon! *I* the most inept seamstress on the face of the planet...*I* can make armpits!!
Who woulda thought that to make the sleeves smaller we would have to add fabric? Not me man! I just did what she told me. We shortened the sleeves and deconstructed the removed cuffs in order to recycle that fabric into armpit crescents. It was a scary thing. Then we actually took in the sleeves. Remove flap, sew back together. FEH not as easy as it sounds. Too many pins. I totally wimped out trying to do the gussets on the machine and did them by hand. I did serge them afterwards because they seamed (get it?) like a good thing to practice on. The tiny little tuck on the body was nothing compared to the hour it took me to get the new cut edge line up with the old sleeve seam. (Four strikes before I got on base!) Christ this dress has TWO sleeves?? Whose brilliant idea was it to have two sleeves?? Repeat process.
Dude-- that is hard. Why won't the fabric just fall into place like when Melisant touches it? Can she perform wandless magic? I think so. Ariannatheangel finally appeared, right when I was about to cry--the stoopid sleeves didn't match. Arianna very helpfully patted and held the fabric in place while I pinned the foldy round crazy ass tube shaped shit.
Melisant gave it the thumbs up and I moved on. The dress now had nicely slender sleeves; but it also had huge "ventiliation" gaps under the arms. Oh. I also got to use a spiffy little pizza cutter with yellow tracing paper that makes cutting marks on the fabric. That was fun. I wanted to run little yellow cut marks everywhere but this crowd didn't appear to be into shenanigans. I obediently traced the armpit moons with the fun tool and then cut out the armpit moons. I bravely pinned them in unsupervised. She was very busy helping the new student group put their zippers in. She is soooo patient and calm.
The armpits looked right. But there were sooo many pins! eep!! Finally, I got brave (?) and decided to sew them in by hand, despite not having gotten Melisant's approval on this step. It worked!!
PROJECT #2 or Why this blog was created....
The black linenbomb. First of all lots of group discussion revolved around shrinkage. I figure I'd better wash the fabric before moving any further on this mess and during a pause in my personal Melisant time--I chucked the whole thing into the washer--RESULT---CRAZY LINT! AHHH!!! black pubic hair wads of fluff coated the inside of the machine. Cleaned up that insanity. Dried it on "lo" for about an hour and it was still dampish. Still pounds of jet black lint everywhere. Yes, it did spin nicely....hmmmm. STAY FOCUSED.
Ironed it. FOREVER--still slightly dampish--claimed a cutting table. Glance at clock CRAP! is it 4:40. No wonder I am tired. I need my daily chai/after school snack break. Got up close and personal with the fabric grain, carefully pinned on two pattern pieces. Gregoire was very kind in the reaching across the table to nail the grain in place maneuver that short chicks can't quite reach.
Folded it into bundles and brought it home. I don't think this cote will be ready for coronation. Nope. Gonna wear the red and green. Draco invictus! (mebbe)
