Reno 911!

I think this show is dumbest thing I have ever seen. I don't know how or why anyone would ever think this is funny.

More for the List

16. Make a new white apron, maybe add a little embroidery.

Yeah, it's only one thing, but it's something.

SUNrise was fun, but I'm really tired. I taught 6 embroidery classes, inlcuding individual ones. One of those was a six year old. I was teaching Gwynneth (Danr and Katherine's daughter) how to do a stem stitch and she did very well. I drew a flower on some linen for her to do, showed her how and told her to follow the lines I drew.

Maestra Giovanna tooka picture of me in my new formal Italian and wearing my gold mask. I'll have it up here in the next couple days. TJ will be ordering the beads for the neckline and wrist trim. It will be button on glass pearl trim. I haven't decided what buttons to use just yet.

Spring Cleaning?

Can you really call it that if it seems more like winter? I usually call it The Great Purge. I went through all of my sewing stuff. I had so much stuff that I had to keep it in one of those three drawer plastic bins, the ones on wheels. The plan was to get rid of enough stuff so I don't need it any more. It worked. Everything now fits in my sewing desk. I have a 1920's era art deco desk that is about three fit wide, but it has 5 drawers and a cabinet for tall things. It is the perfect size for a sewing machine, and has a matching bench seat. My large desk is gone and has been replaced with a work station that fits all of the computer stuff, including the scanner. I just need to clean out that room and get it in order. Next, I'm going through fabric scraps. Anything that isn't from a current outfit or is anything I've had for more than a year is getting tossed. I try to recycle or give away anything that is useful, but I don't have the patience for trying to give away fabric scraps.

I have a lot to do before SUNrise. This list includes:
1. Rebuild the flemish underdress
2. Work on the new embroidery class
3. Put together a few more embroidery kits
4. Pack up all the stuff I need

I have three classes:
1. How Not to do Large Embroidery Projects
2. Late Period Women's Work Clothes
3. Individual Blackwork Instruction

I'm not taking over Etienne's dance class which I'm glad of. I'm doing so much teaching already that it'd be hard to fit in a dance class too. I'm taking alot already, then I'd have to add my stereo (Bose Wave Radio), hand outs, mp3 player and memorize the dances by Friday night. I don't like teaching dances from a piece of paper, and I'd like to avoid that in the future. Right now, I'm so far out of practice with dancing that I should just read my dance manual from cover to cover to remember what I know.

My table is coming along. I'll be ready to start sanding the trestles this Thursday if I have time to go to Danr's.

Destruction!

I did something today I've been meaning to do for a long time, and now I only have a week and half or so to do it in. I took apart my Flemish underdress. It was the first dress I handstitched, and I didn'tdo the best of jobs on it, at least in my opinion. I'm relining it making a pattern from it. This is what it looks like now

I'm have yet to cut apart the large piece in the first picture.

I did this ofr a couple reasons. It needed to be relined, so each piece is going to be lined individually instead of the entire upper piece being done as one. I have done on two other dresses so far and really like how those two turned out. Maestra Giovanna suggested that to me. One thing I need to do before lining it is cover up where I put the lacing holes. I made this long before I started using lacing rings. I'm hoping to start putting this back together tomorrow. If you look on the folded up piece, you can still see all the pleats in the skirt. This will make it a little smaller, but it has gotten a little to big for me. It will also be shorter, but it was a little long too.

Because I've been meaning to do this for a long time, I'm adding it to the list.

I left off the list at number 12, so I'm picking up on number 13.

13. Reline Flemish dress and make a pattern from it.

14. Teach 50 embroidery classes on any type of embroidery, by individual or group.

15. Finish the Tudor undergarments, not including the corset embroidery project, by Lillies.

I'm still taking suggestions on this list, if anyone has any. I have 35 more things to add yet.

Trestles

Tonight I finished building the trestle legs for my table. One of the shelf supports is a 1/4" higher than the other but that isn't anything that I can't solve by sanding. The other option is to make a piece or runner to stabilize the table horizontally that will slide over the 2x4 shelf supports and just cut one slot a 1/4" deeper.

TJ rebuilt my embroidery frame. The one Danr helped me make is really nice but my floor stand cannot support the weight. The stretcher bars are red oak which is heavy. The new one is poplar which is really light. I haven't had any time to do any embroidery at all since getting back from that trip.