Yeah, I know

It's been ages since I posted anything. I've been too busy riding the Fibromyalgia roller coaster. Last summer's extreme heat took it's toll making me extremely lethargic Then through fall and early winter the pain increased to the point that I was just trying to keep from losing my mind until the next dose of pain medication. We had to cancel our trip to Pennsic and forfeit or camping fees because had no energy to prepare for the trip. My meds were changed a couple of months ago so that I have not needed painkillers but I am still tired all of the time. I am determined to make it to Pennsic this year and find the energy to make new grab for tom and Kacie. Garb to-do list: 1. Lose 15 lbs in 8 weeks so I can fit my garb for The Steampunk World's Faire. 2. Alter Tom's zupan before Day at the Castle so it lays better at the neck and shoulders. 3. Decide what we are wearing to Coronation. (Not attempting anything new.) 4. Figure out what style of shirt is worn under the Zupan and make three or four before Pennsic. 5. Find and purchase a new corset before SPWF. 6. Make or (more likely) buy a couple of skirts before SPWF. 7. Make Tom a plain Zupan before Althing. Plus a few more before Pennsic 8. Make 5 or 6 simple Chiton for Kacie for Pennsic. And, if I actually manage to do all of the above... 9. Make myself a new Campi camping dress before Pennsic.

Dolly Day!

I fully intended to work on sewing projects yesterday but spent some "spa time" with my dolls instead. Zoey, an Ahcuhcum Zukin Blythe, got her stock makeup removed and custom makeup in apricot and copper.


Danni, a Simply Mango Blythe, has been waiting since Christmas for me to finish her freckles and makeup. I kept trying to make the freckles more subtle like her sister's but it just wasn't working. I guess she wanted bold freckles! LOL


Anneliese, a vintage Kenner Blythe, recently returned after living elsewhere for a few months. She got a hair treatment and a touch up to her blush.

Turkish Coats

Yup, I chose the "instant" gratification route. :D I finished the two coats in time to wear them to Fun & Games last weekend. I cheated an used temporary buttons (to eventually be replaces with thread covered buttons) and wore an Italian camecia and plain linen pants under them but it looked okay. I've got the materials for the gomleck, salwar, hat, & veil to be made before returning to the green wool dress.

Decisions, Decisions!

I set my sewing aside for over a week because of a fibro flare but now I feel like sewing again. The question is: Do I finish the green wool gown? (Front of bodice is finished, still pad-stitching the lining for the back, and skirt panels cut but not sewn.) Or do I set that aside and do the Ottoman ensemble? On the one hand the green dress has been a UFO for so long that I should just Get. It. Done. But, on the other hand, I think I could whip out the Ottoman garb by this weekend because I would do most of it by machine as I am only concerned with the look of the garments and don't feel the need to do it by hand. Hmmm...I think I am leaning toward instant gratification! LOL

Taking a crafting break.

So....I haven't made any progress on the green gown since my last post.I have no motivation to do anything lately and I don't know what my problem is. I'm not in pain, no fibro flare up to blame. I think I'm getting enough sleep and taking my vitamins. I don't think I'm depressed. I'm in a good mood and all but when I think about projects that I could be working on I have no desire to do them. ScrapFreak has an online crop in progress and the projects and challenges are good but I haven't lifted a finger to work on any of them. My Blythe doll that I got for Christmas is still in pieces waiting for me to finish customizing her. I haven't been paying much attention to m ball-jointed dolls, either. My Minifee boy needed his eyelashes replaced but I didn't do it until about ten minutes before the first group showed up for the meet yesterday. I hosted the Michigan BJD group yesterday and had fun but spent the rest of the evening in the recliner. I tend to spend most of my time on my computer browsing message boards, blogs, online shopping venues, and flickr photos. My house is clean so I'm not being a total bum. :P I should probably declare a couple of computer free days and try to get some things done!

Pluggin' Away

I'm making progress on the green gown. I worked on the padstitching for a bit last night then again this afternoon. I got the front interlining finished then stitched on the outer fabric and lining. I took another look at the drawings of Eleanora's burial gown in Patterns of Fashion and noted that the stitching only shows along the waistline, presumably where the skirt was stitched to the bodice. Therefore, I stiched the outer and lining fabrics at the same time (making sure the thread went through the canvas layer) instead of sewing the outer fabric with a running stitch then stitching the lining over it like I did with the red and gold gown.



And I finally got a photo that shows the true colors of the fabrics!

Crazy Doll Lady

One of the things I was doing during the time that I wasn't blogging was adding to my doll collections. I added more Blythe dolls while a few were sent off to new homes, some vintage dolls have come and gone, and I've gotten more into Asian ball-jointed dolls or BJDs.
This was the collection at the beginning of 2011:


Since then these Blythe dolls have joined the family:




Mango (on the left) arrived for Christmas. I am in the process of custimizing her to be Daphne's twin. :)

These are the BJDs currently residing here:









I hope you've enjoyed looking at my dolly family as much as i enjoy collecting and customizing them. :)

JoAnn's Haul

We (Kim, Julia, and I) went to the grand opening of the new Alpine Ave JoAnn's this morning. I bought trim for the green wool gown as well as navy wool for cut-work or slashed sleeves.
The other fabric will become part of an Ottoman Turkish ensemble. The teal linen will become a long-sleeve enteri coat lined with the purple cotton. The printed cotton will become a short-sleeve enetri lined with the bright print cotton. I saw some pretty embroidered lightweight cotton for the gomleck shirt but didn't buy today because it was 30% off now but it's a better deal to wait until the sale is over and buy with a 50% off coupon. I still need fabric for the salwar pants, too, but nothing jumped out at me today. I'm thinking cotton or linen in a stripe with some chartreuse in it. Ooh! I think throwing a little orange into the mix could be good! Maybe for the sash. :)

Resurrecting the Green Wool Gown.

More than two years ago I cut out the bodice and skirt panel for the green wool gown based on based on Georgio Vasari's The Arrival of Leo X in Florence as shown on page 94 of Moda a Firenze and that was as far as I got with it. I've decided that I want to get it finished before the outdoor/camping SCA events start for the season so I pulled it out this afternoon. So far, I have cut the wool and canvas interlining layers for the bodice and begun pad-stitching them together. Tomorrow is the Grand Opening of a new JoAnn Fabrics store in my city so I am hoping to find appropriate trim to purchase with my coupons. I'll be looking for something in a dark mossy green.