Randomness...
Apr. 19th, 2006 10:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
azdesertroseI helped Jen henna her hair again yesterday. As before, I managed to get little bits of henna glop on my arm and tummy, and this time I also managed to split one of my gloves in the area where the thumb meets the rest of the hand, and you have that webbing-like bit of skin between your thumb and the main part of your hand. So now I have a few little orangey-brown spots on my tummy and right arm, and quite a big dark orangey-brown stain on my hand. Oh well. It will fade away in a few days; it's fading already.
I think the weather must be about to change, because my right wrist and my left knee have been screaming at me for the last two days. Ow.
And I've been sewing garb for Mini-me, who keeps saying she wants to start going to SCA stuff again, but every time I'm going to go to an event, she doesn't want to go because she'll miss church. But I had bought fabric for her, so I'm going to sew it up.
I've almost finished her "wench" stuff, which is much less risque than mine. Her chemises have an elastic neckline so that the neckline stays about halfway between her collarbone and her bust (unlike mine, which have drawstring necklines that I can adjust). All I have to do for those outfits is buy drawstrings for her overskirts (those have to have drawstrings because they're supposed to be open in front to show a bit of underskirt), buy a lacing for her bodice, buy grommets for her bodice and (hopefully get someone else to) set the grommets in her bodice.
I also bought some really deep blue fabric to make a tunic dress for her, because a friend of ours gave her this length of GORGEOUS gold-and-black trim. The tunic dress is pieced but not assembled yet, and I realized the other day that I messed up when I cut the sleeves; it's a fix-able mistake, but I'm still mildly annoyed with myself for having made it at all. Oh well.
Then I need to hem my kirtles. I was going to extend the hems. My kirtles only reach mid-calf (how immodest!) because I under-bought the fabric. (It's 100% linen, and NOT cheap.) I've given up on trying to extend the damn hems, though; I'm just going to hem them as they are and make some lightweight cotton underskirts, in case I ever wear a kirtle without the sideless surcoat over it.
I also need to sew at least one more sideless surcoat for myself, because the one I have is velveteen and far too damn hot for this part of the world during most of the year. I might buy some more linen for that; cotton probably won't hang right. I would like to sew some more "bloomers" for myself as well, because my old ones have given up the ghost.
After that, I'd like to sew some mundane things for myself, maybe some loose cotton or linen trousers for summer time. And I bought a tunic-style top around my birthday that I'd like to try to make a few copies of, in better colors and not-synthetic fabric (probably cotton).
The problem is, I sew like a mad thing for a few weeks and then I get to where I can't abide the sight of the sewing machine or my sewing box and I neglect my sewing for months on end. I never really get to the point of being truly good at sewing; I've been stuck at merely competent since about age 12.
It also annoys me that I'm a leadfoot with the machine pedal. (I'm not a leadfoot when I drive, though.) I remember when I was younger and my mom sewed a lot, she could make the sewing machine make this nice even humming sound. When I sew, it goes slow-fast-sometimeswaytoofast-slow-stop (to remove pins) and then starts over. I've even taken to operating the pedal only with my toes rather than the whole foot, but I can't make the machine make the comforting noise that Mom's sewing used to make.
I think the weather must be about to change, because my right wrist and my left knee have been screaming at me for the last two days. Ow.
And I've been sewing garb for Mini-me, who keeps saying she wants to start going to SCA stuff again, but every time I'm going to go to an event, she doesn't want to go because she'll miss church. But I had bought fabric for her, so I'm going to sew it up.
I've almost finished her "wench" stuff, which is much less risque than mine. Her chemises have an elastic neckline so that the neckline stays about halfway between her collarbone and her bust (unlike mine, which have drawstring necklines that I can adjust). All I have to do for those outfits is buy drawstrings for her overskirts (those have to have drawstrings because they're supposed to be open in front to show a bit of underskirt), buy a lacing for her bodice, buy grommets for her bodice and (hopefully get someone else to) set the grommets in her bodice.
I also bought some really deep blue fabric to make a tunic dress for her, because a friend of ours gave her this length of GORGEOUS gold-and-black trim. The tunic dress is pieced but not assembled yet, and I realized the other day that I messed up when I cut the sleeves; it's a fix-able mistake, but I'm still mildly annoyed with myself for having made it at all. Oh well.
Then I need to hem my kirtles. I was going to extend the hems. My kirtles only reach mid-calf (how immodest!) because I under-bought the fabric. (It's 100% linen, and NOT cheap.) I've given up on trying to extend the damn hems, though; I'm just going to hem them as they are and make some lightweight cotton underskirts, in case I ever wear a kirtle without the sideless surcoat over it.
I also need to sew at least one more sideless surcoat for myself, because the one I have is velveteen and far too damn hot for this part of the world during most of the year. I might buy some more linen for that; cotton probably won't hang right. I would like to sew some more "bloomers" for myself as well, because my old ones have given up the ghost.
After that, I'd like to sew some mundane things for myself, maybe some loose cotton or linen trousers for summer time. And I bought a tunic-style top around my birthday that I'd like to try to make a few copies of, in better colors and not-synthetic fabric (probably cotton).
The problem is, I sew like a mad thing for a few weeks and then I get to where I can't abide the sight of the sewing machine or my sewing box and I neglect my sewing for months on end. I never really get to the point of being truly good at sewing; I've been stuck at merely competent since about age 12.
It also annoys me that I'm a leadfoot with the machine pedal. (I'm not a leadfoot when I drive, though.) I remember when I was younger and my mom sewed a lot, she could make the sewing machine make this nice even humming sound. When I sew, it goes slow-fast-sometimeswaytoofast-slow-stop (to remove pins) and then starts over. I've even taken to operating the pedal only with my toes rather than the whole foot, but I can't make the machine make the comforting noise that Mom's sewing used to make.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-04-20 05:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-20 06:07 am (UTC)I learned to sew in childhood; my mom taught me to sew by hand when I was about 6, but I wasn't allowed to use the sewing machine until around 12. Because I learned so young, I tend to assume everyone can do it. I still have to remind myself that not everyone has learned to do the same things I've learned to do.
no subject
Date: 2006-04-21 04:09 am (UTC)Also, that's nice of you to help your friend henna her hair. I use henna on my own hair, and boy does that stuff stink! It smells like a hot day at the zoo. My little sister doesn't want to help me anymore, lol.
no subject
Date: 2006-04-23 02:46 am (UTC)As to the henna, Jen has long hair, about to the middle of her back; it would be kind of hard for her to henna her own hair.
One of these days, I might buy some and have her do mine, but mine will be a real pain, because mine is a little past waist-length and wants to try to curl. :P
no subject
Date: 2006-04-20 01:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-20 05:04 pm (UTC)Speaking of sewing, I need to get back to it. *sigh*