Daily Sewing.

I have just gone insane with sewing.

First I was like, "Well, I have to make a bodice for my Snow White costume. And it needs to have lots of visible lacing. I know! I will make 18th century stays! That is basically the style I want it in."

Now please note, I have made modern corsets before, but they are not anything like 18th century stays (12 yards of boning!). It's also noteworthy to mention that my corsets never turned out that well. Still, I have like a month to do it, so I can get it right by the time comes, right?

Then I found out about an A&S competition in my province. At first I was like, "Eh, I'll pass this time because I don't know how to properly document, and I don't know what I'm up against," but then they mentioned that this is the first competition since becoming a province, and so to become the very first A&S champion of the province is a Big Deal. My latent competitiveness kicked in and well . . . Let's look at it this way. All the other contests I've lost, it was because it was more about popularity than historical accuracy or awesome sewing skills, right? This time it will be different. This time historical accuracy and skills are actually important. Furthermore, there is stress placed on objective judging. I thought, "I can do this. I'm a good seamstress. Maybe I don't know what I'm up against, but I know what I can do, and I can do some pretty freaking awesome stuff."

At first I wanted to try out my new pellote pattern, and make a nice set of Spanish court garb. But I'd never be able to use it, and I hate making stuff I can't use. But I have another new pattern that I want to make--the one I based on the Kragelund tunic*.

I thought, "That's pretty impressive. Drafting a to-scale, by-measurement reproduction of an extant period piece is pretty impressive. But you know what's more impressive? Hand-sewing it. And you know what's more impressive? Hand-sewn embroidery, not that blah trim crap! But it can't be any old boring fancy-stitch embroidery. I need to fill in a whole motif. One that looks really awesome and Nordic." I ended up drawing a design based on some fragments of embroidery they found in another bog. (Ah, bog findings--my bread and butter.)

Well guess what kids? Hand-sewing takes a really long time. And this A&S competition is a lot more important to me; therefore my Halloween costume is going to be ignored, and then, in all probability, hacked together at the last second with an ill-fitting corset like my pirate costume. Did I mention that this A&S competition isn't until Nov. 15? By any logical management of time I should make the stays first, then devote time to the tunic. But no, logic is the minority entity in my mind, and is being totally overwhelmed by the emotional demand to DO. (Good lord! Orange? In ME?)

I'll probably keep you updated. I'm planning on getting a lot done during conference.


*Technically I can't use this tunic either, since it's way too big for me. But at least it's from a period and culture I'm more familiar with.