Less than a month

So Servant of Two Masters finished on Monday night. By all accounts it was a resounding success, which I didn't actually get to see because Emily's dance concert was on too.
With that out of the way all there is to focus on now is Christmas & the Big Day.

I am starting to stress a bit with the wedding being so close. The days get less & there is still so much to achieve.
Shirts are done, boys pants are done except for fastenings.
Ties are cut, vests are cut.
Emily's dress is started.
After a mild nervous breakdown when I tried on my own dress last week & discovered I no longer have the boobs to fill it. (No idea where they went as I haven't lost weight, just toned up)
I couldn't face it until yesterday, so armed with the tv series Kingdom Hospital I sat myself down to rectify the problem.
I unpicked the lace overlay from bodice, unpicked the top seam & removed a couple of centimetres from the bust, but then the sweetheart shape wasn't siting right so I cut that down, but it still wasn't right, so I trimmed some more, added bust cups, eliminating the bra issues & stitched it back up. After some tears, tantrums & almost dislocating a shoulder trying to hook the back up it finally fits again & sits, almost, perfectly. Now I just have to reattach the lace overlay, finish the beading, attach the skirt, sew on the vintage glass buttons & voila!
I cannot change shape again in the next 23 days or I'm likely to throw the dress out the window & wear a sack.

I am actually enjoying the amount of exercise I'm getting & it's helped so much with my back pain. Given the amount of sewing I'm doing, I'm fairing pretty well.
I think with the discipline of working each day on sewing tasks I can see myself being able to stick to the program next year & really get my Etsy store happening.
Each week I've been getting a sale for my vintage lace or patterns & as I'm picking up a huge stash from a retired dressmaker this Sunday I should have lots more to list.
But it's really getting on to making things & having the confidence to list them in the new year that I'm struggling with. It's ridiculous when I can get a call to dash into Crown Towers to alter a designer beaded dress for an evening event & get the job done in 3 hours. I know I can do it, I just need to find the confidence to put myself out there. New Years resolution? Maybe.


So I'd better stop procrastinating & get back to it, I hear Kingdom Hospital calling.

Anything but…..

I'm finding it really hard to focus today.
Invoices, packages, Facebook, youtube, emails, Houzz, eBay, anything but what I'm supposed to be doing.
Which is making Nigel's shirt & cutting out vests.
Unfortunately while I was at school on Saturday Willow our fluffy grey kitty decided to have a little shred of the vest pattern. She just loves shredding tissue paper & is not discerning when it come to what is patterns & what is discarded.
So I have to find a new pattern.
I have made some matching lace cuffs for Beatrice's jacket  with the lace from the jabot. The sleeves were just a touch short & the black & white broderie anglaise cuffs will just finish it superbly. I still have some for sale in my store if you are interested.
She looked amazing on Saturday. I trimmed a tall velvet hat with ostrich feather, buttons & ribbon that really bought the whole look together.
I was really pleased with the overall look of the show, I think the costumes & set really complement each other.
I think Servant of Two Masters will be a really fun night.
Ok really must go & sew…...

Silk Flowers a go

After my little back hitch, I haven't been doing a whole lot of anything except surfing the net, watching the box & lying around.
Yesterday I was determined to get back to work, even if I only managed a few hours.

Armed with Nurophen I got stuck into the costume rooms & sought items & fabric in my quest for upcycling all the costumes for S2M. I have a budget of about $2000, but I'm hoping that we won't even spend half utilising as many items as possible from stock.
I found so many pictures for inspiration googling upcycling, Japanese fashion, steampunk, Harajuku, & Hi 5 & we're well on the way to getting most of the outfits together for the chorus.
The plan is to only make costumes from scratch for the 9 leads.
It's really exciting to see the outfits evolve. One of my fav sources of inspiration is Gothic Lolita Fashion Magazine with patterns that I get from a Pomapour's Craft Cafe on Ebay. I have bought way too many Japanese pattern books from her, but the are so cute. I'm addicted.

Today I've been shaping all my silk petals into one of a kind rose petals. It's quite time consuming, but as the little pile grows, I know I'm that much closer to having my Wedding dress belt & fascinator finished.