Mistress of Disguise

I think that I'm finally letting go of a lot of my stress and allowing myself to relax a bit. Getting away from everything last weekend really helped, more than I thought it ever would, and I had a Big Talk with M about him helping out more with the chores and packing, which also helped take a few things off my mind.

I actually managed to updated the Guild website some, which it desperately needed, book some upcoming events, and send out a newsletter to our subscribers, which was way overdue. It's so hard for me to focus on costuming stuff when it seems like the walls are caving in, but I finally feel like I'm back in a good place, at least for the moment. It felt good to check a bunch of stuff off the to-do list.

I've even started thinking about sewing projects again, and figuring out how I can work them into my new home circumstances. I'm losing the sewing room, so everything is going to have to happen in my bedroom from now on. We did clear out a bunch of space, and now there's a 5x5 foot space at the foot of the bed where I can set up a mannequin and my sewing machine. It's basically the same thing I did when I was a teenager and my sister was still living at home, so I know I can make it work, as long as M doesn't invade with his massive collection of shoes. XP

A lot of what I need to work on for upcoming events can be done by hand. I have set of stays that I need to finish for all the upcoming 18thC stuff, and I was halfway through the boning channels before I was forced to abandon it to focus on life stuff. I still have everything together in the same project bag, so it shouldn't be hard to pick it back up and finish it. I also need to dig my smaller panniers out of storage and knock out a couple of petticoats, but I figure I can sort of save working on those for the 18thC undies workshop next month since they're an easy project.

I want to use the brown embroidered fabric that I picked up last weekend for a ~1760s en forreau gown with lots of fly fringe, so I need to get started on the fringe so I can have some extra time for trial and error. I also need to find some matching or complimentary fabric for a petticoat. I'm not quite sure what to actually do for the petticoat yet, but I'm thinking a plain brown taffeta in the same color as the ground for the embroidery, with the furbelows trimmed with the fly fringe so it all ties together. But I'm also thinking of doing a deep coral colored petticoat to give a pop of color to a pretty earthy colored dress. I guess I'll just have to see what the warehouses offer up. And I can still work on the gown until I figure out what to do about the petticoat.

M also needs a whole new ensemble for the Casanova event in September, but I have a complete blank on what to make for him. I guess I could revisit the unfinished purple and yellow ensemble, or try and spruce his burgundy coat, but I'm feeling very 'meh' about both of those. He is giving me no input on what he wants, saying only that he trusts my tastes and likes pretty much everything I make for him, which is very sweet but totally unhelpful. Whatever I end up doing, he needs breeches, a shirt, a waistcoat, a coat, and a wig, so I better figure it out soon so I can get started.