Pink progress

It was kind of a girlie weekend, in more ways than three. Saturday, I did a ton of pleating and pinning and re-pleating and pinning to build the petticoat for my Carnivale outfit. I just took two widths of silk — made the back one half-again as wide, for some oomph — and stitched them into a huge tube, leaving the top sides open a little for pocket slits. Then stuck it on top of my dressform, pocket hoops, and under-petticoat, and did all the pleating right on the form. Transferring the final pleats off the form was rather messy and the sewn-down results are a bit crude, but who cares? It hangs fine and nobody will ever see this underneath the gown.

Here’s the pink silk underskirt…

Then I started fussing with the sari contrast fabric that shows in the front of the petticoat…

After I adjusted it petticoat in progress figure out where the sari was going to show, I marked it, cut it down, petticoat in progress hemmed the sides. Then I pleated it into the pleats of the silk,petticoat in progress finally sewed them all together. I had the waistband machine-sewn down on one side by the end of Saturday.

I also measured out the lace trim petticoat in progress found that, whew, I do have exactly enough for where I need it petticoat in progress to do wavy bits down the front (instead of just straight lines):

On Friday, I found some bitchin’ bling at the mall. Only the black necklace is really meant for the Carnivale outfit, but it was all on sale (the earrings and black necklace were 2-for-1).

Saturday night, I went to a super-girlie slumber party at Wendy’s house (which rocked and a half), and this morning, we had a little stitch ‘n bitch, where I worked on the petticoat’s waistband (and probably burned out some people’s retinas with all that pink). I finished it up in Ariane’s car on the way home.

Now the only part of the gown left to do is the stomacher. Then it’s fully into TrimLand. And to help with that, a little outing after brunch today to Jo-Ann’s netted two wavy roller cutting blades, w00t! My Jo-Ann’s is forever out of those, and I’ve always wanted to try that effect on ruched 18th-century trim. Thought I’d have to use boring ol’ pinking shears. The blades were half off also.