Friday, April 27, 2012

Monday, April 23, 2012

Bracelets done!

They ended up being much more delicate then I intended but I love them!!!

bracelets

I had not noticed them before, but after reading an entry on a fellow entrants page mentioning them I discovered that my portrait also had the woman wearing two gold bracelets. 



Thanks Hastings for pointing this out! http://daughterofthebull.blogspot.com/2012/04/first-project-of-ircc-ii-done.html. She is so right once you see them you keep discovering them everywhere!

I played with a few ideas of how I would make them, chainmaile, viking knitting both are techniques I had never tried but since I am just doing this little project because I had scheduled time to work on my fan handle today and the clay will not work I think I am going to go with something very simple.

clay

 was so looking forward to playing with some of my porcelain clay today but sadly it seems like I got a bad batch. Hmmm what can I work on instead?

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Camicia

I have started hemming the pieces for the camicia. I have done some hand hemming before but never on such a scale. After I have finished that I think I will piece them together with some sort of decorative stitch. Not sure how I want to do the neckline and if I want to add some embroidery............hmmm

Saturday, April 21, 2012

buttons part 2

So after a total of 9 and 1/2 hours the buttons are done. I am sure it would have gone faster if I had done them before. Since it was a first try and I decided to go for some bling I'm pretty happy with the amount of time it took



Stage 1




Stage 2



Stage 3



Close up of finished button

shoes2

are finished, well I need to add hooks and eyes, but they are otherwise done and fit!

shoes

So the prototype for a pair of flat shoes has started!









after an hour and a half of work I have one shoe done and the second almost done!




shoes based on this lovely mary jane type style from an italian portrait

Thursday, April 19, 2012

buttons

So I was looking at a zoomed in copy of my inspiration portrait



and it looks like there are buttons on the sleeve! Which means I have an excuse to make some thread wrapped buttons!

Again this is a project I have always wanted to try but until now really didn't have a reason to. I used the tutorial at http://www.renaissancetailor.com/demos_buttons.htm


so after 5 hours I have 8 of the 12 buttons started. I intend to add either a pearl or jet bead to the top and add some black and gold details just to make them pop

handkercheif and fan

so I am so scared to death of cutting into the silk, I tend to do this any time I have amazing fabric to work with it takes me some time to get my nerve up. So in the meantime............. Pics of the handkerchief and silk fan





And because I know I would never hear the end of it a close up of one of the corners



Lastly the silk paining on the paddle fan

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

36 hours 11 minutes

and I am at a stopping point on the embroidery, now to run to the store to get the silk thread to make the camicia and do some more work on the camicia

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

sorry

I'm sorry to be so brief yesterday, but my husband came home after he was shipped off to Camp Lejeune in NC since shortly after Christmas.
My 4th layer is done, I tried weaving for the first time! I went ahead after a lot of reading on the web and tried cardweaving, it was a lot of fun! I made my own pattern using the ermine off of my device and was able to make them reversable!
I was inspired by this pair of garters from the museum of fine art in Boston. Italian dated 1575–1600

Since my sewing machine died during last years IRCC I have yet to replace it and have been borrowing a friends machine off and on over the last year. At the moment I am without a machine so it looks like I will be doing most of this by hand. 

I am currently 35 hours into an embroidery element in which I gave gold work a try.
I'm feeling really good about it for a first try!

Monday, April 16, 2012

embroidery




20 hours worth of work into the embroidery

Layer 4

Is finished! expect pics with my first update going to Bella at the end of the week!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Good day

So today started well, I got up about an hour after go time for the IRCC and I spent 4 hours prepping a few projects. I had to go to work today as it was Nat quals for my speech and debate kids so I prepared a few small projects to keep me busy through the day.



I start by taking out the threads on my first row of my drawn thread handkerchief


This is some amazing antique linen given to me by my grandmother it is so fine and I love working with it, It started it's life out as a top sheet and I have made three handkerchiefs from it so far it is in amazing shape!

I next made a wire frame and stretched and glued my silk for the paddle fan

I warped my new mini card loom, I have never tried any type of weaving before so this took the longest to do. I went over the pattern I designed (picks of pattern up tomorrow) 

Last I pounced and outlined my embroidery design for my velvet needle book.

I packed the loom and embroidery with me and went off to the meet at the end of the day I had a lot of progress
1 garter  finished

here you can see both sides of the ermine pattern

I was able to finish a second and a spare one that I have yet to take off the loom

which I will do tomorrow

I had a lot of fun making the garters and I have a design idea brewing in my head for a pair with my persona's initials and one using some shades of blue (my fav. color)

Total time including warping of the loom 6hours

I then started my embroidery, This is my first time playing with gold thread and I think I am starting to get the hang of it, 5 hours of work so far


So here is the list

Layer 1
Camicia- silk washed and dried
Layer 2
Petticoat- design planned not started
Layer 3
Dress- Not started
Layer 4
Ermine Garters- Finished!
Needle book- Embroidery (compass rose) Started
Paddle fan- Frame made and ready for paint
Handkerchief- ready to start design elements

needle book

Worked on the embroidery on the needle book today, It was a busy run around and wait place type day so I was able to get a lot of embroidery done. Nice thing is my husband will be home for the next two weeks- he arrives tomorrow morning. Before being shipped off to Idaho. So that will give me two weeks to start tackling the big projects, I hope.

Pics of progress



At 10 hours of work total almost done laying the gold thread



starting the split stitch with the dark gold colored silk

So far 15 hours of work on the embroidery, feeling much better with the gold work will try more when I start the next element- for a sort of Or Nue type look using colored thread to couch down the thread

Saturday, April 14, 2012

GO!

And we are off, sadly I still have work today so I am prepping some little things I can work on while I am at Nat. quals.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Dress Fabric

Fabric for the IRCC this year, posted because Aurora asked :)

This fabric was a gift for a special occasion but after sitting on it for five years I figure I will make the dress a special occassion

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

IRCC 2

So Bella has posted for entrants and I am all signed up. I have a ton of ideas brewing and I can't wait to get started. Of course I will be posting updates here as I get working!