A Victorian Chemise

With thanks to Alasse from the BurdaStyle community (her blog can been seen at http://sasosiserinde.blogspot.com/), I was inspired to start the Victorian project using her "Unmentionables" chemise and corset patterns.

The chemise is now done; in white broderie anglaise, with a crocheted lace neckline and sleeves. The pattern was a joy to work with and it came together so quickly and beautifully that I felt compelled to flat-fell the seams: a seam that brings back all sorts of Home Ecc class horrors from my dim and distant youth!

 
That said, standing at the ironing board with the 9 yr old, trimming and steaming the seams and explaining as I did so, I was reminded of my Grandmother and felt that connection to the past that hovers around when you are imparting good, sound knowledge. Not that my fabulously modern, iPod/smart phone/laptop/Moshi Monsters/iPad/DS XL/Scooby Doo/Wii/dinosaur/swimming obsessed daughter will ever need to flat-fell a seam again; I am just pleased to know that she could do if she wanted to!

Starting early..

I do miss my 9 yr old when she's away but the few minutes extra that this gives me in the morning are precious and always get me out of bed just that little bit quicker.

I walked the dog through a haze of cold mist, looking upwards at the blue sky and white clouds above, heralding what has turned into a wonderful sunny April day and by 8.15am, with the animals fed, lunch made, boyfriend off to work, dog snoozing and a quick tweek with the straighteners satisfactorily answering "does my hair need a wash?", I found that I had 15 minutes to do exactly as I pleased... So I now have a tidy dining room (ironing all done, or hidden out of sight!) and some photos to post later of the chemise that started my Victorian project off.

The issue of space...

Moving to a house in the country is one thing, moving to a tiny two bedroom cottage with your boyfriend, daughter, doberman, cat, guinea pig, hamster and three chickens... oh, don't forget the fish... is quite another thing and space is of a premium!
Not that I'm complaining, I adore our little cottage with it's beams and graveyard and duck-to-get-through doors, and I loved the giant clearout we (ok, I) had when we moved (so very therapeutic) and the knowledge that every thing I see around me now has been chosen with care and love and deserves its place, rightly so; but when you love to do as many arty things as I do, space is of a premium.
And this is my current dilemma... The "big project" of the moment is a Victorian Costume. Having sewn for years, I rediscovered my love of sewing with patterns last year when I made a boned evening gown and bodiced Gothic Snow White Halloween costume. A Victorian costume, in all it's constituent parts, is possibly one of the most challenging sewing projects you can take on, especially if you use original patterns, and this is my challenge for this year. So, I have made the chemise (more later) and am starting on the corset. And having finally got all the pieces I need together I find that I have a bad case of "sewers block"; partly because everything is just sitting there, all pristine, looking at me, and partly because of a lack of space. Until I tidy away the current round of washing, tackle the huge pile of ironing, and return Indy's maths tutors tutoring aids to him, I am sharing the dining table (my work space) with a whole pile of stuff!
So, I'd better do some ironing then...