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Sewing for the League in Empire Larp: Femme Patterns

The LARP Sewing Patterns List that No One Asked For! 1: Femme Stuff! 1 I sew clothes for my own general use, my kids, and often for wearing to Empire Larp. It's very fun! I play a female character in The League (Based on C113-14th Italian and hanseatic city states, but fantasy) who wears a doublet and hose sometimes, and big frock for fancy occasions.  The League's keywords are urban, urbane, and luxurious. The city my character is from, Sarvos, is the most southernly city and a beacon of art, culture, and fashion. Empire's League Costume Brief Empire's League Look and Feel Femme League Kit My favourite Femme doublet pattern is McCalls M7855. It's now discontinued so if you see one, grab it.  Coscraft still has both size ranges available  but the larger size is low stock there and in most places (booo hissss!).   I won't be coy here: I did some fitting changes to make this fit me. I took a princess seam bodice that fits me well ( Cashmerette Upton Dress , ex
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Plague 2: The coughening/ January Goals update

Ugh. I got better! I had a week of being better. Then I got some upper-respiratory infection (probably viral) and I've had three days off work, in bed, feverish and sweaty and coughing like a hardcore smoker. Add to that; my machine (the Singer 7258) cannot handle buttonholes on 2 layers of thick flannel plus interfacing and I have STILL not got the Harrison finished. All I need to do is buttonholes and hem, but so far, no dice.  But January goal: sew a button-up shirt. Almost done? I'm going to give myself an 8/10 for that one. I'd hoped to sew two shirts and honestly, if I hadn't lost 25% of January to illness, I might have managed it! I'm in my bed as I type this, with honey and prescribed cough suppressants and a box of hand-embroidery supplies by my side. But I've got to be honest, I've been watching the 2016 War and Peace on amazon prime instead. I've really enjoyed it. I read W&P in 1998, my upper sixth year, and I remember nothing about it,

When the plague hits...

Oh, it's been so miserable being too ill to sew! I'm fortunate that I'm generally pretty healthy, despite having two primary-age children AND being a teacher myself, but this virus has knocked me for six. I haven't sewn in 4 days - the first 4 days this year I haven't sewn anything - and I miss it, but in the evenings I've just crawled into bed. I'm so close to finishing my Harrison now; just need to topstitch the collar stand, add cuffs, buttonholes, and hem. My initial thoughts are: I don't need this much bust space after all. I've got the space hitting the right point, but there's extra at the side (where the second line of the princess seam panel hits the side) that I just don't need. My bust is more.. forward than wide?  Sort of? I think it's part of how narrow my back and shoulders are. There's not a lot of ...me around. Not a lot of side. . . I will get pictures soon. Given that I want this to be wearable; I think I can sort

-16c, with a windchill of -18c...

Well, I've muslined (made a test garment in cheap fabric similar to my fashion fabric) the Cashmerette Harrison's front, back yoke, and back pieces, and it's looking promising. With the double princess seams I'm concerned about getting the bust fit right where I need the space, especially as I generally have to shorten and narrow all patterns, but Cashmerette in particular. My sewing space is a tiny laundry room next to the garage. I don't get freezing in there, as it's next to the boiler/main heater, and I have a little plug-in-space-heater, but MY GOODNESS it's not tempting to 'quickly slip' in and out of 4 layers of clothing (thermal underwear up to the down vest) to check the fit! I finished binding a quilt for my son instead. Snuggly wins over my sewing goals for today. Now I'm going to get under a blanket and wish it was even 10C warmer...

Shirt Making January: day 1

It's happening! Shirt making! It's completely Baltic tonight in my garage-adjacent sewing area, but it's -12c outside. BUT I have hot tea, and I've taped and cut the Harrison shirt pattern. Tomorrow night I'll adjust it (narrow shoulders, shorten torso, maybe a small high round back adjustment) and cut it out in muslin. Thursday is a social night so I won't get any sewing time, but I'm hoping to have a muslin I've fit to my bodice by Friday night. I want to be cutting fashion-fabric (even though it won't be precious stuff) by the weekend! Incidentally, I can't get my phone to upload pictures to blogger, but my instagram is mkgstitch and it's where all the pictures of today's fun quilt crafternoon AND pattern taping are. I love wearing buttondowns in the winter because I love wearing wool (I get cold!), but I want proper sleeves and a proper collar between me and the wool; preferably in a snug flannel. In fact, I like wearing woven shir

2018 Goal: Me-Made-By-May

Well, I find the term 'me-made' for a garment you've sewn for yourself kind of ... not me. It's a bit twee, which doesn't really suit me. But!  'Me-Made-May' is an event where people who sew their own clothes WEAR them, and document wearing them on their blogs/instagrams accounts. I love seeing what everyone is making to wear in their actual lives (i.e. not party dresses) and I swore I'd be ready to take part this year. Well! Here we go. Me-Made-By-May 2018 Jan: Shirtmaking: (I have Pam Howard's Craftsy class, which I'm finding helpful though I do watch it at 1.5 speed. Is she a slow talker or am I super impatient? Both!) Skills I need to master: slowing down and reading all the stuff through. Sewing every day. Patterns: Cashmerette Harrison, Itch to Stich Bonn. I've muslined the Bonn and it's gorgeous but I need to shorten it above and below the bust, and pull in the neck (high round back? hollow chest? Bot

Love Notions Rhapsody Blouse, and learning to fit myself.

Well, in the nearly 2 years since I last posted I've been sewing clothes and making quilts, and wishing I kept a blog. Not sure why I therefore haven't blogged except that it's hard to get into the habit of doing something that you don't do. But! here we are. I've got the Love Notions Rhapsody blouse on my sewing table, waiting for a hem and cuffs, but I haven't got back into that room for 3 days because it's the end of Summer School and I'm grading, marking, and commenting all the final things. I've had nice kids this year and I'm enjoying the gradual calming down of my days. On Friday I'd disappear into my sewing room and potter about for a few hours of celebration; but actually my mum flies in for a visit so that's not going to happen. I can't wait to see her, but I'm also longing to sew. I think I'll put a comfy chair into the sewing room and invite her down, so I can at least finish some of the less demanding stuff (bor