Friday, April 10, 2015

March & April Update

Hey Everybody!!!
   How's things been going with me? Well, thanks for asking... it's been going in fits and starts, so that's my writing!! Wink I'm a hare-like writer, not a turtle... which I guess fits into everything I do. I binge. Wink
  Sewing, quilting, everything. I'll stay up late into the night, skip meals, everything... then I hit a wall and the project is on halt, totally "done in" for days. Can't think of what to do next, even if it's just putting a seam into a jacket I'm remaking.
From an internet store: similar look.







 
 This very minute I'm wearing a (beautiful, crimson, 100% wool) jacket that spent all winter on my mannequin in my room half torn apart. I'm making it over from a boxy, 80's style long coat, into a shorter, fitted jacket; that tucks in at the waist and then "peplum-s" out over the hips. To this day it is
still not all finished.
  Last fall I got the necessary seams ripped, and the darts pinned and most of the things in mind set in, but then I was seized with indecision and couldn't bring myself to sew anything down.
 So it adorned my mannequin all winter, and then at the beginning of this month (or perhaps last) I suddenly had the idea to wear it around the house in it's pinned up state. I loved the way it wore, and so got the courage to sew down the various seams necessary to remove the pins. One at a time, on various days... I'm almost done now.
 All that remains is to put a finish on the hem, (sadly, I cut the swoop differently on either side, and now am violently in love with the longer side... so much so that I cannot in conscious settle to even it. So am I going to figure out a way to put some back onto the shorter side? No idea. Maybe. Stay tuned.)
 ...and also, have decided to leave slashes in the peplum part instead of inserting gussets the way I had originally thought. So those need to be closed up.

 And also I need to whip-stitch or else zigzag the top button hole I cut for the double breasted look. Right now it's just got a incremental machine stitch around the slash to hold it from unraveling... but I'll need to finish that off too.

Go here for a lovely explanation of all things redingote!
  Anyway.. so yes! The good news? It's so warm! I'm loving it... and I also still love the way the sleeves were set in, kind of blousey for a wool coat, which gives it a kind of Edwardian/redingote style look.
 Love it. So cute.
  Also, the color is very crimson, which makes me happy. And since it's a blue based red, it doesn't make me look dead, which is a source of joy! Smile 
   (Reds/oranges and I are not the best of friends... though I have often pined over a beautiful red that refuses to be my friend. So it there is a little-girl glee in now wearing a red that is amiable toward my complexion, and I feel that much warmer just seeing it whenever I glance down! Smile )

 Anyway, it has a semi-military fit to it, which I've always admired. The old uniforms of previous centuries were often so very snazzy!
 In future I can always put some black embellishments on to enhance that feel, and maybe some gold. (Possibly braid? Wink )
 Though I might ought to go with silver if I do, because I'm a silver-ish person, and this red goes with me, so it probably deserves silver, too.

 Anyway, all that to say, Yes! I'm writing along in fits and starts, and am now up to 9k on my Camp NaNo project, the Beaded Slipper. This Cinderella is turning out to be quite different than the others, which I'm really liking... because I've never cared for the passivity of the original character.
 Elinor has much more on her mind than just having a night off... and she may possibly be influenced by the illustrious Miss Dashwood where she partially borrows her name from, but she is much more "step up to the bat" then Jane Austen's heroine, as well.


 So! That's my progress on April's 20k goal... which if things go well, I hope to up to 30k goal for Camp NaNo. It's always so satisfying to get more done on a Camp NaNo month than usual months... and the Beaded Slipper can use the progress!
  Seeing as it is the earliest, chronologically, in the series... I want to have it ready to release as soon as possible, and it seems to have slipped a bit, sort of fallen behind it's second sibling the dashing Twelve Dark Knights. (Oooh!! But that one is so much fun! It's stolen most of my "free time" writing... so Beaded Slipper has to be scheduled into existence!!!)


 I also need to work on a cover to draw inspiration from... Smile
    And yes... I did get my March 20k complete, and one day early, too!

3 comments:

Kelsey Bryant said...

I loved hearing about your sewing project, and I CANNOT wait to see a picture of this snazzy crimson coat! I love old fashions made stylish and I've always had a fondness for red woolly coats, too. :)
Congrats on the good progress on The Beaded Slipper! As usual I cannot wait to read it.

Kelsey Bryant said...

Oh, oh, oh, and I just wanted to say again how much I like her name. ;) Elinor seems to impart instant strength to a girl, whether she's the bold or the steadfast type.

E. KaIser Writes said...

Hey! Thanks for commenting, Kelsey! :-)
Red wool coat is just so Warm Looking, isn't it? :-) And I'm loving having that to wear... it is incredibly warm in fact, as well. I've been so enjoying being able to take it off my mannequin and put it on whenever I feel chilly, it shakes the chill super fast!! :-) And when I'm not wearing it, back on the mannequin behind my bed, where it looks very cute and snazzy, and also very "sewing project in progress here!'-y. ;-) Hahah!!! ;-)

Glad you like her name!!! ;-) Yes, I think you are right about that!
Designer and I are working on preliminary mockups for her cover, and I have to say I'm very excited about the one we've got now! (Several versions later, of course! ;-) )
Now I just need to make the art to match it! :-)