Progress On The Outer Bodice

 Yesterday was more cloudy than sunny with a high of 13.2C. This morning it is cloudy and 6C. Today is to be mainly cloudy with a high of 12C. 

Lifestyle

I spent time outside yesterday morning. My first job was to get the weeds out from under the tree. I used the Dutch hoe and put the weeds into the compost bin. It looks much better than it did. 

Next up, I hauled the weeding bucket and hammer up to the shed. It was time to remove the plastic spikes from the edging and get them piled up neatly. I sat on the floor and worked on that. It took a long time as I first had to figure out how to get the spikes out after I broke them off. I finally got a way to do it. Once the job was done, I swept the floor and stacked the edging up neatly. By then, I was in a lot of pain as my lower back was rebelling about something. 

Inside, I sat with a lot of heat on my back. I laid on the bed and did exercises and rolled the right hip. Nothing until I had a small crack at noon. It wasn't my right hip, it was my left side that was acting up. The muscles were knotted at the SI joint. 

I had heat off and on my back for the rest of the day and evening. The pain did ease off a lot and I could sit and walk without a lot of pain. I am wondering if a lot of it is weakness in my lower back. 

Daughter-in-law was in to get ice for their cooler as they are away this weekend. She brought me some gorgeous tulips. 

Elliott decided he wanted to be wrapped in a blanket last night. He was so funny about it and was completely covered up until just before we went to bed. 

Sewing

I did sew for a couple of hours and had to stop due to the pain in my back. The bodice is ready for the lining to be sewn in. That little thing with the huge sleeves has 24 pieces that were sewn together. The front will have eyelets and lacing for a closure. I will have to hand sew the lining to the sleeve opening. The bottom fronts will be sewn to the side seams, turned and then the back bottom hand sewn shut. 

The back is neat with the extra center back piece added to it. The sleeve linings are showing as I am not turning it right side out until it is ready. The satin is starting to fray. 

I have to say the bodice has been a lot of work and there is still at least one if not two afternoons left before it will be done. 

The skirt won't take long to make and I know the cartridge pleats will take one or two sittings when attaching them to the bodice. The embellishments will take a couple of days as I want to do a few little extras on this dress. I am hoping I have enough crystals to finish this outfit. 

Knitting

I did knit last night and did 20 rounds on sock #1. The pattern is interesting due to the long length of black with the other colours being short. 

I love the tweedy look vs the dark piece on the other side of the sock. 

I love knitting with this yarn as it is soft and squishy. I would love to find some yarn with some cashmere in it for socks. I will be looking Sunday for that blend. 

Thoughts

    I am hoping that the soreness I am experiencing is from being out of shape. I have things to do outside and don't want to be in pain doing them. I know that 30 minutes working is long enough at this time though I would like to do longer sessions as time goes on. I am finding the pain exhausting and would like it to disappear once and for all.

    I have decided that once the doll's dress is almost done, I will clear the fabric off the cutting table and cut out more piping and two cushion covers which I will sell. I need to buy some yellow gingham for a third cushion cover. 

    I keep looking at the paper crafting mess and haven't tackled it yet. I know what I need to do and I will need to spend a day doing it. Maybe this coming week I will slot a day in and do it. I know once it is cleaned up, my creativity will return and I will work on the projects I have planned. 

Today

I am going to do yoga first thing. I am not sure what I will get done outside but I would love to get 10 more pieces of edging pulled and put into the shed. I may get that done. I also need to sweep floors. This afternoon I want to work on the doll's dress and get the bodice almost done. I have to check on family's cat this afternoon. I want to knit tonight. It is a day to pace myself so I don't hurt too much. 

Until the next time.................................................................... 

Knitting Socks Again

 Yesterday started off cloudy and became more sunny as the day progressed. The high got to 10.5C. This morning it is fairly clear and 0C. Today is to be a mix of sun and cloud with a high of 14C. 

Lifestyle

I was ready to go shopping with daughter-in-law at 8:30 am. We drove to downtown Halifax to a new Asian store. I knew most of the drive until we got past the hospital. I did admire the old houses and the garden we drove past. 

The Asian store is brand new and big. We walked up and down every aisle looking at what they had for sale. It was mind boggling. The shelves were well stocked and the place was clean. The staff were friendly. I bought a few items for Christmas and birthday presents. We enjoyed our hour plus time in the store. 

We left and crossed the bridge to Dartmouth. We went to the sporting good store to pick up the griddle family had ordered. Then on to have lunch. After lunch we went to the craft store and then to Walmart. We were finished at 2:30 pm and home by 3 pm. It was a wonderful day and I was tired from it all. Happy also. 

After I had a short rest, I put out the recycling. That was 2 trips down the driveway as I had extra to go. Those items have been languishing in the garage all winter. 

Sewing

None done yesterday though I bought more crystals and eyelets for the outfit. 

Knitting

I cast on and knit the 15 rows for the cuff on sock #2. Then I knit over 10 rounds on the leg of sock 1. Progress is being made. 

This yarn is from Uruguay and is lovely to knit. The only thing is the black sections makes my finger black due to the over dye. Typical for dark colours. 

The mobile yarn store will be in New Minas on Sunday and I am planning on visiting it to get another skein of sock yarn. I am looking for something very specific - quite plain or very short colour changes. I would love to knit a pattern I knit a year ago that has a pattern to it. 

Thoughts

    My hip is feeling much better so I hope to get outside to do a bit of weeding. I will start slow by doing under the tree. I also need to finish removing the edging from the hedge but will have to do it slowly. I am not inviting another flare up by doing too much. 

    I have decided not to help at the community hall unless they really need me. I found that I am the new person which is probably why they dropped me from helping prior to the pandemic. I will find something else to do. I am still thinking about Project Linus. I may go up this month and give it a try. I am still trying to figure out what to do outside of the house once a month. I will be busy with yard work soon so may not need to help with anything until fall. 

Today

I was going to go to New Minas but will wait until Sunday. I want to do some outside work this morning, sew this afternoon, and knit tonight. A busy day at home. 

Until the next time.......................................................

Progress In The Garage

 Yesterday started out cloudy and ended up sunny. The high got to 9.9C. This morning it is cloudy and 3C. We are to have a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 11C. 

Lifestyle

I did yoga yesterday morning and it felt good to do. I had a couple of cracks as I focused on trying to limber up muscles and tendons. The stretches are helping a lot. The two cranky muscles are relaxing more each day. 

I did a bit of housework and then headed out to the garage for 30 minutes. I moved things, cleaned tubs to put items into, and swept more of the floor. It isn't exactly how I want it to look but I am starting to get there. 

I have to say I am happy with the progress I made out there. The 30 minute spurts seems to be just enough time to get a bunch done and see the progress. More than that and I am sure I would be overly sore. I need to keep working on it as we are registered for the area's yard sale on May 18.

I went back to eating strictly as I started to worry about my glucose levels. Day 2 and I am happy with how they are and I lost 1 lb. I am also working on being more active during the day. As I am less sore, I am trying to do a bit more each day. 

Sewing

I spent about 2.5 hours sewing. I cut out all the pieces except for the skirt. I have it cut out in the lining but not the satin. I worked on the sleeves. I pinned, basted, sewed, and pressed and finally got one sewn in. The other sleeve is ready to be pinned, basted, and sewn in. What a lot of work. 

I kept saying it will get done on time. I can do it without swearing too much. 

I may do some sewing/knitting for the fall fair. It is not going to be items to make items but items that can be gifts or for myself. I have started a list and will try to make them up over the next few months. 

Knitting

I finished the hat to trying it on. I am happy with it.

Time to start back knitting socks. I cast on the first sock and got the ribbing done. The yarn was bought 10 years ago in Edmonton Alberta. I love how it is knitting up. 

The other side is equally as interesting. 

I am ready to start the cuff on sock #2. If they turn out great, they will go into the fall fair. If not, I will make more socks to get a pair I think is worthy of entering. 

Thoughts

    With thoughts of entering items into the fall fair, I need to remember to keep the list small and do a great job on each item. If I don't get something made, I will not worry as it wasn't meant to happen. If I choose to do this again, I will start in the fall and work on the items slowly and carefully over the year. This isn't going to be make a lot of items like I use to. This is to make items I want to make and can use or give away as gifts. 

    The wind was cold yesterday and it did snow a bit in the morning. Not as bad as Alberta who had a good snow fall. Even daughter drove in snow to her work place in BC. We are so ready for warmer weather. 

Today

I am off to the city with daughter-in-law to shop. I have exactly one item on my list. I may find other things I need as we shop in different stores. Once home, I may sew if I am not too tired and will knit tonight. I am looking forward to a day of shopping and snooping (if we have time).

Until the next time.....................................................

Bodice of Outer Dress Started

 Yesterday was cool and cloudy with a high of 9C. This morning it is cloudy, windy, and 3C. We are to have another cloudy day and 5C. They say we could get flurries this morning and showers this afternoon. 

Lifestyle

I was off to physio early. The therapist did an assessment and said I didn't need needling which is great. She had me do a couple of moves for flexibility and there is an improvement on the right side. Then came the physio part which was a lot of traction moves. I could feel every one of them but they didn't put me off the bed in pain. Once done, I did the exercises in the gym and then had the current and heat. I left in much better shape than when I arrived. 

At home, I had my second cup of coffee and put heat on my hip. I then got to work. I tidied up the kitchen, swept the entrance way, and took several more items out to the garage for the garage sale. It was great to do things with very little pain. I didn't do anything in the garage as it was cold out there. I had the heat on in the house as it kept cooling off rapidly on me. 

Sewing

I had 30 minutes before lunch to sew and I made another 3.3 meters of piping. It goes fast when the fabric is cut out. This is left over fabric from a bag I made for daughter. I love the funky dots on it. 

After lunch, I got busy and started on the doll's outer dress. I cut the bodice pieces in the satin and sewed them up. Five pieces for that which does not include the center front pieces. The outer bodice is still flat. Next up I repeated the process for the lining. Five more pieces. The lining has the arm holes turned under and basted and the side seams sewn and pressed open. Then came the lining for the sleeves. Each sleeve has 3 pieces each. When I finished for the afternoon I had cut and sewn 16 pieces of fabric in 3 hours. There is at least 9 more pieces to sew before the bodice is completed. 

The outer dress is coming together faster than the kirtle. I am sure it won't be easy sailing when it is time to put the bodice together. My biggest concern is getting the bottom edge of the bodice looking smooth before I attach the skirt to it. 

I have started to watch a series of 4 videos on the Gilded Age. The presenter is going to make an outfit that her 2x great grandmother may have worn. I made a similar outfit for the dolls when I was testing patterns. 

Without the lace, this was probably worn by a lady who was a factory worker. It made me wonder if my grandmother wore an outfit like this when she was in her late teens/early 20's. She married my grandfather in 1900. 

I know my grandfather was a fisherman in 1901 (census) and that they had a small farm. They were poor according to my dad and his sister. I know she had 8 children before she passed away in 1917. I always wondered what type of clothing she wore and if she was fashion conscious. 

My maternal grandmother was a seamstress and sewed clothes that were fashionable for the time. I remember her sewing matching dresses and coats for herself, my mom, and my aunt in the mid 1950's. They were beautiful outfits. I wondered now if she made them to wear when she saw her sister for the first time in many many years 

Knitting

I knit on the hat and am ready to start decreasing. I hope to finish it tonight. No picture of it as it looks the same as the other hats I have been knitting. 

Thoughts

    Daughter wants me to put this outfit into the fall fair. I have looked at last year's book and there is only 1 category for it plus one open category. Since covid, the entries have been pared back which is sad. I will look at the categories and do a few things for the fair that will be gifts for people. I am not making items for the sake of filling up categories at the fair. 

    I am recovering quite quickly from the severe flare up I over a week ago. I still can't do as much as I want to do. I need to make sure I don't over do it. I still need to build strength and get the joints seated and the muscles strong and relaxed. I am making progress but I think I can do more than I really can or should. 

Today

I was going to go to New Minas this morning but with the weather the way it is, I am staying home. I will do yoga, some housework, and sew on the doll's dress. Tonight I will finish the hat and start knitting socks. 

Until the next time..........................................................

Cleaning and Organizing The Garage

 Yesterday was another beautiful warm spring day with a high of 16.2C. This morning it is cloudy, wet, and 6C. Today is suppose to be cloudy with showers and a high of 12C. 

Lifestyle

It took longer to do the balance sheet than anticipated. I forgot to check to see if any debits had happened on the bank statement prior to the last entry and there was. I fixed everything up, got it to balance and put it away. I was happy that job was done. 

I folded laundry and put it away. I did the cat litter and was happy that job was done. It was after 11:30 am when I entered the garage. The car was backed out and I started sweeping the floor and other surfaces. It was dirty from being ignored all winter. I worked my way around putting up tables and moving items onto them. I emptied cupboards that had items for sale in them. I moved the work bench out from its location and put items on it. I was truly in yard sale mode. I stopped after 35 minutes, put the dirt on the floor in the garbage can and admired what I had done. 

I still have at least one more morning and maybe two before it will be done. But, progress was made. 

I had a crock pot full of spaghetti sauce simmering all day and it smelled really good. Late in the afternoon, I made 2 small lasagnas and put 1 of them and 2 containers of sauce in the freezer. A lasagna will make 2 meals for me. More freezer meals made.

Sewing

I had enough time in the sewing room to make 3 meters of piping. It was so relaxing to do something easy. I puttered away at it and was done in just over an hour. 

This fabric has a silver shimmer to it and will look perfect on a dark blue shirt. I still have one more length of piping to make which is cut out ready to have the strips sewn together. 

I looked at the pattern for the outer dress. Quite a few pieces but it isn't as daunting as the kirtle. I will start out cutting only the pieces I need and build up from there. I find that an easy way to construct an item that has lots of pieces. 

Knitting

I knit about 12 rounds on the hat last night. It is half done. No pictures as I was so tired I went to bed early. 

Thoughts

    The garage is dirty from the winter but not as bad as it has been in the past. I am slowly getting the items organized in my head that need to go into the yard sale. I found 3 strands of Xmas lights that work in a box and they will be sold. I have items in the basement to come up and I know family has items to come over. Once the yard sale is over and the remaining items gone, I will organize the garage the way I would like it to look. I never complained while it was a workshop for the Spousal Unit. It was his space to do as he wished in it. 

    I was sore yesterday as I lifted a half sheet of plywood onto the saw horses. I have had joints crack since then so know things are slowly going back into place. I have no heavy lifting left to do which is perfect. I am working at being more active rather than sitting a lot. Heavy lifting is not in the books at this time. I can do it but it does make my right hip sore.  

    I am starting to make more freezer meals. The next batch will be pulled chicken with rice. I really like having these meals as it allows me to cook larger batches of food and I have meals to eat when I am busy all day. 

Today

I am out to physio early. I have to help daughter-in-law with peeling and cutting carrots. I am not sure what else I will get done. If time, I will bring up 2 suitcases for the yard sale and start sewing the next batch of piping. I will knit on the hat tonight. 

Until the next time.........................................................

Hand Sewing The Kirtle

 Yesterday was another sunny day with a high of 11.6C. This morning it is clear and -4C. Today we are to have sunshine with a high of 14C. 

Lifestyle

I did yoga first thing and while doing one of the exercises there was a loud crack. The SI joint seated and the pain went away. It was so nice to have no pain though the muscles and tendons were tired. I finished yoga on a strong note. 

I tidied up the kitchen and washed the floor. I had cleared off and cleaned the dining table and while the kitchen floor dried, I swept the dining room floor. I washed it and the hall floor. It is nice to have most of the upstairs clean. I will keep cleaning a bit each day as I need to start on the garage.  

Two loads of laundry were done and are ready to fold today. I had a busy morning. 

Sewing

I sat hand sewing on the kirtle yesterday afternoon. It took me 3 hours to attach the cartridge pleats to the bodice. It is whip stitched together with each pleat having 2 stitches to hold them in place. This allows the pleats to hang freely. I was worried about the center front but it turned out quite nicely. I turned up the hem and hand stitched it in place with tiny stitches. 

Just the eyelets need to be added to the back which will be done later. I have to buy them. 

The kirtle has 9 pieces for the bodice and 2 for the skirt. It is labour intensive. I still have to add more crystals to the skirt and some detail to the top of the bodice. 

Next up is the outer dress. It will be made from the purple satin and lined with the cotton. It is just as labour intensive as the kirtle but will have less embellishments on it. I am going to sew piping before I start the outer dress to give my brain a rest from all the detailed work I have done the kirtle.

Knitting

I set up another hat last night and knit 18 rows on it. This hat is for daughter-in-law. 

Thoughts

    My weight is going up and down which means I am not eating properly. I need to focus on what I am suppose to eat and stop snacking. I also need to do more active things (think clean the garage). 

    I have inquired so see if we can be part of a large garage sale mid May. I want to get ready because there will be that one and possibly one the following weekend. I will be working on getting ready for it daily. The car will have to be parked outside as I want to set up the garage while I organize it. 

    I finished researching the doll's outfit and learned a lot about clothing in this era. The hemd is historically correct for Germany, smocking seemed to be on smocks for labourers, and upper class's huge collars did not seem to be a part of the chemise. The kirtle wasn't boned as people used padding to give the structure to the bodice of the kirtle. The skirt front could be embellished but may not be. A fore skirt could be tied at the waist and pinned down the sides which allowed for different fabrics to be used. If this was done, separate sleeveless were attached to the sleeves of the chemise or to the outer dress. 

Today

I have to do yoga and then the balance sheet. I need to fold laundry and start cleaning the garage. Sewing will be piping as my brain needs a rest before I cut out the outer dress. Tonight I will knit on the hat. 

Until the next time...............................................................

The Kirtle Bodice is Done

 Yesterday was another lovely sunny day with a high of 9.5C. This morning it is clear and -2C. Today we are to have sunshine and 12C. 

Lifestyle

I was out shopping with daughter-in-law. Our first stop was in Wolfville so she could buy her course textbook at the university bookstore. I am so proud of her for doing courses towards her CPA. I did peak around the bookstore but it was pretty empty. There are very few courses offered at the moment with more coming this summer. 

We then went on to New Minas. Our first stop was to get food for Elliott. We then worked our way back to Walmart and then home. It was a quick trip which was fine as I enjoy going out with her. 

Once home, I did a few little things like putting away dishes and tidying up so I could run the dishwasher after lunch. I wasn't going to be home for dinner so I could do that job early. 

I picked up grandson from school and was happy there is a loading/unloading zone. The school hosted a ruby tournament and every parking spot at every entrance was full. There were students everywhere as they have 3 fields to play on. I took the very back entrance in and out of the school as it was the least busy road. 

Dinner was fabulous. We had curries, rice, and a salad. Dessert was a coffee cake made from Bisquick mix. The bottom half was dry and bland. The top half was delicious as it had apples and a spicy topping. I am sure they will eat it with ice cream to add some moisture. If made again, daughter-in-law will add vanilla, a bit more liquid, chopped apples mixed with cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar and then add the topping. It certainly won't be the original recipe. 

Sewing

I spent a lot of time on the bodice and got it done. I did the side and back seams which proved to be fun. First I tried to sew a side seam to a back seam. Then I sewed one side seam to the opposite side. I finally got it right. Lastly, I sewed all of the bottom seam but 2" and worried about turning it right side out. No fears, it turned beautifully. 

I changed the buttons on the hemd. I had to replace the top button as a stone fell out and I could not find it. I felt that if the dress was regal, the buttons on the hemd needed to be regal also. 

I lucked out with these buttons as they are expensive. They were 70% off and I still have a package of 2 left if I need them. 

I pinned the skirt flat onto the doll and I am happy with how it looks at this stage of the game. 

I played with crystals and pearls for the skirt/top embellishments. I am thinking flowers but who knows what I will end up doing. 

I have less crystals so am deciding if flowers or a row of crystals between the flowers. 

My research continues on both the hemd and kirtle. The kirtle I made is historically correct though boning was probably not used unless it was reeds. The front piece would have had a layer of other material added to it. That layer would have been pad stitched. For the doll's kirtle, I should have used two layers of fusible interfacing and stitched it the way as directed but added a row of stitching down the middle of the boning channels. 

The hemd has been a more difficult item to research. It is German and the neckline was smocked. The cuffs were given a very simple smocking stitch that could expand for putting the hand through. It was a garment that both men and women wore. The kirtle was worn over it. I found no reference to this high neck chemise being smocked in England as smocking has a secretive history. The collars and cuffs may not have been smocked in England during the Renaissance era. Was smocking done on labourer's garments rather than those of a higher status? 

Knitting

I didn't knit last night. I forgot to take the hat to see if it fit daughter-in-law. 

Today

I need to do two loads of laundry and start tidying up the dining area. I want to sew this afternoon and start knitting tonight. It is a stay at home day for me. 

Until the next time.....................................................................