Totally out of my comfort zone...

...and therefore still unfinished.
Back in January I started with an ambitious project (at least for me). I wanted to build entirely handsewn stays.
The problem is, that I am really not a passionate handsewing person. It took me ages to make the boning channels and of course I didn't finish my project for the January challenge #1 Foundations.
Then challenge #6 Out Of Your Comfort Zone came up last month and I made another attempt to finish my stays.

I didn't make it:-(

Nevertheless I am very proud of my achievement so far and so I am sharing some progress pictures with you:

The stays will be covered in this cream coloured silk brocade

I braided the laces on a lucet.

Hopefully to be finished this year...

Alice Lon Petticoat

I love those fluffy 50s Petticoats! When I bought a bolt of charmeuse last week I finally made one!

It started with this small pile of fabrics I cut into 9" wide strips.
My guide was this tutorial on Pettipond.

While hemming the fabric somehow increased...

And it continued doing so while gathering...

The most time consuming task was to pin the gathered section to the upper level.

The tutorial said, that one can make this in 3 hours. The cutting alone took me 1,5. In the end it took me 2 evenings (and I am not a slow sewer).

After adding the gathered section to the ungathered one I made a huge roll of future petticoat to somehow manage the amounts of fabric to be sewn on my sewing machine...

And it starts to look like a petticoat

 The waistband is an elastic strip so the pettioat can easily be put on and off.

 

This was actually my last project to be sewn on my old desk. A day after I finished my petticoat I got a new bigger desk that actually can hold all three sewing machines at once.

 

Now that the petticoat is finished I need a dress to go with it. The pattern has been flying aroud for ages and I plan on making it up sometime soon...