rah-cha-cha

Went to Rochester this evening for a meetup with the Three Swans, the household I'm going to Pennsic with this year. I met them all last year at their annual meeting-- redstapler flew up for the occasion last year, and I drove in to meet her for lunch, and just wound up staying because I was having so much fun. So I met the household once before, and remembered them astonishingly well. Everyone remembered me too. It was pretty nice. Kinda like Cheers. Just kidding.

I am really excited about Pennsic now. I've been wanting to go since about high school, I think. It's taken me ten years to actually be able to. I think I may do both weeks. I could even get a ride, if I went for the whole time. Apparently that's recommended, for your first time.

I have to interrupt this to say that I am sitting at an old chest of drawers with the drawers pulled out of it, and Chita has just come over and crawled into the space where the top drawer should go, and is hanging out in there apparently very pleased with herself. She is cuter than words can describe.

Anyhow. I'm also feeling pleased because I got the first dress cut out in muslin-- the idea being, since I don't have a pattern, that I'll cut this one out to my shape, pin it out and adjust it, sew it where absolutely necessary, then trim all the seam allowances evenly and unsew it again and use it as a pattern to cut out the rest of my dresses. Actually, I might trace it onto paper, then sew it back together and have it as a completed shift/smock/underdress, and then use the paper pattern pieces to cut out the rest of my dresses.
It's going really well. I know, I know, because it's really easy. And I haven't taken into account anything like facings or anything like that. And it's really not very tailored or fitted. But still. Z helped me with the Math part of figuring out the pattern. I haven't done sleeves yet, though. (I'm making this one, or more exactly, this one (scroll down to "dresses")-- the kite-shaped gores are better to accomodate a bust than the square ones, apparently. Sure-- we'll see how this goes. So far I've just got the front, front gore, and side gores pinned out. I haven't pinned the shoulder seams because it seems like that would make everything a bit unwieldy. I wish I had a dressform. My mom has one she never uses...

I am also a lot less stressed-out over the stays / boned bodice thing because a) I realized that it's not at all a strict household about authenticity (especially when you're up to your arse in mud for fourteen days), so if I want to wear a damn corset I can even if it's not strictly in period-- and b) I remembered... I'm going to be spending at least a week in June with my mother. If she can't help me make sense of a pattern like this one (the corded corset-- that's a comfortable and non-extreme shape I'd be happy in with the garb I'm making; perhaps it's not proven period, but it's compatible with the silhouette, more or less, and means my tits won't be floppy if I can't make all my kirtles fit right-- and some have rather flimsy fabric.)-- and remember, she's a historic re-enactor too, and used to make our clothes when we were kids-- then nobody can. I know she and I don't get along that well, but I really think we'll be able to do this project. At least enough that I'll know what I'm doing.

Anyhow. Sleepy. Must sleep. May be going to Canada tomorrow.