Looney for Lucet

While sitting at the coffeehouse today I pulled out some cheap pearly cotton & the lucet that Paul from Wm. Booth Draper convinced me was "easy" & "a useful skill". After a few attempts at getting started I finally got the balance right between too tight & too loose. It's slow going. I know that I'm at least going to make the cord for L's jumps & something new & longer for lacing my stays. I've also promised L "collars" for her puppy dog toys. Not costuming related but a good use of the imperfect practice cord I'm creating.

Everybody Jump, jump, jump around!

Half way finished with L's jumps already. The difference between hand sewing & machine & something half the size is noticeable.

Drafted the pattern last night with the Custom Corset Pattern Generator, Tabbed Corset Instructions & Bodice Drafting Instructions. I've used this set of instructions before for my Hemp Corded Bodice.


a poor photo of the pattern with boning lines marked out.

I think it took longer to get L to hold still for the measurements than it did to draft the entire pattern. I cut the front with a gentle curve about 11" long and added the tabs in one rather than sewing them after the fact. I also adjusted the back so that it wasn't too high. I shifted the straps so they will tie with ribbons on the front, which should add some length adjustment should L grow suddenly. I cut a muslin & got L to hold still long enough for me to test fit before cutting the layers of linen.



The jumps are made exactly like boned stays, without the boning. 2 inner layers of 6oz linen, an outer layer of mustard yellow 5oz linen (left over from my petticoat) and an inner layer of fine 5oz linen. These will have dutch linen tape when it arrives. All channels are sewn to fit 1/4" reed boning and/or 2-3 cords of thin hemp cording. However, I am only putting cording on either side of the lacing holes in the back currently. In the future I can pull the binding off and add more, but for now I'm just happy to have L wanting to wear them!

Rare Photo's From RF2

Seems I was too much of a wallflower at RF2 to have ended up in many photos. I'm a little disappointed in that but then again, it's not outside my personality to disappear like that in a crowd.

Without further a due, the few photo's that there are of me.

One where Mr. Foxe looks terrible


One with some odd black spot on my eye & Kass


One where I look like an ad for Reconstructing History (that's their banner & phone number above my head)


Yep that's it. Three days, countless hours, Helped out in the Reconstructing History Booth, was at all the after hours social events & there are all of three photographs of me. I really need to work on that if I want to have any proof that I'm at these events when I'm an old lady.

Upcoming Events & Deadlines

I've already talked about my future projects. Garb for L & a Tan & Blue Hunting Frock.

Upcoming Events:

May 12: Pirates Invade Door County Maritime Museum
This is the deadline for the Hunting Frock.

May 19-20: Janesville Renaissance Fairea
No it's not a "pirate" event but it's local & Chris' bunch does a great job with this fund raiser for the Jaycee's. I have to talk to the Jaycee's lady soon about running their beer cart for the event. It's the one area that I would really have liked to see someone in garb last year. Plus I'll need a job while there (as always)

June 1-3: Port Washington Pirate Festival
This is the deadline for L's complete garb. We'll be getting a hotel room for the weekend since period camping is not on the plan close to the site. Additionally, J doesn't camp & I'm counting on him coming along to watch L at night so I can go to the late night parties. I'm also working on A about coming up for photo-ops. She & her bunch were very excited about it last year.

That's as far as I've gotten in my schedule, since they are also all local events. It's so much harder to plan for the distance events. I'd like to manage an east coast something this year. I have high hopes that something will get put together for Saint Mary's City, if nothing else, because I want an excuse to go there, it looks amazing! I am also hoping to manage PIP this year but that's not until November so I can put off the planning for now.

I think that's enough planning for now. Time to start working on the Hunting Frock!

Pocket Full of Happiness Part 2

I simply had to replace the muslin pocket I made way back in the beginning of all this. So here they are. Linen pockets with dutch linen trim on the openings. Machine sewn with silk since the linen was making it act all wonkey. Unfortunately I ran out of the tape before getting to the waistband. So I used a scrap of poly bias tape from the bin. Just can't get away from having some bias tape on these pockets. I'll rip it off & replace it when I get more of the dutch linen. I go through that stuff more than anything. This was 10 yards & I could use 3 more easily. Next time I'll buy the entire roll.

The Finished Product

There will be more "in action" pictures from RF2 this weekend. Hopefully some really good ones. For once I'd really love to have some really good pictures of my work.