Enough politics.

[soldiergrrrl]

Bordermarch Autumn Melees is coming up and you know...we have a distinct garb shortage around the house.  Well, John and I do.  Add to this moving and such, and well...we could be looking at wearing the exact same things we wore last year.  If that happens, it happens. 

(Damn, need to get the dogs boarded too, for BAM and Turkey Day!)

However, that's not quite what I want to happen.  I'd like to have some more stuff made up by then, so we'll see.  Right now, I'm considering an unlined caftan, in pink cotton twill.  Yes, it's bubblegum pink.  Yes, it's obnoxious.  Cope.  If you're going to BAM and you see this thing, you cannot tell me you didn't know it was me.  (That's if I get it done!)

I've got some more linen, that I can crank out a tunic or two for John before BAM, I think.  Nothing fancy, nothing really hand-sewn, but I think I can do it.

AGH!  Need to call PODS and get the delivery date for that set up too.  I also need to fax the orders to Karl, our landlord, and make sure he got my email about moving. 

What else?  Oh, yeah, going to WLC next Jan, so need to get cranking on that, too.  Fun. 

Um.  Not too much else going on.  Some folx I know are worrying about whether they'll have a military job in the next fiscal year.  I think so, because we have commitments that are going to extend us out for a while, no matter what, so with some judicious work and planning it should be okay.

Okay, not much else to say.

Comments

[badcat42077.livejournal.com]

Yay garb post!

[soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com]

LOL! I'm glad you like the garb posts!

[badcat42077.livejournal.com]

They're fun, and frequently instructive. What's not to like? :)

[chuckles48.livejournal.com]

God, that sounds so much more fun than what I'm looking at for the next couple months.

Though, if things swing my way a bit, I'll get to go to Christmas in the Adobes in Monterey. With a side trip to the aquarium. ;>

[piroshki.livejournal.com]

Oh goodie, a garb-post!

I have some 100% mid-weight wool suiting, that needs to be made into a skirt, circa Gay 90s. No problems there. BUT.

Can I wash/dry the wool first to make sure the fibers are fulled? (I know it won't go into the wash after it's constructed, but for a first-run?)

[soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure..let me ask some friends!

[soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com]

This is what I've got for you so far:

Yes, but it might change the appearance of the wool, and it is likely to shrink. Basically, she should pre-treat it the way she will treat it afterwards. For me, that would mean washing in warm or cold water on delicate, then laying flat or hanging to dry. She should also pre-iron the fabric, because hot steam can also shrink fabrics.

[piroshki.livejournal.com]

Ahh, okay. I had planned - if at all - to wash it in cold water, dry on low for about half an hour, then run it through the ironer. (I would be a sad, sad person without my iron mangle...)

It's already been pre-ironed, though the mangle doesn't steam-iron; the expected manner is to iron the fabric while it is still damp, on its highest accepted, to iron it dry.

Okay, then, that tells me what I need to know. Cool!

Thanks much.

By the way, you never told me if that hand-spun wool got there or not. It's been over a month, and you haven't mentioned it, so if it's not there I'll spin some more and re-send.

[soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen it, but I'm glad that helped!

:-) and :-( at the same time.

[soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com]

Also, I got this in reply to my question:

In addition to Audrey's comments, a lot depends on whether the skirt
is a "dressmaker" style or a "tailor" style. Suiting (and all of the
related trim and lining...)which is not meant to be washed gets
"conditioned" before it is made up, but the idea is to leave some
flexibility in the fabric so that it can be stretched/shrunk in the
tailoring process. What a tailor would do is to roll up the fabric
with a length of wet cotton and put it in a plastic bag overnight,
then unroll it and let it dry. This will relax the fabric so there
won't be any shrinkage if it gets damp from weather or steam. It is
then pressed carefully with a wet press cloth and a hot iron. As each
section is done, the fabric is allowed to cool and dry before it is
moved to avoid stretching while it is still hot and moist with the
steam.

Fulling only works on woolens (fuzzy cloth) and will do very little to
worsted fabrics (smoother and glossier, mostly...). It makes cloth
thicker and warmer, and also stiffer than the same cloth was before,
so that should be a consideration. One fulls cloth for a winter coat.
For a skirt that one is going to wear in shoulder seasons, fulling
might not be the best idea. And if it is a skirt that needs a thin
worsted to drape well, fulled cloth might make it a little...stiff.

Ken

[piroshki.livejournal.com]

Huh. Drape, I hadn't thought of. My typical use for wool suiting is for vests or o'coats.

It'll probably be wiser, then, not to wash it. I ran it through the ironer already and let it hang unfettered by one selvage; as it will be worn over one corded petticoat and at least one unlined, it'll probably respond better if I leave it as-is, and dry-clean it as needed.

Interesting to know. Thanks again!

[soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome! The folx on that list are incredibly knowledgeable and I'm glad to pass it along. :-)

[deafelis.livejournal.com]

Hehe - perhaps I should put the droopy sleeves on the pink dress afterall. Then at BAM we can each look for the other girl wearing pink. I'm sure people will be able to point us in the right directions. ;) :)

As far as wearing the same things over and over go, I have 4 sets of garb, and one is the tunic/pj-pants set that my husband wears when he comes out, and one is better suited for ren faires than SCA, so I really only have 2 sets right now. Know what? :) It's so easy to pack! ;)

I rescheduled my other commitment for that weekend, so I should be able to go to BAM. I'll look for you there. :D

[soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com]

YAYAYAAAAAY! I'm so excited! Hopefully, I'll also be able to get in touch with Sir Asad to get a new white Hershey Kiss hat so you can look for me in that, too.

We'll be camping with Rhoadd, if that helps.

[deafelis.livejournal.com]

It may. I think we'll be camping with Loch Soillier (there has been discussion of food ;) ) or with the horsey people (since that'll be my main focus for the event). But we'll see - I'll let you know when I know more. :)

[soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com]

Awesome! We have a little girl in our house who adores horses (she thinks) so I might have to bring her by to wave at y'all. :-)

[jensbro.livejournal.com]

I can't believe I'm saying this, but.... When are you moving? Looks like I'll make the trek to help out.

[soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com]

LOL! We take possession of the new house 15 Nov and have to be out of the old one on 30 Nov, so yeah...you're SO helping!

*cackles maniacally*