I am the world's slowest sempstress, I swear.

[soldiergrrrl]

I read about people putting stuff together in two days and I wonder what the hell I'm doing wrong.  For me, even an easy project is at least a couple of days, and usually weeks. 

However, I did FINALLY get the serger working last night, and get the sleeves put together.  Now, I'm going to put the lining and the body of the cote together and see what it all looks like.  Then, I'll see about making a few more. 

:-)

Not sure what other fabrics I'm going to use, but I'm sure I'll find something.  Cotton twill would be nice and I do have some lovely silk, but I need to make sure that's back with a very very strong lining fabric to take most of the stress off the silk.  The cote is very fitted, and it has to be to support the breasts, but I'm worried that the silk will just shred if it's not back with something very stable.  Not heavy, necessarily, but stable.  Just something very tightly woven.  Probably a cotton sheeting.

If anyone's got any advice for making a very fitted cote from silk (why yes, I am looking at HRH at the moment, but she's really busy, so I'm not looking TOO hard....), would you tell me your solution?
 
The silks are from this post, the one with all the fabric pictures.  :-)  I am trying to avoid buying more silk, like oh...silk twill.  So far, I'm successful.

Comments

[fieryredhead.livejournal.com]

As long as you line it properly making it with silk is easy-peasy. I usually use a good cotton fabric; anything from Joann's that feels thick enough (broadcloth is off the list). The lining takes the strain. I've made several silk cotes and never have had any problems with them shredding.

[zaphod-groupie.livejournal.com]

Because I'm a poor college student, I tend to use thrift store sheets for lining. Lots of good, strong fabric for very, very cheap. My bright green cotton viking started life as an IKEA sheet I found at a Value Village three days before the event I first wore it at.

[mudo.livejournal.com]

Definitely read the subject as "I am the world's slowest temptress, I swear."

1st thought: that's hot.
2nd thought: isn't she married?

[dekarch.livejournal.com]

Yes and Yes.

[must-sew-faster.livejournal.com]

Nah, you're not slow, you just have a full-time job and a house to take care of. I have two kids on top of all of that. Of course, while making Katie's dress these past three weeks, my house work has gone to hell in a hand basket. Something's gotta give, usually it's the cleaning.
The only thing I know about sewing supportive garments with silk I learned from the corsetmakers community. Some of those ladies have made corsets out of silk by backing the silk with a fusable interfacing, and then using a sturdy coutil as the strength layer. However, regarding the interfacing, evidentally there is a fine line between 'good interfacing' and 'my silk now feels like a potato chip', so maybe you can search through corsetmakers memories for that info.

[wishwords.livejournal.com]

Now that I've stopped laughing at the previous two responses...

I've learned to not pay attention to the parts of posts dealing with how long it took marymont to hand sew an entire Elizabethan. It's just depressing. It takes me weeks to complete anything. And that's after I actually start machine stitching. Sometimes the thing lays there all cut out for months.

I haven't made a supportive cote yet, but I agree with HRH about the lining. Just make sure to stand there and abuse the fabric in the store for a couple of minutes to make sure it will be sturdy.

I'm going to have to trek over to your part of the woods to find someone to help me pattern a cote. That is if I decide to stay in the SCA. :-(

[soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com]

If you're willing to drive to the DFW area, I cannot recommend HL Amalia enough. I can ask her to contact you, if you like.

Now, for the most important question. Why might you leave the SCA? Email me offline if you'd rather not talk about it in A public post.

[fieryredhead.livejournal.com]

Amalia's website: http://home.texoma.net/~bperkins/gallery.html

[wishwords.livejournal.com]

Eh, it's a matter of "do I want to get back into the SCA... again." Since L got sick we haven't been active. He'll be done with his treatments in April and we could go to a few events, but I'm not sure it's worth it. We don't have a niche anymore. Neither of us fights and I don't do Equestrian anymore. The times we went to events last year, we kind of wandered around lost. There were a few really cool people we got to hang out with, but we were kind of lost. Which is weird when you consider I've been in the SCA since 1989.

It could be that we were both still in the throws of anxiety from Iraq and trying to do something completely new for him and new for me in that I'd always fenced or rode. We just felt so out of place.

The people that I knew from before seemed to act kind of weird around us. Could be because me having a husband was the last thing they expected. Or it could be that I wasn't attached to a horse.

We should try again and take things to occupy ourselves with. It would be nice if some of them were on LJ so I could chat with them before that time and arrange to meet them at an event.

[soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com]

You're in the Houston area, right? I know that there are some folx on LJ from around there.

One of these days, you should come play in our Barony. They're awesome.

[wishwords.livejournal.com]

LMAO! I've played in your Barony and yes, they are awesome. It was many years ago, but I still judge Texas SCA by Bjornsborg and Bryn Gwilad.

[quodscripsi.livejournal.com]

Judgeing by the number of people who got married in the decade or so I took off I can't imagine that its you having a husband.
From the events I've been to over the past two years the SCA has become even more activity oriented and the number of activites has expanded. I can remember tournaments a decade ago where almost everyone on site was at the list field for most of the day and that just doesn't seem to be as true anymore. Which IMO kinda sucks.

You kinda have to put yourself back in a newcomers mentality. Find someone or a group of people latch on to them as someplace to center, bring something to occupy yourself if that is down time. Volunteer to do things.

[wishwords.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking the same thing about the newcomers mentality. It was really weird to have people look at me like my face was familiar, but not recognize me as someone they knew before. And it felt so weird to be attending without a horse.

[quodscripsi.livejournal.com]

I had the same experience. And experiences across the spectrum from people I wouldn't have expected to remember me kinda remembering me but not a name to people who I was in the same household with who looked me in the face multiple times at multiple events who I don't think recognized me at all. So find someone to latch on to like a newcomer and after an event or two you'll feel much more comfortable.

[wishwords.livejournal.com]

You're probably right.

[deafelis.livejournal.com]

So I was about to say that you should come hang out with us equestrians anyway, even if you don't want to ride. Then I scanned your recent public entries... you're in Houston? Where? So am I. :) Now I'd like to know more about you - may I friend you?

[wishwords.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I was out of town for a couple of days. I actually live in Humble. I love hanging out with the equestrians, but it feels kind of weird. Lady Michelle and Buttercup taught me how to ride again several years ago. I usually hung out with her, Lorraine, Annaliese, and Sir Alexis mostly. I lived on Guinhavre's (I know that's spelled wrong) farm (Camelot) for a while and she taught me more about riding and creating garb. (Unfortunately, our mental and emotional issues did not mix well and I was a lousy friend to her.) I really miss the equestrians.

Who are you in the SCA? I'm Lady Edith Gray. I'm trying to turn my attention more to garb and encourage my husband to get involved in cooking. Or rather, that's what we'll do when we can go to events again.

Will you be attending the A&S event on the 14th?

[brian-berlin.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't consider you a seamstress. Tailor, or perhaps Clothier. I'm not sure if there is really any hierarchical structure among those who work in cloth... but I think of seamstress as a woman who hems.

Just my stupid, out of the blue, and unsolicited opinion.

[piroshki.livejournal.com]

...wait, a couple of weeks is slow? ^<kicks the half-finished shirt started in 2003 under the industrial>

Not sure what a cote is, but I made a corset out of silk once. It's all in the lining.

[soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com]

Compared to the some of the folx on my f-list, I'm a slug.

:-) That's all. Everyone has their own pace, but sometimes I wish mine were faster. Of course, it would be faster if I quit jumping on the internet. ;-)

[deafelis.livejournal.com]

Hehe - just realize that I quit posting about how long it's been taking me to make anything, because it's just depressing. ;) Compared to me, you're a sewing goddess. :)

[lorihalia.livejournal.com]

A couple days for me is generally a fluke. Like the "OMG-I-CANT-COOK-IN-MY-GOOD-STUFF!!!" panic outfit I just did. Until then, I didn't think that my IEEEE!! mode was even remotely decent (I was convinced right up until I put it on that it was going to suck majorly).

Everyone has their own pace, don't compare yours to others. Me, I go in spurts, winter is prime activity time for me probly because if I don't sew I freeze my butt off, and in the summer I become related to the giant tree sloth. ;)

RE silk: Back the snot out of it with something that breathes and is sturdy, but won't effect things like drape and bulk, let that take the strain.

[momwolf.livejournal.com]

http://www.vintagetextile.com/

I know the period is a little later than you are interested in...but have you seen this website? Yummy!

[suzilem.livejournal.com]

Have you been to "Silk Road" on North Lamar?

(just being your friendly local temptress here....)

:-)

[soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com]

I have, and for me, that store is like a candy store and a crack house in one.

:-D

[chaotic-nipple.livejournal.com]

Is the "dork dork dork" tag a reference to that Robot Chicken segment with the Swedish Chef?

[boogieshoes.livejournal.com]

considering that i've got pieces in storage that have been waiting to be finished for a decade or more... you have nothing on slow, girl. :-p

-bs