Figments

Of course, when I said I didn't know how to figure out how much fabric I need for ruffles, what I meant was, I don't have all the numbers I need to figure out how much fabric I need for ruffles. I know how, of course.

I started cutting out my underskirt last night. I started out by blithely assuming that the skirt would be the right size, because they're the same pattern pieces I traced off for my CU gown, and it fit. Also, I couldn't immediately spot where I'd written sizes on the pieces, so I didn't know what size they were anyway. Temporary blindness, as I spotted after cutting out three panels. It was, in fact, a large (which astonishes me - I don't see how, looking at my CU pics, I could be defined as large). I whipped out my tape measure, whipped out my corset for good measure, and discovered that I should have been cutting out a medium, corsetted or not. oops?

Luckily, what I had cut out was easily cut down by a size. It did mean, though, that I didn't finish cutting it all out, and the rest is folded on a chair in the sewing room. And then I decided that I wanted the bottom ruffle to be pleated, not gathered, and I wanted it much denser than it was in my CU gown... Poor Jarratt became my math-assistant, who noted lengths down and did math for me while I set about determining whether I had enough fabric to make the ruffle MUCH longer than the pattern had allowed for it to be. I do, I'm pleased to say. I'd rather be at home continuing work on this than here at work! More tonight, I think. ^__^

I have had a productive day, I think. ^^

I finished off cutting out the pjs for Jarratt that I started cutting on Thursday (my bad arm decided to go shaky and weak with two pattern pieces to go, on Thursday night, which put paid to cutting in a straight line). Dropped the pieces off to my Mama who kindly volunteered to make them a while ago. Her arthritis doesn't really let her cut fabric out anymore, but she does make very nice jammies. ^^

On the way to Mama's Jarratt and I went to Spotlight, which, I discovered, had one, srsly, one roll of anything close to a plain taffeta. In a shot grey. Not really what I need for Victorian-inspired Uber-Gothness. So, we gave that up, and went to the Fabric Warehouse instead. I picked up oodles of plain black taffeta, and 2m of this very nice purple taffeta they had, to make myself trim out of. I'm really not convinced I bought enough of the purple, though...

I was meant to be going to a party tonight, but I found myself feeling about rooms full of people, pretty much like I feel about rooms full of spiders, so I spent the evening looking at Victorian fashion plates, and sketching my plan for how I'm going to trim my outfit. I'm using Truly Victorian patterns I bought a while ago, so I know the bones of the outfit, but I'm really pleased because now I know the detail as well. I would have held off buying until after I'd planned better, but we were already out - well, it seemed like a good idea. XD
I'll scan in my sketches, and take a photo of the oodles of taffeta tomorrow.

The plan now is to make the skirts up really quickly, before both the rolls of that purple taffeta get a chance to sell out - that way, I'll know if I need a whole lot more of it. I've never made a pleated ruffle trim like this before, so I have no clue how to estimate amounts for it...

*bounce* I'm in excited pre-sewing mode, though. This is fun!