The Sewing Bee Update - Robin

Today was our "sewing bee". I'd gotten my ball gown skirt to a point where we could check the length. I'd never tried it on with the cage crinoline and petticoat. Lisa check the length and we adjust the waistband to shorten it a bit in the front,leaving the back as is.  How fun is it to sit on the floor, fully corseted, and check hems?  Actually not nearly as bad as I thought.  I figured it was about time to see if I could wear it for more than an hour without going mad.   Rob's skirt is really pretty.  Far more subdued in color than it seems to be in the pictures.  The solid color is very reflective in photos.  In reality, it's closer in color to the stripe on the bottom of the skirt. 

Here we are posing in our pinned-together glory. Lisa's polonaise needed a final bodice fitting, then on to the sleeves. We set up shop in her dining room and sewed all day long, fitting each other as we went. I finished the hem on the petticoat and skirt and had the preliminary fittings for the corset. I fit Lisa's polonaise and sleeves. After the fitting, Lisa decided the sleeves now looked too bulky in the upper arm area. She'll be taking the sleeves apart to take this in, then sewing them back on. Her polonaise looks fantastic.We also fit Valerie's  blouse muslin to her and had Val cut out her own outfit. Fit, baste, fit again, rip it out, fit again, minor adjustments until it all looked good.  This is the second time in a month that I've sat around my dining room table with twenty-somethings sewing, knitting and crocheting.  And just talking about stuff.  It's a lot of fun.  My 9 year old son even hung out for a while.  I'd call it good old-fashioned family fun, but the conversation was a bit more colorful.  We learned new ways to refer to douchey men, new cocktails, and the girls brought wine.  Huzzah!

We spent most of the day in our "fitting attire". Lisa actually sewed all day in her corset and petticoat!

This was an exhausting day but we got a lot done. Just goes to show you, if you want your stuff to fit, you need a friend. I could never have gotten to this point in the ensemble without help.

Yes!  This has been a team effort in fitting, and advice and inspiration.  Quite remarkable from a couple of bossy women.  And a big shout out to Ed, the cat, who ate the large spider that tried to crash our sewing circle.  Thanks!