I'm supposed to be exhibiting some of the dresses I've made at an art show. I need to brush out the heavy wool jacket, and I only have one dressmaker's dummy upon which to display a dress. One of the dresses doesn't fit me anymore; after two babies my bust will never be small enough to fit in it again, and the last time I had it dry-cleaned to remove some Mt. Dew a visitor spilled on me, it shrank in length. I'm not sure how or why it did that. Anyway, I think I'll donate the dress to one of the historical sites it was created to be worn at. I also have a skirt that goes to a bustle gown, but never finished the bodice. You see, I got pregnant with Sam while I was making the gown, and obviously my measurements were changing, and wearing a corset was rather out of the picture. Now my poor corset has been abused because I am just a completely different set of measurements. So while I could easily wear the bustle gown skirt, I don't have a bodice to wear with it. Modern shirts just don't go all that well with historical garments. So now I'm debating on what dress gets to lay on a table, and which one goes on the dummy. Both dresses need a form to be properly shown off. One gown needs a hoop skirt, which I have, and the other a bustle pad, which I also have. Neither are overly impressive when on a hanger or laying flat.
I was also planning on showing off my silly little fabric balls because everyone here seems to think they are so cool. Well, they are cool, and rather easy to make. There's just one problem - I said I'd have kits including pattern pieces and directions to make your own patterns and balls. Here's the problem: I hurt my hand. I'm not sure how, but I am currently a one-handed typist and using the mouse with my left hand. I can't find my rotary cutter (either of them) and I misplaced my sewer's glove. I'm sure it's with my rotary cutter. So I bought a new rotary cutter the other day in Alpine, but my hand isn't in good enough shape to use it. I put a lot of my sewing stuff into a closet at Christmas without a care as to where it ended up, and now I'm paying the price. I've emptied three closes, climbed bookcases and other tall objects to look for some missing sewing stuff. It's just gone for now.
I think I'll take Awyn to the Art show dressed in Sam's Rev War era baby dress that I altered for last summer's Solstice celebration.
We've been looking at all our living history stuff, and I think we're going to try to find most of it new homes as we just don't participate anymore. For anything local, like at Ft. Davis, I'd have to make all new clothing anyway. I think it would be nice if the better of my dresses and things get some good use at the places they are most appropriate for. Oh, I have a few I wouldn't donate, mostly because they are beginner's efforts and I can pick them to pieces if I am being at all picky about historically correct. I'm not such a stickler anymore, but there are certain standards I won't sink below, like polyester. I've had people ask me why I don't sell these dresses, or make them for other people to sell. Ack, that sounds hideous. I enjoy sewing, but if I made it into a business, well, I'd be miserable. It wouldn't be a hobby anymore, it would be a chore. Besides, I'd be very expensive.
