Whew!  It's been a busy week, and I'm just now getting around to doing this recap of last weekend.

( CoLoW Recap! )
Next up, I'm hoping to tackle a chemise a la reine.  I washed a variety of white cottons today and I'm hoping to get started on everything Sunday afternoon.  I was really hoping to make a new pair of stays that aren't so deeply colored, but I don't think I'll bother.  I'll just line the bodice (and maybe flatline, if necessary) and that'll be that.  Ben thinks he'll have to work in Austin Sunday-Thursday, so I'll have lots of uninterrupted sewing time.  All in all I'd much rather he get to stay home, but I'll take whatever silver lining I can find!

In chicken news, Brownie hatched five chicks.  There are four gray/blue ones and one black one.  We initially had them inside in a customized plastic tote (it's totally clear with a latching lid that's been fitted with hardware cloth so there's plenty of air flow) that way we could monitor the temperature and keep them away from predators or jealous roosters.  Plus, we didn't want to run the heat lamp during summer...and honestly, I wanted to watch Brownie be a mom.  She's really good at it, always watching her chicks, clucking to show them where food is, and protecting them from perceived threats.  She's also really patient with them.  I've watched chicks peck her face (and her eye!), jump up and clamp onto her comb to the point she had to shake her head to get the chick off, and repeatedly jump onto her back (sometimes hanging out there for a while) and the worst she's done back is lightly thump them on the head.  I wish I had a tiny webcam to put in there so I could get this all on video.  After a couple days, Brownie was back to being pretty active in the little tote and she kept kicking pine shavings into the water and covering the food.  I scrounged in the garage and around the yard and came up with enough lumber to build a chicken tractor (outdoor mobile enclosure) and that's where they stay during the day.  It's much larger than the tote and allows them to forage in the grass and get used to being outside while still being safe from whatever might otherwise hurt them.  In the evening they come back inside to sleep in the tote.  It's been really fun to watch them!

I used an invisible zipper as a closure and stitch witchery as a hem aid on the skirt for the mourning party.  And I don't even feel bad about it! 

Yesterday was one of those push to get it done days.  By 'it,' I mean the skirt portion of the wedding outfit I'm making.  I spent about 10 hours sewing.  Well, sewing and pressing really...but you get the picture.  You might be thinking that a skirt shouldn't take that long...Trust me, I'm thinking the same thing!  Blind hems are apparently not my strong suit, and it was really two skirts with curved hems and massive circumference.  In the end, I had to wave my white flag and put it down to finish up today.  My back ached, my butt was sore from sitting in an inadequately padded task chair, and I was sticky from sewing in a room with only a box fan for a/c.  Not meeting my goal was really disheartening but I really was right at my breaking point.

Today, I woke up rested and got the job done.  It feels great, even if it's a day later than I wanted.  As soon as Ben gets home I'm heading to UPS to get this box shipped.  I'm still tweaking the fit of the bodice, so hopefully this mockup is The One.  If it still needs major changes I think I might start tearing out my hair.

In happier news, the corset fit great!  Almost no wrinkles at all, and the chicken patties created even more shaping than I'd hoped for.  So hooray for that!

All in all, I can't wait for this project to be over with.  I've been meticulously saving small bits of the scraps so I can stuff a voodoo doll with it during CLW.  I've got a dress in mind for the Mourning Party, but I'm having some trouble finding the right brocade fabric for it.  Also, I've only been able to find a pic of it from one angle (the back) so I'll have to make some educated guesses about the front, or just accept that it will be an 'inspired by' dress and not a replica.  Who knows, after this wedding outfit I might be burnt out on sewing.  We'll see what happens.  Here's the dress: