The Objective:
Do 100 Days of Art in any preferred medium(s). This does NOT mean back-to-back days. Document your art "process" by taking/posting pics of each project and posting a little info about it (the process, any challenges, any pitfalls, etc.) in at least the West Kingdom A&S and your Principality A&S Facebook pages. This INCLUDES research/writing/
The Timeline:
Begin March Crown, end October Crown. This is a comfortable 6 month timeline. No pressure deadlines unless you set them for yourself. You are accountable to no-one but yourself on this. But posting helps keep you accountable to yourself.
Day 1:
I finished the block on the chessboard with the squares. I then did a whole block with the 8-point stars (that was a super fast piece). Began work on a Greek Key pattern.
I also decided this challenge would be the perfect time to focus on the 16th century doublet I started for Hubster last summer. I found it in the mess of sewing stuff since we moved. I tried it on him again to gauge some things. We decided that the back was, indeed, too short. Consult with my Laurel and my Laurel proxy (her fiance) via text message determined that it is located at the proper waist location for Hubster, but I will go ahead and increase the back length a little since he's not comfortable with it where it is. Then I took the whole thing apart. This required finding my seam ripper. Why do I never have a seam ripper when I need one?
Day 2:
Went to A&S night and spent 90 minutes working only on the Greek Key pattern block. Sometimes the chessboard blocks take a little time. Sometimes they take a long time. This was one of those blocks. You'd think I'd get a block that was already started finished during this time. And yes I did socialize, but I didn't really budge from my spot on the couch next to the good light. I just kept stitching while others were bitching (kibitzing, gossiping, whatevs). I decided I needed to remind people about the scale of my work that I'm doing. So I included a dime.
Day 3 - no pictures, just lots of research
Today was spent in researching a sewing technique that is essential to the fit of the doublet. Pad Stitch. I spent a couple of hours reading, rereading, watching videos, image looking. I can't quite wrap my brains around the pad stitch. Will most likely have to suck it up and just try on some scrap fabrics once I cut the doublet out of the canvas, wool, and linen. In the mean time, here are some of my research links:
Sempstress
Rory Duffy
This lady on YouTube
Mathew Gnagy (whose book The Modern Maker is what I'm following along with to make the doublet)
Day 4:
I went to JoAnn Fabrics to pick up the wool felt I needed for the padding in the doublet. Awesomeness was purchasing online for in-store pick up. There was a line, but when Micheila came up to help at the register, she let me cut the whole line since I wasn't buying anything more than the fabric I ordered and already paid for. The little old biddies who were complaining about the long wait were all chagrined when I got to cut the line. Nya nya.
Finished the Greek Key pattern block on the blackwork sampler. Did a block that looked rather like a stained glass window. Started a snail block. Love the snails. They're super cute. They will eventually be alternating direction.
Day 5:
I spent a little bit of time trying to work pad stitching. It's actually kind of amazing how the shape forms from the stitches. The nice thing about the pad stitched pieces I was working is that they are not on the outer fashion fabric so I didn't have to worry about how small the stitches were on the back. All parts of my stitching will be covered by the outer fabric and inner lining.
Hopefully this video links.
I also started some thread wrapped buttons (which I'll be teaching a class on soon for Shire A&S night) and did some more work on the snail block.