slow progress...

...but progress nonetheless.  I've almost finished the little pair of drawers, petticoat, and corded stay for Victoria.  I just have the bazillion buttons and buttonholes to put in.  Fun stuff.  If I can manage to catch her, I'll try to snap a photo of her in them.  At any rate, I'll post pictures of the undies as soon as I can get a day with sunshine.  Hopefully tomorrow.

In other news, I'm searching out a polka dot fabric to make this dress for her, but have had no luck as yet.  A few options at the local Hobby Lobby, but none in a color that would suit her -- she needs blue, purple or green.  I did find a grey polka dot, but I'm already planning a grey wool coat for her and that feels like enough for me. I still need more white cotton for a new petticoat for moi, and some new fabric for a nice, but serviceable dress.  Then I need to figure out what to line my brown straw bonnet with.  ??  Lawn?  Netting?  I'm not very good at lining straw bonnets...

At the rate of my progression, I might have to beg some friends to help me finish some of this!

In the meantime, I'm doodling with a pair of shoes for Victoria.  I had planned on making her some gaiters to match mine.  I learned how to make gaiters for myself at a workshop last year, but I'm going to re-do them with different fabric and with toe foxing that goes up higher on my foot.  (My toes are weird, so I have to really make an effort to encase them in the foxing so that the shoe doesn't look funny on my feet.)  To that end, I acquired a hide of 2-3oz glazed brown leather, and it's pretty.  It's gotten me rather excited about Victoria's new shoes.  Or boots rather.  (Boots!  Tee hee!)

So...I've made the canvas mock-up above using the sole pattern from Every Lady Her Own Shoemaker, and altered the upper considerably to create the boot.  I think I'm going to make the heel foxing a litlte taller, too.  I'm going to making these with laces, rather than a button closure, simply because it's easier for me right now, plus the little girl in the polka dot dress has laced-up shoes, and I have a bizarre obsession with reproducing clothes from photographs.

Anyone know what kind of shoelaces they had back then, or what I can use for these?  I haven't a clue.

I've fitted this mock-up on her -- they seem slightly large, but I think I'm going to take the plunge and make them up in the leather anyway.  Leather will stretch, and she'll be able to grow into them (hopefully).  It'll take me a while, but I'll use the machine for a lot of it (Cody Mobley would probably be shocked).  I sure hate to waste too much time on them considering the amount of clothes I have to finish by April 27th, but she can't wear her other shoes, so hers are sort of a priority.  After all, I can get away with wearing my boots if I have to.

If I can make my gaiters, I'm going to be making them in a brown linen/cotton stripe, heavily lined with duck for stability.  Here's a photo of the linen/cotton fabric with the glazed brown leather for the foxing:

Exciting stuff!  I'll get back to it now.

Amy xoxoxo