

The lace trim needed to be dyed. It was too pristine white for what I wanted. I dipped the white rayon venetian lace in a dye bath of watered down ecru silk dye (with a bit of "Airfix" so I wouldn't have to rely on heat setting it), and then dabbed it with some watered down brown by the same manufacturer. Finally, I spritzed it with a bit of brown shoe paint. I think it now has that dingy, aged look I was seeking.
I then moved on to the center front panels. The original thought was to make the front look like it was laced together, but I didn't want to really do that as it would be too complicated for the average person to put on... So I opted for making a "faux-lacing" front by sewing ribbon trim on by machine that centered on a row of buttons which would make the vest button up just like any other vest. I needed a particular color of ribbon, though, otherwise I felt it would look a bit too "costumey" (haha--not like the rest of it doesn't look that way! LOL!). So I chose two ribbons and sewed them together to create a look that fits closer into the rest of the color palette and textures of the rest of the materials. By layering these two ribbons together, I got a slightly reflective blue look with tints of shiny brown to tone down the electric blue. It ended up sort of "coppery", which would match the intricate buttons I selected quite nicely.


So when it's all done, the overlapping portions of the vest will line up and the lacing will mirror itself on each side of the front panels.
Tonight, I continue cutting out the rest of the panels along the vest, as well as the lining. I've discovered that the materials I have selected aren't necessarily as firm and substantial as I'd like--they just don't have a weight that I would consider sturdy enough to measure up to the velour cape and hood. So I've decided to flat line them with a layer of cotton, which will add a bit of body to them. Without it, the vest will simply be too flimsy, and it'll look cheaply made since the materials don't have a commensurately balanced structure.
Alrighty! More coming up soon as I progress even further. Soon I'll be drafting up the pattern for the cloak and hood, and trying it out in some cheap material for a "mockup" before I cut it out of the real material. I don't have patterns for those pieces yet, so I'll have to develop them. That'll be fun! More on that later!
Thanks to everyone who offered me advice on the mockingbird problems I was having... It's still there (it's smarter now--it's moved to a tree that's very very tall and no one can reach it...), but I'm getting used to it. I've taken to putting the fan on at night for white noise. Turns out the earplugs weren't the cause of my sinus headaches--I actually have a slight cold which I've alleviated with medication--so I'm wearing them again and they're helping a great deal! Woohoo!
Okay, until next time, Live life with Relish!
Wow Corey - that is just yummy! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kris! LOL! It's always a trip to know people from my past are reading this! LOL! I appreciate it! : )
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