Hanging Clothes and a Persistent Cat...

Here we go on Juliet's costume... I used an antique handkerchief for the sleeves, skirt insert and neck insert.  The rest is silk.

I built the sleeves as a unit, the skirt as a unit and the bodice as another.

The ribbon braid that I used is an antique Chinese ribbon.  I keep using it sparingly, because, I won't ever be able to find more.  It looks to be hand woven, with gold threads running throughout.  The thread for the whole thing is about the size of a human hair. 

 I had no pattern for this.  When making mini clothes, I do it by picturing in my mind's eye, then cutting the pieces and sewing and gluing.

For those of you that don't know, I was an art major in college with a leaning towards fashion and history of fashion.  This makes it very easy to come up with the right design for mini costuming.  I have been doing that for about thirty years now, so I had better be able to whip something up.

As you can see, I lined the bodice with light weight pellon.  This is to insure that it lays right  and makes it easier to put the trim in place.  I glued it to the silk, clipped it and folded the edges to the back side. Then I glued the side seams together.

This allows me to glue the premade sleeves in the arm holes. It also allows me to work without worry when attaching trims.

The method for attaching sleeves and skirt was to put glue along the inside edges of the waist and sleeve holes and gently ease in the edge of the sleeves and skirt.

I let those dry.  Then I glued on the green ribbons. I made them look like they had some weight by lightly gluing just spots of them to the skirt with twists and turns as I went.    

The last step was to pin it to the board in a shape that was believable.  Everything had to sag a bit. I started at the back of the neck and worked my way down.  When it was to my satisfaction, I made sure that it would hang from one of the branches of the candle tree. 

After I take it off of the pin board, I will shape it some more, so that it doesn't look flat.  The rest will have to wait until it is sprayed and thoroughly dry...Tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I have another problem...I have been working on a new cat cozy for Widget.  This one is going to have a roof, an opening for getting in and out and maybe a couple of windows, so that he can see outside.

The only problem is...He knows it's his.  He and Tessie think alike.  They have been talking behind my back!

As soon as it even resembled his other basket, he was in it like a flash.  That look on his face says, "This is mine!  Hurry up and finish it!"  Does that sound like anybody else we know?

I got him out of it long enough to start building up the sides and start weaving the doorway.  I ran out of magazine reeds.  I started rolling more, but I think that this is going to take a whole year of Architectural Digests and a lot more time keeping Widget away from it. 

Maybe I could put it on a turntable and work around him?

See you tomorrow.