Here I Am!

Bless those of you who have remarked on the conspicuous absence of  Napple Waffle recently. I can now reveal the culprit which took over most of my spare time during daylight hours...this!

OK, so I only took one photo and didn't check I'd got the whole thing in the picture.

But the pointy bit at the bottom, looks exactly the same as the
rest, anyway. Hehehe!
You see, last time my daughter and her family came to see me, the weather was decidedly chilly, and I lent her my poncho to sit in. "Oo, Mum I'd like one of these - but I'd need the neck a bit smaller..."
So I can take a hint...
I had a rather large cone of a wool and silk mix tucked away in a 'safe place', so after they'd gone home, I started on the first of the 192 squares it took to complete.
The wool had not been washed after spinning and dying, so it had about it a somewhat pungent aroma of sheep and chemicals, as well as a rather coarse feel.
But a machine wash in Woolite worked wonders. It now smells sweet and feels as soft and cuddly as one could wish. Normal service may well be resumed forthwith...

My home made pattern instructions have now been posted on In Tandem, for those who wish to have a go at making one for themselves.

Hurrah For The Smitten Image!

No, this is not an advert for a destroyed work of art, smitten by some dire blow from an unseen hand, but a heartfelt THANK YOU extended to one of my long term Blog pals, Hilary. I strongly recommend you go and visit her IMMEDIATELY!  In  this Smitten Image post  she explains, far better than I could, exactly how to rid our screens of Blogger's latest excruciating and farcical Word Verification.

What possessed the originators?
The black and white Ink Blot Alphabet was enough to make all compositors turn in the graves, where no doubt, they had been dispatched at an early age by the resultant heart attacks caused by this insult to calligraphy.
As to the aspersions cast on the intelligence of Bloggers, implying they needed to think more about the word verification letters they were asked to type - well - words fail me!

Please, think seriously about following Hilary's concise instructions for removing this scourge from our busy blogging lives! And take a few minutes to watch the YouTube clip Broken Biro introduced.

Down to basics

Intermission over, I continue from Not Quite Treading The Boards...

Corsets! The costumes for myself and two other ladies I dressed,* had to begin with these old fashioned garments. This picture from Google is similar enough to the ones I made from unbleached calico and boning, to give you a good idea of what ours were like.

Next I had to create voluminous cotton petticoats, demure mob caps and dainty muslin or lace fichus which would give the finishing touches to yet more curtain material gowns - which were the things I enjoyed sewing most.

We were given diagrams which explained the complex stitching of tape loops needed under the skirts, so that a draw string threaded through them could create soft drapes like paniers at the side, or a bustle at the back of each skirt.

The head gear started life as modern sunhats which I  steamed, re-shaped and painted, in the case of the one for My Lady.

Then in a charity shop I found a pair of black brogues, similar to these, for maidservant Prudence, while the other ladies wore  simple flat shoes, and we were ready for the show to begin...

Continued from earlier post...*HERE 

Through the week, I'd intended to tell a couple of fun stories associated with all these theatrical shenanigans, but once I began writing, it turned into something else. Bear with me, the funny bits will surface eventually... Meantime, I'll share a little more with Sepia Saturday, whatever colour the post turns out to be...
Still to be continued...