The New Dream, Revisited

“Rapunzel…you were my new dream.”

Holy cow, guys, remember this project? :-P

RapunzelDress, Part One

RapunzelDress, Part Two

I’ve done a lot of soul-searching since the last time I posted on this subject. In that time, I’d pretty much decided to let go of the Rapunzel Costume idea, as I can’t afford proper materials, have no place to wear it (can’t afford tickets to Festivals and such), and my sewing skills just aren’t up to the challenge of corsetry and working with slippery satin and/or taffeta. And I wasn’t sure I’d really be comfortable togged out as a Disney Princess and possibly getting mobbed by squealing munchkins, anyhow. :-P

Anton Argentos:

So ja, yet another dream sacrificed to grim Reality…. *melodramatic tragic pose*

Isabella:

*Pinches nose-bridge*

Bramblerose Cottonwool:

Ooh, I’m gonna cry! *Sob*

~*~The Pixie~*~

There, there, dear. *PatPat*

Gilbert Sherwyn:

We pretty much knew it would happen.

However…!

Sometimes, when I give up on a pet dream, the Lord turns around and gives it back to me. 

With a recent thrifting expedition, new inspiration has come. You might say the project has risen from the ashes, after a fashion.

Jason Windrider:

Did…did you just…?

Ember MacTavish:

Tehehe—*snort*

OK, yeah, bad pun. :-P

One of the local charity shops yielded this lovely poly "taffeta" party-frock, in what looks like the perfect sugarplum-purple for Rapunzel’s skirt and half-off, too!

Mind you, I generally don’t go for these dusty-lavender/mauvey colors (they tend to look drab and muddy, especially next to my other true-lavenders)…but this project is the exception. One of those “X-Y-Z” situations.*

The dress looks like it was originally strapless, and someone added these grape-purple straps later. Probably the color choice was to tie in the sash. Both are for the chop, as the color doesn’t blend with the main dress, IMHO.

Crummy interior shot :-P
Home-machine-stitching visible
at top of front bodice curve

 

My plan (Lord willing) is to take the skirt off the top and adjust the fit from there. Ideally, I’d love to get some self-colored (or slightly deeper) textured or printed fabric for a center panel, and a lighter, matching fabric for the new bodice.

 

And don’t worry; the old bodice won’t go to waste. I intent to try adn get a matching purse out of it!

I actually have my eye on some satin jacquard/brocade on Etsy at the mo’, which comes in both "Plum" and "Lavender" shades.

 

Looks paler than IRL,
but this stuff is hard to photograph
because SHINY

I also picked up "0.625 yard" (so…a little over half a yard? UGH, decimals) of flannel-backed satin in "Orchid" color, courtesy of Jo-Ann’s remnant bins. Haven’t decided whether to line the bodice with it (Lord willing I get the brocade), or make a blouse to go under the same.

As you can see, it’s a bit "bluer" than the dress/skirt, but I think it has enough pink to blend all right.

This pic closest to satin’s actual color

The biggest decision now is how to make the bodice. The movie costume looks like a corset or pair of stays (similar to Redthreaded’s Regency Stays pattern, sorta), worn over a separate blouse. But I may opt for a simplified princess-seam bodice and throw some zip-ties in the seams. In that instance, the blouse would just be a peasant-blouse made from some pink gauze from The Stash, with the purple puff-sleeves being attached to the bodice.

 …which wouldn’t be screen-accurate, but I think it’d be more attainable for my skill level.

 

So that’s the latest on this particular pet project. It’s on the backest of back burners (actually, I’m not sure it’s even on the stove), but at least I have some of the materials, and can work on it as I’m able.

Wish me luck!

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

God bless,

~R~

* “X-Y-Z” situation(s) = An instance when one departs from a preferential norm in favor of something one generally tends to dislike. Based on the statement, “I generally don’t like [X-Y-Z]…except when I do.”

~Tom’s Dictionary of Whacked-out Terms and Old Family Sayings

Crafty Corner | “Briar Rose,” Part Three

BriarRose, Part One
BriarRose, Part Two

Admittedly, my enthusiasm for this project fizzled out after a while. Part of it was due to being sick of the whole quarantine malarkey (heh, me and everyone else in the wonky world, I daresay), but another part was an odd reluctance to tackle re-drafting my princess-seam pattern.

It didn’t make sense that I’d have kept my bodice pattern, but not the full-length dress. And what about all the different-shaped neckline supplements I’d labored over? Had I tossed them, too? ’Cos I sure couldn’t find them, either, despite looking through both supply closets in the sewing room. It irked me, to be honest, that I’d have (apparently) been stupid enough to toss a pattern made specifically for my somewhat odd proportions. As my Elven characters are so fond of saying, it is not wisdom.

Fast-forward to sometime in mid-May. Mom and I were sorting through our various pillow-forms in one of said supply closets—determining just how many pillows we really need in this house—when what should come crashing down on Mom’s head but…my princess-seam dress pattern! Complete with neckline supplements!
Quoth I: “Where was this six months ago, when I searched every inch of these closets for it?!” (Well, obviously not *every* inch, LOL)

That’s the good news.

The bad news is…I just don’t enjoy sewing that much. I love the design process—possibly my favorite part of any creative endeavor, TBH—and it’s exciting when the construction phase gets to that “hey, it’s starting to look like something!” point.

However, cutting out fabric (especially in complex shapes) has always scared me, and frankly, my skills just aren’t on the same level as my vision. I can do basic sewing pretty well, but the more formal garments I’ve made myself always turned out looking like a fifth grade Home Ec project (back when schools actually taught sewing classes, oy).

And of course, once you’ve cut a piece of fabric, there’s no going back. It’s not like yarnwork or beaded jewelry, where you can just disassemble the thing if it doesn’t work out. I mean, you could re-cut the fabric into something smaller, but…yeah. I decided I didn’t need that kind of stress in my already stressful life.

Another fact I had to admit was that I’m not as fond of pink as I once was (haven’t been for the last decade, really), and a solid-pink dress just seemed like a bit much. A bit too girly and floofy, especially with white lace trim.

We’d toyed with the idea of putting the roses on a white dress—even thought of refashioning Mom’s 1970’s-style wedding gown!—but vetoed the idea, as white is hard to keep clean, and frankly…who wears white dresses these days, save brides?

Fast-forward again to this past Wednesday, when Mom and I spotted this white tunic/short dress at the local Goodwill.

It’s made of an interesting knit fabric, which we thought would go well with the crocheted roses. While it’s too short to wear as a dress (for my taste, anyhow), it’s a graceful length for a tunic with fitted trousers, or even a flared A-line skirt. I may even wear my old pink mock-up (featured in Part One) under it.
It’s fitted, but not skin-tight, and the material is soft and stretchy enough that it’s easy to move around in. I love this flared style, and the vertical lines are quite flattering on me. Really, my only beef is that the “stripes” aren’t quite centered. *ERGLE* Aw well, can’t have everything. :-P

Imagine vines between the blossoms,
and more leaves and flowers, and....

I played around with what colored motifs I had, and I must say, I’m quite in love with it, overall. The pink and green on the white background is so fresh and clean-looking.
I’m not 100% sold on the lower arm design; the Rosebud and Half-open Rose don’t quite feel right, and the Full-blown Rose seems a bit much. I may work up a miniature version of the hem border….

Also, the area between the hem and the waist looks a bit bare, and I’m not sure I want an actual “belt”/girdle at the waist.

That said, I love the large rose and cascading leaf design at the sleeve-head and neckline, and the Rosebud at the shoulder. Will probably tweak the Half-open Rose and leaf placement once I get the Vine made and sewn down.
I’m also debating whether to decorate the back of the tunic or leave it relatively plain.

So yeah; I still have a bit of work to do on this project—mainly crocheting a few more flowers, and lots more leaflets—but not nearly as much as when this was going to be a full-on party-frock! >_< I think this approach will be more realistically achievable, and be more comfortable to wear in Real Life. Let’s face it; the long dress would only have been suitable for square dances—which I didn’t attend very often even when they were still a thing (darn you, COVID!). A tunic is still elegant and feminine, but less formal and potentially costumey.

I am so looking forward to finishing this project!

Until next time, Gentle Readers,
God bless,

~ℛ~

Crafty Corner: "Briar Rose" Dress | Part Two

Briar Rose, Part One

As Officer Bill Gannon (Harry Morgan) once said, “Like the Pilgrims, we’re making a little progress.” (Name that line!)

This afternoon, I dug out my bodice mock-up for this project and laid out the motifs...quickly realizing my original design wasn’t going to work. See, the dress mock-up I used before is Empire-waisted, whereas the actual dress will be princess-seamed, which made placement a bit difficult. I felt that having two lines of trim down the center-front panel would look too busy with the vines covering the seams, but leaving it out made the middle look bare:

So I played around with a couple different options, once again adding white leaves as place-holders, since I ran out of greens. I also ran out of whites eventually, as you’ll see. But it gives a general idea of the new designs...and how many more leaves I’ll need to make....

Option 1: V-neck and pointed waist trimmed with Irish crochet beading; rose-vines all-over, w/most embellishment in center-front.

I think my idea here was to have a vine running more or less up the middle, snaking its way between the main flowers, then branching off at the Full-blown Rose at the point of the neckline, ending with a Rosebut at the top of each shoulder, and one vine branching off along the side where those random white leaves are. I was trying to keep that large leaf grouping that went along the French dart on the dress mock-up. The Full-blown Roses at the waist will just have a small stem running up between the leaflets.

Option 2: Similar to #1, but with Beading along neckline and princess-seams (the latter extending to hem, perpendicular to hem-trim). Leaf groupings at sides and shoulder-seams.

As you can see, I ran out of leaves and trim, so you’ll just have to imagine the design on the right side of the bodice being mirrored on the left.

This of course means making more leaflets, and one more Rosebud. Which is fine...only I’m running low on the bright-pink thread for the scalloped edge, and I can’t seem to find it online (and of course I can’t go thrifting, either).

I’ll keep looking....

Initially, I thought this incarnation to be my favorite, as it certainly fills up the blank spaces on the sides...but looking at the simplicity of the first picture, this one feels a bit too crowded. On the plus side, having the trim run vertically all the way down will be potentially more flattering than adding a false waist. So I’ll have to play with it some more....

Crafty Corner: “Briar Rose” Dress | Part One

If anything good has come of this madness sweeping the world these days, and the subsequent “stay home” orders of one sort or another...it’s that people now have more time to do those “fun little extra” things they’ve always wanted (or been meaning) to do, but never had the time before. Many people are seeing this as an opportunity to be creative, and do something positive and beautiful (or at least enjoyable) during these crazy times.

Today, I’m going to share with you one of my pet projects, which up until recently, I’ve only been able (or motivated) to work on once a week, at best: A pink dress embellished with Irish crochet lace motifs. But first, a little history....

Back in ’03, my mother bought me a copy of Irish Crochet (originally published as Priscilla Irish Crochet Book in 1909) as a graduation present, and ever since, I’ve had a dream to make up some of the beautiful motifs within its pages.

It should come as no surprise that I chose the “Wild Rose Design” as the project of choice when I finally decided to fulfill that dream. 😊

Over the years since then, I’ve dabbled with various projects in the book, but never really finished anything (surprise, surprise :-P). After a few false starts in 2017-18, I began working up the various components of the Wild Rose, along with a dainty beading-lace to use as trim. Mind you, the directions are a bit vague in places, and my rose-petals ended up with a big gap between the first and last. Additionally, I wasn’t satisfied with the look of the half-open roses and rosebuds in the original, so I’ve developed my own method of working them, which I’ll share in a separate post.

My plan (Lord willing) is to sew these motifs and trims onto a seven-paneled princess seam dress, with a V neckline and bishop-sleeves, to wear in the Spring and possibly early Summer. I had hoped to have it ready for the annual Square Dance Festival during Boatnik this year...but what with the madness going on in the world, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was canceled along with everything else. ☹

On the plus side, that would give me a whole ’nuther year to get it ready... which is good, considering I ended up needing almost 500 leaflets for the skirt alone, if I’m doing my math right.... O.O

This is not the actual dress, BTW—just an old, old mock-up I had kicking around (which will probably end up as lining for the dress), and the sleeve mock-up I made to see if I’d like the puffy bishop-sleeve look (which I do). I just laid these out to get a feel for how the motifs would look on a garment, and to help finalize the designs.

I’m in the process of re-drafting my own pattern, as I seem to have stupidly tossed my original. *Facepalm* Thankfully, I still have my princess-seam bodice pattern, so I can use it as a starting point. Needed tweaking, anyhow, as I made it when I was about five pounds heavier, LOL.

Now you see why I need
so many leaflets, LOL

Each skirt panel will have the design shown at left, only with two of each size of rose, ending with a rosebud at the top.
(Note: All the leaves and vines will be green in the finished product; I just had white ones on hand when I took these pix. And there will be stems connecting the leaves and blossoms to the vines.)

For the sleeves, I plan to use two of this grouping (right), suspended in a fine mesh to make armbands. I’m debating whether to make the mesh white, green, or pink, and whether or not to cut away the fabric under the armband.

CU of armband design

I promise I rotated this in PaintShop.
WHY YOU NO ALIGN PROPERLY?!

These pictures show the two options I was debating on for the bodice embellishment. Personally, I prefer the laced look (will be using a thinner cord; this was just what I had on hand), although the first design is quite dainty and reminds me of traditional German or Scandinavian costumes. Hmmm....
(For the record, the right-hand side of the bodice in the second picture shows the final embellishment design, which of course will be mirrored on the finished dress.) Eventually, there will be more of this pretty little lace trim along all the princess-seams, and at the hem, in addition to the neck, waist, and bodice trimming pictured here. I may put some on the cuffs of the sleeves, unless I choose to elasticate them instead.

This photo (taken several weeks after the others) shows the different options for the vines: Emerald-green, Green Variegated, and Sage-green, with the new Small Leaves in Sage Green. I thought I had a nice honey-brown in the size I’ve been using (#30 crochet thread, for the curious)...but nope! And of course I can’t go thrifting for new thread right now, so...green it is! —of one sort or another....

I’m really looking forward to having this gorgeous frock in my wardrobe. It’s been a long time since I had a pink dress, plus I love the idea of using the creative talents God has given me to make something beautiful.

Now if I could just get over my irrational aversion to finalizing my pattern and cutting out the fabric....

Your opinion matters! Should I make the armband mesh white, green, or pink? Should I cut away the fabric under it or leave it solid underneath?

Which bodice embellishment design do you like better: Decorative lacing, or tiny roses?

Which vine color do you like best: Emerald-green, Green Variegated, or Sage-green?

Cast your votes in the comments!

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

God bless,

stay safe,

and be well!

~ℛ~

New Year’s Reflections

Lord, help me be all You want me to be

Help me find what You have in mind for me.

Let me look to You

In all I do;

Help me be all You want me to be.

~Go For the Goal!

Who am I, really? Probably every person on the planet asks themselves that question. Each of us goes through a journey of self-discovery on the road of life, and for the Christian, it involves finding God’s purpose for us in this life, in preparation for our Eternal one.

I’ve been through a lot in my life, not least of which has been the ongoing study of fashion and how it affects one’s looks, and as a tool for self-expression. It’s fascinating, learning how the right colors can bring an otherwise dull complexion to life, or how certain styles can enhance the best features of even the most “awkward” figure, while gently downplaying the perceived “faults.” How certain styles, colors, and embellishments can reflect one’s personality. There’s nothing wrong with this, in and of itself…but to obsess over one’s looks is not only wicked; it’s unhealthy. To elevate the outward appearance to such an important status that it overshadows the inner being—the character and heart-attitudes that are of more worth to God than mere looks—can bring a load of grief. Stress and anxiety from self-imposed standards (admittedly gleaned from the media of our society). Depression that one doesn’t fit the mold of what the world deems “attractive.” Spending money on clothes (or materials to make them) in hopes that they will somehow bring happiness and beauty to one’s life. (And in my case, added to the mix is the delusion that by dressing similarly to my favorite fictional characters, I could somehow be like them, a part of the world they live in.)

I’ve been there, and it’s not fun.

This has resulted in boxes overflowing with potential sewing projects—many of them fabulous and exciting…but not especially practical outside ComiCon or a Ren Fest. (And now that there’s a bit more of me than there was at eighteen, some styles I’ve chosen aren’t even flattering anymore.) You’ve heard me mention the “ginormous pile of sewing” looming over me for many years—usually as a joke, but with a real undercurrent of stress…which has often affected my health and threatened my sanity. I’m convinced this is NOT what God intended when He gave me my imagination, my powers of analysis and creativity, and ability to work with my hands.

By God’s grace, I was FINALLY able to whittle down my sewing and alterations this year. I’m gradually developing a better sense of my personal style—slowly separating the fantastical dreams from the pretty-but-practical Reality.

I’m tired of obsessing over my looks and my wardrobe. Tired of trying to look like an Elf, or a Hobbit-lass, or a Disney Princess, or even a heroine from my own books. I’m even getting tired of trying to do my hair in elegant updos and romantic curly styles…only to end up with Anna’s Bed-head or Bad ’80s Frizz at the end of the day. I’m tired of trying to be pretty and ending up looking awkward and overdressed.

In other words, I’m tired of trying to be something I’m not and making myself miserable. It’s time to stop play-acting, find out exactly who I am and what that looks like, and be content. And if that means T-shirts instead of peasant blouses, knits and rayon instead of chiffon and lace, and “normal/modern” styles instead of Regency frocks and female Robin Hood-esque ensembles…then so be it.

She wears short skirts,

I wear T-shirts—

Um, Anton?

She wears high heels,

I wear sneakers—

Pixie….

She’s cheer captain, and—

I’M ON THE BLEACHERS!!!

I’m ashamed we even know that song….

Thanks a HEAP, you guys. :-P

Aw, you were being so serious; we just had to liven things up a bit.

We thought we’d end your post on a happy note. *Silvery laugh* :-D

*Eyeroll* Or a silly one. Aw well, I appreciate the thought, anyhow.

Anyroad, I believe God is slowly showing me who I really am—gradually stripping away the veneers and masks I’ve put on over the years. Telling me it’s OK if I can’t look like my favorite characters—I can still enjoy them. That I don’t have to dress like my alter ego and other heroines from my own books in order to bring their stories to life. That dressing myself one way and my heroines another way isn’t hypocrisy; it’s realistic.

You’re being serious again.

Because this is a serious subject, sirrah. Stop interrupting.

*Salutes* Yes, sir, ma’am!

My head is full of goofballs. :-P

I sense that 2017 will be a year of change and discovery…a year of letting go of the misconceptions I’ve formed about myself and what defines and enriches my life…and perhaps about others, too. A year of doing, not just dreaming. And I know that, with God’s help, it will be.

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

God bless,

~R~

Midway Check List

So here we are at the middle of the year. Only six months left in 2016. Zowie! Where does the time go??

Methought it fitting to check up on the goals I made back in January and see how I’m doing….

(All pix via Pinterest unless otherwise noted)

Writing Goals:

 ·        Finish first draft of Prince Nácil.

Haven’t done this yet, but I’m plugging away at it as inspiration hits. I’ll have to go some to get it finished by New Year 2017, though. (And my offer still stands for anyone who wants to beta-read it.)

Jane Foster and Elsie Douglas.
Looking forward to working with these two cuties!

 ·        Plot out the Main Series. Need to give more serious thought to this. I think I know about where it ends, so at least I have a goal to shoot for….

Stardust, the silver Water-dragoness,
who hoards books instead of shinies. ;-)

·         Organize/finalize other series/story-arcs, including dramatus personae. I drew up a sort of “timeline” to help me visualize how all the story-arcs connect with the Main Series (and each other in some cases), but I’m still debating on some of the cast. I did bite the bullet and include The Pirate-hunter in Ýdára (since the protagonist and her love interest were essentially the same characters as two others in this world), so now I get to tweak backstories and add pirates to the mix of baddies my Characters have to fight. Um, yay? ;-)

·       Read/re-read snippets from fellow “scribblers” and send feedback. The two shorter ones are DONE, *confetti* and I’m working my way through the largest one…and then I discovered another snippet I’d forgotten about. *D’oh!* So, we make a little progress….

·        Write review for Water Princess, Fire Prince.

Mock Cover by R.R. Goodwill

·       
DONE! Posted on Amazon. And eventually, I need to revamp my mock-cover. This one is blocky at best, and the Kastle is totally wrong.... /SELF-CRITICISM
Host a Blog Party for my Imaginary Worlds.
In progress. Some of my Characters started talking to me, Real Life stuff happened (Whatcha gonna do when the well… needs sanitizin’…honey?), so preparing Party Posts wasn’t a top priority. But I’d still like to do it eventually…I’m thinking sometime in September, so’s I can feature the Pirate-hunter bits on Talk Like a Pirate Day. :-D Annnnnd…since I have several worlds, and they’re all more or less intricate, I may have to break up the Party into several. Or keep what I share about each to a minimum. Cue more pondering….

Sewing and Crafty Goals:

·        SEW ALL THE THINGS!!! Actually…the Lord finally got it through my thick skull that I really don’t *need* any more clothes. He’s provided some very nice “normal” frocks via the local thrift stores, so that takes the pressure off me to sew everything in order to have stuff to wear. It’s so freeing, really, to know my fabrics are packed away in a bin for when I need them—later. I do still intend to make up the embroidered things (including my Rapunzel costume), and there are a few items that won’t take too long to alter for the Summer and Fall. But there’s no huge rush for the rest now. *Ahhhh….*

·        Design/make jewelry to match outfits. In progress. I’m still kinda figuring out my personal style—what I like to look at and design often isn’t what I’m comfortable wearing. Plus a lot of my clothes either don’t need jewelry, or the necklines aren’t conducive to wearing a necklace with them. Then, too, there’s Summertime, when it’s just too hot to have stuff around one’s neck. That’s where my earrings get to come out and play, I guess. So yeah. Still tinkering….

·        Post new Etsy listings regularly. Och, I’ve been a bad girl here. Haven’t posted as often as I intended to so far. Need to get on the ball….

·        Finish knitting and crochet WIPs. Five little bears—DONE. Bearington—DONE. Afghan—In progress. Need 52 of one type of hexagon, 11 Dragon hexagons, and 26 half-hexagons to filling around the edges. Currently have about 45 hexagons made, plus one completed Dragon hexagon (actually two; I just haven’t sewn the Dragon to the patch yet). Six other Dragons made, but a few need tweaking before I make the hexagon part around them. Also need to figure out how to crochet a half-hexagon….

·        Knit some ear-warmers. Haven’t even started on this yet.

·        “Pixie Bonnet” —In  progress. Decided not to buy the knitted “Pixie-hat” pattern when I found this FREE crocheted one late last month. I’m using two colors of yarn worked together, and crocheting gives a better “tweed” texture than knitting, anyhow.

Other Goals:

·        Stay on schedule. Eh…sorta-kinda-almost. I have a loose routine I’m following right now, but it’s not set in writing.

·        Get E-Sword on my computer. *Sigh* Haven’t done this, either. But I am trying to read a chapter a day as possible, so at least I’m not totally neglecting my Spiritual life…quite.

·        Redecorate my room. Sold my fancy furniture the Winter and now have a much simpler, less imposing bed and nightstand, and a big desk (on extended loan from our pastor’s wife) that has a fold-down easel and a light-panel for artwork. Right now, it serves as a computer desk, but I do hope to use it for art eventually, too. Not sure I’ll actually do the tole-painting, since both the desk and nightstand are on loan from other people…and not that much of the bedframe shows anyhow. I may re-finish it, though, as the old finish is kinda messed up. Not even thinking about painting the walls/trim or hanging prisms this year.

·        Exercise more. I try to take a coupe laps around the drive when the weather is good, but that’s about it. And I try to do some stretches in the evenings….

So, not doing as well as I hoped…but then, maybe I bit off more than I can chew. :-P

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

God bless,

~R~

The New Dream: Take 2

“What if it’s not everything I always dreamed of?”

Y’know that Rapunzel-inspired Party Frock I posted about a while back?

Since then, the more I looked at my fabrics, the more I began to have serious doubts about the whole mixed-prints thing…especially once I realized I couldn’t embroider the skirt (well, I could, but it would have been too busy with the print), and I did so want to embroider it.

I did some more thinking and rather confused praying about it, afterwards getting a second opinion from Mom. The resolution I came to as a result is this: I’ve had this dream for nearly six years; it’s something close to my heart—something very special to me—I don’t want to botch it up. Mom encouraged me to get solid-colored fabrics for the skirt and sleeves because that’s what I really wanted, and we both knew I just wouldn’t be happy with the mixed prints. I’ve done this to myself so many times in the past—wanting to recreate a favorite movie costume (or a more modest version thereof *cough*), visualizing it in my mind, having a goal for how to make it…and then either cheated myself with incorrect fabrics and/or messed up the project out of impatience, or just given up entirely.

I don’t want to settle for “close enough” or “sorta inspired by” just because that’s what I could afford/find locally, when just a little more effort (and admittedly, a little more $$$) can bring me closer to my goal.

No, I am NOT going to spend upwards of $20 a yard for the “authentic” design printed on silk. That were obsession. I have, however, taken Mom’s advice and purchased three yards of solid orchid-purple cotton, and half a yard of lighter purple, from a couple of Etsy stores. And here they are:

L-R: Kona Cotton "Wisteria" (upper sleeves),
Printed Bodice Fabric,
Kona Cotton "Crocus" (skirt)

 (Pardon the wrinkles; I haven’t had time to iron them yet.)

So now I can embroider the skirt like I wanted, PTL! And I’ve decided to use the embroidery patternfrom the movie costume. I mean, come on, if I’m going to make a Rapunzel dress, I should go ahead and make a Rapunzel dress, wot? Plus it’s so cute and fun and, well, Rapunzel-y! This graphic (thumbs-up to whoever made it) gives a pretty good idea of how the embroidery is laid out, so hopefully I can correlate it with the actual patterns.

I’d still really like to have the front panel be printed, but this print doesn’t come in a deeper orchid-purple. Not sure I could successfully over-dye it, either, so I’ll probably just make the whole skirt out of the “Crocus” fabric.

Also kinda waffling on whether to go with the “all purple” color scheme like I originally planned, or to take that extra step and make pink lower sleeves, get pink piping and lacing, and add pink and blue to the embroidery. It looks great on Rapunzel, of course, and on little girls…but on me? Feels like it’d be a bit young, and I don’t want to look like a refugee from Disneyland (or and Easter egg, LOL).

Cue more thinking and praying….

And don’t worry about the swirly print; I love it too much in its own right to toss it. In fact, by God’s grace I discovered I can get a whole dress out of my 3 ½+ yards, with a little careful pattern placement. So hurrah! I get a purple Summer frock, too. :-D

I’ll admit, I was ready to give up on this project for a time, but God has brought me this far with it—providing for the materials—and confirmed it through Mom’s encouragement. I can only trust that He’ll guide me through to the end.

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

God bless,

~R~