Catching Up

Catching up! I finished the earrings for my outfit. I needed a bunch of real pearls so I bought inexpensive freshwater pearl earrings and “harvested” the pearls—which already had pendant settings.

Using gold plated jump rings, I attached the pearls to the previously made chandeliers. I then finished with the gold ring for the ears. I need to tighten up some of the silver wire, but I am pretty pleased with them.

I’ve also finished my petticoat/underskirt, except for waistband hooks (on order). I used softened box pleats to attach the skirt to the waistband. Hubby once again helped level the skirt. I had to do so at the top as there is a decorative hem already. It is a bit shorter than I like, but that will help the pretty silk to survive the dust.

Sleeves

I broke the sleeves down into upper and lower pieces, cutting them out separately. I made the straight lower sections by making tapered cylinders with rolled seams. The upper puffy sections I cut in an ogee shape, a yard long.

 

I created knife pleats along both longer sides, fitting them to the wider part of the lower sleeve, attaching them at the pleats. I will do the same at the top of the shoulder.

For the sleeves, I used both a running stitch with cotton thread, upholstery weight for stress points and all-purpose at the other points.

Over all, I’m pretty pleased with the sleeves! I made them loose to accommodate the camicia that I will wear underneath. I’m getting very close to using up the teal taffeta. Yikes!