Lessons learned...

[lovetriangle]

Lesson One. 
When buying trim, stick to trims that can be sewn on by machine unless you intend to apply less than one yard of it.

Lesson Two.
When attempting to recreate a dress with an excess of 50 yards of trim, see lesson one.

Lesson Three.
When sitting and hand applying this more than 50 yards of said non-machine-sewable trim, do not freak out if the dress is not done when you thought it would be.

Lesson Four.
WWKD actually works. :-)

I am applying WWKD as much as possible this weekend to see if I can get all the trim on the main dress done. I think I can get the dress put together during the week IF I don't have to spend any more time past Sunday night on trim. 

Assuming that is true, then I need to make a decision. I can probably get the dress wearable without the pinked & slashed lining to the pendant sleeves, and with a fairly plain set of undersleeves. If I do this, I will probably never get around to replacing those parts. If I want to finish the dress properly, it will probably take another 2-3 weeks.

I won't know until Sunday night how much will be possible. Until then, I'll apply WWKD liberally to the affected area.


Just keep sewing! Just keep sewing! Just keep sewing!

Comments

[systemgoddess.livejournal.com]

That is a lot of trim but you can do it. Go you!

[love3angle.livejournal.com]

LOL! *faints*

You're welcome to drop by and help. :-)

[demode.livejournal.com]

Yay! A little bit every day gets it done!

[myladyswardrobe.livejournal.com]

I shall be learning your lessons as another gown I am making this year for myself (in addition to the blue) will have a fitted English gown with the wide collars in a gorgeous chocolate brown wool satin. THAT will have matte gold braid on the collar, down the front opening and around the hem with a quirky little bit of decoration on the sides and centre back (that description won't make ANY sense to you at present!). I THINK the braid can be machined but I am not sure around the hem as I don't want it to come through to the lining and I don't know if I can trust myself to make sure it is neat before machining the lining into place!

May be part machined and part hand sewn!!!

Good luck with yours!!! The kirtle you posted recently is part of it isn't it?

[mmcnealy.livejournal.com]

What's WWKD?

[systemgoddess.livejournal.com]

LOL! We could switch out to each other's tasks. You pearl, I'll sew down trim.

[karenjgeorge.livejournal.com]

I was wondering what WWKD was too.

I have a frickin' lot of trim to sew on the Anne of Austria gown. That Anne of Austria gown has been just sitting there since last fall when I removed the two rows of wandering trim and some braid, too, off the bottom of the gown. The gold and silver on black can be machine sewn (if basted by hand first to keep it from wandering all over the velvet) but the braid is really kind of a PITA to try and sew on the machine. If there is anything that would make the job easier, I wanna know about it.

Another lesson - don't take short-cuts unless you are absolutely confident of the outcome. I confess, I was lazy and didn't hand baste the trim the first time around. Removing all that trim was no fun. I think I have learned my lesson now.

[love3angle.livejournal.com]

for WWKD, see response above. :-0

I agree with the no shortcuts mantra, though I honestly think it isn't any faster to baste and machine sew than it would be just to hand sew it. I also find that if the trim has any bumps or depth to it the presser foot will shove it around while you sew and it will never go on straight. There comes a point when the sloppiness gets to me and I hate it and won't wear it.

By putting it on all by hand I pretty much get the trim exactly where I want it and the whole thing just looks so much better. It's really not any more trouble than machine sewing it and I'll e much happier with teh results. It's that there's so much of it on this dress I'm kicking myself.

[love3angle.livejournal.com]

LOL! That was a little mantra/joke floating around LJ a while back that stands for What Would Koshka Do? It is an homage to the sheer volume of beautiful work Koshka the Cat does because she always seems to be sewing on something.

[love3angle.livejournal.com]

I hear 'ya.

This wholw thing is definitely a half-hand/half-machine thang. I'll machine everything I can that will work but anything I think the machine will make sloppy is goin in by hand. For the overskirt, I've machined the main shirt pieces together, hand applied teh trim, then I'll hang it and level it from teh top, machine the lining at the top, flip it and hand stitch it in at the hem. That way I'll cover the trim stitching and won't have to worry about anything coming through to the other layers. That's the plan for the oversleeves as well.

Yes, the green kirtle is part of this. The over dress is a teal velveteen with two more smaller widths of silver braid on it. :-)

[karenjgeorge.livejournal.com]

*GROAN*

I guess I knew in my heart that handsewing is really the way to go, but I was hoping...

I understand and share your pain.

[mmcnealy.livejournal.com]

Darn! I was hoping it was some new tool you could purchase at the fabric store to help apply trim faster.

Oh well...

[love3angle.livejournal.com]

ROFLMAO! I'd like that, too!

[love3angle.livejournal.com]

Well, I'll be with you in spirit when you do yours. :-) WWKD!!!