Sorry, I know I promised to post this Wednesday, but I needed to post the final HSF challenge and the Robe de Cour terminology post instead! So here, without further ado, is my (finally) finished 1860s elliptical hoopskirt: I based it (roughly) on this hoopskirt at the V&A, because I was so excited by the red twill tape that I found, and I love the idea of having a red hoopskirt  instead of the usual basic white ones. Sadly, I don’t feel mine is as pretty as its inspiration, though it does look better on me than on Isabella the dressform. I’m hoping I’ll warm up to it, because I was so excited about the project, and expended such a lot of effort on it.  Each tape had to be individually hand-sewn to each hoop. And even before that, there was the shoving of metres of hoop wire into metres of sewn-tape casing, and since the wires are very snug in their tape channels, I got rather sore arms. I think my next project needs …

My ‘Separates‘ challenge did not quite go to plan this fortnight. I’d hoped to make a ca. 1900 blouse, all white lawn and lace trim, to be worn with my Chinoiserie skirt, and my Faille Skirt of Faille, and any future 1900s skirts.  I got a pattern draped and drafted, my fabric located, pre-washed and pressed, and lace to match selected.  Then my back and neck gave out, and I spent three days staggering around the house on anti-inflammatories and painkillers, just trying to stay alert enough to give lectures and teach classes.  Even once I felt better, being in front of the sewing machine was less-than-fun, and cutting out was simply impossible. So instead, I had a mad brain-and-UFO-pile scramble, and unearthed what is sadly not my oldest UFO ever, but is the oldest thing I’ve blogged about and never finished.  Yes, back in Jan 2009, in only my second blog post ever, I mentioned making two garibaldi blouses. And I never quite finished them.  At the time I needed to “add the waistbands, …