Fisher women 3

extending the saga.

So far-

sketchbook reference page. Pinterest page. Research page, painting page.

jacket put together – poorly back – remedied, unpicked and handsewn.

Skirtless – made! Just requires hem.

Poor copy of Sutcliffe painting – given up on.

2x paintings of costume – done. Not too bad.

2x portraits with costume . Ummm.....

The jacket is quite sweet – still some problems to sort – boning! I began with the plastic boning but it was too wide. Cut it in half and it becomes angry and then aggressive. Instead of a jacket with some boning it was some boning with a jacket. I've tried various substitutes but it is not quite right. There is some semi rigid plastic packaging to try but opening the packaging will mean putting up the roller blind that's in it so I'm hoping for another idea to arrive. Once boning issue is sorted then it can be hemmed. Fastenings are the usual headache. The original had 12 self covered buttons down the front. Getting small buttons is a pain. The small ones tend to be very thick in proportion to their size so still need larger buttonholes and I promised never to go near the small cover buttons ever again for sanity's sake. The centre front will end up all buttonhole. A solution would be to cheat – blind buttons with hooks and eyes inside. Not happy about this but..... I have some 10mm fake mother of pearl 4 hole ones that might do.

I do like the jacket and skirt together, the jacket just comes down over the skirt waistband at the sides with the front and back points fitting snugly over the pleating. The fullness of the skirt is giving Gwendoline a softer, curvier  shape. She does look shoulder heavy from the front but the back is flattering.

Some evil thought drifted by and I ended up mixing a self portrait with found images. Trying to paint while wearing a scratchy wool shawl was not fun. Another problem was that when concentrating I frown and pull faces – this comes across in both paintings. Smile dear!

 

Things to be done -  Try last ditch boning solution or discard idea.

Fastenings on centre front and cuffs.

Finish hem on jacket and skirt.

Try self portrait without looking somewhere between rejected spaniel and mad axe murderess.

 

 

Distractions -  Bought a copy of Nancy Bradbury's book and have spent hours matching drawings to photos of extant garments from the National Trust,(another pintrest board) and then comparing notes and images with Janet Arnold's  patterns.

Hedge cutting, mad pruning.

Losing glasses, finding glasses, losing glasses, finding glasses, losing glasses, finding glasses, losing