Apologies for the radio silence. My darling husband’s been the-only-IT-guy at work while his colleague’s on vacation. This has meant harried evenings and workings-late that keep the toddler-fingers too perilously close to all the pins and silks if I attempt to sew.

On the personal sewing front, I’ve got a lot going on:

And, I have only my Singer treadle and hand-crank sewing machines with which to make them, for now. The ancient Viking workhorse’s timing went out halfway through the process of pavilion-stitching, so I consented to having my “other baby” (the Designer SE) serve backup duty with my husband while I cut three Beastie-sized loose gowns and chemises. 2-6 layers of canvas, it handles with no problem (it could handle 14!). But, after 5 years of light duty, she has succumbed to the frequent needle-replacements (every 4 tent wall panels or so) and well, the husband’s less-than-gingerly operation technique.

On Saturday, the retaining pin for the needle cracked off during a needle change and my well-meaning husband snapped the guide-holder from the presser foot bar in an attempt to feed yards of canvas through. Being unable to replace the needle once it wears out, I’ve made an appointment for a tune-up and ordered replacement parts.

So, I am back to basics for the time being, while I await her return from the sewing machine ICU. I should be back in business by July 7. In the meantime, my Rose of Versailles project continues apace, with patterns cut and Swedish Tracing Paper test runs ready for basting together and adjusting.

I’ve also gathered materials, including this amazing cotton/silk that I’m now in love with. It’s got a bit more tooth to it than silk satin, so it’s going to be much crisp and understated, but still has the slight sheen and soft hand I wanted for the project:

Note also the brightest point of last week–the arrival of 3mm diameter cast brass shank buttons!

I’m hoping to have the shirt and breeches put together before my machine returns home, as they require no embellishment that I wouldn’t be doing by hand anyway, though the latter may need a stretch stitch and be delayed a tiny bit.

I’m still waffling about whether to use couched threads for the braid detailing on the Tunic/Jacket or to fuss with my embroidery machine and embroidery software and program in the buttonholes and epaulets. I imagine I’ll probably settle on a combination of the two, especially with the epaulets.