On Your Mark, Get Set...

In the month since my last post, SO MANY things have been happening here.  Although my Facebook is the best way to keep up with me, currently, I realize that I need to up the ante and post here more regularly.  One way I'm going to make that happen is by doing on this blog what I did last year on The Modest Peacock: the A-Z Blogging Challenge!!!

If you haven't heard of or done the A-Z in April, follow this link and check it out!  It's amazing fun!  And just to give you a little bit of scope: I signed The Modest Peacock up early on the official sign-up day and I was blog #383 to join.  I took a lot of time to decide whether I could even do the challenge on more than one blog (It takes up a little bit of time and effort to create a themed post every day of a month, not going to lie), but today I decided that I absolutely can.  So I've just today signed up Lucy Jane's Writing Desk to participate and it is blog #748 on the list.  Wow!  That's a lot of blogs!!!

I didn't sign up until I wrote out a rough draft list of possible post titles that have to do with all things Lucy Jane: sewing (mostly costuming), tea, etc.  When I reached the half way mark, I knew we were good to go.

There are still some things that are having the kinks worked out.  Business license questions, next years taxes (yaaay, fun! :P), travel logistics for taking the show on the road, and other such things.  But there is currently a stack of fabric around 2 feet high being gone through and pattern pieces cut out.  I'm completing concept boards for at least 6 costume designs that have been making laps in my head (it's wearing me out, honestly), and I have the fabric selected for my new Regency Dress to wear to the 5th Annual Penny McHenry Hydrangea Festival that is coming up fast.  Whew!  It's amazing the momentum that builds when creative people get on a roll! ;)

I have plans later in this coming week to catch up with some photos here, so be on the lookout for that.
I hope you all have a lovely day, and I will post again soon!

A New Year and A New Start!

I want to thank all of my friends and supporters who are waiting patiently whilst I get some personal matters in order, but also whilst I am sorting out all things Lucy Jane and where exactly I want to take all of these ideas.  There are some housekeeping duties that will need to be seen about first, before I just jump off the deep end into my creativity. :)

The Dog River Library opening in the fall was a great success, and I made many new friends.  I am looking ahead to things in the spring, like the Hydrangea Festival and other things, but it has been difficult, especially over the Christmas holidays recently, to keep up with everything that is going on and to prioritize accordingly.  I've felt led to take off parts of the website for now, until all of the elements are just right, and until I get a clearer view of how I want the site to function.  I'm spending much time in prayer and reading my Bible daily and asking the Lord what He would have me do.  Right now, the answer has been "wait".  So, I wait.

And- as I first mentioned, sweet friends- so too are you waiting, as I wait on the Lord.  Thank you for not giving up on me.  While we wait, I am filled with hope.  For,

Updates!!!

I know that the entire month of October came and went without a single post, and for that I apologize!  I did the NaBloWriMo challenge over at The Modest Peacock, but have not taken the time to do a blog challenge with this blog yet.  I should look into that.

Sarah McCabe of The Aspiring Sub-creator won my peacock fairy giveaway.  Show her some blog love!

Here's more of what's been going on:
The new library is opening tomorrow!!! :D  There is going to be an auction to help continue to raise funds for the new facilities, and I donated these items for it:

1 "Gretchen" elephant

1 "Hope" elephant

1 "Peggy" elephant

1 "Hope" Breast Cancer Awareness fairy (Goes with the pink ribbon Elephant)

A cloth doll very much like this one, but with a different dress.
It was paired with the book "Ox Cart Man" by Donald Hall

I also made a 4 inch high Little Red Riding Hood. (Like the fairies, but with no wings.)  I was in a bit of a creative rush to get her finished, so I didn't get any photos.  I'll see if I can get one tomorrow before she is auctioned off.

There has been more happening, but that's all I have time to update on at the moment.  I'm headed off to hear a beautiful friend of mine sing in an opera at KSU!  I will get some more thoughts (and photos) together and hopefully post again here before the weekend is out.  Take care, my loves!

Proud (and Pretty!) as a Peacock!

Many of my Lucy Jane friends know that I also author a blog called "The Modest Peacock".

As it has just recently hit both 50+ followers AND 15,000 pageviews (both things I watch like a hawk and do a happy dance over whenever they increase), I've decided to offer up a Felt Fairy doll for a giveaway to a lucky reader.

So this afternoon after church, I sat meself down to the craft table and made this peacock themed beauty:

She stands 4" high and is completely hand worked, down to the small embroidered peacock feather on her tunic.

For a chance to win her, head on over to The Modest Peacock and click on the link in the right sidebar.  Best of luck!

I know it's been a while!

This... Is NOT what I have been doing! 

You know how you are busy all day, every day and things still somehow seem to slip through the cracks and not get done?  Yep, that's been happening a lot here at Lucy Jane, because there has been an inordinate amount of general stuff going on.  But a lot of it has been good stuff and I hope to be able to catch up soon and tell you all about it.  (And hopefully not neglect this blog like that again!)

In the next 2 weeks, I hope to get completely updated with new posts about all of the things that have been going on.  I'll post new elephants that have been made, new costumes, past events like the Hydrangea Festival, and future plans. :)

Thanks for your support and patience!  It will be well worth the wait!

Love,
Lucy Jane

A Ballgown for Taylor P., Part 5- FINISHED!

It's complete!  It's ready for her to wear Saturday night!
I won't even go into technical stuff here, I'll just jump right to the photos.

Because I know that's what you want to see. ;)

[Bear in mind that these photos were taken at night, so the light isn't perfect.  I'll be doing a full photo shoot with her in it hopefully on Thursday.  If not, I will at least take it outside to get shots of it in natural light.]

A Ballgown for Taylor P., Part 4

I was going to have another day dress post, but I had some major issues with it so I put it aside until my blood pressure came back down and worked on the ballgown instead.

The ballgown skirt has been easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy.  The bodice has been a nightmare.

First, the skirt:

Remember how last time I had the two huge panels of satins laid out across the floor with the Emerald green (E) over the Mint green (M)?  Remember how I pinned them across the top and it ate all of my flower pins?  Well I basted them together so that I could get my pins back.  Then I gathered it.  Yes, all of it.  Here it is, gathered, and put on Her Ladyship without a waistband.  Holy crap, all that fabric was HEAVY!

Ignore the sewing machine cord, please.  Couldn't find an extension cord anywhere.

I got a waistband on it and pinned it down for hand sewing on the inside later.

Next I sewed the E green braided trim onto the ruffled organza trim and then sewed those pieces in three places, at the front and on the two side seams (which, when gathered, ended up about halfway between the front and the actual side of the gown.)

I hemmed up the E overskirt and then pulled up the E into the trim to create a ripple effect:

This was hand stitched into place.

After that, I took some similar organza trim and made "fans" to accent the pulled up sections.  Each "fan" was topped with an organza flower with pearl cluster centers.  These were also hand stitched onto the skirt.

The skirt just needs the M underskirt hemmed up to walking length, and the waistband whipstitched into place and a closure on it and it will be finished.  I put it aside to see about the day dress but ultimately decided that the day dress will get my attention all day Saturday.

So that's when I tackled the ballgown bodice.

I'm modifying the pattern to fit my design, and that presented some... challenges.  I called in the reserves (awesome seamstress Aunt!) to help me through some of the parts that had me stumped, and together we conquered it.  I'll spare you the gory details, but for a few hours it was ugly.  Seams being ripped out and done over again.  Pins everywhere.  But we finally got it tamed.

I finally got all the right pieces in all the right places.

No, you aren't seeing double.  That's the bodice and the lining.

And the bodice and lining were matched up to be sewn together as one piece.

The skirt isn't the only part of this monster that kept nomming all of my flower pins!

Next: the bodice will be adjusted at the shoulders; the trim will be sewn together and then on.  The sleeves will go in.  The eyelets will be set in the back.  Laces will go through the eyelets and it will be done!