A Year in the Making, Day 38

A bit late in the post this evening. Tonight was a PTA meeting at my munchkin's elementary school. It was a sad meeting, as we had to vote on what we would be cutting out of the budget due to lack of funds. There was a 33% shortfall, so a lot of fun things that the PTA sponsors won't be happening this year. Just another effect of the recession, one that won't make the news.

But the cincher is finished! Not perfectly, of course. Although I laid everything out and compared ends in both front and back before binding, somehow one point at front and back ended up slightly longer. Other than that, everything went together smoothly. It's plastic boned, and this project ran me out of my stash of pallet strapping that I'd collected on a previous job. It took me more than three years to run through that stash, though, so I can't complain too loudly about it. And at least the grommet setting went like a dream. I've got a good system down now. I use an awl to make the initial hole, use my tiny needle-nosed embroidery scissors to widen the hole by inserting it closed, point first, and stretching it just enough to go over the shank of the setter, then let my beast do it's work. Here's my grommet setter:



I call him Hamilton, after Keith Hamilton Cobb, who was one of the actors on the TV series Andromeda. Yes, I am a geek, and yes I anthropomorphize my tools. But look at the muscles on both of these handsome fellows!



I know I have 1/2" ivory grosgrain ribbon somewhere, but thanks to the great September sewing-room cleanup, I have absolutely no idea where. So temporarily, I used leftover ribbon from the hatmaking project as lacing.

Front and back views:





This weekend I'll give the outfit a test run, although I'll have to tuck the cincher under the outfit instead of over. The organizers have decreed it an all-fantasy event, but say that Steampunk is science fiction and doesn't belong. I thought about arguing with them and pointing to the official definition of Steampunk, which is "Victorian Fantasy," but I decided to let it lie, as they said they'd love straight Victorian, and this'll work for one of the days. No idea what I'll do for the other yet. Thank goodness the costuming closet is large.

Tomorrow I head out to set up for the weekend, so expect my "make" tomorrow will be about putting together my display.