Elizabethan tutu progress

11 hours of frenzied sewing later, I have finished the top of the Elizabethan tutu, minus the right sleeve and the two shoulder rolls. I am having mixed feelings about this top. The sleeves keep falling down. I am blessed with extremely broad shoulders, and big trapezius muscles (the ones that go diagonally down from the neck to the shoulders). The net effect, which I should have remembered, is that anything with straps slides straight down the sloping trapezius to the shoulders and then nonchalantly dives off the tip of the shoulder, landing halfway down my arm. (The person who invents a bra strap that will STAY UP on my shoulders will earn my eternal gratitude.)

Well, the shoulder straps on this are no different, especially since they’re placed so precariously next to the shoulder in any case. So they are falling off my shoulders. Fixing a nice heavy shoulder roll, as pretty as it is, is just going to accelerate the Olympic dive off the shoulder and down the arm. So I have a choice between (a) figuring out once and for all how to keep the straps from falling down, and (b) accepting that the straps are gonna fall down and deciding what to do from there.

I’m thinking vaguely that if I attach a piece of elastic in the back, just below the neck, stretching between the two straps, perhaps that would work. It would look sorta geeky from behind, but at least the front would work right. Alternately, I could eliminate the straps entirely and make it a strapless number, except that I really like the space-alien look of the shoulder rolls. (See yesterday’s post for a photo of what I’m talking about.

All that being said, I’m pleased with my progress today although somewhat appalled that, despite all that effort, it ain’t done yet. I still have to put on the right sleeve, add the decorative ribbon, and do the skirt. The skirt may require some alteration – right now it’s really heavy, possibly too heavy to be propped up with mere tulle. (It is designed to be used with a hoopskirt, after all.) I’ll have to sew it and see.

Tomorrow my intent is to finish sewing up the Elizabethan tutu (figure another three hours), then sew up the fuchsia-and-iridescent-maroon/blue tutu, which should be relatively quick as it’s blessedly uncomplicated. That will leave me with Wed, Thurs, Friday evenings to finish feathering the peacock feather tutu, and put finishing touches on other garments. I think it will work out, though I may have to take Friday off work as well.

Off to bed! Tomorrow is another (busy) day.