A whirlwind of activity

Ever have one of those days when you wish there were three of you?  Well, I’m having one of those weeks!  Work has been really busy – in addition to covering my own job, I’m also playing QA manager, recruiter, product manager, and a few other missing roles as we try to locate folks to fill those positions.  I’ve been working really hard on the dress, of course, and trying to start an exercise regimen again.  And today, upon returning home, I found on my doorstep a box of plaster bandages and lightweight polyurethane foam compound!  I’m almost looking forward to being turned into a plaster mummy.  At least it will give me the opportunity to stand still, if just for a moment!

*ahem*

Along those lines, have you noticed that the new Complex Weavers Journal is out?  Or that I have an article in the current issue?  Yep, my third (or is it fourth?) weaving publication.  I’m practically becoming blase about these things.  It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it does show three versions of my Celtic braid draft (the one for the dress) – one for 24 shafts, one for 15 shafts, and a turned version that can be woven on 7 shafts, either with a 10-treadle skeleton tie-up or with a table loom.  It also has some superbly awful photos of me in the dress at the very beginning stages, back when it was just a shell.

Also, excellent news!  One of the major weaving periodicals wants to publish an article on the dress.  More than that I cannot say at the moment, but I’m happy.  No, check that – I’m walking on air.  🙂  Not bad for someone who’s only been weaving for three years!

At any rate, there is still a lot left to do.  Today I am going to try to put in the coat lining – wish me luck, as I’ve never tried to put in a lining like this before!  It’s slipstitched at the collar and neck, machine stitched down the front, and then there’s some sort of magic that takes place at the armholes and near the shoulder pads, which I’m not entirely certain of yet.  I figure I’ll give it my best shot, and if I can’t figure it out, I’ll take it to Sharon’s on Sunday and have her show me how to proceed.

After that I’ll do hem samples for the lining.  There are five or six different variations that Sharon wanted me to test out.  Finally, I’ll cut out the pieces for the second lining of the dress.  Those are all the things that must be done by the time I go up to see Sharon on Sunday.  If I have time after that, which I won’t (have I mentioned that work is busy?), I’ll work on sewing down the lace and pearls on the back of the dress.

Speaking of which, the pearls arrived, and fortunately are close enough in size/color that, with a few rearrangements, I can mostly avoid having to re-sew the pearls.  Considering everything else that’s going on, that’s super good news!