What Shall I Be?

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

My friend took me to a new thrift store today.  Bingo!  Incredible stuff, at incredible prices.  I got a $22 pair of pants with the tags still on for $2. 

But my best stroke of luck was finding a rust color corduroy fabric that is 84" long (7 feet, so I guess 2 1/3 yards) and 60" wide.  My good friend will be moving to Galena the end of November, and she knows how to sew well.  Never made garb, but I'm not thinking of a bodice, since I have enough.

Anyway, "what shall I become?"  asks the corduroy fabric.  Can be something for me, or for Steve.  Suggestions?  Thanks. 

By the way, the fabric cost $2 as well.   

[Lady L]

Wow, excellent find, Lady Renee! Well done!

I love rust, it's one of my shop colors, so I have garb that coordinates with that. 

[Kate XXXXXX]

How about a nice doublet bodice for cooler days?

[Mythrin]

I agree with Kate, a nice doublet or a doublet bodice with any left over fabric going into the guards of the skirt to pull it together.

If it is a wide-waled corduroy you could also cut it on the biased for a 2 part back and split sleeve treatment.  That way when the center back is sewn together it will create a chevron.  Same with the split sleeves, when closed they will be a chevron also.  Since it would be cut on the biased those elements would need to be flat-lined to support the fabric.  There is all kind of options for corduroy to become part of the design.  I once did a satin stitch down the cut area of a wide wale corduroy in a gold metallic thread every 4th wale and it really punched up the doublet and made the chevron really stand out.  I did the satin-stitching after cutting out the fabric and before assembling so that I could make sure the stitches would match when sewn together.  You could make the guards zig-zag around the the skirt and not need large lengths of fabric - letting you use up more scrapes and smaller sections since you do not have a lot of it.

[gem]

Wow!!  My very favorite bodice *ever* had a wide-wale rust side.  It wasn't well-built and I've since shrunk out of it, and I've been searching for the same fabric now for years to make another one.  Lucky you!  You've got a fair amount to work with there, and I think I'm absolutely loving Mythrin's ideas, which I'm now going to steal all of. 

Another option, of course, is for the forepart and guards of your chocolate brown ultrasuede split skirt.  'Cause you know you want to.

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

It is a narrow wale, and you are talking to someone who's first and only project was bloomers.  My friend sews, but she has never sewn garb, and she actually hasn't sewn in over 15 years.  Since she will be helping/teaching me, I don't want to scare her away!

So it will have to be on the more modest (translate:  not too hard) side for us to make.  What you've mentioned sounds lovely, but maybe in a few years from now, once I have some experience under my belt!

[Kate XXXXXX]

Fabric matures nicely if kept in a cool, dark, dry, moth-free environment.  If this fabric isn't yet telling you what it wants to be, stash it for later.

Practice making straight seams on a nice skirt made from cotton drill.  Progress to a simple bodice or jacket to go with it.  We will help to guide you through this.

[Adriana Rose]

A nice bodice would work out fabbo from that amount of fabric.