MEDITATION AND OTHER SPIRITUAL MATTERS

These posts will be about mediation and other spiritual matters. I don't want to load myspace or facebook up with this as I think it will make me look self-righteous. I'm putting it here instead of my private blog because I think somebody,,,,just maybe....will read this and want to talk about the subject with me. I'd like to know how it goes with you?
I just finished a class on the book 'The Power of Now', E. Tolle. We enjoyed each others company and want to keep in touch for the Oprah.com book thing March third. We exchanged emails and will write the day after to discuss how it's going. I like that church. Paul and I were married there 30 years ago. We went there until our first born was needing to be christened. We had her christened at Unity, but my in-laws really preferred it was the Catholic church. We acquiesced and started attending Paul childhood church with his parents. I'm just now going back to Unity. It's something I can do MYSELF.
I'm doing the IAM integrated Amrita meditation technique. I learned it in Ann Arbor at an AMMA Center. I did the 21 days and continue to do it each morning with only a few skips. Here are some of my comments and questions about it.
I am looking forward to the refresher in April. I have a bunch of questions about position and breathing. I try not to let the fact that I may not be doing it perfectly distract me. That's just another trick of my ego to keep me out of the present.
Being silent: Man, that's hard. Even when I feel quiet and present, my mind is talking. Saying instructive words and reminding me to let go of thoughts and come back to center. I have practiced many techniques learned over a lifetime to stay present. Even if it's directing me to my purpose, it's interfering with it at the same time. I'd like to hear your comments.
The Shavasana, is it the same as the Corpse Pose? I feel lumpy in that position, like my back won't lay flat, my legs are too crooked, neck bent. I suppose as my muscles get stronger and I become more relaxed it will take care of itself.
That's about it for now. This is much more productive than whining about problems in my private blog.
Namaste!

Corset Page Three

The cover isn't sewing on very well. It's too big of course.
I folded the corset together, pinned the edges and cut it so both sides are the same and the lining is closer to the edge. Despite having shrunk a little from sewing boning channels in it, the lining seems to fit the pattern more closely.
If I can get the cover on it, it will be baggy. Nothing is holding it on to the corset, except the whip stitches in the back. It's two days later. I am ready to work on it again. I may baste the cover to the corset and THEN sew the binding on. Remember, the binding is already sewn to the cover. But when I lay i it on the corset and fold it under to the back, it's too big.

Corset Page Two as the photos

Above left: inner lining face up with temporary lacing strips basted on. Center: back of corset on dress form. Right: close up of lacing strip. Note how pattern curves out at the bottom and bone is straight. I laid the lacing strip just to the right of the bone, where the permanent eyelets will be sewn.







I ran out of cable ties. I am 4 short. I cut the Zip end off with my hubbies 'dykes', diagonal cutters. He's an electrician and builds things out of wood as a hobby. He has a basement full of stuff. The last gown I made has cable ties as bones, which I swiped from downstairs. This time I wanted to follow directions more closely and see if I could make a real corset.
I haven't cut the tabs yet.
It's the next day. I got up early and cut out the front cover from 3 pieces of white on white quilt fat quarters. 18 X 22" I think. I found enough white double fold bias tape and sewed it on. I cut the tabs one at a time, no Fray no More. This isn't exactly how it went, but let's never mind that. I don't do corners with binding well, in fact, I hate binding. So when the corners came up, I left them unsewn. I'll hand finish them later. Then I consulted the directions. It said to make a 'lacing strip' attach it to the corset and try it on before I sew on the cover/binding. So now I am at a stand still. It's 5pm. I started at 7:30 this morning. I have 2 clean bathrooms, a clean kitchen, a happy husband...twice, took dogs for long walk AND had a nap, plus 2 meals.
I am going to the hardware store to buy grommets. I"m looking for 1/2" tarp grommets. I saw a picture on a site of a corset that closed with hooks and eyes. My own modern corset closes that way, so does my waist cincher. MMMM?
I bought 5/16th's inch grommets. Paul cut the holes in them for me. I couldn't hit the cutter with the hammer hard enough to make a hole in the canvas. I made lacing strips and basted them to the corset. I didn't put the fold on the edge of the corset per directions as it would have put them right on top of the first bone. I placed them just on the inside of the first bone where the permanent eyelets will be sewn. Paul laced me up and I wore it around the house for about an hour. I don't know how to stand properly, it feels like it is sliding down and the back looks funny in the mirror. I can't see it clearly enough to know what's going on. I NEED A GIRLFRIEND. But that's another story. The corset turns out at the bottom and I laid the lacing strip straight, like the bone. When it's tied, the bottom two tabs cross each other. I looked for images and info but couldn't find any. I'm just going to finish this thing my own way from here on out. I can't understand the final instructions. I'll put this on the dummy and photograph it.

My First Corset

Upper left: channels sewn in. Center: the layers sewn together with the following items-scissors, one zip tie to illustrate, the busk(sanded but without holes drilled), a package of zip ties. The dark line on the brown fabric is part of the serged seam I took apart to reconnect the material into a flat piece big enough for my purposes. It used to be a giant sleeve on a MM dress. Photo on top right: the three layers-white>inner lining, blue> canvas for stiffness, brown>cotton. I sewed the three together and slid the cable 'zip' ties in between the blue and brown fabric.





I am following the instructions on the Elizabethan Costumers page, using the corset pattern generator.

http://www.elizabethancostume.net/index.html

I am making the version with tabs. For fabric:
I am using a white cotton twin sheet for inner lining,
a piece of the canvas material out of which, Paul had us make windows for his deer camp tent,
a cobbled piece of brown something that was sleeves in my first MM gown. It is a lightweight cotton to be sure. I'm sewing these together for boning channels. My boning material is 3/8 inch cable ties, 10 for 5$ at Home Depot. Each is 24" long.
The cover of the corset with be some quilting fat quarters in white on white, that I have sewn together to get a big enough piece. I will sandwich a piece of very heavy interfacing between it and a muslin ?. So all together there will be 6 layers, 3 with boning channels and 3 without. This is not according to anything I have read, but is what I have in the house to work with and I have decided it will be this way. I have a small bust, I'm probably going way overkill, BUT, i will get a very firm round tube shaped bodice when the gown is put over the corset. This is the Venetian gown which is going to use UNPERIOD fabric. I bought a crimson and gold FLORAL knowing it's not acceptable. The gown I wanted to make VERY PERIOD. Venetian 1560's, partlet, front ladder lacing. The WORKS. It's always something with me. I'm never satisfied. Well , my ego isn't anyway.
In the picture, you see a dark seam at an odd angle on brown fabric. That is a seam I made from a serged edged former sleeve.

I have drawn boning channels. It all looks okay, but the the three pieces are not EXACTLY the same shape. I know it's going to be okay, I'm talking about scan inches. I'm losing my nerve as I took a few pictures. The thing looks lumpy now. I know the thing will lie flat after the pins are taken out. Breathe deep. feel my inner body. be present. go sew boning channels.
There seems to be a difference between the left and right front. I've marked the one side two times and it still seems to list to the left. I'm taking a break. The back/side channels are done and the cable ties fit nicely. I followed the instruction to start from the bottom up. I am sewing three different pieces together.
I folded the corset in half, laid the pattern on it again to make sure both points of the first tab in the front were equal. They were, so I removed pattern, put pins in to keep it folded evenly and marked (for the third time)the boning channels of the 'other' side. I sewed them without looking to see if I had marked them correctly. I hadn't. BUT, I'm leaving them. It just isn't that big of a deal. I'm getting hung up on a silly detail.
As instructed: I sewed 1/8" from the tab marking, from bottom to point and with needle still in fabric, spun it around and sewed down the other side. No backstitching. This is to anchor the tab when I cut it. I will apply Fray NO More to raw edges as well.
PATTERN IS CUT
CHANNELS ARE SEWN
Time to cut and insert boning. I'm using plastic cable ties. I'll measure one at at time, the longest looking ones by laying them on top of the corset channel. I'll mark with a sharpie and cut with scissors, snipping the tip edges to round them a bit.
Then , I'll cut the tabs.

The Gown for 2008

I'm doing much reading. Here are some of the links to sites that I will use. They have construction techniques for bodices, boning, corset making, pleating, design, lacing, etc. You have all used them, I'm sure. They reference each other.

http://www.elizabethancostume.net/index.html

http://realmofvenus.renaissanceitaly.net/

http://www.festiveattyre.com/research/index.html

http://freespace.virgin.net/f.lea/kirtle.html

http://www.sempstress.org/

http://www.modehistorique.com/elizabethan/diaries.html

http://www.geocities.com/oonaghsown/index2.html

These are just some of the talented ladies who helped me make my last gown. Their instructions have been priceless. Meaning I didn't pay for any of it, just my eternal gratitude.

Cindy

Todd's Fleece Jacket/new gown2008

The finished jacket on the left, center picture is the inside pocket.

Above and below: one sleeve attached, no zipper yet.

Above: close up of zipper. Pretty, isnt' it? Below: outside of jacket showing finished pocket.

Andrea said that Todd's jacket fits great and that he's been wearing it all week. yeah!
In other news: I read a little about making bodices for my new gown. I have to make some curtains for my mother first. They won't take long, kitchen cafe, 100% cotton, straight lines.
I'm going to try to use the corset pattern generator from? Elizabethan Costuming? Drea Leed?
I have to decide on which course of action to take. With the first gown, I boned the bodice, attached it to the shirt and that was all the support I had. This time, the bodice opens in front, I think I want something under my camicia for modesty. I dont' need boob support, but dont' want to feel like I'm wearing a Bob Mackie from the 1980's.

Todd's blue Fleece

I cut out Todd's Blue Fleece and it just occured to me, i'll see him this Saturday. I can get it made to fit or finish it and hand it to him.
This will be the diary of it's construction. I cut out the medium size and did not add any length.
i folded the fabric with both selvaged together on one side and a fold on the other.

Well here is a snafu: I transfered the markings to the wrong side of this piece called FRONT. There is a front and a side front. Well, i'm having trouble with 1. right/wrong sides 2. up/down 3. left/right. This piece is a rectangle. I'm confused about how it gets marked. I think I'll just mark it so it fits MY paradigm and forget the pattern.

Why I don't like fleece: Too thick, too hard to pick out mistakes, can't tell right/wrong sides, nap.
How I marked the sleeves: I put the same color pin on sleeve as it's matching spot on shirt. no pencil marks. for 1 notch=1 pin. for 2 notches=2 pins.
Just put second sleeve on. It didn't fit, which means i have the either reversed, wrong side up or ??I HATE FLEECE. I was looking forward to the sleeves. I've made things with sleeves before. I know there is a left and right. But this pattern doesn't work like that. What did I do wrong?
It stays