Sewing! And other things.

My oh my, so much has happened since I last posted!  Rich is adapting to life here in the US and we're settling into a routine...or working on it, at least.  Our last few months have been plenty busy, but good.  We've acquired a few more critters:

Gypsy

Eve

We said goodbye to our three elderly lady-rats this fall and two new babies joined our family.  They aren't this tiny anymore--they grow fast!  They've become quite the lovely little ladies and are funny, energetic little dibbuns.

Trixie

We also fulfilled one of Rich's adulthood dreams and got a dog.  Trixie is a ~7 year old dachshund/terrier mix that we adopted from the Allegan County Shelter.  She has fit in with our family SO well!  It feels like we've had her for years...really it's been about a month and a half.  I've never met a cuddlier, sweeter dog.

She REALLY likes belly rubs.  If you couldn't tell.

Oh, and Jackson is still doing great.  Rich has been riding them in lessons and they've been doing Western style stuff...Jackson LOVES it and Rich seems to be having a good time as well.

First place in trail class!

Now, as fun as the critters are, that's not actually why I run a blog.  Although I could...my Instagram has been taken over my my dog, so there's that.  Anyway, no, the real reason I blog is because of sewing and history stuff.  And for the first time in *mumbledy mumble*, I bring you actual historical sewing content.  Don't get used to it.

I mentioned before that Rich is going to need all new clothes for reenacting, since his prior experience was in a much earlier period than what we'll typically be doing here in such a 'young' country.

The picture above is the cutting of some very wonderful green wool broadcloth that is in the process of becoming a (hopefully) kickass 1812-era tailcoat.  Not pictured are the khaki wool flannel trousers that are like 85% done (awaiting buttons, buttonholes, and hems) and are a thing of beauty.  I know I married the right guy--he has excellent taste in fabric!  I'm very proud of the construction on the trousers, so I'll probably give them their own post once they're finished.  The tailcoat has been an adventure so far, but things are going smoothly.

Trixie approves of Papa's fabric selections

We're using the Laughing Moon #122 tailcoat pattern and so far the instructions seem relatively clear and the results are good.  I think next time we might try a Past Patterns option, since those patterns are taken from original garments and include lots of period information about materials, construction, and the like.  The Laughing Moon pattern does have instructions for doing things by hand, but they're not necessarily based on period techniques.  The end product will be well-constructed and have a good look to it, but it isn't a period pattern, per se.  However, for a first project using techniques with which I'm not familiar, I appreciate the clear instructions and the fact that there was very little alteration needed in order to fit Rich's modern figure.

Rich has been an immense help with the cutting and prepping, and is also picking up some skills with a needle. So far we've mostly been doing a lot of pad stitching, but I'm hoping to have the last of that done today.  Then the actual construction can begin, and hopefully soon it should actually start to look like a coat!