Sew little time

The discussion over at Theresa’s reminded me that I really, really need to get a grip and fix the remaining bits on my bunad. It’s been untouched since I wore it 17th May last year, I’ve been meaning to fix the last little bits, but you know how it is. However, I’m supposed to be wearing it at the Aberlour dinner next Friday, and we’re leaving for Scotland Thursday, so I only have a week and a half now.

Now, it is wearable as is (as you can see from the pictures), but there are two problems. One is that the hooks on the skirt are in the wrong position, so that it’s actually too wide, also, I ought to have hooks fastening the skirt to the bodice – it’ll look better that way. The second problem is a bit more involved. The bunad used to belong to my grandmother, who is 25-ish centimetres shorter than me and the shirt is therefore too tight around the neck and way too short in the sleeves. Problem with this is that to fix it I need more material… I’ve found some which is almost right, the same weight and feel but a slightly different colour. So I’m thinking I need to take some material from the body of the shirt to extend the arms and the collar and use the new material to elongate the body of the shirt (it’s too short as it is anyway). The part that’s a slightly different colour will then be hidden (mostly) by the bodice and the alteration should not be noticeable. However, this involves a bit of work. Will I have time to finish it by Thursday next week? If I can’t finish it, it would be better not to start, as the first thing to do would be to take the shirt apart and I can hardly wear a shirt that is in pieces to the dinner.

I suppose I’ll just have to get cracking. After all, Martin’s mum made his whole Kystdrakt (in which he looks simply delicious, btw) from scratch since this autumn – surely I can manage a couple of relatively simple alterations in a week?

The Queen of Procrastination. Me, that is.

Addendum: It appears life is treating me a little too well at the moment, with the result that I’ve put on an inch or so around the waist. So, hurrah, hurrah, there is no need to move the hooks after all. Blessings come in strange disguises…