A long due update.

I got behind and never did last week's update, so here's the official wrap-up.

I am making a gold underskirt lined in brown linen with felt padded cartridge pleats. I finally finished the pleats today after quite a number of false starts. I made the aigleted kumihimo lacing string for it on my muradai in red,black and gold to match the rest of the outfit. The plan is to let the skirt hang for awhile so I can hem it and add felt stiffening to the bottom. I plan to do cream guards with black and gold edging.

I finished my zibellino, just need to attach it to the girdle once that is complete. I made the face and back paws with Sculpey and then added filigree and beads. The little white enamel flowers remind me a lot of the ones on this extant zibellino head. The pearl drop on the forehead was a must so it at least bore some similarity in looks to the portrait. She has a collar of gold filigree and red stones, and there are jump rings on her muzzle under her head for attaching to the girdle. I actually forgot to glue the little rice pearl claws onto the feet before taking the picture, but they are attached now.

I did a flag fan from scrap from my petticoat and a scrap of tasseled trim I had at the bottom of a drawer Not sure which fan I like better, this one or the feather one I made first. Guess I'll have to wait until the dress is finished and make a decision.

Speaking of options, I made some hairpins based on the extant pin in the Met There are 14 of them, because that's how many beads I have and hairpins seem to disappear around here so more is probably better. I tried them out, wearing some in my hair a couple of times. I needed to harden them a bit more than I did originally, and might cut them down a little bit, but on the whole I like them a lot. They're super fun to wear.

I really need to finish up all the bits and pieces I have in progress and hope to have more to show when the 21st rolls around with the end of the first month (wow, time flies.) I have started a rosary, have chopines in the sanding stage, have patterned my stockings, need to make a decision on whether to finish the lace for my camicia or just use purchased lace, and have all kinds of other projects half started. Focus is not my forte, I'm afraid. Still, its coming