I’m writing this little series somewhat after the fact, and my chief impression of the project is how easily it went … when I actually roused myself to tackle each one of the next bits. 

The fear of failure has ruled my life, and now, in my 67th year, the fortitude required to be courting frustration is all but gone. However, the project broke itself into manageable bits: I cut the buckram, back and crown, joined and wired the two parts, taped the frame, and covered it with nary a hitch.

I sobbed a little over the lining, but recovered during the bonnet trimming, which went astonishingly well in the time I had. By the time I finished this garment. I was a much more proficient hand-stitcher than I’d been when I began. And I now very much like having a sewing project to work on in the car.

You might think that quarters were too cramped for such an enterprise, but they weren’t. All the thread and tools reposed in the little green lunch bag from CVS, conveniently to hand. Though cutting garment pieces on the back seat of a car is unconventional, it was a sufficiently flat and large surface to cut bonnet pieces.

But this one is a little dark. It was raining, and late in the day. You will note my satisfaction with the progress to date. Things got a little tense later, but I lay out a timetable entirely prudent and sensible. I installed a patch over the crimped bit of buckram. And I had a fine time doing hand sewing that would never be seen, and so did not require any regularity or neatness whatsoever. 

Right about now I broke off work on the bonnet to do the skirt, which ought to have been a “no prob.” But I had not considered the fact I hadn’t actually sewn a garment in a good ten years and did not remember rightly how long stuff takes. To run a seam and two lines of stay-stitching of the edges is no big deal. Times seven panels, it’s a bigger deal. And I was very anxious all the time about whether the seven panels would make a skirt as fluffy over the hoops as I wanted it. Fuss, fuss, fuss. It turned out fine.

And as I said in an earlier post, next year! … there will be a flounce … to wear over the skirt.

And it gets worse. With only five days to the event, thought I was going to do the four yards of hem by hand. Nutsy girl. Fortunately, my delusion evaporated quickly, and I trotted off to Joann’s to see what they had that would camouflage a machine stitched hem. I got real, really lucky there and found a metallic braid and some fringe, enough to go all way around the hem.