Slow Progress on National Dress

After thinking about the various stages and parts of making this national dress, I got out my sewing machine. I had it overhauled in July and it’s been sitting in the hall where it arrived. I found that the drive belt and lamp were replaced. Dang but that old belt was a mess! Good thing it was a sewing machine and not a car. Then I found a sample of what the repairman had been able to get this machine to do. WOW. This old thing is capable of all sorts of fancy stitches. I played around with them for a while on what is to be a ruffle on the slip for the national dress. Finally I got something that closely resembles one of the decorative stitches on the blouse and set to putting it on various pieces of the blouse in the areas which the photocopies indicate it is needed. I will continue with that today.

Once I get all the pieces that need this “almost” design done, then I’ll go back to the slip ruffle and try the zigzag stuff. This photo, of the front placket, shows the color photocopy underneath that is my working model and instructions – if one can call a color photocopy “instructions”.
I think the spacing is a bit off. They may come after me with a rolling pin denouncing this stitch as not "EXACTLY" what is called for. Thank you, I know that. It is, however, exactly what I am going to use. There are enough other details to obsess over and drive myself crazy with. Do I like this type of design? No, I think it is gaudy, tacky and tasteless. I can accept the low key lace, but this machine embroidery fancy stitchery I do not find attractive. Nevertheless, it IS what goes on THIS dress so it will be here.

If I have not said so before, I will say now: I chose this national dress for the SKIRT – NOT for the blouse! Maybe I won’t decorate all the spare pieces… I could make a completely plain blouse that I would like a LOT better. After all, if I am to wear a scarf over the top, perhaps no one will notice… Drats, I forgot that I need to consider the scarf too!

Here’s the complete second belt failure. I finished it off – not the full 3.5 meter length, just about 10 cm. I’ll cut it off the loom and start a folder of “Things Not to Do” and explain the problems so I don’t repeat my mistakes.
Here’s the progress on the sock as of Wednesday night, when yes, I did try this on, lost a few stitches in the process, picked up the lost stitches after removing the sock, then pulled out one needle full of stitches, got all those stitches safely back on the needle, and finally knit a row. Yes the 100 stitches is the right amount for my leg at this size yarn and needle. Thank you again Elizabeth Zimmerman! (I’ve never met Mrs. Zimmerman, but I have met one of her books in which she advocated the wisdom of doing sample swatches, something which I had previously avoided, but will no longer if FIT is important). I wonder if Robin (my sister) will recognize the knitting gauge she sent me...