Fittings and Buttonholes

I have been idle, Dear Reader, spending many hours resting a shoulder/neck injury.  But I am back at the grindstone and what a pleasant grindstone it is proving to be.

Miss Terwillegar has a fetching new coiffure and here models the bodice as we fine-tune the fit.

It is worth spending time on this phase.  If the slip fits perfectly, I can use it as a pattern for the gown itself.  The pleats on the skirt have been completed, so I pin it to the bodice.

Then this morning I decided to face up to the dreaded hand-bound buttonholes.  I'm not sure why I dread these, exactly.  I love making them, and I like the way they look, even when they are kind of quirky.  They make me think how women of the Regency period actually had to work on their clothing.  I guess it's the thought of screwing them up that intimidates, but even when they are not perfect (which they never are), they always look era-appropriate.

The buttons are mother of pearl, and the thread is real buttonhole twist!  I have it (and a few other gems) from my grandmother's sewing basket.  It is something called "artsyl" which I would guess is a fake silk of some kind - rayon? dacron?  probably dating from the 1950s.  Lovely old 1/2 size wooden spool.