Gwyneth my Welsh Lady in Progress

Gwyneth is coming together slowly...
And at the moment I'm working on finishing her paisley shawls, as it needs a wool trim edge, and her pretty white apron with yet more pin-tucks and a lace insertion.

Again I find myself waiting on a fabric delivery so that I can sew her a Betgwn - a cross between a gown and a coat, it has a tailored bodice, elbow length sleeves and long tail-like split skirts that will show her red pin-ticked petticoat underneath.
Not a lot of this red petticoat will finally show, and mainly around the front hem and the back split of the tails. The fabric I'm waiting on for her Betgwn is a darker brick red with a black check, and reminds me of the skirt I had for my own Welsh costume when I was a child.

For the moment Gwyneth is sat on my workbox in her petticoats and shift sleeves with just her small paisley shawl around her shoulders to keep her warm. So it's a good job we've had fine bright weather to enjoy this past few days.

You can see that I've gathered in her sleeves above her elbows so that it will be easier for me to fit the narrower sleeves of her Betgwn later.
As a fine young lady of means Gwyneth can afford the soft fine cotton needed to make such an extravagant shift. Where others must be content with added over-sleeves for their traditional dress she can have the extra layer to keep her warm (and the expensive wool layers clean). But she's a good modest girl and doesn't have much else that could be considered too dressy. And she's proud to wear her paisley and wool alongside the other women and girls.

In her lap here you can see the start of her best apron, handed down to her from her Nanna and worked by women of her family into a fine piece of best dress wear. Not something she'd wear while working around the house and fields, of course.

Other things I've been working on while I wait for things to fall through my letterbox is my Storyteller, a little ghost for my friend Linda, my Siouxsie Banshee and a custom peg Oz Scarecrow.

My storyteller is on hold until the pieces arrive for me to make her a headdress, and I want to make her some books to hold all her tales.

I think my little ghost needs some sort of ragged tattered wrap made of silk gauze over her lace dress. And I'm waiting for the return of the kimono fabric for Siouxsie.

Thank goodness I have things to keep me busy and don't need anything I don't already have for the Scarecrow.
It'll be just my luck for everything I need to arrive the same day, and then I'll be as busy as the bees. Just the way I like it :)
xxxxxx