Happy in my own world
Dec. 3rd, 2007 02:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
threadwalkerAll that sewing is not for nothing
and I am gonna finish something, dang it
Friday was crazy.
Dressing N for Dickens:
My sewing assement: no way in hell I'd make something for N in time for Dickens. Switch to Plan B, which is acquire nice clothes and shoes that would also serve as "special occasion" clothing. Plan B achieved with lunch-time shopping at Shoe Pavilion and Burlington.
Sewing Interlude spent with family
Life isn't just sewing.. really, it's not! There must be time for other things, otherwise what is the point? Right after work I grabbed the kids and we went to dinner with family,d_salie. We were gathered on behalf of someone who'd moved away years ago and who was in town for business. I know I hung out with him, but I also know I kept gravitating to the fremily I love. Well, family is where your home is and I was home. I was going to leave at 8pm to get the kids in bed so that Saturday would go smoothly. I failed because I was having such a nice time and didn't leave until after 9. Then E was up past midnight watching TV - I'd fallen asleep on the sofa and woke up to put her to bed.
With the lugging of small child upstairs, I woke up all the way and my muse jabbed the part of my brain that motorvates me. Thus I donned the cape of the Insomniac Seamstress (oh- good name. Is it a Vill or Hero? I'm going to have to make that in CoX) and I zoomed to the Corbie Cave and ended up bypassing further sleep.
Dressing E:
I underestimated the time it would take to finish E's pink dress. It took 5.5 hrs, not the projected 3 hrs. There was ribbon, lace, eyelet, and cutesy buttons. I finished it "all the way"; there were no left over bits or improvements left on it. I was impressed with my ability to turn out a Pretty Pink gown given that I don't really care for pink. When I gave it to her she actually squealed in delight, did a little dance, and told me how much she loves me. Go me!
Parenting Interlude
cut for your sanity; "Tough Parenting" filter - the nitty gritty of dealing with an emotional child. If you are truly interested in the topic of "how to deal with a spirited, strong-willed child without breaking them", I'd be more than happy to add you to the filter. Drop a note. All others protected.
"My Spirited Fashionista"
Sewing for me
I finished. I got the hooks and eyes on while we were driving over.
I did not have a hat or purse or gloves or wrap. That will be dealt with later.
Costume review:
I decided I hate the new corset. Hemp cording is definitely out for this period and steal stays are in. I found my wedding corset and wore that instead. It worked GREAT and I discovered it fits. woot woot. .... I wonder where THAT dress is... hmm... Anyway, I will keep the hemp corset as a lesson in what not to do. I think hemp will work for my next Ren corset, so I need to do that so I can eventually do the fantasy costume class, "The 2am decisions I regretted".
The underskirt was too long, but that's not unexpected. The first time I put it all on was in the parking lot at Dickens. I was half expecting it to NOT work at all, never mind the hem. I packed jeans for j.i.c. So some skirt surgery is due and should be easy.
Overall, the dress was okay. It was never the fabric I envisioned for the project, it was the fabric I found in the color I liked that would do the job. And given a tight budget, I'm glad could find something that I didn't have to spend a wad of money on it. After coupons and sales, I think the yardage was under $6/yd. Farin thought it was lovely (a high compliment from him). I may do another version next year with a more inspiring fabric.
In the meantime, I need a bonnet, purse, gloves and cape. Hmm... priorities need to be set.
Dickens Faire
I've never been to one before. F used to go and even went once or twice without me. But he hasn't attended in at least 15 years.
It was colorful and lively and noisy and dim (to replicate being outside) and had lots of atmosphere. It was very enjoyable. There were hoops and tall hats and walking canes and carollers. There was lots of shopping, lots of stuff to look at, and lots of socializing. There were street performances; Evie got a little Brittish flag to wave at the Queen as she processed by. We got N a cravat and little (period) cap. The two of them were pretty cute and as we loittered outside of stores, folks would come up and ask to have their picture taken w/ the kids. Same sorta thing later when E and I were bench-hopping; she laid down, put her head in my lap and went to sleep. All sorts of folks came up, cooed, and asked to take her picture.
We ran into all sorts of folks we know and suddenly I "get" the very vibrant social aspect of this. I tried roasted chestnuts.. very interesting. The kids had an okay time; it's not really intended for kids. They were very excited to run into Sammy and kept asking when we'd play with him again. F had a blast and wanted to know if we could go again this season, so we lucked into a kid-sitter and are going again on 12/16.
Which means I need to get cracking on my bonnet. heh.
Dickens Fall-Out
I love sewing. I'd been uninspired for a bit over a year and got bit last spring. Along the way, my muse has been tugging me towards costuming for a long time.. as in replicating movie costumes or making the stuff I see in my head. I've been ignoring it because there isn't a lot of outlet for this. While working on my ropa and the Victorian, I got to thinking about our hibernating Space 1889/Chthulu game and my adventuress; what would she be wearing? And how I want to make a Carnival of Shadows costume and a Darth Mal costume... and so on and so on. I may have to look into Costume Con. I think I'm ready to do something totally silly like 3 costume changes in a day as well as make the costumes in order to do 3 costume changes in a day. Finding a balance between totally creative, inspired by media, and historical. This year is probably going to be split between making stuff on my "SCA to do" list and exploring other media and forms. I'm putting my muse in the passenger seat and letting her navigate.
Sunday...
Is it blasphemy? Or maybe I speak "kid"? And maybe every message has a deeper root of truth.
In the middle of mass, N asks if we can go home yet. Then, after I say no, he asks why we're there. I am never short on answers even if the answers don't measure up. The whys and wherefores came to me and then I translated it into "kid". My response, "All the best Vampire Hunters go to Church every Sunday. Their faith and belief in God is what helps them defeat Vampires, Demons and mystical bad guys. You can't just hold up a cross and scare away the bad guys, you have to know your prayers and believe in God; you can't feel any doubt that God loves you and is protecting your soul. We are here in church to witness our faith and spend some time working on our belief." That was as much as I could whisper in the lull between prayers.
We finished the conversation over donuts in the church hall. It's all clear to him now that we go to church to find a faith community and to work on our own relationship with God. In church we can practice our prayers with others and spend time reflecting on Gods love for us. And that's where we make our faith strong enough to be really good Vampire Hunters. N doesn't want to be one, but you never know when the situation arises and your faith and belief will scare the bad guy away. Afterall, Scooby Doo had to face a few vampires and witches and demons without ever wanting to do so.
My dearly departed grandmother is going to disown me. Farin was... er... stunned, then laughed, shaking his head, and said, "I can't believe you said that... only YOU would use Vampire Hunting as a reason to go to church."
BUT whether you're fighting vampires or facing unemployment or watching a parent die by inches, fear is the real enemy. My faith has given me lots of strength. A belief that a higher power is watching over your soul and loves you despite your flaws is very powerful.
And my good deed for the day,... I left the kids w/ Dad so I could go to Children's Hospital in Oakland and volunteer at the Christmas party for the Hemaphilia foundation, which is heavily oriented towards youths. It was very touching. These kids get daily shots of clotting agents just so that they won't bleed to death from bumping into furniture or falling off a bike. I'm not sure what I expected, but they looked and acted just like my kids, which I think is a testament to being able to live normal lives through the aid of pharmaceuticals. Saving lives for a living is soooo cool.
and I am gonna finish something, dang it
Friday was crazy.
Dressing N for Dickens:
My sewing assement: no way in hell I'd make something for N in time for Dickens. Switch to Plan B, which is acquire nice clothes and shoes that would also serve as "special occasion" clothing. Plan B achieved with lunch-time shopping at Shoe Pavilion and Burlington.
Sewing Interlude spent with family
Life isn't just sewing.. really, it's not! There must be time for other things, otherwise what is the point? Right after work I grabbed the kids and we went to dinner with family,
d_salie. We were gathered on behalf of someone who'd moved away years ago and who was in town for business. I know I hung out with him, but I also know I kept gravitating to the fremily I love. Well, family is where your home is and I was home. I was going to leave at 8pm to get the kids in bed so that Saturday would go smoothly. I failed because I was having such a nice time and didn't leave until after 9. Then E was up past midnight watching TV - I'd fallen asleep on the sofa and woke up to put her to bed. With the lugging of small child upstairs, I woke up all the way and my muse jabbed the part of my brain that motorvates me. Thus I donned the cape of the Insomniac Seamstress (oh- good name. Is it a Vill or Hero? I'm going to have to make that in CoX) and I zoomed to the Corbie Cave and ended up bypassing further sleep.
Dressing E:
I underestimated the time it would take to finish E's pink dress. It took 5.5 hrs, not the projected 3 hrs. There was ribbon, lace, eyelet, and cutesy buttons. I finished it "all the way"; there were no left over bits or improvements left on it. I was impressed with my ability to turn out a Pretty Pink gown given that I don't really care for pink. When I gave it to her she actually squealed in delight, did a little dance, and told me how much she loves me. Go me!
Parenting Interlude
cut for your sanity; "Tough Parenting" filter - the nitty gritty of dealing with an emotional child. If you are truly interested in the topic of "how to deal with a spirited, strong-willed child without breaking them", I'd be more than happy to add you to the filter. Drop a note. All others protected.
"My Spirited Fashionista"
Sewing for me
I finished. I got the hooks and eyes on while we were driving over.
I did not have a hat or purse or gloves or wrap. That will be dealt with later.
Costume review:
I decided I hate the new corset. Hemp cording is definitely out for this period and steal stays are in. I found my wedding corset and wore that instead. It worked GREAT and I discovered it fits. woot woot. .... I wonder where THAT dress is... hmm... Anyway, I will keep the hemp corset as a lesson in what not to do. I think hemp will work for my next Ren corset, so I need to do that so I can eventually do the fantasy costume class, "The 2am decisions I regretted".
The underskirt was too long, but that's not unexpected. The first time I put it all on was in the parking lot at Dickens. I was half expecting it to NOT work at all, never mind the hem. I packed jeans for j.i.c. So some skirt surgery is due and should be easy.
Overall, the dress was okay. It was never the fabric I envisioned for the project, it was the fabric I found in the color I liked that would do the job. And given a tight budget, I'm glad could find something that I didn't have to spend a wad of money on it. After coupons and sales, I think the yardage was under $6/yd. Farin thought it was lovely (a high compliment from him). I may do another version next year with a more inspiring fabric.
In the meantime, I need a bonnet, purse, gloves and cape. Hmm... priorities need to be set.
Dickens Faire
I've never been to one before. F used to go and even went once or twice without me. But he hasn't attended in at least 15 years.
It was colorful and lively and noisy and dim (to replicate being outside) and had lots of atmosphere. It was very enjoyable. There were hoops and tall hats and walking canes and carollers. There was lots of shopping, lots of stuff to look at, and lots of socializing. There were street performances; Evie got a little Brittish flag to wave at the Queen as she processed by. We got N a cravat and little (period) cap. The two of them were pretty cute and as we loittered outside of stores, folks would come up and ask to have their picture taken w/ the kids. Same sorta thing later when E and I were bench-hopping; she laid down, put her head in my lap and went to sleep. All sorts of folks came up, cooed, and asked to take her picture.
We ran into all sorts of folks we know and suddenly I "get" the very vibrant social aspect of this. I tried roasted chestnuts.. very interesting. The kids had an okay time; it's not really intended for kids. They were very excited to run into Sammy and kept asking when we'd play with him again. F had a blast and wanted to know if we could go again this season, so we lucked into a kid-sitter and are going again on 12/16.
Which means I need to get cracking on my bonnet. heh.
Dickens Fall-Out
I love sewing. I'd been uninspired for a bit over a year and got bit last spring. Along the way, my muse has been tugging me towards costuming for a long time.. as in replicating movie costumes or making the stuff I see in my head. I've been ignoring it because there isn't a lot of outlet for this. While working on my ropa and the Victorian, I got to thinking about our hibernating Space 1889/Chthulu game and my adventuress; what would she be wearing? And how I want to make a Carnival of Shadows costume and a Darth Mal costume... and so on and so on. I may have to look into Costume Con. I think I'm ready to do something totally silly like 3 costume changes in a day as well as make the costumes in order to do 3 costume changes in a day. Finding a balance between totally creative, inspired by media, and historical. This year is probably going to be split between making stuff on my "SCA to do" list and exploring other media and forms. I'm putting my muse in the passenger seat and letting her navigate.
Sunday...
Is it blasphemy? Or maybe I speak "kid"? And maybe every message has a deeper root of truth.
In the middle of mass, N asks if we can go home yet. Then, after I say no, he asks why we're there. I am never short on answers even if the answers don't measure up. The whys and wherefores came to me and then I translated it into "kid". My response, "All the best Vampire Hunters go to Church every Sunday. Their faith and belief in God is what helps them defeat Vampires, Demons and mystical bad guys. You can't just hold up a cross and scare away the bad guys, you have to know your prayers and believe in God; you can't feel any doubt that God loves you and is protecting your soul. We are here in church to witness our faith and spend some time working on our belief." That was as much as I could whisper in the lull between prayers.
We finished the conversation over donuts in the church hall. It's all clear to him now that we go to church to find a faith community and to work on our own relationship with God. In church we can practice our prayers with others and spend time reflecting on Gods love for us. And that's where we make our faith strong enough to be really good Vampire Hunters. N doesn't want to be one, but you never know when the situation arises and your faith and belief will scare the bad guy away. Afterall, Scooby Doo had to face a few vampires and witches and demons without ever wanting to do so.
My dearly departed grandmother is going to disown me. Farin was... er... stunned, then laughed, shaking his head, and said, "I can't believe you said that... only YOU would use Vampire Hunting as a reason to go to church."
BUT whether you're fighting vampires or facing unemployment or watching a parent die by inches, fear is the real enemy. My faith has given me lots of strength. A belief that a higher power is watching over your soul and loves you despite your flaws is very powerful.
And my good deed for the day,... I left the kids w/ Dad so I could go to Children's Hospital in Oakland and volunteer at the Christmas party for the Hemaphilia foundation, which is heavily oriented towards youths. It was very touching. These kids get daily shots of clotting agents just so that they won't bleed to death from bumping into furniture or falling off a bike. I'm not sure what I expected, but they looked and acted just like my kids, which I think is a testament to being able to live normal lives through the aid of pharmaceuticals. Saving lives for a living is soooo cool.
