Coming up for air.
Jan. 8th, 2010 05:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
threadwalkerNicholas turned 9 today. Yay! He got to choose dinner (McD), which we took home. I had cupcakes for us to eat afterwards. I put candles on his and light them, then turned off the lights, and Miss E and I sang to him. He was pretty excited. Then, since all his homework was done, we spent the evening playing board games and snuggling on the sofa. F got home and had presents. Apparently, unknown to me, Super N wanted something besides Legos; some sort of Star Wars game thing that plugs into the TV. Super N freaked out and leaped around the place once he unwrapped it. It was pretty awesome to see him be happy.
In fact, he's doing GREAT at school this week. I can't stop telling him how proud I am. He's even counseling Miss E to put on a happy face when she's being cranky at her teachers.
I just read ermine-rat's post about crazy seamstresses and 12th Night. I didn't intend to drive myself crazy with 12th Night projects. But ... I did.
It started with the realization that I don't have any 15th century Italian clothing anymore and none of the overgarments I had made were from 1450. So I never really played with the big head pieces and big sleeves. Boom! Years of research and my desire to wear crazy headwear and all the inspired ideas I've had from my latest reading into the letters and diaries from 15thc. Floretines came into play. And the project became something I had to do.
It's heavily researched, but I can't point to any specific pictures and say, "There it is." I'll web it later and throw up a bibliography for anyone who's intersted. Anyway...
I've been working pretty relentlessly since then, doing anywhere from 5-20 hours a week on this project since I started it. The Balzo (hat) has been reworked a few times and it's probably not totally done; it will probably get more bling. However, it's essentially a bird cage that's been covered and embellished and I need to get used to that before I put anymore effort into sprucing it up. I feel like an extra from Bablyon 5 when I've got it on, but at this point I told myself to put up or shut up. Which means I need to wear the crazy hat or admit that vanity is more important than experiencing the period through the sensations of the clothing and headwear.
So I'm wearing the outrageous hat because I won't give in to Vanity, which is a deadly sin.
This outfit also involved sleeves embellished with gold work embroidery. The embroidery on the sleeves took about 200 hours total. Tuesday night I underestimated how many hours of gold work were left and after the unexpected guests left, I stayed up all night to finish. I didn't think I had the gas for an all-nighter, but I was only 5 hours out from completing a 200 hour task and NOT finishing was so horrifying, it fueled me to suck it up and keep on stitching. I'm glad I did, though. It's all shiney and gold and pearled and.... shiney. I'll be damned if I wear a bird cage on my head but don't wear the f-ing sleeves I put all this time into.
But the crazy was that after staying up all night Tuesday and into Wednesday morning, I was completely wired at work the next day even without caffeine (job stress will do that to me). After the kids went to bed Wednesday night I spent some time with F and then went to the gym to do sprints for an hour. Which means that after my brief nap on Tuesday I stayed up for over 24 hours and capped that off with a hard work out.
I finished the clothing tonight (well, last night since it's 5:30am). But it's done. However, even though I ran at lunch time on Thursday and just did another all-nighter, I'm not tired. I had a nap from 8-10 pm, but once I got in my workshop it was like I was looking for reasons to stay out there. I'm not sure if it's the "sewing crazy" or the "work stress won't let me sleep". But it's 5:30 am and time to get ready for work.
Welcome to my Obsessive Compulsive world. My OCD is triggered by stress, so I guess for me it's not about becoming crazy in order to prep for 12th Night. I'm just crazy all the time and while normally I can supress it, right now the crazy has me in a head-lock.
In fact, he's doing GREAT at school this week. I can't stop telling him how proud I am. He's even counseling Miss E to put on a happy face when she's being cranky at her teachers.
I just read ermine-rat's post about crazy seamstresses and 12th Night. I didn't intend to drive myself crazy with 12th Night projects. But ... I did.
It started with the realization that I don't have any 15th century Italian clothing anymore and none of the overgarments I had made were from 1450. So I never really played with the big head pieces and big sleeves. Boom! Years of research and my desire to wear crazy headwear and all the inspired ideas I've had from my latest reading into the letters and diaries from 15thc. Floretines came into play. And the project became something I had to do.
It's heavily researched, but I can't point to any specific pictures and say, "There it is." I'll web it later and throw up a bibliography for anyone who's intersted. Anyway...
I've been working pretty relentlessly since then, doing anywhere from 5-20 hours a week on this project since I started it. The Balzo (hat) has been reworked a few times and it's probably not totally done; it will probably get more bling. However, it's essentially a bird cage that's been covered and embellished and I need to get used to that before I put anymore effort into sprucing it up. I feel like an extra from Bablyon 5 when I've got it on, but at this point I told myself to put up or shut up. Which means I need to wear the crazy hat or admit that vanity is more important than experiencing the period through the sensations of the clothing and headwear.
So I'm wearing the outrageous hat because I won't give in to Vanity, which is a deadly sin.
This outfit also involved sleeves embellished with gold work embroidery. The embroidery on the sleeves took about 200 hours total. Tuesday night I underestimated how many hours of gold work were left and after the unexpected guests left, I stayed up all night to finish. I didn't think I had the gas for an all-nighter, but I was only 5 hours out from completing a 200 hour task and NOT finishing was so horrifying, it fueled me to suck it up and keep on stitching. I'm glad I did, though. It's all shiney and gold and pearled and.... shiney. I'll be damned if I wear a bird cage on my head but don't wear the f-ing sleeves I put all this time into.
But the crazy was that after staying up all night Tuesday and into Wednesday morning, I was completely wired at work the next day even without caffeine (job stress will do that to me). After the kids went to bed Wednesday night I spent some time with F and then went to the gym to do sprints for an hour. Which means that after my brief nap on Tuesday I stayed up for over 24 hours and capped that off with a hard work out.
I finished the clothing tonight (well, last night since it's 5:30am). But it's done. However, even though I ran at lunch time on Thursday and just did another all-nighter, I'm not tired. I had a nap from 8-10 pm, but once I got in my workshop it was like I was looking for reasons to stay out there. I'm not sure if it's the "sewing crazy" or the "work stress won't let me sleep". But it's 5:30 am and time to get ready for work.
Welcome to my Obsessive Compulsive world. My OCD is triggered by stress, so I guess for me it's not about becoming crazy in order to prep for 12th Night. I'm just crazy all the time and while normally I can supress it, right now the crazy has me in a head-lock.
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Bablyon 5
Date: 2010-01-08 02:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-08 03:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-08 03:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-08 03:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-08 03:42 pm (UTC)Not only is it brave to wear the bird cage, but it is likely that you will get way more admiration for doing that particular insane headdress well than if you wore a more sedate hat. The rest of us already know how good you look, and I bet F will think it's hot no matter what. Please come through the merchant room so I can see the whole thing!
no subject
Date: 2010-01-08 03:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-08 03:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-08 04:45 pm (UTC)But, oh, the ways in which you and I differ are multitudenous. ;-) I can't help but think about how this post followed closely on the heels of another post, from another LJ friend, about how sleep is the next feminist issue. Love to have a long philosophical discussion with you sometime. :-)
no subject
Date: 2010-01-08 06:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-08 08:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-09 01:47 am (UTC)http://www.salon.com/life/feminism/index.html?story=/mwt/broadsheet/feature/2010/01/04/sleep_challenge
no subject
Date: 2010-01-08 05:05 pm (UTC)Birdcage!
Date: 2010-01-08 05:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-08 06:43 pm (UTC)On another topic, could you possibly come to the Crosston Ball and bring Super N with you? We have another 9/10 year old boy who's an avid dancer, an it would be cool to have other kids his age there.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-08 08:07 pm (UTC)That is beautiful gold and pearlwork. The pelican is spectacular and I love the garnets as center of the gillyflower. How did you achieve the red color in the center of the bottom flower?
I look forward to seeing you post more about it.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-08 10:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-08 08:57 pm (UTC)I will bring a small bucket to hold under my mouth while I admire those sleeves, so as to keep the drool off the silk.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-08 11:05 pm (UTC)Treadwalker is SO talented
no subject
Date: 2010-01-08 10:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-08 11:09 pm (UTC)Wear the balzo, please. I've been looking at Rafaello portraits of ladies c. 1507 and if I make one of them I will need a hat.
Wow
Date: 2010-01-10 12:03 am (UTC)I salute you!!