Thursday, October 30, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Misc
I want to start this off by saying, Go Flyers. And by pointing out that the Rep VP candidate (who even old Betty White refers to as, "one craaazy bitch") who soiled my Flyers' arena and touched our captain, thereby cursing the Flyers with a 6 game losing streak to open their season, was at least kind enough to transfer the Palin Curse to the St. Louis Blues on Friday when she showed up in Missouri to drop the puck once more, this time with not two, but three human shields -- er, I mean, her husband and two daughters again. Juse before the ceremony, Blues goalie Manny Legace was first player on the ice, tripped over the red carpet they laid out, and injured his hip. The Blues lost that night, and the Flyers brought home their first win, and won the next game, too.
Took Jackie to the Nerd Parade show at Kavarna on Friday. She's now officially got a serious crush on Ms. Lindsay Appel. (Cindy, Tracey, Lynn, and anyone else who thought she was "so cute" - you can borrow her for a day, anytime you like. I swear, I don't mind.)
Yeah, I know. Everyone is still waiting on the glorious, beautiful Hank's Garage photos. I know. I am ashamed to admit I have not even downloaded or looked at the Kavarna pics.All I can do is apologize for my Halloween-induced distraction and promise that by next week, I will be cured...
Costuming:
I have even been neglecting myself, okay... I keep forgetting to stitch a last minor detail on my own costume, and I still have to make my mask. Nor have I actually put the whole thing on together and tried out my makeup yet.
So my first rant was about ironing pattern pieces. My next unexpected hitch in the mechanisms was forgetting all about the wonders of properly hemming something round and floor length. Especially with the costumee running off in his car between fittings (to his credit, Stevie always returned before or just as I finished pinning). I should have remembered this part of the process taking hours, seeing as the last thing I did this on was a bridesmaid's dress. There was fortunately no laying on my stomach in a permanent crunch with pins in my mouth this time (thank you mother for that metal hem-measuring device) but I repinned that damn hem at least 4 times before we got it right. One inch off the front, one inch off the back, and three inches off each side. (How's that for a nightmare, Ma? I know you're reading this)
But other than one last bit of topstitching and a clasp, I finished Stevie's cloak. 6 1/2 yards of brown mock-linen, one spool of thread, and about 40 hours worth of labor. It looks really good, too, if I do say so myself. Tonight, we take a photo of Stevie in it, with his new... accessory. (Glo-stix, eat yer heart out)
Took Jackie to the Nerd Parade show at Kavarna on Friday. She's now officially got a serious crush on Ms. Lindsay Appel. (Cindy, Tracey, Lynn, and anyone else who thought she was "so cute" - you can borrow her for a day, anytime you like. I swear, I don't mind.)
Yeah, I know. Everyone is still waiting on the glorious, beautiful Hank's Garage photos. I know. I am ashamed to admit I have not even downloaded or looked at the Kavarna pics.
Costuming:
I have even been neglecting myself, okay... I keep forgetting to stitch a last minor detail on my own costume, and I still have to make my mask. Nor have I actually put the whole thing on together and tried out my makeup yet.
So my first rant was about ironing pattern pieces. My next unexpected hitch in the mechanisms was forgetting all about the wonders of properly hemming something round and floor length. Especially with the costumee running off in his car between fittings (to his credit, Stevie always returned before or just as I finished pinning). I should have remembered this part of the process taking hours, seeing as the last thing I did this on was a bridesmaid's dress. There was fortunately no laying on my stomach in a permanent crunch with pins in my mouth this time (thank you mother for that metal hem-measuring device) but I repinned that damn hem at least 4 times before we got it right. One inch off the front, one inch off the back, and three inches off each side. (How's that for a nightmare, Ma? I know you're reading this)
But other than one last bit of topstitching and a clasp, I finished Stevie's cloak. 6 1/2 yards of brown mock-linen, one spool of thread, and about 40 hours worth of labor. It looks really good, too, if I do say so myself. Tonight, we take a photo of Stevie in it, with his new... accessory. (Glo-stix, eat yer heart out)
So yeah, that's what Stevie's gonna be. =P
(And it lights up all good, turns on/off with the pssshwww sound and goes wub-wub-wub when you swing it... you can't understand how fresh that thing is)
Picked up some great natural-colored fabric with a bit of a brown fleck in it for the tunic & belt yesterday. (A big shout out to Walmart - they don't have the largest selection, but if you do find something, look out, because the prices are unbeatable.) This shouldn't be bad... other than playing with interfacing, which I hate, now that the cloak is done, there aren't any more pieces of the costume that are taller than I am.
I doubt I will have time to draw up a good Joker face for a pumpkin - heck, I don't even know if I'll have time carve one, at this rate... not that any of us will be home to need a pumpkin! But if I get a spare couple of hours, I've got a great evil clown template that will do just fine.
More tonight!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Beginning
Started on Stevie's costume this evening. Let me tell you, there is no paranoia quite like ironing a pattern, much less a rare out-of-print Ebay'd pattern, with "a warm iron." And since my iron has no setting for "warm" among its modern choices of synthetic, silk, wool, cotton and linen ('tissue paper' setting, anyone?) I spent about fifteen minutes testing, turning it up click by painful click.
For the record, "warm" is about halfway between synthetic and silk on a fairly expensive Sunbeam iron. Who knew.
So piece # 1 is a cloak. And it's HUGE. Huge. Nearly as tall as I am huge. Bigger than my dining room table huge. So big that the pattern piece had to be printed in two sections and taped together (and for anyone who knows, a single sheet of pattern tissue is hardly considered small). However it is likely going to be a quick & fun sew, from the looks of it. Pics of the process to follow.
For the record, "warm" is about halfway between synthetic and silk on a fairly expensive Sunbeam iron. Who knew.
So piece # 1 is a cloak. And it's HUGE. Huge. Nearly as tall as I am huge. Bigger than my dining room table huge. So big that the pattern piece had to be printed in two sections and taped together (and for anyone who knows, a single sheet of pattern tissue is hardly considered small). However it is likely going to be a quick & fun sew, from the looks of it. Pics of the process to follow.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
I love this time of year
Halloween does indeed bring out the best in me. The cogs between my ears start spinning extra-fast at the beginning of September, and I'm practically worthless between then and October 31st for anything other than thinking about and planning the upcoming debauchery. I love nothing better than to cosplay, even those years when I haven't got the funds to do it properly =1
This year's costume was a purchase, unfortunately, and I had to buy a new sewing machine to conduct the alterations to both my daughter's gothic fairy outfit and my attire (hint: what's black and white and red all over, and matches my new Chucks?). Which led me to the conclusion that if I'd just bought the machine in the first place, I probably could have just made everything myself and avoided the headache.
However, the extraordinarily complication alterations I had to do renewed my lifelong love of sewing/crafting, so I have decided to embark on the creation of a cosplay-quality Halloween costume for my best friend. (I give you three guesses as to what Stevie has chosen... if you know Stevie, it's rather obvious.)
I believe this year's pumpkin will likely bear the Joker's face, and I mean the comic book Joker - I will not be putting Heath Leger's face on my jack-o-lantern. (Not that I have any problem with Heath - Dark Knight was brilliant, and he was brilliant in it, but everyone's fixated on Heath this year, and I dare to be, well, authentic. The Joker doesn't have scars.)
More details & pics soon to follow.
This year's costume was a purchase, unfortunately, and I had to buy a new sewing machine to conduct the alterations to both my daughter's gothic fairy outfit and my attire (hint: what's black and white and red all over, and matches my new Chucks?). Which led me to the conclusion that if I'd just bought the machine in the first place, I probably could have just made everything myself and avoided the headache.
However, the extraordinarily complication alterations I had to do renewed my lifelong love of sewing/crafting, so I have decided to embark on the creation of a cosplay-quality Halloween costume for my best friend. (I give you three guesses as to what Stevie has chosen... if you know Stevie, it's rather obvious.)
I believe this year's pumpkin will likely bear the Joker's face, and I mean the comic book Joker - I will not be putting Heath Leger's face on my jack-o-lantern. (Not that I have any problem with Heath - Dark Knight was brilliant, and he was brilliant in it, but everyone's fixated on Heath this year, and I dare to be, well, authentic. The Joker doesn't have scars.)
More details & pics soon to follow.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Life Constants
Only nature is perfect, and there are no straight lines in nature.
Be kind to animals, including the human ones.
Words mean only what you believe them to mean.
Reality is a matter of perception.
Those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it.
Be careful whose rules you consent to follow.
Never mix business & pleasure, religion & politics, or business & politics.
Don't spend so much time chasing fairy tales that you forget to live.
Logic and emotion are mortal enemies - always follow your heart.
There's a fine line between determination and force.
Sunshine is as important as water, air and food.
There is a God, and he doesn't live in a church.
The meaning of life, is love.
Be kind to animals, including the human ones.
Words mean only what you believe them to mean.
Reality is a matter of perception.
Those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it.
Be careful whose rules you consent to follow.
Never mix business & pleasure, religion & politics, or business & politics.
Don't spend so much time chasing fairy tales that you forget to live.
Logic and emotion are mortal enemies - always follow your heart.
There's a fine line between determination and force.
Sunshine is as important as water, air and food.
There is a God, and he doesn't live in a church.
The meaning of life, is love.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Look Ma, I'm famous
(not quite... and not hardly)
Next best thing though: Randy Garcia has designed his new website around one of my photos of his infamous 'bacon' guitar -- how cool is that?
www.randygarcia.com
Next best thing though: Randy Garcia has designed his new website around one of my photos of his infamous 'bacon' guitar -- how cool is that?
www.randygarcia.com
And here I be
I have long thought of having a journal blog, as a means of self-reflection, hypothesizing, and displaying my cynicism. Perhaps merely knowing that no one knows I am here and that no one will actually read this will prompt me to be more honest. Perhaps I will finally post some of the retarded amounts of lyrics and poetry I've been sitting on for all these years, too embarrassed to share with anyone.
Perhaps.
Perhaps.
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