Fish, Fish, More Fish, and Yellow Wallpaper

Louisiana....  I've been before, but not to the area we visited this long weekend.  It was ups and downs: I'd never been there before, so I didn't know the people, and they didn't know me.  I was definitely the outsider.  So that was uncomfortable.  The bathroom was a little odd: half yellow and green plaid wallpaper, half yellow and green floral print (very vivid print, at that).  The floor was a slightly puffy yellow Moorish tile pattern linoleum.  With a sage green bathmat.

We went fishing.  A lot.  I don't even like to eat fish.  But.  We went fishing.  I caught a few brim, a catfish - and lost two more, including the requisite "big one that got away."  The weirdest thing about the catfish... they make noise!  The one I caught made little oinking sounds.  I guess he was trying to be scary, but it just made me feel sorry for him.  Glad I am not going to eat him/her/it.  I also went 'vegetarian fishing.'  Caught a leaf, a tree, and two tufts of grass.

I did manage to finish reading The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Noose.  It was even better than the first book - I enjoyed all of it, and the main character has learned a little humility.  It was an excellent book.  I just wish it wouldn't be as long a wait as it will be before the next book.  (If that makes sense).

I missed my cat, I missed my sewing machine, and missed my own bed.  There's so much to catch up on now that I will be busy busy busy for the rest of the week.

Books books and more books

Finished The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie last night.  An excellent read - good enough that I went immediately on to the next book - The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag.  So far it's just as engaging, if not moreso.  The only problem will be once I finish this one... I'll have to wait.  Fortunately, there SHOULD be another Terry Pratchett out this year (in a few months, I hope).

On mine, I've reached 34k.  It's migrating along just fine, save that one of my characters completely re-invented himself.  He was angsty originally.  He is no longer - instead he's disgustingly cheerful.  I am all right with that - better that than angst.  He just caught me off guard.  So, off to rescue a dead man from Hell while the world falls apart around them....

And sewing.  I am still putting hair on a doll.  It's taking longer than I expected - mostly because of Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and Weed that Strings....  I can't put them down!

New Look and New Goal

I officially declare this blog a do-over.  Give it a make-over, send it out into the world revamped and renewed.

I am currently working on several projects.  I've finished several more, and am keeping busy with a variety of things.  On the WIP list I have: Condor doll, fleece quilt, and costuming for Faith Strangeways (a traveling faire character).  On the finished list: several more dolls, a gift for my sister, and a small pirate-themed purse.

I am keeping up with the writing: 29k words into it - started almost three weeks ago.  I am also reading: how can I not?  The most recent reading list (in progress) includes: Complete Dorothy Sayers Stories, Cheer Leader (from the 50's), and The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (borrowed from my sister).  Two are good and one (Cheer Leader) is silly.

Faire is over for the summer, and I am in some ways glad.  I can relax now - time to have weekends back for a bit.  Catch up on all my projects, spend time with the cat, and just hang out.  It's been brutally hot and humid here - never a good combination - so we've been doing a lot inside recently.  And lots of estate sales.  I've gotten some interesting things, and if I had more room would have gotten even more.  Oh... and we bought wild plums at a farmer's market, and I am going to plant the pits and see if we can grow our own.  That would be cool - and maybe next year or beyond I can make jelly for my dad: he loves plum, and we used to make wild plum jelly every summer.  It's gotten harder to find wild plums on the road side, so we stopped.

So... there's the first update.  This blog will now hopefully be more consistent, about more than JUST the sewing projects - although a lot of it will be that - and more about the misc. other things happening in my life.

I know... it's been obscenely long since I've posted.  Since last we met, I've made 7 skirts, 2 bodices, and lord knows what else these days.  Oh, and a moose.  I will try to post pics of everything soon - tomorrow or the next day.  Life gets in the way sometimes.

All is reasonably well, just... had more time for sewing and doing than blogging.

Baskets baskets baskets

We made twenty-odd fabric baskets this weekend.  And now we are making twenty-odd scarves... because we have plans.  But.  I am amazingly proud of all of these baskets.  We took pictures galore... I am only posting the nicest of them all...  It went very swiftly with two of us working on them.

So far we've been asked by 5 people if we are making them to sell.  Initially the answer was, "Well, no, not really...."  But from here on out, the answer is "Why, yes... yes we are.  Interested?" 

Sitting here drinking cherry-pomegranate juice with a little lemon juice mixed in to cut the sweet of the cherry.  It's really quite tasty, and a very pretty color. 

I accidentally tripped the breaker on the den tonight... apparently two space heaters (one is for the plants on the back porch, the other for inside) is too much.  So.... tripped breaker and my roommate saying "Oh, THAT'S not good."  I came close to panic, since the last house I was in the breakers fried themselves and took out the electricity to half the house.  But, all was well, just unplugged the inside space heater and re-set the breaker.  No harm done.  *whew*  And ultimately, when in the den, I can dress warmer.  The plants can't.  So they get the space heater.  I can still have the one in  my bedroom.  (Roomie likes cold.  I don't.  My knee doesn't.  My lungs don't.  She sleeps with her windows open when it's 20 degrees outside.  I have a space heater.  It works).

No snow...

A little disappointing.  But, probably better for all of us.

The outdoor plants are weathering well.  I have a blood orange off of one of my trees, and I am delighted.  Maybe I can convince my roommate that we need to go by the nursery and get another citrus... maybe a tangerine... we don't have one of those yet.  :)

Finished hat #2, but didn't get pics.  Maybe today.  It's still mostly black, but the next one... I have PLANS for the next one.  Ivory and red, with lace trim...

The sky is a pale steel gray, clouds over the dim and pale yellow of dawn.  What I can see of the city outside is sullen and grim under the sky, gray-roofed like reflections of the clouds.

Tonight I am hoping we will make pearsauce - like applesauce, but obviously not.  :)  We have huge numbers of pears left, and if the pear sauce comes out well, we can make pear butter. 

And another wreath

I forgot about this one, too....  I finished this wreath - gold and red.  It has been given to my roommate's mother...it turned out quite nice.

And tonight I make another bonnet with some reverse applique and work on dolls.  I have got to finish them.  When I do, there will be more pictures.

Project update

Finished not two, but three projects last night (at least the test versions of each).  One was a success, but I don't like the way the pattern makes up, so I did not bother taking pictures.  (Additionally, it was all black felt and would not photograph very well). 

Of the two that were photographable (more or less), here's the first - a larger version of the fabric basket I made before.  This one is about 12" long and 4" wide and I forget how deep... maybe 5"-6".  Doesn't sound that big, but it holds a lot.  Like the small one, it is completely reversible.  I made this one with simple cottons that had been hanging around my roommate's mother's house for years, so I have no idea of their provenence.  Two pictures this time, one empty, to show the lining, and one full, to show how much stuff it holds.  (All of the stuff came out of the pantry - two or three boxes of rice, honey, there's a 12 oz. mug tucked in there, a box of pomegranate bars, a bag of rice, Vidalia onion dressing/marinade, and something else that I don't remember.  Not half bad for a little basket).  The weight was substantial, but not enough to do any damage, so I am confident about this basket.  I like it, like the pattern, and like the speed with which it makes up. 

Now if I could only measure right the first time.... Measure twice cut once didn't work - the finished basket was SUPPOSED to be 15" long... I mismeasured the shell fabrics and had to cut the lining down.  By the way, on the empty picture, there is nothing in it, not even cardboard.  It stands up on its own, even though it's just two layers of thin cotton. 

The other project of the evening that turned out well was this: a folk-style bonnet.  I am not sure that 'bonnet' is the right term for it, but it came out well anyway.  It's a little too big for my head, so I will make a slightly smaller version tonight - 90% of the original (or maybe 95%, we'll see which works best).  The original found online used two layers of felt.  This one is one layer of felt and one of fleece.  The next one will be two layers of fleece and an outer layer of felt (because I don't have that much felt in different colors).  I want to try a little reverse applique on the next one.  The forward shot is a little tough to see, so we took a side shot as well.  If the next one turns out well, we'll just take a picture of it on my head instead of the mannequin head.

The bonnet is designed to sit on the upper back of the head; it doesn't cover the entire head.  The next one will not be all black, I promise, so it should photograph much better.

They are forecasting a chance of snow tonight and tomorrow... we'll see what happens.

Because I Need....

Picked up two more projects today...  HOPEFULLY I can get them done and get pics taken tonight.  If not tonight, tomorrow... I am making an early 'resolution' to be better about keeping this blog up and to keep up with the pics. 

I am trying to get ready for Christmas/Hannukah/the Solstice/Saturnalia, whichever people celebrate, and my friends celebrate all of the above and more.  I am not sure about Kwanzaa... I'd have to ask.  I have plans for decorating.  I have this image in my head of the house I would love to have and the Christmas decorating I would do.  The house of my dreams isn't really even that big, but it would be one that reflected me and my tastes.  Comfortable.  Not brand-new.  Biggish lot.  A place for a cottage garden and a vegetable garden and maybe a little greenhouse.  A place I could dedicate to writing (not that I don't have a computer room and so forth where I can write, but a place that wasn't cramped and crowded with all sorts of stuff, but a place of books and the furniture I need, no more, would be nice). 

Every time I look around, I think I could pare down my belongings, get rid of some of the dross.  But... I am not a minimalist.  I inhabit two rooms in a friend's house, and am grateful for them.  But I know the house of my heart.

I will temporarily assuage the desire for this dream house in crafting, in creating, and maybe one day make a version of it, whether full-sized or in miniature. 

Snow....

Somehow I do not expect snow in North Texas... out in West Texas, sure, but not here....  And yet, we have snow.  In November (err... December... I forget we've switched months).  Hard falling beautiful white-gray silver snow.  I am saddened that it will not stick, but given the driving proclivities of Dallas-Fort Worth drivers, it's probably for the best!  Those who are not here at work are calling to say it is snowing.  Those who are here are looking out the windows and talking about the snow.

Have so many crafts to do, and so much to write, and I want to go play outside.  Here I sit at work, staring out the distant windows, craning my neck to see the snow fall that is so thick it's a blanket, but flakes so large you can see individual ones plummet past.  No gentle dry snow this - heavy, wet, flakes that drop like little boulders.  I want to be out there.

But I will drink homemade hot chocolate and look out the windows, and be grateful that I have the choice - I have a nice warm place to be. 

There is writing to be done, and crafts to be done.  I will be able to get more done tonight if I can stay awake.  I have a group project I am working on, I need to finish Joanne's doll, and I need to work on my Christmas presents. 

Oops

And I forgot about my other easy-peasy completed project... Skull and Crossbones Pillow... It took me all of a few hours to complete. His nose looks a little like an old Star Trek emblem to me, but I like him.

So long between postings

And so many projects completed. The topsy-turvy doll is still being completed - the noble half is done, but the peasant half needs her dress still. So, no pics of that yet. And I finished two simple shearling blankets. I'd have pictures, but because it's gotten cold here they are under several layers of bedding.


However... the projects I have completed and have pictures of are here.



This is a fabric basket, made off of a pattern I found online. I am going to try to make a larger version at some point now that I have figured out how to do it. I am also toying with the idea of turning it into a hat - again, slightly larger, but still should be relatively simple. Not that I need another hat, but it would be something else to put on the ever-growing project list. This one was made with silks from Japanese kimonos.




And... wreaths... I need to take better pics and get them posted, but here is the green and gold wreath I made for our door at home. It's a simple project, really - just requires a LOT of ribbon. About 150 yards grand total (could probably get away with 120 yards, but nevertheless, it's a lot of ribbon). The one on the right is the burgundy and gold wreath I made for my Grandmother. She gets a new (or mostly re-made) wreath every year, so I thought I would just make her a new one entirely. I found the inspiration for this online as well, but they used fabric from a ready made roll of matching fabrics (all from one line). I went with wired ribbon instead. Made the cutting go so much faster.





And finally... little Emma. She is a doll of my current faire character. Next season I will have an outfit that more closely matches this one, as I found brown silk at a garage sale for a dollar a yard. Fifteen dollars later, I am happy as I can be!






The TRF day trip was LONG but enjoyable. We are planning all sorts of mayhem for next year, and I am looking forward to it immensely. And Dust is done - the first draft, anyway, and being edited by several people. I am 50k into a novel that should be only 75k - so may have the first draft done by the end of the month, if I am good. Mind you, that means writing over 4k words every day, but we shall see.... It's called Two Corbies. Fantasy, but not my usual.

Monday

Friday, tired....

Saturday, five hours on stilts and lots of fun, even if my pants kept trying to fall off.... gangsta ghost. that was me. :)

Sunday, fight club and stoolball.

Tonight, run by Joann's to look at fabric one more time... maybe at the cottons this time to make a duvet cover. I want a green comforter, but cannot find what I want. I know exactly what I want... but I might take a temporary fix for now...

Meanwhile... the topsy-turvy doll is getting her skirt beaded, and one of the miniature stoolball dolls is almost done. And I've been playing Shaiya way more than I should.

But Dust is moving along again, so maybe I will actually finish it!

Argh

.... Here it is 7:30 pm. I came into work this morning at 7:30 am. Still here. No end in sight, unless my manager takes pity on me....

I love my job I love my job....

Still terrible abut updating.

But here it is. First, pics and such.

Baby bunting. For the co-worker of my friend Donna. She is having a girl, and the colors are tan and pink. So I made a quick bunting, very simple, no pattern. A few folds, a little shaping, a little velcro, and all is done. Too bad I couldn't get a good picture. :)

And the totebag #1. Finished pics finally. And I have managed to purchase the stuff to make #2, so hopefully a tute soon.

There is still much work to be done, and many projects in the works. I am still stilt-walking - this coming up weekend will be long and busy - stiltwalking Saturday, Fight Club and Stoolball Sunday, and stiltwalking on Monday. Whee! It's all fun, but I will be TIRED.

Peg Stilts, sewing, and stoolball

Monday was more stilt-walking. Paige and I (my stilt buddy) want to get shirts made that read "Stilt-walkers" on front and on back "Not Stilt-standers." Our instructors' favorite saying is "This is stilt-walking class, not stilt-standing class." So it seems appropriate. Maybe I'll see what it would take to do a few shirts. :)

Last night I finished the first kimono-sleeve tote-bag. Pictures tomorrow, and maybe a tutorial soon as I work on the next one.

Stoolball is still going great guns, and hopefully will continue to do so!

Fight CLub and Stoolball

Had 2nd Fight Club meeting - training for stage combat - yesterday, and afterwards, Stoolball practice. We're actually getting a team together that can PLAY, not just play around. We'll be a better exhibition at faire, and there are other faires that want to play us.

Now... the fight director, Bill, wants to see about getting our team, when it happens, a sponsorship from an actual British team to go over there and play. Eek! Too, too cool, but eek! We need to get better!

More stilts, more sewing, and so forth

Had the third stilt lesson this Monday. I went from regular stilts to jumper stilts. WOW. I had such fun on them - walked for almost two hours solid, went across all sorts of rocky and grassy terrain - and I want to do more! I learned to walk backwards, walk side to side both by 'sidling' (just shuffling to the side, really), and by strafing (crossing one leg over the other as you walk sideways). I even went for a jog with one of the instructors holding my hand. Which is good, as I almost fell. :) He caught me, though, so I still haven't fallen completely over.

On jumper stilts it's almost impossible to stand still. You have to keep shifting your weight, because the pads are not that big - maybe a couple of inches wide on each side - and slightly curved, so it's difficult to stand still. It was a great time, and I learned that while I can't sing well, I can sing on while walking on stilts. It doesn't make me sound any better, but I have the energy to sing.

On the sewing front, still working on the beaded bodice and a few other things. We re-arranged the sewing area so we have a much nicer cutting table (as in, now we have one and don't have to use the cutting board put on the bed to cut fabrics). Things are getting better, and I can start working harder on stuff now! (I am currently making a totebag out of a kimono sleeve - pics of it when I am done).

Stilts!

Last night I learned the basics of walking on stilts. My goal is to be a stiltwalker at Screams this year, and thus... stiltwalking classes called to me. The folks teaching said I 'rock' which is a good thing! I learned to walk, turn, and deal with terrain - and in theory to fall, even though I haven't. Yet. I am certain it will only be a matter of time, though!

Next Monday evening I should learn slightly more advanced things - walking backwards, side-stepping (strafing) and walking backwards uphill.

I was given the chance to walk on 2 foot and 3 foot stilts. I like both of them... and I am shooting for the jumping stilts. THOSE look like they would be a blast!

http://www.getjumpingstilts.com/pom115bl.html

This is my goal. :) We'll see if I can get there!

Friday, at long last....

My cat has been sick, so we finally took her to the vet. She has a viral infection, and has to have meds twice a day - pediatric Amoxicilian. She does NOT like it, but it's a liquid version, so she doesn't have much choice in the matter. And she's already feeling better - well enough to strenuously object to medicines. She's only 12 pounds, which surprises me. She's... dense... for 12 pounds. :)

And Donna's been having computer issues - for about 4 days solid. I THINK we've managed to fix things. I certainly hope so.


Still working on the bodice for NEXT year's TRF... although I am further along than I expected to be at this time.

This weekend hopefully will be the ReStore, looking for a table to use as a cutting table in the craft area, and maybe a few estate sales. I hope so. I love estate sales. Maybe this time I'll take the camera with and snap some pictures. And we need to go by the fabric store and find broadcloth to match the scarlets worn by Cpt. Sharpe so I can get back to work on that.

I have an idea for a craft, but I haven't found the perfect base for it yet. Maybe this weekend. And I need to dig out the linen and cut it to edge the circle skirt I made for next year's garb. Or maybe TRF garb. We'll see.

Going to make a bracelet for my GM for her birthday this month - she wants a bright red bracelet. I can do that, most likely with what we have on hand.