Thursday Theme: All That Glitters Is Not Gold

Happy almost the weekend, Pocketeers!  This week's post is brought to you by the letters B-L-I-N-G.  As some of you know, I'm not a big fan of glitter the way a lot of crafters are.  As far as I'm concerned, glitter is a tool of the devil.  It gets everywhere, it multiplies, it never goes away... ugh.  But I do like metallics, pearlized effects, and shimmer.  I've even started to like rhinestones.  *gasp!*

I tend to use metallics as a neutral in a lot of things.  And I love using pearl or shimmer mists like Perfect Pearls or the Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists to add depth and interest.  Like here:

You can just barely see the shine in the photo.  Unfortunately, I've found that these effects don't photograph well.

 

 

Lately I've been more interested in using rhinestones as an accent, just to give a little bit of shine, a little bit of fancy to a piece.  Even when I'm using other materials that might be a little more rustic or grungy.  So the other day, I picked up these guys:

 

Iridescent goes with everything, and I just love those Goosebumps ones!  They'll make great flower centers.

You may even have noticed them on this from my Seth Apter book:

Shiny shiny shiny...

So, it seems somewhat natural that lately, I've been teaming up with my Mom to do something super blingy.  It started, sort of, a year ago.  At the Sheep and Wool Festival, I found these earrings, and couldn't leave without them:

I mean really, how fabulous is that?

I decided immediately that they would be perfect to wear for belly dance performances, since that is something I also study, and decided that at some point, I would have to make a costume to go with them.  Well, I have a recital coming up on Sunday, so about a month ago, Mom and I got to work.  I did the sewing and she did the beading, for the most part.  The only beading I did was the sequins on the belt, and she did help with the sewing.  But mostly we divided the labor along sewing (basic) and beading (complicated) lines.  And this is what we did:

Invisible Carrie!

Here's a closeup of the belt, with the faux button that Mom made.  That's right, she made it.  She also did all that beaded edging.

On the top, she beaded a meandering path on the band, bezeled and added fringe to a vintage button, and did the sequins and the beaded edging.  Rockstar.

All done by hand!

Mr. Pocket got in on the action, too, and mailled me this beautiful necklace to go with the costume.  It's perfect with it!

 

I'll try to post pictures of me in the costume once I have some from the recital, with the makeup and all the jewelry and the whole nine yards.  I'm so pleased with how it turned out, and super excited to wear it on Sunday!  It's really a blessing and a luxury to have such a talented family who's willing to work hard on stuff like this for me.  If you haven't already gotten familiar with her blog, please go to Zingala's Workshop and check out my Mom's other work.  She's amazing!  We've worked together on costumes before, for my friend's theatre group, and it's always fun to collaborate on stuff like this.  We make a great team :)

Columbina Revealed

Well, it didn't quite go off without a SNAFU (none of my projects ever do, so I don't know why I expected this one to...), but I'd say my costume turned out okay. Not quite as elegant as I'd envisioned, but hey. Nothing ever is. So now, because I know you, my friends, have been waiting for pics, I give you...

Columbina!




From the back:


The mask is from Mythical Masks and the feather barette is from Dragon Wings. The blouse, skirt, and corset were of course painstakingly crafted by yours truly. I painted the diamond pattern -- well, printed more like. I cut a big chunk of stamp rubber into a diamond, and painted fabric paint onto it, and printed the fabric with that.



The sequins at the points were Mom's idea, and she even volunteered to sew them on. My mom rocks. :)

Happily, the party went far more smoothly than the costume. I think my friend Matt had the most clever costume: he was the Nile turning to blood!

P.S. OMG Football! Both my teams were comeback kings this weekend. Amazing. And awesome.

Inspiration

So, this Halloween costume I'm making. When I really think about it, it's been years in the planning.

See, as a child, I watched Mystery! on PBS with my parents. Poirot was always my favorite. And my favorite Poirot story was "The Affar at the Victory Ball" featuring some of the most exquisite costumes I'd ever seen. The story centered around a group of friends who all dressed as characters of the Commedia dell'Arte, and thus began my fascination with Harlequin. Ironically, I never did study or read up on the Commedia, and to this day I know very little about it. But harlequin patterns and characters loosely based on Harlequin and his friends I find completely enchanting. I buy harlequin patterned scrapbooking papers, anything diamond patterned -- I adore argyle, and I swear it has to be for the diamonds -- I've even bought a graphic short story just because it features Harlequin.

Fast forward quite a bit. In, oh I dunno, January? or so, sometime between last Halloween and this Halloween at any rate, I sketched out a costume idea. I knew exactly what colors it must be, though I couldn't tell you why, and what materials I'd prefer. This costume is the reason I decided not to theme our Halloween party this year. That's how determined I was to make it. I made a special trip with Mom and Pam to the uber-mega-fabric-store-of-doom just to find the right fabrics. I already have the zip ties to bone my corset (trust me on that one). I bought a classic mask at the renaissance festival just to go with this costume, and then serve as a decorative piece until I have occasion to wear it again -- which I most certainly will. I started actually googling the concept sometime about a month or so ago, and found no other examples that are anything like what I'm making. Mine is a very loose interpretation. And what's odd is, I haven't even found anything else in my color scheme. Hmm. Where on Earth did I come up with that?

So I've started working on it, as mentioned previously, and I tend to watch movies while I sew. The other night, I put on the only vaguely ghost-related movie I have that's absolutely not creepy or scary whatsoever. Even tamer than Van Helsing. I watched The Phantom of the Opera. Halfway through the movie (give or take), I realized something. I found my color scheme.

For those of you who've seen the movie, do you remember the Masquerade scene? You should, it's easily the most beautiful scene in the movie, which is saying a lot considering how spectacular the whole thing is (if you disagree, just bear with me, k?). The entire scene, except for the technical staff and two notable guests, is clothed in black and shades of antique gold and white. As the scene opened, I answered my color scheme question. Without realizing it, I had based my costume not only on my lifelong fascination, but also on the most brilliantly costumed scene I can think of.

Hmm...

If only my costume were to turn out that gorgeous.

The Trouble With Halloween...

See, the trouble with Halloween is that it requires a costume. At least, when you're me it does. I know plenty of people opt not to dress up, but where's the fun in that? I must not only have a costume, I must make said costume. It's a point of honor. I know how to sew, therefore I must use/show off/practice my skill by making my own costume.

This year I have chosen to outdo myself (hopefully) by making a costume with staying power. This will be my most ambitious (and expensive) endeavor yet. It actually may be more spectacular than the dryad of two years ago:



Freezing, by the way. It looked better in motion, too.

Anyway, I'm hoarding all of my precious spare time in these last two weeks before Halloween, because I MUST get this costume of mine finished before THE night. Boy am I glad that The Man (as I shall henceforth refer to he who I love best in the world) and I didn't decide to have our party on the weekend before Halloween...

eep...

Okay, still no pictures to post. Haven't downloaded them from my camera. And I haven't taken any of what I've spun. But I wanted to post anyway, and rant a little about how very over my head I am in. If you don't want to hear me rant, just stop reading. But opening up about stuff helps me get my head in order.

See, with the costumes for the show, I feel like I'm just treading water. No matter how many people I dress, there are still five million more. And I only have one person helping me. It's a nightmare. Not that I'm not enjoying it at all, but it's just getting more and more stressful.

And because I put it aside for so long, I now have to finish that baby blanket I was crocheting by this weekend. Funny thing, that's also the first deadline for costumes. Hm. Funny how that worked out.

And there's a good deal of personal stress that I won't get into here but suffice to say it's all a bit draining.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could each just take a month whenever needed and say "bug off, world, I need some time to myself!" and just do whatever inspires us? I think that would be fantastic. I definitely need about a month to myself. That would be nice. But alas, I have no such month, so I guess that means I'm off to bed so I can get to work in the morning!

On Why the RenFest is a Mixed Blessing

Never thought it would be my parents encouraging me to buy a leather bustier.

Alex, I would expect. My best girlfriend Murph, I would expect. Pam, I would expect.

Did not expect my parents.

But they did. And I bought it. And it's hott. Yes, with two "t"s.
(ETA, by popular demand) The item in question:



Please pardon the different plaid shoelaces. Trust me, they're better (at least temporarily) than the ridiculous laces that were in it when I bought it, which were so stiff they stuck out on their own.

And now that I have an item for pirate garb, I would say I spent my limit today at the faire. Certainly. And probably will once again, the next time I go.

Which will not be until next month. Sad. And yet, very okay with that.

Also, I now have a desire to pick my recorders back up again. I have a soprano recorder and an alto recorder. Beyond that my hands just aren't big enough to play. But this is brought on by the fact that I've been thinking about it for a while and by the discovery today of a music ensemble I'd not seen before. (Ironic, seeing as how they play right before my favorite, The Pyrates Royale.) This ensemble is called Cercamon. And I am not ashamed to say that they stuck in my mind not only because of their fantastic medieval music but also because their frontman is absolutely beautiful. He is a gorgeous man. I noticed that after I noticed an instance of this: two at once. I've only seen that in pictures.

While I was at the RenFest and shopping in a WONDERFUL accessory shop, my dad's friend commented to me that I should be designing clothes for a living. Truer words were never spoken. I do still have a desire to work with medieval manuscripts and stay involved in the study of the middle ages, but really? I would be so happy to design and make stuff all the time. Of course I'd still have other hobbies. But my work would be so much more like play. And that would be fine with me. If I could feasibly quit my day job and spin/crochet/knit/sew/design all day, that would be wonderful. Alas, I cannot, and it's not that I don't like my job at all, it's just that I much prefer doing those things. That's what I really think about all day while I'm working. Most people zone out thinking about what they're going to do over the weekend, where they're going to go for dinner, whether that hottie at the bar last night is really going to call him/her... I zone out and think up new and interesting ways to make threads wearable. Now I am already signed on to design for my friend's next summer show, and that's really preoccupying my mind. Most of what I'm thinking about has to do with costumes and visuals for that show. Ohhh how I can't wait for next summer...

And for my next trip to the RenFest. Feathered hat, here I come!

Combination Thursday

I suck at this game. Haven't posted in over a week again. Lame... I'll just have to combine yesterday's WiP post and tomorrow's Yarn Pr0n.

Anywho, I've got new stuff going on. Got a new design in the works, which I've got pics of in progress, and I've got a gig doing costumes for Ragtime. A little intimidating. And by "a little" I mean "a lot." Granted, I won't be building the costumes myself, we're going to be renting them. But still. That's a big show to manage. *gulp*

Meanwhile, I've still got the Razor Cami on the needles.


But look!

Ten inches done!!!

And, as I said, I've got a new design in the works. It's a shawl. I'm hoping it's gonnna turn out the way I've planned.


And the yarn pr0n? It's the yarn I'm using for my new design! Mountain Colors Half-Crepe, in the Eureka colorway.





Yum, right?

By the way, is it Fall yet? I love Summer, but I'm very ready for Fall to be here. I'm getting psyched about Halloween. It's putting me in quite the Gothic mood. And this, from the new issue of Somerset Studio, made me gleefully Gothic. It's from the article "Model Behavior" by Michelle Ward (apologies for the crappy photos).

Who's that dapper gentleman on stage left?


Why, I do believe it's Ville Valo! *squee* Only, ya know, one of my ALL TIME favorite singers, from one of my ALL TIME favorite bands. Perhaps even #1 for me, though that's tough what with Blackmore's Night, David Bowie, The Beatles, and The Monkees around. Yes, I'm weird. But yeah, I've been flipping through The Victorian Trading Co. catalog repeatedly, looking at all their Halloween stuff, not to mention their usual merchandise. Gaaahhh! Is it Halloween time yet??? No, no... I can be patient... I can wait... Really...

The other thing that Fall brings is the Renaissance Festival. Oh yes. Can't wait to go! It's open, but this is me not braving the heat to go to the RenFest. I'll go, yes, but not yet. Also an opportunity for Gothic fun, by the way. Just a slightly different kind of Gothic. Whee!

I also need to order some superwash wool in navy blue and in gold. Football season is starting soon, there's a lot of gear I need to make for tailgates!

Gaaahhh, so much to do, so little time! EEEEP!!!

A New Tradition?

Dunno how many people will start this, but I'm gonna try and start something. A little something I'm gonna call "Handspun Monday." Dunno about y'all but I feel like Mondays need a little spice. Friday's got its yarn pr0n, Wednesday now has its WiPs, so I feel that Monday needs a little something. Handspun sounds good with Monday, so there ya go. The inaugural pics...

Remember this?


It's now this:




It's not balanced, sadly, because I ply worse than I take pictures. (BTW, is there anybody that might be able to help me with that?) But it's definitely at least close to what I wanted it to be. Somewhere around sockish weight.




So, join me in my quest! Post your handspun on Mondays! Make the lamest day of the week less lame!

P.S. In other news, I saw Jesus Christ Superstar this weekend with some friends. It's my favorite show. The one I saw this weekend is now my new favorite production of my favorite show (not counting the one that I was in, that would be a conflict of interest ;) ). Til now, the movie has been my favorite. Well, this one had the Jesus from the movie (Ted Neeley, eeeeeeee!!!), plus Corey Glover from Living Colour as Judas, and oh My GOD. The set was pretty minimal, the costumes were interesting. I liked the costumes, my friend did not. They were layered and kinda modern middle-Eastern looking, all in a very warm palette. The staging in general was excellent. One element I really enjoyed was that Jesus had little conversations with God throughout the show; you'd see him look up and out, and reach up or make gestures. And "Gethsemane" just about killed me. It was perfect. If there's a Platonic ideal of "Gethsemane" then that was it. Or as close to it as earthly possible. But really, I'm starting to think that God created Ted Neeley specifically to play that role. It made me inordinately happy. I can't stop raving about it.

Also, the end of The Sopranos? Wow. I never followed the series, cos we didn't have HBO at home until I was at college, and at college I didn't have HBO on campus, but my parents are fans, so I've been watching the last six episodes. For the last five minutes, I was in a constant state of panic. Every detail they zoomed in on made me jump. Wow. And Mom thinks I'm nuts but I really hope the actor that played A.J. has a good career after this because he's adorable. When he's not being, ya know, A.J. Bye-bye, Sopranos.

I haven't abandoned you, blog!

Before I start my craft post, I can't post without acknowledging what happened today at Virginia Tech. I don't even know anybody there except for one guy who I've already heard is okay. But all I can think of is what it would be like if it had happened at my own school instead. It's so disturbing, and all I can do is pray for the survivors and the families of those who died.

So putting aside my horror and disgust and trying not to dwell on it, on with the normal post...

What have I been doing since I posted last? Well...

I've been spinning this lusciousness :

Into this: Using the highest ratio and being very careful. It's for Mom. It's "Lavender Fields" superwash merino from C*eye*ber Fiber (the blueish color is actually a lovely lavender, I just can't tweak photos well). My next spinning project is this:

But that's been on hold quite a bit because I've been working on costumes for the local community college's Twelfth Night (ya know, Shakespeare, with cross-dressing and cross-gartering?), set in Regency England (ya know, Jane Austen?). The best though probably most labor intensive piece was altering this relic from the costume closet:
Which got lace added (cos it was too straight) thus:
And then eyelet to extend the hem (cos it was too short) like such: And such:
Voila! I'm rather pleased with it. Though through tech week and the first weekend of the show, the sheer fabric that overlaid the satin of the bodice managed to rip into shreds. Why? Because the damn thing is so old it was dry rotting! Ew. I had to take the sheer overlay off. I simply tore it off, as one tears off the bill from the bottom of one's insurance statement. Oooh check me out with the metaphors. Okay so that was a simile. Sue me. (No don't really, I'm not that rich.)

Found out today about a couple nifty yarn shops in Frederick. So those need to go on the destinations list for Yarn Safaris. We need to get this Yarn Safari thing going. Though with Sheep & Wool coming up, I think that Yarn Safari season must be postponed. Can't be spending our cash before S&W! Especially since I think a charkha (sp?) has been added to my shopping list... darn you Matt! ;)