Normally, I am not an impluse buyer.

(and I am about to tell one of my long, drawn out stories. Sorry.)

Anyone who has gone shopping with me knows this, and is often frustrated by it. Shopping for fun? I am perfectly willing to walk out of most stores without buying anything. My mom will point out something in a store, and I'll look, and then put it back. I'll think about buying it, but most of the time, unless I absolutely love it, and have been waiting to buy it for awhile, I'll pass on buying.

Last night, after dinner, I needed to go to JoAnn Fabrics to buy a couple of yards of cotton drill for a corset and bodice lining, and 10 yards of white muslin, for another shirt for my son, and a second smock for myself. I was also going to look at trim for the red velvet and damask gown I am working on next.

I walked out with the drill, but left everything else behind. I also walked out with something else that I hadn't planned on buying...

Here's a little backstory.

Last summer, I nearly killed my old sewing machine. I nursed it back to health, and was able to get it running again, but it still skips bobbin stitches from time to time, and has been sounding worse and worse, despite oiling and loving care, over the last couple of months. It's a Brother VX-1120, and it is nearly nine years old. I have tons of presser feet for it, thanks to my mom's sharp eye at a garage sale quite a few years ago. I love this machine, but it can only do straight and zig-zag stiches, and is really meant to be a beginner's machine. And I can't afford to have it break down on me.

So, I have been hitting Goodwill and the Salvation Army stores for a second-hand machine for the last year, finding nothing but overpriced crap at the Salvation Army Store ($25 for a broken, 20 year old sewing machine???), and only one, flimsy machine at Goodwill (which usually sells them for about $15, sometimes with a sewing cabinet). So, nothing suitable. I couldn't see spending $25 on a machine, only to have to take it in for repairs which could end up tripling the price.

Now, about six weeks ago, as I was in the ER waiting, I leafed through my JoAnn Fabrics flyer. They were having a half price sale on selected sewing machines. I was somewhat excited, except for the fact that I was in an ER, which meant medical bills. I was bummed, because they had some decent machines on sale.

So, I forgot about it.

Until last night.

When I walked by an aisle cap, and saw a few machines, and actually stopped to read the prices (I had walked past this aisle no less than four times in the past couple of weeks). I agonized over the three machines they had out. One was clearly out of my range at $175, and was mainly for quilting. One was cheap at $63.97. One was in the middle at $87.95. I had the cheap and the middle one in my cart at alternate times, and then I walked past another stack of machines that were on sale for $68, and $101.

As I was pondering which one would be best for me, one of the ladies who works there told me that most of the machines had just had the prices lowered again, but hadn't been tagged yet! So, she helped me by checking the prices again, and then steered me away from one that her brother had purchased, and that had not worked well with heavy fabrics. I ended up getting the middle priced one that I had wanted, a White 2380.

Original price, according to Amazon, was $299!!!! This was on sale on the JoAnn Fabrics site for $130. I got it for $62, after my $5 off coupon!!!

So, last night, I read through the very complicated manual, and familiarized myself with the different controls and adjustment areas. This is not a beginner machine, and offers a great deal of control in terms of adjusting tension on both upper and lower threads (the lower tension on my old machine has to be adjusted by a repair person). It has a variable pressure foot, which should help tremendously when I am trying to get through seven layers of fabric and encounter a bulky seam line. It also has an automatic button hole maker, with a special foot that holds the button so that it makes the button hole the right size. Not that I make button holes for anything now (mostly because I hate making button holes, because I always screw up, and can't stand the thought of ruining garb at the button hole stage).

The fact that this machine offers so many points of adjustment is a little intimidating. I could see where it could be very easy to mess up, and end up with crap stitches. I am anxious to try it out now that I finished reading the manual. I think a little "blackwork embroidery" on the edge of my handkerchief might be a good test of how the different stiches work.

I'm off to play with my new toy. We'll see if this impulse buy ended up being a good choice...

Diet Problems

You know how when you really want to do something, you just can't do it? But when you don't want that something to happen, it does? Yep, I'm having that problem right now.

My weight. Is becoming a problem to me.

At the end of the summer, my focus will be on maintaining my weight, and size, due to the faire. But right now, when I need to lose weight, I am having problems focusing, and lack willpower to change my eating habits. The "No Pizza" post-it note on the phone is working for that food, but I need a permanent post-it in front of my face for other things.

I kicked the caffeine habit, but the diet is kicking me.

And the worst part is that the low-sodium, low-fat diet is more important to my health than the no-caffeine... I have to do this. I don't have a choice.

I am going to do this. Ten pounds will be gone in July, and five in August (after which, it can't fluctuate at all, due to the faire and costumes needing to fit). Accountability is the key.

Vacation - Day 1

Yesterday, I dropped my son off at Boy Scout Camp for the week. Normally, I volunteer and attend the entire week, but this year, I decided it was best to stay home. I will still be heading out there in the evenings, to help with evening programs at the campsite, and deliver any needed items. I just won't be out there the entire time.

I'll admit that I was a little worried about how my son would take it when it was time for me to leave, but I needn't have worried. As we were walking up the trail on the way to dinner, as we neared the point when I would leave, my son dropped back, to say Good-bye.

He leaned in and said, "You won't forget to bring out a new supersoaker, will you? One with secret-side-attack?" (Hey, he's a teenager!)

And then a few steps later, he came back and hugged me, and said Good-bye for real.

I think he'll be okay. ;)

Home!

Getting ready to take a well deserved rest, but wanted to get a link posted as to what we were doing this morning at Valley West Mall.

Hey, kids: Valley West opens play center
Dragons, castles and bridges await patrons on lower level near Younkers

By PATT JOHNSON
REGISTER BUSINESS WRITER

June 22, 2007
4 Comments


Valley West Mall is rolling out the red, blue and green carpet for its youngest visitors.

The 30-year-old shopping center at 1551 Valley West Drive in West Des Moines has joined the growing number of malls offering play areas.

The mall will debut the 2,000-square-foot play center Saturday. The MetaBank Play Center sits at the south end of the shopping center on the lower level near Younkers. The fairy tale castle-themed area includes soft-sculpted play equipment in the shape of dragons, castles and bridges and other pieces.

Note, please ignore the flamewar comments at the bottom of that article.

Totally missing from the article, is that the Royal Court of the Des Moines Renaissance Faire, plus Robin Hood, the Rainbow Fairy, Tib, and Captain J.P.Boyd were also present. The Court danced, mingled with the kids, promenaded, and held knighting and Lady in Waiting ceremonies, and gave a weapons talk (I got to show of my lovely dagger!). Lots of fun, but a lot of work. We had a great response from everyone we met.

The play area is beautiful. It made me wish I were little again! They even have a book shelf full of books for the kids to read, and plenty of room for the parents to sit and watch the little ones. Everything is cushiony, from the floor to the different things the kids can climb on.

We got to the mall at around 8:45 am, went straight to the mall office, and I threw on my garb as quickly as possible. The ceremony was at 9:30, and we played with the kids a bit in the play area before it started. We finished all of our shows at around 11:15 or so, then spent another 15 minutes talking with people, before going back to the mall office to get changed.

It was a long morning, but a lot of fun. We also discovered two things: 1.) being in an air-conditioned mall is much warmer than being out in the open in garb (no wind!), and 2.) Escalators and farthingales are scary. 'Nuff said. ;)

Nap time, now. I am exhausted. Then, it's off to Hobby Lobby to find a velvet foot for my sewing machine, and then to the store to get cash and quarters for the laundry. Then, I have a bunch of laundry to do so my son can pack for camp.

Yet another busy day...

Done!

My son's costume is finally finished. Sixteen buttons down the front. Everything worked out okay. It's going to be a pain to get buttoned, but it is finished.

Now, to packing my bag with my costume stuff, then it's a earlier night than normal for me. Can't wait to get some sleep...

Evening list of accomplishments

In order to keep myself on track tonight, I am listing what still needs to be done on my son's garb:

1. Shirt - DONE
2. Pants - DONE
3. Socks, cut tights, and add top binding
4. Finish lining on doublet.
5. Add trim* to front of doublet, and sew buttons into place
6. Add trim to doublet collar.

* Clasps were way too expensive. There was no time to make button loops, not to mention the fact that there wasn't any satin cord in the color I needed to make the loops. However, I did find a nice wide trim that had loops on both sides, that just happened to be the right size to be used a button loops. Problem solved. I am adding the trim to the collar as well, to tie it all together.

I may even get to sleep tonight!

crash

I worked solid from 6:30 until about 10 minutes ago. I managed to get my son's shirt nearly done. I just have to hem it, and add the hooks and eyes to this collar and cuffs. Or maybe I will use ribbon ties, as it would probably be quicker.

The doublet is still in the same condition it was last night: lining not done, no buttons, and no button holes (or loops). And it just occurred to me that the quickest way of doing fastenings would be to get some simple clasps and have it close that way. Trip to JoAnn fabrics is needed tomorrow lunch hour.

Pants are not done yet. I bought a pair of black scrub pants, and am going to cut them off below the knee, make a drawstring, and for less than $10 and probably 20 minutes, INSTANT VENETIANS. I think I'll add a button to one side, to tie the ribbon around, to make it look more authentic.

Okay, can't stay awake a second longer. I have got to get to bed at a decent time tomorrow night... Luckily, it's $5 pizza night at Hy-Vee tomorrow... No cooking for me...

What a start to the evening.

I barely made it home in advance of a storm. I had just enough time to get the mail, drop off my purse, "deadhead" the flowers, and turn on the TV. While I was emptying the dishwasher, my son saw that we had left the broom on the deck. When he opened the door to bring it in, the tornado sirens went off.

So, I grabbed my purse, he grabbed his guitar, and we both grabbed shoes and headed for the laundry room.

To make a long story short, a radar indicated tornado turned into a storm-spotter sighted tornado just south of town. Everything is fine here.

And now I am getting on with my evening plans.

Up too late.

But I managed to get a large amount of work done.

1. Lining machine sewn to shell where possible. The arm holes and a small section of the back have to be handsewn into place.
2. Cut out shirt (shortened by 6 inches front and back. This thing was to his knees.).
3. Sew neck gores to neckline. Wrong, of course, but I wasn't in the mood to rip it out and try again. So I made it work. Like anyone is going to see it.
4. Cut front slash, press to point, and turn over again to enclose raw edges. Hand sew into place, with an invisible stitch. This looks really good, but the stitches have to be so tiny that it took me an hour, and I am considered fairly fast at hand sewing.
5. Got 80% of the lining and shell at the arm hole slip stitched. The folly of using unbleached muslin as lining to a red garment have already been noted. Dumb, yes, but I already had the muslin, and was sick of spending money at the time. I didn't think it would even be seen, but I am discovering that it will show more than I want.

Time to write up my list of what needs to be done tomorrow.

Busy.

Sorry I have been so lax in posting lately. I am working like crazy to get my son's garb finished (wearable, anyway) by Saturday. We have to be in Des Moines by 9 am, and dressed before 9:30. My son is going to wear his garb there. And I realized this morning that he doesn't have a hat to match his new garb. I think he can make do with the old hat, but I am going to have to add some trim or something to it.

The doublet is so close to being finished. If it weren't after 11 pm now, I would be sewing the lining to the shell. However, my machine is getting louder and louder, despite repeated cleaning and oiling. I am just praying it will make it through this batch, then I am going to see about having it serviced properly. It might be loud simply because of the number of layers I am going through (five layers in some places). I am using new needles, and going slow, and it seems to be holding out quite well so far. I am betting it just needs a rest, sort of like me. ;)

Anyway, back to work. I have to finish tracing out the last two pieces of the shirt pattern, and I am hoping to get it cut out tonight. I made a mistake earlier, when I sat down for "just a minute" on my bed, and fell asleep for two hours. I hate it when that happens. I am still struggling with just general sleepiness sometimes, especially after work. But, the benefit is that I have been able to get more done tonight in two and a half hours than I did in three and a half last night. Sleep is good.

Okay, this time I mean it, I am going back to work!

Life Altering Moment?

Thank you again, Nan and S! I don't think he likes it or anything, do you?

Getting things done.

Mom and I were up early this morning, making potato salad for dinner tonight. I have beer bread in the oven, and the spinah dip was finished just a few minutes ago. Not too bad an accomplishment.

List for today:

1. Laundry (already sorted and ready to go).
2. Finish cutting out doublet fabric and lining, and sew pieces together.
3. Attempt to get the venetian and shirt patterns traced off and the paper pieces cut out.
4. Eat lunch.
5. Short nap, if necessary. Wait, I'll be running after toddlers all afternoon. Nap is absolutely necessary.
6. Go to K's house to be with my family.

Time to get back to work.

Still waiting.

I had my MRI/MRA this morning, and had an appointment with the neurologist this afternoon, to go over the results. However, the report by the radiologist was not finished. So, the neurologist made a brief explanation of the MRI/MRA images, stated that he didn't see anything that stood out as wrong, and that they would call me after they had received and reviewed the report.

So, I still don't have a definite answer on what that report is going to say. Still waiting for the call. So, I made some chocolate brownies, you know... to pass the time. ;)

I just want things to get back to normal. Ring, damn it.

Tomorrow = Big Day

MRI/MRA at 9am. I'll get the results at my 1:00pm appointment. Won't be blogging results immediately, for obvious reasons. I hope everything is normal, but the downside to that is that I will be back at square one.

I started getting a headache around 3pm, and it is still hanging on, despite two tylenol when I got home from Rountable at around 9:15. I would be in bed right now, but I am waiting for a load of laundry to finish drying. (oops! done right now!)

And with that, I am going to go nurse my aching head, and try to get some sleep.

So far, so good.

I had an appointment with my doctor this morning. All of the tests so far have come back normal. By mid-afternoon on Wednesday, I'll have the results back from my MRI/MRA. It looks like this may be a one-off thing, or something that we may just not know why it happened, and might happen again at any time. Or, it may happen again, later, then we have another round of tests, and finally find something.

In any case, the last round of tests is yet to come, so I am holding off on any conjections. All I do know is that I have frequent headaches, and fatigue. I'm just more tired than normal for me.

Being Productive

To do today:

1. Get ready for the day. No p.j.s today.
2. Get quarters for laundry.
3. Wash car.
4. Do six loads of laundry, including the corduroy I bought for my son's pants. Fold and put away.
5. Clean out cupboard by phone.
6. Sort misc. patterns that were left in a box after the big ren faire sewing rush for the scouts.
7. Separate the trims I bought for my son's new doublet and slops (the complicated set).
8. Separate the buttons that I bought for his current doublet.
9. test new recipe for low-salt goulash. Note: Turned out pretty tasty, but needs more garlic powder.
9. Clean out refrigerator.
10. Start working on my son's room. Oh. Lordy. - Update: Slightly delayed due to nap-taking. I swear, i only meant to lie down for 30 minutes. I even set the alarm. Too comfortable! Okay, mostly done. We have four more rubbermain tubs to sort through, but everything is mostly organized and purged. We even carried out the garbage (quite a few grocery bags worth, plus one box, and a broken Hot Wheels Volcano part). I am officially exhausted.
11. Cut out doublet. Not happening tonight. I am going to bed.

I think that is about all I can realistically accomplish today. I am already achy and tired from what I've finished so far. I have to be careful to rest in between tasks, or I am going to end up taking another four hour nap, and yet again wasting a good chunk of the day. As it is, I am going to sit down for a bit, and let my back recover from hauling laundry baskets up and down stairs.

Beautiful Day

Gorgeous out today! We went to visit my sister this morning. My son played with my 2 1/2 year old nephew, while I held the new baby (he's so good! Barely made a peep!) J. was wild, of course, because it was close to nap time. We left as my brother-in-law was trying to get him to sleep.

We had rehearsal in Des Moines at 12:30, so we ran through the drive-thru to get my son something to eat, then got on the road to Sleepy Hollow Sports Park. We had rehearsal at Festival Park, and ran into Rick, who was busy trying to plot out where the new restroom facility will be located. Patrons and merchants, you're getting flushies!!!!!

We practiced promenading, introductions, and dancing. We also talked about what our characters will be doing when out among the patrons. For example, I will be looking for a husband, with the help of the Queen and the Duchess of Kent, Lady Isabella. This should be quite funny. ;)

We have one appearance this month, on the 23rd, at Valley West Mall. There will be press-releases for this, as well as a bunch of media-type people at the actual event. We're participating in the ribbon cutting ceremony for a new children's area of the mall. We'll be dancing, talking with people, doing a knighting and lady in waiting ceremony, and teaching people the three dances that we've learned so far. Later in August, we'll be attending a farmer's market as the court, shopping and talking with people about the faire. Anything we can do to generate interest and publicity, and get a good turnout...

After we got back to Ames, I pretty much crashed, and took a nearly four-hour nap. I had a headache, and just needed to rest. I didn't even move until after 8 pm, at which time, I bolted out of bed, appalled that it was so late. My son hadn't even eaten dinner yet, although I noticed that he had a peanut butter sandwich at some point. I went grocery shopping, and we ate dinner when I came home. I feel like such a loser-mom, because he made himself a frozen dinner for supper (spaghetti and meatballs, the $1 Banquet brand dinners. Hey, he likes them, and they only have 400 calories, which isn't terribly bad.). The only problem now is that I am awake when I should be sleeping.

I've got to get a bunch of things done tomorrow, in advance of having company next weekend. The main thing is getting my sewing stuff sorted out and put away, and my son's room cleaned, disinfected, sterilized, and whatever else you need to do to a teenager's room to get it presentable. Our big project is finally getting the tubs of toys out of his closet, sorted, and donated or put into storage. Legos and sporting stuff can stay, according to him. Hot Wheels stuff, and movie toys will go into storage for later eBay sales. Everything else is going. Finally!!!!!!

I also need to get his doublet cut out, and put together. We found the rest of the buttons that we needed (sixteen down the front, with four left over for the pants). I spent more money on the buttons for this than I spent on the fabric! (of course, if I work out how much of that tablecloth I am going to use on his doublet and sleeves, it would be about $2.00 in fabric!). At least the hard part is over. The second mock-up is pretty close to the right size. I can cut the outer fabric and lining tomorrow, and get things mostly sewn probably by Tuesday night, if I work steadily. It has to be done by the 23rd, so that the Viscount of Hereford can look the part, rather than looking like he's been dragged through a muddy field, and used his tunic for a napkin. Damn turkey legs. ;)

Whoa, I wrote a little more than I had planned... Well, time to end this long and rambling post (my second in two days, I see). I am going to get a snack, then sit and try to read until I get sleepier. I have no idea why I slept so long this evening, other than the fact that we were pretty active this afternoon. My headache is back now, too. Hopefully, it will be gone tomorrow...

New Project

Well, my son completely destroyed his garb from last year's Des Moines faire, which means that I have just two weeks to complete a new doublet, shirt, and knee length pants. We have a public appearance, as it were, on the 23rd at Valley West Mall.

I am ready for a challenge like this! This one is not going to be terribly complicated, as there just is not time, but it will be a good test for later garb.

I spent a good amount of time earlier this week working on altering the pattern for a doublet. I measured him carefully, consulted the complex measurement/size chart, and thought I had come up with a rock solid pattern that would need only minor adjustments.

Right.

So, tonight, I simply traced out two sizes larger, and put together a mock-up. Of course, tonight would have to be the one night when he actually went to sleep early, so I still don't know how much it will need to be taken in. My gut thought is that it is probably okay now.

I want this doublet to fit properly, but the problem is that he is a growing kid, and what fits now is not going to fit later this summer. So, I am making it a little longer than it should be, and hoping that an increase in activity and better eating habits will do the same thing for him that it will for me.

And yes, I had to put a "No Pizza!" post-it note on the phone tonight. A little late, but better late than never. I have got to get this eating thing under control. Both of us need to change our habits. Right now, there are no snack foods other than fruit and veggies in the house, and that is NOT going to change. Of course, it doesn't help when you order pizza for dinner because you JUST CAN'T STAND IT anymore...

Okay, to get back on track and describe this project...

My son's doublet will be a deep red brocade, with a scroll pattern. It began life as a tablecloth that I found on clearance after Christmas. I bought three of them, at $5 each, 10 feet in length each. Originally, this was going to be for a gown for me, but I needed something for this doublet test. There will be more than enough leftover for a gown (hopefully - that pattern matching thing might be a bit of a problem), and I'll just make sure that we don't wear them on the same day. I think that I am going to make narrow sleeves, to help with the problem he has with getting his sleeves in things. His shirt will be white muslin, and the pants will be black pinwale corduroy (somewhat cheap, washable, and DYE-ABLE). Which reminds me, I need to order his tights... or else find a pair of used black boots in a size ten (then hope his feet don't grow - right).

Okay, time for this rambling post to end. I have to get a good night's sleep tonight. We have rehearsal tomorrow afternoon! Opening day is less than three months away!

Getting things done...

1. Finished tracing the pattern pieces for my son's new doublet.
2. Cut out pattern pieces.
3. Cut out pieces in muslin.
4. All this after actually cooking dinner, and doing two loads of laundry.
5. Going to sleep now...

Just in case anyone was wondering how things went on monday...

(I was sick yesterday, or this update would have happened earlier)

Monday, I had my consultation with neurology, and am scheduled for an MRI/MRA next Wednesday (pretty much an all day thing, once you count out an hour and a half for the procedures, then the appointment later in the day when they tell you what the MRI/MRA showed). They let slip that my heart tests appeared to be normal, and that the carotid arteries were less than 10% blocked (which is decent - they don't do surgery until they are 80% blocked, so that's one worry out of the way). My appointment with my doctor is on Monday, and that is when the "official" test results will be explained, and where she'll order more tests if needed to rule out even MORE things.

Good news then, is as follows:

Could have been:
1. Complex migraine with neurological symptoms. (It didn't feel like a migraine! I've had enough migraines, and this didn't feel anything like it. No light sensitivity, no nausea, my hands did not tingle, all things that normally happen during my migraines.)
2. Possibly a blood clot that went away on its own on the way to the ER

Low on the list:
10. MS, although the speech problem didn't last long enough (it would have been days rather than minutes. Here is where my sister, the nurse, said "MS is hard to diagnose, and it has to start somewhere." She just doesn't want me to let them rule it out right away, because the sooner I know, the better.)
11. A seizure: except it lasted too long for a seizure.
12. Vasculitis

The big "C" was not mentioned.

I had a bunch of blood drawn on Monday to test for a couple of things, and to prep for the MRI/MRA (they did a much better job here than in the Fort Dodge ER. No bruise at all from Monday. i still have a bruise from the ER, and that was nearly three weeks ago.).

So, all in all, it's been a pretty stressful last couple of weeks. I did manage to finally become caffeine free, and I am eating healthier (although I have an intense craving for pepperoni pan pizza from Pizza Hut, which is totally out of the ordinary). I'm making adjustments.

I am going to continue with all of my normal activities until my doctor says otherwise. I am a firm believer in having something to look forward to, and in keeping my hands busy. And I am looking forward to getting back to royal court rehearsals! ;) I miss my friends!

not fair...

I actually had energy last night. I was able to get laundry done, and was also able to get through five sheets of pattern pieces for the men's patterns (cut out pieces, sort into envelopes, tedious. I have more than half left!)

I was looking forward to another day of getting things done.

Until I rolled out of bed, and discovered rather alarmingly that I have the stomach flu.

Damn.

hmm...

Had my neurology consultation today. My MRI/MRA is next Wednesday.

I got to spend a little time with my new nephew this afternoon! What a cutie! I always forget how little newborns are...

12:09!

My mom called my cell phone after midnight. I snapped awake on the chair at my sister's house. "He's here!"

My new nephew has been born! Everything went well. Whew.

Time for some sleep...

Six minutes...

apart, that is. My sister and her husband are on the way to the hospital right now!

Baby Alert, 2007 #1

Phone, on the bed table. Purse.... crap, where's my purse? Okay, purse, by my bed. Jacket, on the purse. Keys, in purse.

Okay, ready for middle-of-the-night babysitting duty.

Any day now, my new nephew is arriving, and the doctor thinks this little guy is anxious to make his appearance...

Sometimes, you just gotta break a couple of "rules"

Like taking your 13-year-old to see Pirates of the Carribean 3: At World's End, 7:00 pm show, on a school night.

Ooooooo......

We had a great time, really enjoyed the movie. I like it as much as the first one, which I have watched way too many times (inspiration while sewing!). Once this comes out on DVD, I am sure I will watch it just as much.

Excellent effects, pretty good story, and, Thank God, less heavy-handed "in" jokes carried over from the first film that marred the second. Whew.

Okay, time for me to get some sleep. Big day tomorrow - first registration day for new students at work. Going to be extremely busy.

---
Okay, now for the "poor me" update. Last evening was good. I was able to get quite a lot done around the apartment. My son helped with the laundry, and at least picked up the pokemon cards he had been "sorting" in his room. Balm on the eyes, if nothing else. I slept well last night, too, for the first time in a long time. I hope I sleep as well tonight, as tomorrow is going to be busy, and stressful. Just four more days until the Neurology appointment, then hopefully I can get some answers.

I'm more absentminded lately, and I can't tell if it is related to what happened, or from being distracted by thinking about what happened. So, I'd like to wish my twin sisters a "Happy Birthday", and offer an apology that I neglected to get their cards in the mail.

And Nan? I have yours right on my dresser. Sorry it's a couple of months late. I found it in my sketchbook, right where I left it. It'll be in the mail just as soon as I get some stamps. I'd better leave a post-it for myself, because I'll have forgotten by morning, unless I read this blog-post again... Okay, now I'm just being pathetic...

This is what happens when a pirate pulls you in front of a video camera...

Ah, memories... I'm the one Captain J.P. Boyd is asking about the crossbows. ;)

In fact, that's me on the cover frame!

Home. Wiped Out.

I had a big long, drawn out post that I wanted to write, but it is just not going to happen tonight. I am exhausted. I had lots of fun, but not as much fun as i could have had, had I felt better. I met a lot of really nice people, and hope to go back next year (feeling better, of course!).

More later...

Update

I'm at the end of my energy tonight, so here is pretty much what I've been emailing and telling people today:

I went to see my doctor today. She's thinking that I had a TIA (Transient Aschemic Attack), based on what I told her happened. She ordered several tests, and I have appointment cards like crazy to keep track of. I had some heart tests today, to rule out problems with my heart, and have an ultrasound of my caraotid arteries scheduled for Tuesday. Neurology is still trying to figure out when they can work me in, so I won't know when that appointment is for awhile. As far as the CAT scan when I was in the ER, apparently TIAs don't usually show up, and they usually don't leave any permanent damage.

The heart tests included an EKG, an echocardiogram, and a bubble test. I spent most of the morning in the clinic.

35 year olds generally don't have TIAs. People twice my age, yeah, it happens. Not at 35 years old. I was the youngest person in the waiting room. I kept thinking, everytime the probe dug into my chest or side, that they do this to tiny old ladies in worse condition than me. The echo-thing is uncomfortable, especially when they dig into your stomach to try to see your heart from the bottom. How do they go through this?

After my appointments were done for the day, I went home, and called my mom. I also talked with my sister, Nan, for awhile. Then, I ate lunch, and took a two hour nap. I was wiped out, sore, and just needed to close my eyes and not think about all of this for awhile.

My doctor told me that it was okay to continue with my normal activities, as much as I can. I am still going to Omaha this weekend. I may not be able to do as much as I normally do, just because I get tired faster, but I can still help out a lot. I don't want to end up stuck in my apartment, missing everything I love. I could sit by the phone, wringing my hands worriedly between appointments, or I could be out maintaining what health I do have, by being as active as I can, and enjoying myself.

I'll do whatever the doctors tell me I have to do. And for right now, they are saying it's okay to go.

P.S. I did really well on the caffeine cut-back today. Sodium, not great, but better than normal. We went out to eat with my mom and my sister, Kim, tonight. Eating out is always a challenge. I had a salad with chicken on it, Ranch on the side (used less than half), and lemonade (which I couldn't drink, as it was just too sugary). Torture is sitting in Applebees, watching your sister eat what you wanted to have, but couldn't because way too salty. Oh well...

Great.

I am in the middle of doing laundry. I was working on trimming the edges of the green bodice, in order to prepare to handsew the binding to the inside, and get this bodice finished. While I was clearing out the basket that holds the remote controls, in order to use it to hold the trimmed fabric, I found the thermometer. I decided to take my temp, as I felt a little warm earlier.

99.1°F. Slightly elevated. So, I guess that instead of just taking off time to see the doctor tomorrow, I will probably be taking the entire day off, sick. I hope that this doesn't mess up any tests.

I have not had another episode since Friday night. I thought I was going crazy earlier today, when I was looking for something that possibly could have been included in the box with the new lens, but couldn't find. Turns out it was never in the box (receipt). Didn't think I was crazy, but I started second-guessing myself. I've been a little more tired than usual, mostly because I haven't been sleeping well. No biggie, I thought.

So, here I am, slight fever, had to take a nap after work in order to have any energy, and am in the middle of FIVE LOADS OF LAUNDRY, when I probably should be resting. Great. I have a ton of things I need to do to get ready for Friday, and being sick is not on that list...

Clarification on what happened Friday night

I was just reading through what I wrote Saturday morning, and realized that I did not come back and write more about what happened. In the interest of avoiding confusion later when I start writing about what happens next, here's a bit more of the story.

We drove to Manson Friday night, and while we were eating dinner, I started having difficulty speaking. What I meant to say was not coming out right at all. Some words I just could not say, and I drew a complete blank on others. Pretty quickly, I realized that something was really wrong.

My mom and my sister drove me to the emergency room in fort dodge (about 20 minutes away), and while on the way, my right hand went numb. It started at the base of my thumb, and traveled through every finger. I was still having problems calling things by their right names. I told my mom to watch out for that power - I meant to say "tractor," among other things. I started getting better as we got closer to Fort Dodge, and by the time I got there, the only thing wrong was that I had a bad headache, and a little bit of numbness still in my pinky finger on my right hand.

I was able to give my name, address and information, along with the name of the President of the United States. I concentrated really hard on getting the answers right, and making sure I remembered info they needed to know (I had my meds with me, because I was staying over at Mom and Dad's that night, luckily). They did a couple of preliminary tests, to figure out how bad off I was, I guess. My BP was higher than normal (128/98), but not in any danger zones.

The ER was really busy. At one point, my mom and I got the giggles really badly, because my sister was trying to explain to my dad, over the phone, what two shirts of hers needed to be hung on a hanger to dry, and not in the dryer. He was having problems finding one of them, and it just struck us as funny. If you laugh, you don't have time to cry, right?

One of my sister's friends works at the hospital, so she came down and sat with us during her break, so that was a distraction.

At one point, a woman my mom knew came in with a friend and the friend's son. The little boy had been goofing around with his dad and uncles, and had hit his head. He needed staples to close the wound. The friend commented that I looked as white as a sheet. I told her that was my normal skin color, but mom and Movie Star agreed that I was much, much paler than usual. Well, my head hurt, so that was part of it. Soon, the left, and other people came in.

One elderly lady was wheeled in. She was recovering from cancer, and undergoing chemo. They brought her in because she spiked a temperature of 103°F. Someone else came in with chest pains.

A couple of times, my mom went to check up on when I would be seen. My head was pounding, and occasionally, my forearm would have areas that felt a little numb. I just wanted to lie down. There were people worse off than me, though. I grew convinced that we were going to end up watching the entire movie on the Hallmark Channel that had started when we got there.

Finally, they called my name. My mom followed, and we were shown into the treatment room. First bed on the right. The nurse, Mark, did a few preliminary tests, then a girl came over to draw my blood (from the side of the wrist, below the thumb, apparantly, it is supposed to be easier and less painful). My doctor ended up being the same doctor that delivered all of us girls, and my mom's face melted in relief when she heard his name.

I ended up having to have a CAT scan to check for any bleeding on the brain, and it came back normal. Whew, not a stroke. I have to cut way back on my sodium and caffeine intake, to get things back under control, and I'm going to be making an appointment with my regular doctor to follow up, and see if she wants to order any more tests. It ended up taking over four hours, as the ER was really busy. We still don't know what exactly happened. The doctor told me that I would need an MRI if the symptoms recurred. Possiblities include a tumor, or MS, neither of which are good things. I am going to ask my doctor if maybe we can just have the MRI, and not have to wait for this to happen again. I just want to know what happened, and how to prevent it from happening again.

So that's the story of my ER visit. I'll keep people posted, family and friends first, of course.

I am now going to go make a baked potato and some some baked veggies. Yum.

Food, and what to do with it.

As I found out a few years ago, attempting to cut down on sodium in your diet is a frustration the likes of which can only be compared to trying to cut back on the amount of air that you breathe.

Everything, from a slice of bread (110mg), to frozen cauliflower (25mg), has it. Canned soup? Forget it. Any frozen dinner, even the Healthy Choice ones? Only if I want to blow through half of my sodium allowance for the day. No deli meats, nothing out of a can (besides fruit). No chips, and nothing from the bakery. Ouch. It takes a serious amount of work to do this, as you end up having to prepare many foods from scratch, and when you have a limited schedule and budget, you end up maybe eating not quite as much variety.

I am absolutely serious about cutting back to 1000 mg of sodium a day. The daily allowance is 2400 mg, and the people in charge of such things are actually working on lowering it, and lowering the amounts that processed foods contain. It just takes awhile to get people used to it. Let's face it, salt in food makes a lot of things taste really, really good.

Really, really good. I want some french fries...

Sunday

When I was at the ER on friday night, my blood pressure was 128/98 (and yes, that bottom number is pretty dang high). Last night, it was 112/77, which is pretty good.

Not the way I wanted to spend my Friday night

I don't have a lot of time to write out the full story of what happened last night, but here is a brief summary:

Eating dinner at my mom and dad's house, talking and laughing, and all of a sudden words were not coming out right. Either I knew the word that I wanted to say, and couldn't say it, or I was at a complete loss on terms that I know and use every day, After about five minutes of confusion, my mom decided I needed to go to the emergency room. Movie Star went with, while my dad kept my son occupied at home.

A CAT Scan did not indicate that I had a stroke. I had a good talk with the doctor, and if it happens again, I need an MRI. In the mean time, cut back on caffeine and sodium.

More later...

An you know what else is bugging me?

The school district making school fees due a whole month earlier than ever before. Due next month. And it is $57 more this year than last. I knew about, and fully support the $25 textbook fee (the 7th grade social studies book is over 8 years old. Eight years, people.). And I knew that my son needed a new gym uniform. Things aren't outrageous or anything, but geesh, give us a little warning before we open the preregistration packet.

(And to be fair, I don't read our local paper, mostly because I don't want to subscribe to it, as I don't want piles of newspapers around. Actually, i read it online, but their site sucks beyond all reason. Their "new" design is as unreadable as the old, and looks about six years out of date. So totally understandable that I would miss an announcement like that, because there would be no damn way to find it on that site.)

Oh, and my lovely new green bodice? The one I was so excited about? I'm bloated, and it doesn't fit. Sucks to be me...

Fog

Don't know why I am still in a crappy mood. Just trying to keep myself busy. I have a ton of work to do tonight, but none of it is going to be fun. Correction, about the only thing I will enjoy doing tonight is adding the bias binding to my green bodice. Then, I need to pack for a small trip to my parents' house (yay!), and gather up all of my costume stuff that I need for Saturday's rehearsal.

So, a couple of things to look forward to this weekend, but still not putting me in a good mood for some reason...

Feeling down

I feel really isolated right now, and i am not entirely sure why. I have been busy for so long, that when things quiet down, I feel like there is still something I should be doing, somewhere I should be rather than at home. I am finally feeling like I want to get out and go places, do something fun.

I am, however, getting excited about the impending arrival of my second nephew! One month to go, K!!!!

Confession #475

I read "Dear Abby," just to see if I can recognize myself in any of the letters.

Admit it, so do you... ;)

Edited to add: And no, I am not speaking specifically about today's Dear Abby, which I had NOT read before I posted that. I just read it, and it has nothing to do with me. Bad neighbors, etc, now THAT might be me...

Happy Mother's Day!

Very low key day, today. It is amazing how things slow down after spring semester ends.

I slept a bit later than normal, after waking up early, and deciding that there was no reason to stay awake when I was so comfortable, and the wind was so nice and cool through my window.

After I got up, my son made me toast with strawberry jam for breakfast. Simple, yes, but exactly what I wanted. I did the laundry, and cleaned up a bit. I tackled some hand washing, then made lunch, and rested for a bit. We decided to go shopping, and then out to dinner.

We went to Okoboji Grill, after seeing the number of cars at Applebees. And we should have stayed at Applebees. Hardly any cars at all at Okoboji Grill, which should have been a clue. Needless to say, the one we've gone to in Des Moines a few times is far better when it comes to burgers. My burger was dry and mostly charcoal. Everything else was okay, but it was the burger that I had been craving. I wish I had ordered a salad instead.

In any case, we ate, paid the bill, left, and came home, where I continued relaxing by finished up a really good book. I am going to further relax by working on my new bodice, now that the house has cooled down.

I really enjoyed this rare weekend with no particular plans. It was exactly what I needed.

Relaxing day...

Seriously. Everything I did today was something I wanted to do. I slept until 8am, woke up, puttered around, took a bath, then made up the menus and grocery list for the week. I went heavy on the healthy stuff, as I want to make some changes to the way we eat.

For lunch, I ate a salad with a lot of good-for-me stuff on it. After lunch, I settled down in my room to watch "Elizabeth I," with Helen Mirren (yes, she also plays Elizabeth II, in "The Queen"). This movie was astounding. I only watched the first part, and had to stop at one point, it was so graphic. Just incredible. And yes, I was heavily distracted by the gorgeous costumes. Just beautiful detailing, even among the men's clothing. I know the costuming won awards, and it would be fascinating to be able to find detailed photos online. I know movie costumers sometimes take liberties with construction, but there is a lot to be learned here.

(I am writing the rest of this offline, as my internet at home has been unstable for the last couple of days, and is now off again. Big nuisance.)

I also realized that I had seen at least two of the gowns worn by Queen Elizabeth. Philippa Gregory's novels usually have very lovely paintings on the covers. One cover has a very interesting similarity, in that two women are wearing gowns extremely similar to two of the gowns in the movie. In fact, on one of the costuming forums that I read, we were discussing that a new Simplicity pattern may have been modeled on that book cover. Looks like the pattern was modeled on the movie instead.

When I was taking a break to settle my stomach, I decided to start cutting out the fabric for my new green bodice. I started out with a yard of 60" wide green brocade, and ended up with over half of it left. Because of this, I decided to make shoulder and waist tabs, and maybe even a pouch. I also had a small bit of olive green "silk" that I decided to use to accent the tabs and pouch. There is not much of it, so it will be used to edge the tabs. I am even thinking of adding in some red grosgrain ribbon to the tab decoration. I confirmed that my olive green, broadcloth (shudder) skirt will complement the bodice well enough. Accessories will dress it up to the proper piratey-goodness. Perhaps later I will find enough of this fabric for a better skirt, and can convert it to noble garb...

I ended up cutting out the cotton duck lining after dinner, and everything is waiting for my sewing machine tomorrow. I decided on using the double lining only in the front, where the boning channels will be located. This saved me a bit of cutting, although I may change my mind tomorrow. I tried using my tailor chalk to trace the pattern on the fabric, instead of cutting with the pattern pieces pinned to the cloth. It is much easier, and more accurate this way. More work, but worth it.

Lest you all think that all I did was work today, I spent a great deal of time lounging, reading, and enjoying the fresh air. I tended my plants (sprouts, really - the moss roses and morning glory are finally showing their faces!). Time has slowed a bit for me lately, as I am no longer rushing to finish too many projects in too little time.

Well, except for the fact that I need to have at least one noble doublet done for my son by June 23rd.

But what is life without a challenge? ;)

At least this time I wasn't at home, miserably sick...

My son had a dance at school tonight. So, I dropped him off at 6, then went shopping. I had a few specific things to look for. I ended up going through three stores without buying anything at all. And then I hit Target.

I bought myself a new stir-fry pan, a new skillet, and a couple of other kitchen related items. I desperately needed the new pans, due to the old ones having scratched up Teflon (not good!). I didn't spend a lot on them, but they should last for quite awhile. I am excited about cooking again!

When I went to pick up my son, the kids had gotten out of the dance early. A long line of cars were parked around the circle, with various cars, and SUVs pulling out as they picked up their kids. I was looking for my son, when a white minivan sped past, doing twice the speed limit, swerved to avoid an SUV that was pulling out, and slammed on the brakes and parked right in front of another SUV, blocking it in. Keep in mind that there were kids EVERYWHERE, excited kids, and it's DARK. I saw two kids get into the van, then they waited with the door open for another kid. The whole time, the SUV that was blocked in was waiting to go, and no one else near could pull out and leave either.

There was ample parking for this person to have parked correctly. There was no need to speed past the waiting line of cars. Their brakes never even flashed until they parked. It ticked me off. I mean, really, there was no point to this. So, your kids are too delicate to walk 100 feet to the car? Or wait two minutes for the line of cars to creep forward? It's not like it is freezing out or anything. It was arrogant.

And no, it was not a soccor mom at the wheel - it was a Dad. A big, huge dad. I have no idea what was so pressing that they had to get out of there so fast, but I caught up to them at the stop sign, when leaving school property. He saved zero time with his shenanigans...

Silent

Sorry that I haven't posted in a couple of days. I have gone from being overbusy, to not quite busy enough, which meant lots of time for things like sorting my two plastic containers of trims, detail cleaning the kitchen (ugh), and trying to ignore the fact that I turned 35 on Wednesday.

I am getting excited, though, by a new bodice that i am making for myself. Last fall, when I made my red noble gown, I was not happy with the way the bodice turned out. It ended up being too long waisted, and too big around the bust and shoulders. I made it work, though, as I had no choice. So, last Monday, I started redrafting the bodice pattern. I am nearly satisfied with the fit, with needing just a half inch total more space in the bust after the alteration (you'd be surprised at the difference a quarter of an inch on either side makes in fitted clothing), and a little more taken off at the shoulder. This is going to be for my pirate garb, in a green and gold brocade that I picked up a couple of summers ago. I think I can wear it with a dark green skirt I made for Amana back in 2005. I am excited about getting this to fit correctly, because it will help when I make new noble garb for this fall.

My fingers are itching for detail work.

Downhill diet spiral

Yes, i ate Dominio's pizza tonight. And yes, i regret it. I am now going to rest a bit, and hope my stomach recovers. Lots to do tonight...

Rested

For the first time in over a month, I was able to get a tremendous night's sleep. I woke up just long enough to see my son off to school, then went back to bed and slept until I woke up on my own, no alarms.

I am taking a break from cleaning up the house. It takes a ton of gear to be able to go to a faire as Lady Rosalind. Add into that the fact that we were camping, and I was a different character yesterday (Red Jenny, to the amusement of the scouts), and you have way too much crap still scattered where we dropped it late last night.

Most of it is already put away, TG, but I still have a bit to go before I will let myself fully relax, eat lunch, and read a book for the rest of the afternoon. I have been dreaming about this day off for weeks. And I slept half of it away...

Oh well, back to work.

Huzza...huzza... huzzah!

(Sorry it took a bit to get going there...)

We're back! Saturday was beautiful weather! Warm, a bit windy, DRY! Sunday we woke to high winds, and as my son and I were coming back from the privies at a bit after 7, one of the other faire people ran over to let us know that 60 mph winds were on the way.

And it rained nearly the entire time that the faire was open. What a heartbreaker. And it was cold and windy.

Other main events (in no particular order):

1. Some kid taking the whole, putting-the-Spanish-Ambassador-into-the-stocks thing a little too seriously, and as he was being publically humilated (in character, a set bit), smacking him with a juggling stick across the posterior waaaaaayyyyy too hard, and causing a bit of a problem. Kids - don't hit people. No matter what. Seriously. Bad.

2. Discovering this evening that my new, spray on sunscreen is worth precisely nothing. I am fried. I couldn't tell this morning, because I had about five minutes worth of mirror-time.

3. I found a lost little girl, and took her to the ticket booth. She was reunited with her parents about 15 minutes later. I'll have to tell this story later, because it was only by chance that I saw her, and realized that she was lost.

4. Cheesecake, strawberry smoothies, and tight dresses do not mix. Learned the hard way.

5. Yes, you can go all day on breakfast, and a dill pickle. Not pretty, but it works.

6. If you are roasting at the end of the day in noble garb, you'll be freezing once you get back into 'danes, even if it is still near 80°F.

7. Wind = bad

8. Cold rain = worse + very few customers

9. Telling my son to let me sit in the chair, then two minutes later, having a wooden pole that was holding up the rain fly fall and smack me on the head (six feet long, three inches in diameter). No concussion, but it hurt, and dazed me for a minute. Having three worried kids two inches away from your face asking if you are okay was a little disconcerting. Having to tell them "No," was even more so. Finally, I just said, "Don't look at me," hid my face in my hat. Ten minutes later, we had customers, and I moved because I was getting dripped on, then moved again because one of the crossbows misfired, the bolt flipped back, and just about got me. Then, I was standing in the wrong spot when a cascade of water decided to fall out of the rain fly, directly on my head, down my hat, down my back, and into my bodice. Ice. Cold. Water. After that, I went up to the glass blower, and since they were cooling the forge down, they let me stand in front of it to get warm.

10. Started tearing down at 4:00 pm. Had one kid cut himself. Still waiting to hear if he needs stitches (he sat in the car for awhile, then wanted to go to dinner with us all, then ended up even helping us carry in gear).

11. The rain cleared up after we finished tearing down the booth. Great.

12. Went to McDonald's afterwards, because a picnic was no longer possible.

13. Home now. Tired. Very. Just finished my bath, going to bed. Stepped on the scale, and it is ten pounds down from Friday morning.

Good night!

Zombie

The last costume is finally complete. My cloak is as complete as it can get at this moment.

The hats... not gonna get done. The reason: way too much to do, way too little time. I honestly thought I could finish them, but that was before I spent over two and a half hours first helping load the poles for the booth, then going to Target to get some things I need for the weekend (bug spray, sunscreen, batteries, new flashlight... important stuff).

The last thing I need to do to really finish sewing, is to fix the shoulder seams on my son's shirt. I keep forgetting. So, that is on the sewing table, where I can't possibly miss it. It is going to be fixed at lunch tomorrow.

Sleep now...

I think that the only part of me that doesn't hurt is my hair, but that could change.

Working hard, still. Went grocery shopping, went to the post office, and library. Did five loads of laundry tonight, one of which was the fabric for the last tunic. While the laundry was in progress, I sewed together the cloak pieces, using french seams to encase the raw edges. I have the cloak hanging on my dressform, which my son has dubbed, "Scary Mary," in order to let it hang and settle a bit. All that is needed now is the binding on the edges, and a clasp (to be purchased at JoAnn fabrics tomorrow).

Yet to do tonight:

1. Iron and straighten the tunic fabric, and lining (urg, the lining).
2. Cut out the tunic pieces, in both fabric and lining.
3. Sew together tunic pieces, if at all possible.
4. Sleep at some point. next on the list

I am running on empty, and I keep finding five more things I need to do before this weekend, every time I turn around. I am going to keep my suitcase open on the floor of my room, and every time I touch something I need to bring, it's going in. I'll repack later. The problem with being Lady Rosalind this weekend, is that I'll need a large dressbag, farthingale, small suitcase full of accoutraments (shoes, corset, "jewels", smock, bumroll, etc.), hat, and parasol just for the one costume. I have a smaller dressbag for my pirate costume, and I can wear the same shoes, but dang, that's a heck of a lot of stuff. And I need my big suitcase for regular clothes, my makeup, hair stuff, and other personal camping items. Luckily, the suitcases are actually efficient to pack in the car, and I can really cram a ton of stuff into the big one. I'll still feel like I am a movie star, taking 20 bags just for a weekend trip... All necessary, but still...

Anyway, break over. I am going to go slam some caffeine down my throat, and get back to work.

Of course there would be a snag in the plans...

1. The pattern is printed wrong. The extension pieces, which are to be taped to the upper part of the cloak, do not match up! The registration marks are off! I had to fudge it... I also cut into this pattern, rather than trace it off, as I will never use it again. I will buy a newer copy, hopefully without the registration issues. I found another "typo", so to speak, but it was minor.

2. I painstakingly ironed the flannel, then folded it in half, matching up the selvedges, and pinning them the length of the fabric (6 3/4 yards), only to look at the fabric layout more carefully, and see that it did not need to be folded lengthwise at all. Bugger.

3. I forgot how hard it is to cut flannel. My hand hurts.

4. Good news is, it's a matter of sewing three seams, and adding the binding to the edge. I am going to buy a clasp tomorrow, and add black guimpe braid around the edges.

5. I have a raging headache from having to cut this out, on the floor. It's also a million degrees in the living room, since I had to turn the fan off (blowing the pattern tissue too much). I can finally turn it on now.

Three seams, then I can go to bed. Six, actually, since I am doing french seams... then to bed! Or maybe I'll do it at lunch, because my headache is really, really bad...

I know, if I say I'm really busy one more time, you all will go off and read some other blog...

Seriously, it's okay. I know I'm boring. I never had any intention of doing anything great with this blog. It's just a way for me to say what I am doing, and share interesting tidbits about daily life in Iowa.

Tonight's big plans:

1. Iron black flannel.
2. Cut out cloak.
3. Sew cloak.
4. Put trim on cloak, if I have enough.
5. Read a bit of the romance novel I'm reading.
6. Sleep.

So yeah, boring to you, fun for me. That's okay.

Oh, and did I mention that my Granny gave me some leftover velvet (silk! okay, mostly rayon, but it also has SILK IN IT!!!!). There ended up being only about 8 feet of it, which isn't enough to make a dress, but it is enough to make sleeves and a forepart. She also gave me her velvet pressing board. I have been wanting one for awhile, but they are pricy enough that I had hesitated. She had kept this fabric for over ten years - it was leftover from Nan's wedding. Just as gorgeous now as it was then!

I think my niece is going to get something special made out of it, too.

Anyway, time to get in gear. Two hours left tonight before I get too tired to work...

Busy weekend

Costume #7 is finished, finally. I am going to take a break, then start on my cloak. I am working on my cloak before I do the 8th and final costume, simply because I haven't bought the fabric for the last costume yet.

This weekend ended up being really fun. We went to rehearsal at Sleepy Hollow, in Des Moines, yesterday morning. Then, we went to Fort Dodge to go to my cousin's wedding (gorgeous wedding, great food, lots of fun!). I ended up being talked into staying over in Manson overnight. Even more fun!

Okay, back to work. Have to get dinner on the table...

Procrastination Queen

Tell me why I just finished rearranging my room, a process that took over three hours, when I had ninety minutes of work left on the brown tunic, and two loads of laundry to wash, dry, fold, and put away.

I sort of like it. It will take awhile to get used to it. I still have a bit of minor organizing to do, but overall, I like the arrangement. I bought a set of wire cube shelves at Target for $13 on Wednesday. That actually holds quite a lot of boxes, and tubs with my sewing, hat making, and beading supplies. But the big thing is that I can see my computer from my bed, so that I can watch DVDs and relax. Ha. Hahahahhahahaha.

Relax. Like I know what that is anymore.

Oh well, time to get back to the sewing. I already threw the clothes in the wash, and am waiting for the timer to go off.

One week until Amana.

One.

Crap.

Miserable

It rained most of today, too.

And now I have a sore throat for some reason.

I did manage to get the lining cut for costume #7, so that was good. It takes forever to iron and straighten fabric, or it would have been done a long time ago.

I may just stop talking altogether.

I wish it would stop raining. Today was bad enough that the rain added insult to injury. Looks to continue tomorrow.

More progress was actually made...

Costume #7, a brownish tunic, is now cut out and awaiting assembly. I still need to straighten and iron the lining fabric (muslin), and cut out those pieces, too.

My evenings are pretty much booked for the rest of the week, until Friday. Saturday, I have two places to be, and Sunday is pretty much the same. I am worried that I will not get these final two costumes, plus my new hat and cloak finished. So much to do, and so little time.

And with that, I am signing off for the night...

What did I do today?

1. Awakened by my son at 7:30 am, because he wanted me to take him to Target to get the game we had reserved. Begged for another 30 minutes of sleep.

2. 9:00 am, left to go get game, and a couple of other things. Washed the car.

3. Made spaghetti salad for the cookout.

4. Cut the chicken breasts in half, and put them in the refrigerator to marinate.

5. Had a migraine, took a nap for three hours.

6. Woke up when the phone rang - work problem.

7. Freshened up for the cookout/rehearsal, put everything in the cooler, and went to work to fix the problem.

8. After fixing the problem, went to cookout/rehearsal. Practiced the three dances over and over, then we decided to start the grill.

9. Went inside and practiced our improv exercises, and grilled young William on his ideal possible future wife, to his embarrassment.

10. Just how long does it take to grill chicken anyway?

11. Ate way too much. Talked more.

12. An hour later: "Crap, the brats are still on the grill!"

13. Stopped raining: more dancing! This time we got it right!

14. Home. Tired. Legs. Hurt.

Two down, six to go...

I just have to say that flat hats are dead easy to make, and it's a good thing, since I have so many to make. I am not quite certain that I will have enough felt, however.

We went to see, "Are we done yet?" It was more chuckle-to-yourself, than laugh-out-loud funny, and there were touching moments. However, whoever did the pregnancy body suit for the mom has never seen a woman pregnant with twins before. That was a one-baby-belly.

Okay, back to work. I am going to make hot dogs on the grill tonight, as we have no desire for anything more. It is warm outside, and warmer in the house, and both of us ate too much candy at the movie.

I, for one, never thought J.C. would have agreed with the idea of Limbo, either.

Vatican panel condemns limbo to eternal dustbin

ROME — Limbo has been in limbo for quite some time, but is now on its way to extinction.

A Vatican committee that spent years examining the medieval concept published a much-anticipated report Friday, concluding that unbaptized babies who die may go to heaven.

That could reverse centuries of Roman Catholic traditional belief that the souls of unbaptized babies are condemned to eternity in limbo, a place that is neither heaven nor hell. Limbo is not unpleasant, but it is not a seat alongside God.

Catholic doctrine states that because all humans are tainted by original sin, thanks to Adam and Eve, baptism is essential for salvation. But the idea of limbo has fallen out of favor for many Catholics, who see it as harsh and not befitting a merciful God.

I had a further response to this, but since one of my iron-clad rules is to not discuss religion or politics with friends, I deleted it. Suffice it to say that I am glad they did away with Limbo. I never truely believed that it existed anyway.

It's official.

I am now the parent of a teenager.

Hey, thanks for blind-siding me...

'Dark Matter' message painfully sharpened by Virginia Tech tragedy

One of the most jolting moments at this year's Sundance Film Festival came in the closing sequence of a movie called "Dark Matter": A disaffected Asian college student abruptly snaps and goes on a bloody rampage, killing professors, classmates and, finally, himself. The audience was plainly shocked, and some critics attacked the finale as a jarring gimmick that, narratively, came out of nowhere.

"Dark Matter" now, of course, would take on a different context to anyone who sees it following the Virginia Tech shootings on Monday that left 33 people dead, among them Seung-hui Cho, the gunman who took his own life and shares much in common with the character at the center of "Dark Matter."

The film, starring Aidan Quinn and Meryl Streep, was actually inspired by another grisly campus crime: The 1991 University of Iowa incident in which Chinese foreign exchange student Gang Lu reacted violently after being passed over for an academic prize and killed five people and left a sixth paralyzed before killing himself.
...

They may have been inspired by the fact that the shootings happened, but little else resembles what happened at U of I in 1991. What I take exception to about this film is the plot:

The plot of "Dark Matter" follows student Xing Liu (played by Ye Liu), whose proposed thesis delves into the cosmological mysteries of dark matter. Liu's ideas are so innovative that his mentor, Jacob Reiser (Quinn), becomes intimidated and begins to sabotage the younger man's career. The student already feels culturally alienated too, despite the help of an altruistic campus advisor (Streep), and he also becomes financially strapped. Then, feeling robbed of his purpose in life, Liu snaps and picks up a gun.

I clicked into this article, because the title caught my eye. I didn't seriously think that the events which inspired the film would be those same events that have kept me on edge all week, jumping between feverish work, hysterical laughter, and a propensity towards checking my back constantly. I should have, but I didn't.

So, they won some awards at Sundance. BFD.

I think it's time to stop reading the news entirely.

And this is why I inspect my garb two weeks in advance...

As I removed my red gown from my dressmakers dummy, after checking the bodice for problems, I carefully smoothed my skirt, in order to hang it on a hanger.

That's when I saw it...

The waistband is coming apart! The bottom edge of the waistband is actually coming separated at the seam in multiple places! I am going to have to turn under the raw edges, and try to sew this back into place before it gets any worse.

It won't take very long, but it just worried me that this happened. I know that the seams were sewn correctly, and I didn't trim that seam allowance, because I needed the added fabric thickness for support. It just bugs me. Erg.

Update: Fixed. Erg.

Arg! the time-suck!!!!

I really have got to stop popping over to Renspace and losing an HOUR.

I only went there because I was taking a break from sorting out my spools of thread, honest! And I wasn't even going to go there at all, except someone posted a comment, and i had to read it.

Okay, time to get to work on costume number seven...

I think I just spent a little too much time on RenSpace...

That's kind of like a myspace for all of us Rennies out there. Only faster, and cooler! Seriously! I can't stand using MySpace. You can check it out - Lady Rosalind Speaks...

In other news, I finished the fifth and sixth costumes tonight!!!!! Two more to go! Then, I can make myself a new hat and cloak, and a bunch of favors to hand out to friends. I'm trying to come up with a number, but I am afraid I won't finish enough. I'll have to see how realistic the number is...

Okay, big day again tomorrow. My to-do list keeps growing faster than I can cross-off completed tasks, both at home and work. Sigh... Oh well, gotta keep busy so I can get things done.

I'm okay.

This post has been removed.
--------------
Okay, I am putting this back online, because it was dumb to remove it in th efirst place.

There is comfort in relative anomnimity, just as there is comfort as the years pass and memories fade. I still didn't sleep last night, but it was more that I didn't want to close my eyes in case I had nightmares, rather than nightmares themselves. If my post last night was scrambled and incoherent, it was because I was becoming more disturbed by what happened in Virginia as the night progressed.

I had an email from a college friend, old roomate in fact (not that we are old or anything, R!!!). She asked if I was doing okay. I had to think about it for a minute or two, and I determined that, yes, I will be okay.

You see, not many people know this, but I went to the University of Iowa from 1990 to 1994. I majored in Physics for the first year and a half, and worked in the Physics Library all four years. I was working the day one of our grad students picked up a gun, and shot three of our faculty, and the fellow grad student that he felt stole his place. I was less than 20 feet away, separated only by two sets of open double-doors, and the fact that the closest stairwell was on the other side of the seminar room where he opened fire. I knew all of the faculty involved, had helped them locate materials, been advised by them. I did not know the administrator he later killed, or the female grad student he shot and paralyzed.

But I did know the shooter.

You see, he was very pushy, and very disdainful of women. Not a week before, he had berated me quite heavily, because I wouldn't let him break Library rules. I don't even remember the specifics, just that his reaction was over the top. I had been apologized to by one of the faculty he later murdered, for the actions of this student (he had been there when the incident happened). He had been appalled at this student's behavior.

I wasn't supposed to work that Friday afternoon. It only occurred to me later that this could have been what saved me, after Grace, my boss, found out who the shooter was. He didn't know I was working that day. He was ten steps away from the library entrance, where I sat at the desk. If he had turned left instead of right... He shot Miya just for being there.

Okay, I am writing things I never even told my family.

It's taken a long time to put this in the back of my mind. Box it up, take it out once a year, remember, and put it away for another year. For over fifteen years. Time does heal wounds, and each time you revisit painful memories, they lose their power over you. I spent a long time being scared after this happened. Now I just focus on my family and friends, and on the good things in my life, and I know that I will be okay.

My heart goes out to all of the victim's families, and friends, and to those who witnessed this horrible attack. Be strong, and be loving to each other.

This is the last I am going to talk about this, for the sake of being able to sleep at night.

Derailed

Not a lot of progress on anything today. I spent most of the day in bed, suffering from an upset stomach and headache. My son was feeling kind of crappy during the latter part of last week, and complained of the same symptoms. He didn't want to stay home, though, so I let him go to school. Probably some kind of virus. Didn't last terribly long, at least.

It was around 2pm before I could sit up without feeling too woozy. I ate some saltines, and felt a little better. Around 2:30, I had some Cream of Wheat cereal. I sat on the couch and watched a movie while sewing.

So, I not get done what I wanted to get done, and now tomorrow is going to be insanely busy at work. I really wish I had been able to get to work today. This is just the wrong time of the semester to be gone.

Okay, sleepy again. You would have thought with as much sleep as I got this morning and afternoon, that the last thing I would want to do is go back to bed...

Progress update for Sunday

Whew. I got a massive amount of work done today. I am nearly finished with both the fifth and sixth costumes, and if I can make a hat a day, I can get hats done for everyone, too (got to use that old felt for something!).

Today I accomplished:

1. Laundry - six loads. I know, I know, how in the world did we have six loads of laundry with just two people. Towels and sheets, my friend, and the fact that I am trying to get our summer clothes integrated back into service. And now it is all put away neatly.

2. Dishwasher - ran twice. Didn't have time to run it yesterday afternoon before we had to go to the LAN party. Ran it this morning, and after supper.

3. Sewed lining to green jerkin shell.

4. Sewed homemade bias tape to edges of jerkin, and trimmed. I plan to hand sew some of this tonight (turn and sew folded edge to inside, to trim the edges. Going to turn out pretty good.).

5. Ironed, straightened tan fabric.

6. Traced off correct size for tan tunic, and redrafted the pattern to make yet another variation on the overused LOtR tunic. This one is short, and has riding slits up the sides, and a round neckline, and is for one of the adults. All I can say is, thank God men's clothing is fairly simple for the class we are portraying.

7. Cut out tan tunic, outer shell and lining out of the same fabric, more for weight than anything.

8. Sewed lining and shell together, fracked up, ripped out the neckline, and saved it. Disovered a new-to-me way to do the lining, and totally rocked it. Need bias binding to finish the raw edges and for trim. Looks good.

All of this, and I made a good dinner, and played Wii Sports with my son. Oh, and sat through a two minute power failure. Damn power never goes out in the wind, storms, or ice, but will randomly go off when it is clear about once every four months or so.

In any case, i got a lot done, I can hardly move, and I am going to be able to sleep with the window open tonight.

Life is good. :)

Oh, and i almost forgot: I also started working on favors to give out to friends at the faire. Don't know how many I will get done, but here is a sample:

I just got my a-- handed to me in Wii Sports

My son bugged me into playing Wii Sports with him tonight. Since we finally managed to get our hands on another control and nun-chuck, we decided to start out with a little boxing, progressed to tennis, and then to bowling.

He beat me at every game.

But I have only one thing to say to you, Mister... I can still beat you at Donkey Kong Country 1, 3, and all the classic Mario games, and don't you forget it! LOL :)

Ouch, my arms...

Iowa is entirely too small.

But that can be a good thing, as you get stories like this one.

On Friday, a friend of mine went to a film festival in Cedar Rapids. He arrived early, of course, and they weren't quite set up yet. He was talking with someone who was getting people checked in, and gave them his name. Someone else overheard, and repeated his name.

"I thought you looked familiar. I read your blog, and listen to your podcasts!"

Okay, now everyone who blogs has a story like this. Seriously. The internet makes this a small world. What takes this to a different level is what this person said next.

"Yeah, I got there from Jennifer's blog. I went to college with her."

So that's a little funnier.

So, a big "Hi!" to Eric Freese and company! I don't want to even count how long ago that was (but okay, fourteen years, how did we all get so old?).

Someone tells it like it is...

Lots of stuff to blog about, but I wanted to get this out first.

I have an iron-clad rule, from the moment I got my first car, where the car does not get taken out of park until everyone in the car, even those in the back, have their seatbelts fastened. If I am riding in the back seat of someone else's car, I still fasten my seat belt. I do not feel comfortable in the car unless my seat belt is on.

For all of you who have given me crap about it since I was sixteen years old, I offer this:

Seatbelts Save Lives
...
There are two major routes that unrestrained persons take in a front-end MVA (Motor Vehicle Accident). Up-and-over or down-and-under (AKA “submarining”). With up-and-over, the upper body launches forward and up. The head strikes the windshield. (This produces the classic “windshield star”) Your injuries here include concussion, scalp laceration, and various brain bleeds. You can suspect fractured cervical vertebrae (and if you have a fracture with compromise to the spinal cord at C-4 or higher, you’ve lost the nerves that control chest expansion and the diaphragm. “C-4, breathe no more,” as the saying goes).

Go a little farther through the windshield, and it isn’t unexpected to leave some or all of your face behind stuck in the broken glass. You’d be surprised by how easily faces come off the facial bones.

You can also expect fractured wrists, arms, and shoulders, from folks trying to brace themselves.

A little farther through the windshield, all the way out of the vehicle (a situation we call “pre-extracted for your convenience”), and in addition to whatever damage you took on the way through, you get the damage from hitting the ground, trees, and metal poles at however-many-miles-an-hour.
..."

Go read the article for yourself. Absolutely should be required reading for kids getting their driver's license.

The main reason I always wear my seatbelt:

My dad is a fireman, and drives a tow truck, both jobs expose him to a lot of accident scenes, both in a rescue situation, and a clean up situation. It's a hard, hard thing to do, especially in a community where you know practically everyone.

I wear my seatbelt because you never know what is going to happen with everyone else on the road. I've been in a rear-end collision, where the person who hit the car behind me was going 45 mph, and didn't notice two cars stopped, waiting to turn left. All of us had our seatbelts on. I ended up with whiplash, as did the lady in the car between us. My car got hit so hard that I would've hit the steering wheel with my chest, and my head would have hit the windshield. Instead, I ended up with a really sore neck, back, and some nerve problems for awhile (couldn't draw anymore, for about two months, during the busiest part of the semester. Drawing class sucked so bad after that. Just held my pencil and charcoal and couldn't make my right hand do what I wanted it to do.) But, considering the alternative, I got off very lightly.

So, read this article already! I'll shut up now, as I am up way past when I should be sleeping. Long, long day today...

Progress Report - 21 Days and Counting

Red pirate skirt is now finished. Old felt tunics are in the washing machine, as are two new lengths of fabric. When I went to get the old tunics from the scout room, I found a bunch of red felt, Robin Hood type hats that tie under the chin. Weird, but maybe they will work for one of the kids (perhaps if they were five years old).

Right now I am waiting for my iron to heat up, so I can iron a ton of fabric. Then, when the dryer stops, I get to iron even more.

Fun.

One more post today...

Finished the cartridge pleating on my new red pirate skirt!!!! Just have to sew a french seam to close up the back, and it is finished. I added black bias tape to the hem, to give it some character. Beings how I have a ton of thinner black bias tape, if I have time, I am going to add another line of trim an inch above the hem, to give it more interest.

The Iowa Renaissance Faire is in three weeks, and I have soooooo much to do before then.

Oh, and I found paper parasols at Hobby Lobby for $3.49 each! I spent $8 on mine at the Nebraska Faire last year (it was a LIFE SAVER!!!). I am worried about breaking my good parasol. I thought my good one was larger, but they are the same size, and are in fact, nearly identical in every way. The only problem is that the ones I just bought are very bright colors: hot pink, and the other is bright blue with flowers on it.

Needless to say, I also bought paint last night, so that I can try to tone down the colors...

Okay, time to get some sleep for a change!

Took a quick break...

And headed over to the costuming forum in order to read the latest messages. Found this little gem of a juxtiposition:


Not something you see everyday...

Okay, they're done.

Just have to print and send. Ended up owing the state under $50, so that's good.

And let me just rant about the damn state pdf doc - this is 2007 for cryin' out loud! Make the damn PDF SAVEABLE!!!!!!!!!!!! Why can't you save your entries on the fracking form? The federal form lets me save. Why not the state? I do believe I get pissed off at this every year. Since 2004, in fact.

Okay, it's over. I'll get on to the fifty-seven other things I could have done with the last two hours...

I hate figuring out taxes (repeat as desired)

I know. I am late getting started. However, since I am not self-employed, do not freelance, and have standard deductions, this isn't a complicated thing.

Except that math is hard.

Okay, anyone who knew me in high school is going to laugh, and ask if I am joking. I used to be a somewhat smart person. I got "A"s. Honor Society. Honor Roll all eight semesters in high school. Good math grades.

Okay, you can laugh.

The problem is that with so many other things I have learned in the 16+ years I've been out of high school, advanced math got relegated to the dusty corners of my mind where the remnants of the "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" stanzas hang out, never to be recalled unless drunk. I am one of the only people I know who can do advanced calculus while drunk, but not sober. No clue. And since I rarely drink, I go blank whenever confronted with tax forms.

I am not good at this. Granted, the federal tax form is now neatly filled out, waiting to be printed and sent along. The state taxes have yet to be tackled, and are usually somewhat more complicated. I should just pay someone to do them for me. In fact, next year, that is exactly what I am going to do. I don't want to sit in front of a computer working on my own taxes. I used to pay someone all of the time to do my taxes. I can't even remember why I stopped.

Oh well, they aren't going to get done unless I get back to work.

Gad, I hope I don't have to pay state taxes (getting a small refund from the feds...).

Pouring. Then Snowing.

It is raining heavily right now. I just got back from a meeting, which was fun for a change, and it is pouring.

Later tonight, the rain is going to change into snow, and dump 3-5 inches of the crappy white stuff onto our lovely green grass, budding trees, and flowers.

Welcome to Iowa.

There really isn't anything we can do except deal with it.

Right now, i am going to go deal with it by having a bowl of soup for supper, since my earlier snack barely qualified. And the fact that the Safe Swim and Safety Afloat guy kept mentioning sandwiches did not help matters any... ;)

More, and more, and more...

Everytime I finish one thing, I find four more things that need to be done. I am hanging on here by keeping notes, and scheduling every minute of the day.

I just finished ironing the green homespun fabric for the third costume. Costume two was finished in just under three hours on Saturday. I am going to try to get this costume cut out tonight yet. I won't be able to sew on it until tomorrow at lunch, but at least it will be ready to go.

Every night this week is pretty booked. I am struggling with finding time to relax.

So much to do, so little time...

I don't know how she does it.

I babysat for my nephew tonight. I haven't watched him by myself in ages, so I was a little nervous. We had a blast, but wow, can that kid move!

I feel like I have spent the entire evening working out. I gave up on trying to get him to go to bed in his new room, and let him sit with me in the big chair until we both fell asleep. I had to tell him that we had to be quiet so that my son could go to sleep. You all know my son was pretending, right??? :)

Finally, around 9:15, I woke up a bit, and noticed that he was sleeping. I took him to his room, tucked him in, and went back to the living room where I nearly fell asleep again.

It was a cold drive home, and we have a cold day ahead of us. I got out my wool pant suit to wear to church on Sunday, and I'm kicking myself for not buying the cute shoes that I saw at Target today. I should go back tomorrow and get them, but I just really do not have time.

Okay, time to get some stuff done, then get to bed so I can get up early, early, early in the morning...

I can say "yes" to way too many of these...

You know you're a true rennie when...

Yeah.

Add explosion of garb making fabric, and garb overflowing the closet, and you have me. But, my only sharp pointy thing is my sissor dagger.

And having a ren faire shopping list that includes a dagger and bracers for your twelve-year old, because he needs them in the fall.

And the drinking songs. And why did he know most of the verses of All for me Grog???

Ow, my back!

Just finished redrafting a pattern to make a variation on the LOTR Simplicity pattern that I have used for three of my son's tabards, including the King Arthur one. It is so easy to make. I redrafted the pattern to be about five inches shorter, and to not have the riding slits in the front and back.

Lots accomplished tonight...

One down, four-six to go...

I finished the blue jerkin, finally. I can hardly keep my eyes open. I ended up using olive green bias tape on the edges, and it looks pretty good. I will have to do something different to the other one of these that we are making. Like maybe not making it using this pattern.

Yes, this was pretty simple to make. I'll have to see it on the person who's going to wear it before deciding if it was successful.

This means I have at least four more costumes, possibly six to go. It all depends on who is going to the later faire. We can reuse costumes if we have fewer scouts going to the later faire. Won't know for a bit yet.

Okay, time to take a small break, get over my hiccups and heartburn (again), and then get to work on some hand sewing. I actually should either be tracing off more patterns, or ironing fabric. My time tomorrow will be extremely limited. Saturday is a costume work-day at the meeting room. Yay for help! But I wanted to get more done than I have done right now.

Which means that I guess I'll be tracing tonight instead of working on my own skirt...

What in the HELL is THIS????

McCall's, someone has to be on drugs to think that THIS is anything remotely a.) Renaissance, or b.) attractive.

Ug. Don't buy this one. Seriously. Please do not inflict this on anyone at faire. There are soooo many more good patterns out there.

Update: I went back and looked at this, and realized that I think they may be trying to go for something like what the servant guy in Ever After was wearing. Except the insert triangle thingy would need to be a separate garment, and it would not be quite so ugly. What the heck is that green thing? The collar is... ugh. I don't want to sound like a snark, because I am not. I am perfectly fine with people dressing up for faire, but this would not be attractive on any one. I can't believe McCalls would get rid of perfectly good patterns and replace them with this monstrosity. End rant. Never want to look at this pattern again.

Knowing when to stop is the hardest part...

of sewing.

I managed to get the blue jerkin cut out tonight. As I was cutting out the pieces, I thought it looked a little big for being a large. I double-checked, and it is in fact a large. I sewed together the shoulder and side seams using french seams (where the cut edge is enclosed). I sewed together the sleeve caps and lining, and then attached one sleeve cap to the shoulder.

To the wrong side of the shoulder. As in, the seam allowance is on the outside of the shoulder, rather than on the inside where it belongs.

At least once a project, if I am machine sewing in the evening, I will hit a point where logic flies out the window, and I don't double-check before proceeding. So, I get to rip off this sleeve cap.

And this jerkin is huge. Really way bigger than it should be, and probably too big for the person who is supposed to wear it. Since we are supposed to be making another one of these, I am probably going to have to trace off the small size pattern instead of the medium.

In other news, horrific heartburn tonight, despite hardly eating much dinner. And I ate bland food for dinner. Sucks.

Not what I need right now...

migraine.

Costume Progress Report #1

I am madly trying to finish the red skirt to my pirate garb, so I can focus on getting the other costumes finished. Last night, I finished sewing together the pleating strips, and ironed the three yards of red fabric. By that time, it was 10pm, and I had to quit using the machine for the night. Tonight, I sewed the pleating strip to one selvedge (the one that was oddly frayed), and sewed black bias tape to the other, for the hem. I sat and hand stitched the two pleating threads, taking half-inch stitches using the gingham for a guide. When I gathered up the stitches, I remembered exactly why I normally use four yards of fabric instead of three... Let's just say there will be some creative adjustment to fit the waistband. That's okay though, as this does not have to fit over a farthingale.

I also have this yellow brocade tablecloth that I was contemplating using to make an overskirt. Not sure if I really want to do that, though, as it is pretty heavy.

The next thing on my list for tonight, is to finish tracing out patterns, and get a couple of lengths of fabric ironed, and ready to be cut. I bought a folding drying rack at Wal-mart tonight, with the idea that I will drape the ironed fabric over the rungs in order to keep the fabric from getting wrinkled. Hopefully it will work well. I just really am running out of space to put things, though...

Reward for all that walking...

We're back!

Great campout, lots of excitement and adventure, lots of rain... :)

Too much to talk about now, but here are a couple of highlights.

1. Setting out on an hour long hike, and getting back 4 hours later. Whoops. But it wasn't my fault, Troy. It wasn't anyone's fault. :)

2. Having to leave our campsite. This will require some explanation.

3. Ending up spending Saturday night in the Scout room, watching movies, and eating way too much food. Slept like a rock, can't move much now.

Okay, I am waiting for my turn to use the bathtub. Very tired....