Faire Starts Tomorrow!

 

That is all.

Done.

 

Well,
with this bit, at least.

 

I have it on its hoop here--Friend Amanda will add grommets to the waistband for me, since she has the equipment to do so.

 

Pretty button! This serves to hold the skirts to the panel.

 

I don't have a dress form, so I use volunteers. Love you, Boyo!

 

Now I get to do the fun bits!
Chopines!
Headpiece!
Reticule!

YAY!!!

The Process. And Also a Corgi.

 

She kept planting her furry little butt on my skirt. We drew lines of compromise here.

 

She sure makes me more cheerful when I inevitably fuck up a simple seam, though. Lookatthatface!

 

The desert at 90mph.

 

This part of the lawn is VERY IMPORTANT.

 

Sometimes, I'm tempted to put fake eyelashes on my wighead.

 

The 300" skirt and the front tapestry panel.

 

There’s a story behind that tapestry–
Friend Amanda, who is making my bodice
(and regularly whips out costumes for dozens of folks
every year at Faire, ‘coz she’s a genius),
came over to my place last weekend for a shopping trip in the fabric district.

It was amazing to go down there with another veteran–
the districts in LA–fabric, fashion, jewelry, furniture, toys, floral–can be seriously intimidating if you don’t go there often.
It’s crowded, kinda dusty,
parking is a pain in the ass,
and there are so. many. things. whipping past your vision,
it’s easy to get headachey and grumpled.

We both had this moment, about ninety minutes into our trip,
where we were checking to see if the other person was okay,
because that’s uuuuusually the limit we have when we go with other folks,
and we both had to laugh, we were so fine with trucking on
for another three hours.

Plus, girl has a seriously good eye for fabrics.

This tapestry was a simultaneous spotting at Levine’s upholstery shop;
we gasped, I squeaked,
“Oh my God, can I use that?!?!”
Amanda looked at the price, and said,
“No. No, you can’t.”

…It was $24 per yard.

I normally never pay more than $5 per yard when I’m in the fabric district.

There was a great deal of hemming and hawing,
I got a swatch and carried it around for the rest of the afternoon,
and finally just had to come back and get it,
because it was SO PERFECT.

And I only needed one yard.

Shutup.

It’s totally justifiable.

 

And Amanda said I could!

 

Here’s a brief glimpse of my finished top skirt–
I also finished the bottom last night.

 

It's this amazing tweedy mustard color--It feels like I pulled it out of a Vermeer painting.

 

There will be more photos–
still have to attach my waistband,
hem the panel,
attach the panel to my hoop
(oh yes, I am wearing a hoop LIKE A BOSS),
and then the fun begins with chopine construction!

It’s going to be a busy month,
but my brain and heart feel so much better
for having something creative to hold.

 

Last Week’s Workout and:

 

Totally lost the teeny blue Post-it that had this one
(and yes, I write out all our CF workouts on blue Post-its.
Do not question the blue Post-it!!!):

Mel

x5
Run 100m
10 burpees
10 pushups
10 mountain climbers (each leg)
10 v-ups
10 squats

Finished with pull-ups (still struggling with the fourth pull-up, ARGH).

 

I’m in the middle of creating my costume for Faire this year–
it’s a lot more complicated than my original costume,
by far and away–
my original costume is suitable for peasant class,
or for lower merchant class.

The bodice is simple, front-lacing,
the chemise and partlet are not starched or overly frilled,
and I have two skirts in a five-gore pattern with a standard waistband.
I wear a pair of Birkenstock mules in a light suede with this outfit,
and they work swimmingly.

 

See? Tres simple. And yes, it looks like I don't have feet.

 

This year,
I’m working with a FAHbulous group of folks
who dress as wanna-be aristocratic Frenchies,
and go around mocking people in zer Frahnch Accsahnts.

Consequently,
my outfit needs a leetle more *oomph*,
and a leetle more fashionyfashion.

So I’m making things.

Like chopines.

 

I KNOW.

 

This wonderful lady has given me brilliant ideas
on constructing said chopines,
and I ordered two sets of yoga blocks today.

I’m actually stupid excited to start creating those,
and I think I’ll be able to make something ridiculous and awesome.

 

I also ordered a wig:

I love the Renaissance.

 

I’m a tad anxious about that wig,
since I couldn’t find out what type of fiber was used for it,
and wigs, generally, are not returnable items.

However,
I’m pretty damn good at making cheap shit look great,
so I’m trusting in my gerry-rigging skills if the wig is more *meh* than *OMG*.

 

I am *also* making a headpiece,
which will (hopefully) look something like hers:

 

My current plan is to draft the pattern on paper,
trace it onto balsa wood,
cut the pieces out, attach them together with…brads?
Grommets?
Spit?

Paint with something pearlescent-y?
Metallic?

Something pretty, at any rate,
then attach it to the wig with combs and pins.

…

 

So,
I have a little more than a month before Faire opens.

I can totally get all this done.

…

Right?

…Hello?…

Happy All Hallow’s!

 

I never can figure out where that apostrophe goes.
Is that Hallow singular, and singularly possesses this eve?
Is there more than one Hallow, which would make it “Hallows’”?

I DON’T KNOW.

 

But the Boyo came along with my crazy costume brain,
and we were a raging success at the MacAbree Manor party:

 

O, Pioneers!.

 

No one else was game for a group costume,
so we went as “Donner, Party of Two”, complete with bibs and a Jell-O heart
(I put blue raspberry vines in it to look like veins! Simulacra!)
that we messily devoured for the photobooth.

 

We’ll have more photos forthcoming!

Disney vs. History:

 

I could quibble with the accuracy of some of these,
but still, beautiful reinterpretations:

Claire Hummel Does Disney

 

Aurora is my favorite.

 

Lovely!

The Best Dog Costume EVAH

From The Dooce, naturally:

My favorite piece of this is the circle of modesty.

Vote! Vote! Like a Baby Stoat!

I can’t decide who I want to be for Halloween.

My first idea,
since we’re going with a literary theme this year,
was to be Emily Dickinson,
‘coz she’s all kinds of rad,
and then I remembered that Dickinson requires Victorian garb…
which is a trifle hard to throw together from the thriftstore.

(and believe it or not, i actually don’t have any Victoriana in my costume wardrobe…i must have some sort of illness.)

So,
my faithful readers,
I need your super valuable input of inputtiness.

Here are the options I’m pondering (pinky):

1) Ophelia

Pretty dress! Crazy lady!

2) The Lady of Shalott

(I have these three different ideas for her…all of them by Waterhouse,
na-tur-all-eee)

A)

The sleeves would be the hardest part, I think...

B)

Do you s'ppose that's a nautical-themed pashmina afghan?

C)

Different hair and slightly different gown from the Mothereffing Boat Shalott

3) Circe

Oh, surprise!
More JW Waterhouse!

I love this painting--I wonder if I could attach a sea monster to my dress, make it follow me around all night?

(and no, i would *not* have my right boob exposed, thankyouverymuch)

4) La Belle Dame Sans Merci

O what can ail thee, knight at arms!

Giant poppy patterned dress! GLURG.

5) Pandora

Naturally, I would *have* to have a box to carry about.

6) Le Frou Frou

Okay, okay, she's not *technically* a literary character...but she's on the cover of a literary magazine! ...fine. i just like her dress...

7) Ozma

Simple, lovely, art nouveau.

More ideas for Ozma:

I would probably make a decorative outer girdle for this, 'coz I'm not fond of the mumu thing.

Everybody listens to a Queen in Red. I'm just sayin'.

What do you all think?
I have a favorite of my own,
but I could easily be persuaded by the democracy of y’all.

I will be using thriftstores and the fabric district to shop for all materials…
And apparently,
I need to get me a long wig.

Now…VOTE!

(this post fueled by Trader Joe’s Gorgonzola Crackers, sweetandfancymoses)