A Dedicated Follower of Fashion

Sometimes I actually sew things. I wish they were exciting things...but they are things! Here's a pile of the patchwork quilt squares I've been sewing. 9 days' worth of squares, that pile is. Probably about 140 squares there.


How's that for excitement!

My ickle mind has also been pondering Halloween (the tedium of quilt squares tends to make my mind wander to more exciting things)-- hopefully the Group and I will find somewhere to go and something to do. I live RIGHT NEXT TO A CITY, this should not be a difficult thing to do. It's funny how, being a costumer and all, I never have anything to wear out on Halloween. Okay, yes, I have costumes...no, I am not wearing my long silk dresses to a Halloween party. Reasons...should be obvious. (People+Beer+long silk dress on me=No.)

Anything cool I could think of would require buying fabric, which, despite having broken that resolution three times already, I am trying to stick to! (That whole no-income-at-the-moment thing helps, too.) Then, aha! I never did actually "finish" my Moulin Rouge Black Diamonds costume. I made it in 2007 wow, and got it into a wearable state for that Halloween:


The corset had sequins and rhinestones, while the tails just had a few sequins. I really mean a FEW, too. Still needed to be beaded. I am certifiably insane, okay?

Then last year I got started on the beading of the corset and finished sewing the sequins to the tails. Here's how it looks currently (I beaded a few more scallops the other night):


Some - okay, fine, quite a few - scallops are pretty-cracked out, and if I were to start making the whole thing from scratch now, I'd have made the corset about an inch longer in the back and a little less than that in front. And shaped the tails differently. And made the bottom of the corset scalloped. And try to make the scallops on the corset a little more even! Still, I figure it's worth finishing. I really need to finish the damn thing before I don't fit in it any more! Still need a hat, which I'll probably end up making because I have supplies that will work (hi, no money to buy a top hat! Even a tiny one).

And two more thoughts. 1/ I do love those gloves! They're hot (both literally and figuratively), and 2/ Why did I not finish this when I had my hair dyed red? Stupid. Guess I could always do it again... *smirk* Red was really such a PITA to keep up, though...maybe I'll just do it for Halloween. Decisions, decisions... must ponder this!

Thing 1: Hunting for jobs is incredibly boring and annoying and ego-deflating. I am made to feel slightly better because none of my other graduated TCNJ friends that aren't in med school or grad school can't find jobs either. And they weren't all useless majors like history, either. Ugh, don't go to college unless you know you've got the money and motivation for more school after that! We're just stuck in a limbo where we're overqualified for half the jobs available, and under-qualified for the other half. *mutter mumble grumble*

Thing 2: Still going with the guitar! I'm up to eleven chords now, I think... I bought a poster on Amazon (that I'm still waiting for, people! Ship it already! I'm impatient) with what looks like most of the guitar chords, so that'll be helpful. The beginner book from 1993 that I've got now only has 15. I realize people have played guitar knowing less than that, but I'm annoying and want to know ALL the chords I can. (A, Am, A7, Am7...)

Thing 3: E is still the best chord ever.

Thing 4: Apparently my ear's getting better, as I noodled out the guitar riff to John Entwistle's "My Size" in the right key without actually putting the song on to check if I was right until later. This is what M tells me it means, anyway. I kind of thought it was just dumb luck.

Thing 5: I really want to sew something, but I don't know what. Sort of want a 1780s dress, sort of want to start that 1800 outfit, sort of want to make an 1860s dress...So last night, in the spirit of attempting to be sensible, I told myself I cannot just be starting all these costumes willy-nilly any more. I don't really have room for anything else, and definitely have no need for anything else at the moment. I doubt I'll be going to the PA Ren Faire this year, because nobody has any money (including me), and even if I do end up going, I have three things I could wear. And, weirdly, the Ren Faire is the last thing I'd have to dress up for this year.

Okay, except for Halloween, but I refuse to spend any money on Halloween as a general rule, and even more so this year. Funny that the costumer never has anything to wear for Halloween.

Plus, it's possible that after M gets out of TCNJ in spring, we may try to get a place together, along with a couple other people, so I am desperately trying to cut down on the amount of Crap I have. Making bulky costumes I don't need is not exactly in with that resolution.

Still, I want to sew (no, not any of the stuff that's on the List...of course. The yen for vintage has passed for the moment), so last night I had an Idea -- naturally at 2.30am, which is when all my best ideas occur. (err, not really.) Remember how much fun I had making the quilt for A's wedding gift? Yeah, me either. But I've still got the leftover stuff for it, and making a patchwork quilt is sewing...plus that's actually something I might be able to sell if I ever finish the damn thing, so it wouldn't be sitting in a bin taking up space.

Let's see how long before I get bored with this novel idea.