So I promised photos of corset, and here it is (and Michael, looking dashingly dead)! Note to self: Corsets hold stuff up. Don't stick a safety pin to your bra to hold your petticoat up, because you don't need it. But you WILL have a safety-pin-shaped indention in your ribs for hours. Also note to self: alter the petticoat so it's not too long and we don't have this issue again. I love all the floof. And I had time to get the tablecloth bustle all ruched properly this time, instead of just draped on my butt.



Franklin Street wasn't as scary as I thought it'd be, but we had an iPhone to help us navigate to parking once they started arbitrarily turning roads one-way. I will sound impressive and committed when I say we parked in Carrboro and walked to Chapel Hill, but it was only a half mile or so.

Also with more of the fabulous things that happened this weekend, Michelle offered to buy my bedroom furniture, which means I don't have to go the Craigslist route and have strangers in my house! YAY!

I was all gun-ho to start emptying drawers yesterday but it was rainy and cold, and I was sleepy, so I priced out a Dell laptop, which probably WON'T be any cheaper than a Mac, for what I want in it, and knitted while watching a Teen Titans marathon, the ninja turtles movie, and half of Bram Stoker's Dracula before going to bed.

So, next time you have something shipped by DHL, and you're not home, and you think you hubby might not hear the delivery man, you can leave a signed note on your door, and your package will be delivered without having to have a warm body to answer the door!

My Bodyline dress was delivered this morning! I think I'm feeling fevered. I think I should go home. A good dose of dress up is just what the doctor ordered, yep.

My corset should also be arriving today! Happy happy mail day!

So my corset arrived last night! I love it, and the size I picked according to the size chart was perfect.

Just not in love with the fabric. I got a solid black denim, which on the website didn't look acid washed ^^ But the color was too uneven up close in real life for what I wanted for my Halloween costume, so I'm waiting to hear how long it would take to process an exchange, because they ALSO have a few more solid black options that were sold out when I ordered on Friday. Yes, I am impatient.

But excited! Yay corset!

I just bought my first real steel-boned corset! In boring ol' black, for versatility.

O.O

ta-da! Today, spats. Tomorrow, the world corsets!

The last bit of leftover upholstery fabric from a chair, and some really neat buttons. Godamn buttons and their stupid stupid button holes. I win, bitches!

Might have to put an elastic strap underneath.

I didn't go to bed until after 1 am last night and this morning was difficult.

The skirt is done. Mostly. I am getting confused around the zipper, which is supposed to go through both layers of the skirt, which implies both layers are attached, which kind of makes a mess of things once you start yanking on drawstrings. Maybe my zipper is too long (it was originally intended to go from underbust to hip). I might just sew the underskirt to it for a few inches and then just leave it. It's all nice and neat on the front though. I was really really careful whenever I had to remove stitches because taffeta is not very forgiving of needle punctures, and then I stabbed right through the front of one of the channels while threading the ribbon and put a hole in it. D'oh.

I hemmed a lot of ruffle. I cheated and used stitch witchery.

My petticoat is too long. When I said "it fits" apparently what I meant was "it does not make me look like a six year old playing dress-up in mom's clothing". I may just have to remove the bottom ruffle for now, and trim the crinoline and lining. Or just hike it up to my arm pits and lace it up tight in the corset for tomorrow! I like that plan better.

Tiggy goes to the vet for check-up after work, and then I finish skirt and style the wig I want to wear. There won't be time for a nap AND getting my hair all fancy tomorrow night, and a nap is requisite for continued functioning.

Saturday I spent lots and lots of time at the fabric store getting ideas and materials for the unbirthday. I am finally settled on the Queen of Hearts, and am moving forward! Before I can work on that one though, I have to finish my outfit for Friday's clockwork ball. Yay bustle skirt! ( cut for babbling about bustle skirt! )

Sunday was paint party, and prep for paint party! It was hilarious and after I got past the artist's block I had fun actually painting. It has been awhile.

I made one.





To be used for June's Clockwork Ball outfit.

...if I get my skirt done.

This year's AWA Ball is blue and gold neo victorian/steampunk.

Just sayin'.

Or simply the exhausted.

I don't know what's up, something horrible has gone wrong. After rolling in at 2 am from WTH Con, my eyes popped open at 7:41 am yesterday morning.

One discernible problem was that it was too bright in my room, a problem that is on my House list to have remedied. While I do like that the loft gets nice and sunny during the day, I don't like it in my face while I try to sleep. So I crawled into the nice dark guest room with its nice clean sheets an had an awesome 2-hour nap. The cats didn't miss a beat, and followed me. They also took a nap in that bed later yesterday afternoon. I decided to sleep there last night, with plans to wash the sheets on my own bed, and it was so comfy!

I'm having problems figuring out how an ancient old mattress, which is smaller, with two cats was somehow more restful.

I did a lot of housework yesterday, and I made my poofy shorts for steampunk! They're kind of awesome. However, the suede-ish fabric for the arm sleeves hates me, or my sewing machine, and we're not on speaking terms at the moment.

So, the plans, I am not sticking to them. Bah. I started at the top of the house last night and had the loft and most of the second floor picked up when Mom called. So I sat down to talk to her, and then I got hungry so I made dinner, and then Bones came on and it was awesome, and then I was sleepy so I went to bed.

I am not upset that I have dirty dishes sitting in my sink, or that my sewing stuff exploded all over the living room last weekend and is still there. I'm kind of upset that that doesn't bother me right now. Work has kind of sucked me dry lately and in the interest of self-preservation I am opting for sleep and play rather than chores and house projects. The downside is that I'm eating out way too much (and eating too much crap), and the dirty laundry is plotting a coup.

Luckily, it's about my turn to host yarn night, and not having Saturday to work will hopefully get my rear in gear tonight. No more time to procrastinate, and I do happen to perform well under stress, unfortunately ^^

Plus, on Sunday, I want to work on gloves, and shorts, and spats, because after seeing these, I really REALLY have to have a pair.

So, conceptually, I have a pretty solid costume for upcoming steampunk. I am borrowing a corset from rootbeerwoman, and realized the thrift pants I bought the other day are almost the exact same brown, a little too matchy matchy than what I was going for. I might have some cords that I blew the knee out of sitting in the closet that could be sacrificed.

Target has some really cute hats right now.

I am so taking a nap when I get home from work. Is it Friday yet?

No sleeping in for me this past weekend, which makes for very tired Monday morning.

On Saturday I did at least get my oil changed, stomped around in the park for a few hours, and then was pretty damn useless the rest of the day. I don't think I'm a morning excercise person.

I'm working on gloves for my next steampunk, but they are more like arm warmers with thumb holes than actual gloves. Now that the first one is all sized, the second one should finish pretty quickly. I also tore out the side seams for the blue vest I found. Getting the lining put back together when most of it is still attached into the vest is a pain, but I think I've got it all pinned and can just run it through the machine tonight after ironing down the inner seams.

naiad_kitty and I went out yesterday and picked out some fabrics for Kyoshi Warrior robes and skirts. She'll be working on a mock-up/her costume and will be our ginea pig. She gave me a good idea for the armor that I think will be easily duplicated. I'm a little grateful now for the past experience of churning out a zillion (okay, five) ANBU vests.

Yay projects getting worked on!

I am tired and cranky, or maybe just apathetic, but definitely crampy, and my back hurts, and I'm kind of dizzy and my oatmeal wants me to gag and I am SO over this week.

I actually want to clean my house, and I have costume things to work on, but at 8:30 last night I realized I had completely zoned out on the couch, which I don't remember sitting on, and decided to just crawl into bed.

I read some more Brisingr. ( What a tweeest! )

I stopped in at GoodWill last night, and bought a vest that is going to be sized down, because it was a very pretty blue. Unfortunately blue doesn't fit into my next steampumk design, but overall I'm finding it difficult to finish that one up. I have parts that I like, it's just not gelling yet. This is why I don't design my own costumes often - too hard to make up my mind! Much easier to replicate with my own spin on things.

Charlotte Russe satin corsets are down to two god-awful colors in larges only. Someone buy them so they restock!

I realize belatedly that the teal one could probably have been a good start to Meru, and the yellow one would have been great for a steampunk Hawkgirl.

Yes, I will continue to whine about this. Or buckle down and make one myself. And whine about it.

So, Charlotte Russe is having a pretty good sale on some basic solid sateen corsets AND there's free shipping. Unfortunately I have the rib cage of a squirrel, and a small is too big for me. So cranky.

But others should take advantage!

Next year's Halloween theme - Egyptian Gods.

Well, at least on fabric choice. Maybe. I still haven't done anything for this costume yet.

This bodysuit comes in black also. Opinions?

It seems to conform well without making the body look like a contour-less mass. It's shiny but doesn't look as odd as the Liquid Leather fabric does.

Problems:

-No idea what kind of stretch fabric I'd use for gloves/boots that would match well with that, and

-the cape would not be made of the same fabric (unless I get really really lucky).