Strappy Legs

Feel like I've been working and working lately, and not getting anywhere--or at least not getting there fast enough. No idea how it's all going to come together before the costume show, especially now that I need a few more pieces to make the performance come together. And I need to find a model! I'll put flyers up tomorrow night, but I'm not sure how I'm going to find one by the rehearsal on Tuesday. A distinct fear of failing wretchedly is beginning to manifest.

Aside from my anxiety, I also finished up my shoes and made some legs.

Just added the buckle, and started to wax the suede.


Giving them a try-on. Pretty comfortable, though they're too big for me.

Cutting out the leg-guard-spat-thingys, and adding the suede straps.

Put a little stretchy gusset area to stretch over the shoe.

Giving it a little try-on over my pants as I was working on it.


Trying on with the shoes and the (unfinished) pants that go with them. They're actually fairly comfortable, and extremely warm.


Not bad to move in, either.

Heroes

"In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe."


"It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring."

The sense of wonder, and love of science that Carl Sagan inspired in me and so many others is an immeasurable gift.


"One is always considered mad when one perfects something that others cannot grasp."

I cannot help but admire Ed Wood's singular vision and dedication to it. It may have been awful, but it was so earnestly awful that I love him for it.


"If I shout:
Ideal, Ideal, Ideal
Knowledge, Knowledge, Knowledge,
Boomboom, Boomboom, Boomboom
I have recorded fairly accurately Progress, Law, Morals, and all the other magnificent qualities that various very intelligent people have discussed in so many books."


"You'll never know why you exist, but you'll always allow yourselves to be easily persuaded to take life seriously."\

Tristan Tzara seems to have existed as a perfectly exquisite verbal wrecking ball--carving a path of disruption through Europe's academic art world.


"We wanted to work with someone on this role that we knew and could beat the crap out of."


"Such is an actor's life. We must ride the waves of every film, barfing occasionally, yet maintain our dignity, even as the bulk of our Herculean efforts are keel-hauled before our very eyes."

Bruce Cambell reminds me to both take pride and have humor about what I do, no matter what it is.

Napkins and Shoes

Two very different projects in focus this week. Some napkins and placemats for the Crafts Banquet, and attempting some better-crafted shoes.


First, some background on the banquet--it's a...party, of sorts? that the Crafts department puts on. All us students have to make everything to serve the food in or on--cups, bowls, forks, glasses, baskets, ect. We also have to make all the food and bring it in. So I'm not sure exactly who it's a party for, but, I'm not going to get into that. Our theme this year was 'The Brother's Grimm"


So, given that we were encouraged to make things practical for food service, napkins and placemats seemed to be about all I was capable of and had time for. I printed a few yards of fabric with a neat little repeat I drew up of objects seen alot in fairy tales--rings, cups, crowns, coins, ect.


Cutting them into appropriately napkin-and-placemat size.

Sewn into napkins--I made a few sets of green ones with print border, and a few vice-versa. There are placemats to match, though I didn't take a picture of them.

Rolled up and ready to go! I'll bring my camera to the actual banquet and try and get some pictures.

First I carved out the soles--I quickly realized that the leather I had was way, way harder than it was supposed to be, and I did not have any of the correct tools. (I still don't) So this was incredibly painstaking to do with an X-Acto knife.

Uppers cut and starting to be sewn. My terrible assortment of tools on display.

Attaching inside sole to the upper--normally, this would be done with a double needle stitch, but the sole parts holes were just not big enough. So it's not quite as secure as I would like.

Trying it on after I started sewing on the welt.

Sewing the welt in.

I'm now attempting to get to this point with the other shoe--then we'll see.

Picture Catch-up

Got a few pictures off of my camera--I need to take pictures of a bunch of other things too, but I let the camera battery die.

Here is the finished (nearly) arm guards that go with the chainmail headpiece. Just need to attach the 'gloves' to the undergarment--I originally want them to attach to the arm guards, but it made it too inflexible.

Apparently my camera doesn't do to well with strong backlighting! But hey, you can see the details on the armguards, so that's nice.


Laid out, you can see the little leather 'joints' that connect the three sections. Also the 'eye' detail on the elbow, which I liked.

I really kind of love the d-ring closure. It's low tech enough that I don't think it clashes against the rest, even though it's sort of a modern closure--at least, I haven't seen anything pre 1940's with it?

The jacket under the head and arm pieces is actually the one that I've been working on--obviously it looks a bit different open than closed. Still working on quilting it.




Where the quilt goes--it'll continue up the sides and be secured with brads eventually. This is the clothing chest for Leoh's clothing (the head piece, armguards, undershirt, coat, and pants, leggings and shoes to be made)


I wanted the top of the chest to be a seat, so I anchored a felted sweater to it with studs I pulled out of an old chair.

The finished, stuffed seat, and the beginnings of the wood carvings that will go on either side.

Lame post ahead

Can't find the camera-computer thingy, so all you're getting tonight is PhotoBooth pictures, sorry!




I don't have a mirror in my studio, so I was taking these to see how the armguards looked in motion.


After I had attached one arm to the head/neck piece


And I made a hood-shirt to go under it.


I also made something for myself for once--I needed a nice warm, neutral hat that covered my ears really well, and I couldn't find one, so I made one.



It's made of a felted wool sweater with wool suiting trim and a buckle I stole from an old army bag. Very happy with it!