Misadventures in Costuming: harlequin.. queen.. what?

I know, I'm really bad about updating.

I've been busy working on my Halloween costume for this year. This year the SO and I are actually going to go to a party together in themed costumes outside of a con.

AKA this is going to be our fifth halloween together and this is the first time we're doing a couple costume. Oy vey.

I made the SO a clown/jester costume a few months back that was based off of a pattern from Joann's. After talking to my Partner in Crime, and what she and her husband are doing, I figured I should probably design something to match the jester costume.

I actually design costumes in my spare time for fun. I haven't really actually got the nerve to make any of my designs because they're so.. odd? A lot of my old inspirations came from J-Rock/Visual Kei styles. So there was a lot of asymmetry and weird straps that didn't make sense in there.

I don't think this one is going to be any different. It's going to be the gaudiest, clashing, garish thing that will probably drive me nuts from the jingling.

Oh yes, there will be close to 100 bells attached to the damn costume if I have the time.

Pretty much, there's going to be several components to the costumes, which include a sleeveless undershirt made of purple stretch velvet, a multicolored bodice with diamond motifs stenciled on, a bright red crinkle satin underskirt under an over skirt made of 8 tabards of varying colors and lengths and two .. sleeves that are not sleeves? Plus a collar and who knows what I'm doing with my shoes.

I know I'm going to be wearing leggings and leg warmers, that's for sure. Halloween here is freaking cold.

Welp, we'll see how this goes. I still need to add a neckline to the undershirt, make the tabards, the bodice and the skirt. The bright red underskirt is done (bs'ed a pattern, cut, hemmed, assembled, zippered with a waist band within two hours!)

Misadventures in DIY: Two down, a million to go

Okay, maybe not a million projects, but I have a lot on my list, but I crossed two off in a week!

The week before last was my birthday we went climbing with a group of friends at our local bouldering gym. Seeing as I've been sharing a bag with my SO for the past year and a half, I decided to sit down and make my own.

I also got a gift card that was hefty enough that it knocked down the price of something that I've been coveting for a while: a serger. Now, last Thanksgiving I made a round table cloth and swore to myself that I'm not going to make another round one again unless I get a serger. And I did. So I made a table cloth to cover our table.

There are a few progress shots of the chalk bag (including two really horrible flash pictures) and a final of the tablecloth, and a preview of what will be the next post! I'm sorry about the instagram-tastic photos for some of them. I have yet to completely figure out the SO's older camera, and I don't have a nicer one of my own aside from my camera phone.

Greetings, salutations, etc, etc.

Hi everyone!

One of the things I've told myself year after year is to start blogging again. I was a fairly avid blogger when I was a teenager and it pretty much stopped once I got into college once I finally got over myself, developed some self esteem and stopped looking to others as a source of self-validation.

The only problem: what the hell would I even talk about? I'm not that interesting, and I don't think I'm capable of accomplishing greatness without a lot of help. This was a question that I thought a lot about in the past few weeks.

I'm three years out of college (almost four), starting the second half of my twenties and still figuring out what I'm actually doing with my life. It's been a process, but one of the most important things is that I have decided that I need to start keeping the promises to myself to finish projects, meet goals and get back on the bandwagon again.

So this is what this blog is: a promise to myself to finish projects that I start and accomplish my goals in life. It's to keep myself accountable by telling others via the internet and keeping my half of the bargain and the easiest place to start is my crafting hobby. I've always been a dabbler, whether it's oil painting, drawing, costuming, sewing, general crafts or knitting. I have so many projects planned in my head that it's kind of ridiculous to keep track at this point, so consider this blog a valiant effort to keep the creative energies in check.

That being said, this isn't going to be strictly a "LOOK WHAT I MADE"/instructional DIY blog. It will most likely be an odd assortment of photos, makeup swatches, The Princess, general misadventures and maybe, MAYBE, an important event or two.

Or three. It depends on the event.

So sit back, grab a cup of coffee or tea, and watch while I try to tame the craziness that goes on in my brain.

- Kaye