Seize the Stars

Wednesday, December 7th, 2016

2:56 am - real-life stuff

How is it December already??? November was just too surreal; between the actual apocalypse that happened on the 8th, and then me having to ignore it as best I could to get costumes finished for the 2 conventions I already had memberships for, plus stage managing a play- holy mackerel, am I tired! Ignoring the horrors of the real world was not easy or entirely successful, but at least I managed to get costume sewing done at the last minute. (I have pics! They still need to be sorted through, though.)

I still feel bad about having to abandon my plans for a project for

who_at_50, but I just couldn't find time, alas. There's always next year I guess...

Anyway, I'm hoping to be back on LJ more regularly- even though I know that's probably an overly ambitious goal with my play running thru the end of December, and the sewing projects I intend to start. I'm so excited to plan outfits for next year's Steampunk and Doctor Who conventions that I actually started pinterest boards. And in case anyone was unaware, Pinterest is kind of addictive for anybody who's creative and/or crafty! You intend to spend a few minutes, but instead you're engrossed in pinning shiny things for hours. But I know that if I actually start sewing now, it might save me from last-minute hotel room sewing again next year, which would be great! I scaled back my costume plans this year, and I'd have got them done in enough time if it weren't for my despondence over the election costing me at least a week and a half. It seemed inconsequential to go to cons at first when the future is so grim, but once I got there, it was really great to be somewhere with so many kind and creative people all sharing their goodwill and creativity, and just trying to have fun and make each other happy. There were mentions of our collective dread in conversations even there- you can't escape it, it's touched nearly every corner of everyone's lives. But the overwhelming feeling when talking to people was that we're in this together and we won't let the people who spew hate and fear win. In it's small way, just being creative and inclusive and kind is a defiant act. We have a lot of fighting to do, but we need to have happy moments as well to keep us going when the going gets tough. If I'm able to attend any cons again next year, I certainly will. (Pics to come later!)

Tuesday, October 25th, 2016

2:01 am - random stuffs

Random updating returns! For a start, it's my birthday today, and I feel rather ill, but I'm determined to go out and get an ice cream sundae later and try to have some fun and not feel too depressed that I'm another year older. It feels a little anti-climactic to have my actual birthday a few days after my birthday party, but I've got a rehearsal tonight, and a couple of my friends are in the show, so at least I'll get to see them and that's nice. And anyway, last week I went to hear Chad & Jeremy (1960s British folk duo) live in concert as my early birthday present to myself, which was amazing and so much fun, so I really can't complain. (They're just as good now as they were in 1964. They're very funny in person, and they've even branched out into blues-ier songs as well, which they're equally adept at. But hearing their classics like 'A Summer Song', 'Willow Weep for Me' and 'Distant Shores' live was just magical. And I got to chat with them when they signed my poster! Not many 60s bands a girl my age can say that about!)

So as mentioned above, rehearsals for this year's holiday panto have started. We're doing the Wizard of Oz, and it's good silly fun. I don't think I quite have my stage manager organizational brain capabilities 100% back yet, but hopefully it'll come to me soon!

Amidst lists and script changes and rehearsals I don't have much time for other projects, but I'm chugging along with my sewing- my brown Steampunk jacket for TeslaCon is ready to be sewn together, or at least seems to be- it's a Simplicity pattern, so I don't trust it one bit, but the muslin mock-up didn't have any problems, so I'm keeping fingers crossed it'll behave as well in the cotton twill fashion fabric.

Been randomly watching Classic Who. I got very bored once Harry left, though! I don't know what it is that makes my brain turn off the minute it's only the Doctor and Sarah Jane in the TARDIS, and I feel like a bad fan for it, but idk. I just couldn't keep awake during 'Planet of Evil' or 'Pyramids of Mars' even though everyone says they're some of the best. Maybe it's the definite shift from the 'team tardis' dynamic to the 'doctor and sidekick' dynamic that I find off-putting. But I'll continue to watch because it's Doctor Who and I'm so close to finishing the classic series! (And also I've been procrastinating by listening to Big Finish in between TV serials- oops! I should really give all the Big finish stories proper reviews someday when I'm less busy.)

Anyway, that's all for now and I should get some sleep. LOL that would be the best birthday present of all!

Tuesday, September 13th, 2016

4:25 am

A wild blog post appears! I'm still here! Well what do you know!

Did another play- it was a great show, I had a lot of fun, and I made some great friends. It was great to have my little theatre family to keep me sane and make me laugh over a rather stressful summer, and I miss seeing them every day so much now that it's over.

I'm already in the midst of auditions for the next play I'm stage managing- a panto version of the Wizard of Oz. It should be fun, if last year's panto is any indication, but it promises to be a big production, so that will be a lot of work for me! And I have 2 conventions I still haven't started wardrobes for this November! *bites nails*

Also I'm a little afraid that Civil War reeancting is a bust for this year. I've been busy with one thing or another since this spring, and I've missed every event so far this year. We're supposed to attend at least 3, but there's only 2 more left. Oops. And I'd really need a new dress- my old ones don't even fit anymore, phooey! But I also need a complete Steampunk (or at least late Victorian) wardrobe for TeslaCon, so the likelihood of an 1860s dress happening this year is pretty low. But ~~assuming they let me come back next year, eek!~~ I splurged on 2 volumes of 1860s fashion plates to give me ideas for next year! And I'm itching to use the gaudy plaid silks I bought before Hancock closed down, and what better project for them than a gaudy 1860s plaid dress? ;)

I really, really want to write more too. I've been horribly procrastinating on that, but I want to fill my fic prompt tables! I've had them for like two years and I need to get cracking on finishing. I have a few stories written or half-written that I'm not 100% sure of- I might have to find a beta reader. I don't even know how one does that these days- I feel so old in internet years lol. One more thing for my to-do list...

Saturday, July 23rd, 2016

9:10 pm

Life continues to be crazy. I've had to try to get as much stuff out of my apartment as possible, since they finally decided to remodel the bathroom after many years of asking, but most stuff got put in the basement, which is now flooded after torrential rain these past few days, so now I have to get it all out of there. *headdesk* It seems the universe is determined for me not to have any fun or get any creative endeavors finished AT ALL this summer. And the tropical humidity this week certainly hasn't helped to improve my morale. :/

I attempted to have some fun today by going to the vintage flea market I'd been excited about for months, but as soon as I got there it rained. A lot. And since it was outdoors, both the attendees and the merchandise got soaked. There were some straw purses and silk scarves I might have bought had they not been totally wet through, so that was disappointing, but when people suggested that having it indoors next year would be a good idea, the people putting it on got offended and seemed to think we were insinuating they didn't care about the condition of their merchandise, which seemed a bit of an extreme take-away from a friendly customer suggestion! (Although on second thought, they probably don't care very much if they brought all their most expensive unique pieces outside without enough tents to cover them all!) On the bright side, there were a few racks inside, and I got to try on a 1910s sheer overdress that fit me perfectly. It was pretty expensive and in poor condition, so I didn't buy, but I think I could re-create it pretty easily with fabrics and patterns I have in my stash, so yay! I always think vintage shopping isn't wasted, because even without buying something you can still get ideas for things to make. (But next time I hope I won't have to get so wet!!)

Haven't had time for Classic Who despite my best efforts. Maybe next month things will be settled down again finally, and I'll be able to write again and sew for TeslaCon at last. *fingers crossed*

current mood:

listless

Sunday, July 10th, 2016

11:20 pm

Life has been crazy lately- I've had family crisis come up that makes my schedule unpredictable, so I had to quit the Shakespeare play I was doing. I feel horribly guilty because it opens next week, but there's no way I can commit to the rigorous schedule of it right now. And I actually got to sing in one scene, and I really miss singing with other people, so I'm rather gutted to be missing out on that. But sometimes there's nothing you can do when everything happens at once. *sigh*

Obviously, I haven't had any time for sewing and I think my Peggy Carter cosplay will have to be shelved. Boo. But I can always wear one of my old Disney Princess outfits for that convention. What I really need to concentrate on making a wardrobe for is TeslaCon! I've been designing random steampunk things for years that I've never actually made, so this is the year to finally do it! I'm washing up some fabric and hoping to start sewing as soon as I have some free time.

My Doctor Who watch-a-thon has resumed with 'Revenge of the Cybermen'.

Tuesday, June 14th, 2016

8:36 pm

I've been trying to get back to sewing again after the craziness of Costume-Con, so I decided to start by making some doll dresses. I have a huge stash of doll clothes patterns and little fabric remnants to use up, and I'm quite pleased with this Vogue 1950s Barbie sundress I just finished:

(I'll have to find a doll without blue legs to model it sometime later lol)

Also I've been a little remiss in my Doctor Who watching- I'm taking a break to go back and watch season 1 of Agent Carter. I'm horribly put out that it just got cancelled, as it's a great show, and I think I have a need to cosplay Peggy Carter now! I have a vintage 1940s felt hat that I think could work if I can find a red, white and blue ribbon for it, and I'm sure I've got a 1940s suit pattern I can use. (And if the hat doesn't work, there's a vintage clothing fair in town next month! Of course it's on the same day that the play I'm on the crew for has two shows, but I'll just have to get up early so I can go vintage shopping before the play starts!)

Monday, May 23rd, 2016

8:08 pm - Costume Con pics post part 4: the Grand Finale!

And here we have the grand finale of my Costume Con wardrobe: the pink 1870 ballgown! ( More behind the cut!Collapse ) current mood: accomplished
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Thursday, May 19th, 2016

3:08 pm - costume con pics post part 3

Just one pic of the flapper outfit I wore to the Friday Night Social:

I bought this dress at a rummage sale years ago at a cost of about 50 cents, and I just altered it to make it look 1920s. I adore it, and it reminds me of one Lady Mary wore on Downton Abbey, so I wore it with a black wig and a jeweled headband in an attempt to look like her. I don't think I was successful in that, but it was a cute outfit and I had fun wearing it, and people liked it, so that's what's important. :)

(Apologies for the crappy mirror selfie- the lights were turned down at the social so you couldn't really get pics. Please ignore the room full of fabric in the background!)

Monday, May 16th, 2016

12:02 am - Costume Con pics post part 2

Here is the 1898 green cotton summer suit I made, which I wore on Saturday: ( more behind cut Collapse )
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Saturday, May 14th, 2016

6:34 pm - Back from Costume Con 34! (pics post part 1)

After a crazy busy weekend of last minute sewing, all my dresses got done, got worn, and won ribbons! I didn't compete any of them in the Masquerades, but getting hall costume awards for all three of the new outfits I made was a nice surprise and I'm so proud of it. I saw so many amazing costumes of all kinds over the weekend, learned new things, and the Masquerades were the best ones I've seen at any convention. And I met Theresa LaQuey! (I didn't realize it till the after the con ended, but she actually designed the very first doll dress pattern I ever made back when I started out sewing! *nostalgic sniffles*)

Anyway, on to the pics! Here is my early 1870s walking dress, aka Dream Dress #1, which I wore during the day on Sunday:

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Tuesday, May 3rd, 2016

5:56 am - countdown to costume-con!

Costume Con is this week! The 1870 day dress is almost done but for a few finishing touches, and the 1870 ball dress should hopefully be done just in time! Building a new era of dress from the ground up, including all the underpinnings, took a lot of time, and consequently I have nothing else new to wear during the day on Sunday. I'm wondering now what I should wear, and thinking either the 1870 day dress again; my Lady Mary Crawley cosplay (because when else will I be able to cosplay a character from Downton Abbey? Even if no one gets it, it's still a fun flapper dress!) or my 1860s summer dress- which, while it is pretty, it's also the only 1860s dress I have that currently fits, so I wore it reenacting all last year and am rather tired of it. However, it already has accessories, and hoopskirts have more wow factor than most other styles. IDK.

I really did want to do a dress diary type thing with work-in-progress pics but now it'll have to wait till my next historical dress project- I've got so much sewing to do yet that I even skipped the season finale of Grantchester, and if I give up Masterpiece or Mystery!, you know it's serious! But I still had to watch Mr. Selfridge because no one can give up everything :p

(Grantchester has finally grown on me after all, though it's generally a bit of a downer. But it's a British period mystery show, so there's wasn't much chance I'd able to keep away from it for long, lol. I usually want to scream at Sidney for being a self-destructive human train wreck, and I really don't care for his tortured romance with Amanda at all, but it's all very nice to look at, at least! I'm genuinely fond of Leonard especially, and I very much hope his tentative romance with his new boyfriend doesn't end sadly, because he's a beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves happiness and I will cry if anything bad happens to him.)

Onward to more sewing!

current mood:

busy

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Saturday, April 23rd, 2016

11:55 pm - still sewing!

Costume Con is two weeks away and I really need to get my dresses done! The only outfit I actually have completed is my 1898 summer suit. I have about half the work still to go on the bustle dresses, and I think only two of them will get done. I've decided to do all the same era so that I would have less new undergarments to make- the 1870 crinolette bustle has a lovely silhouette, and is my personal favorite, so I went with that, but I hadn't anticipated how impossible it is to sit down in one of those things! I'm quite worried about what a nightmare it'll be to wear at the convention, but I've committed to it, so no going back now! I feel slightly guilty about using slubbed silk though, since it's not period, but I'm far too broke to afford silk taffeta at the moment, and the day dress I'm making is inspired by a vintage hat I own and plan to wear with it, and I already had some dupioni silk in my stash that was the exact matching colors, so free and matching trumps expensive and historically accurate in this case. It's all for fun anyway, and I hope I won't encounter any of the sort of costumers who'd look down on someone for something like that.

(Some references to what I'm talking about for anyone not steeped in 19th century fashion: the day dress I'm making is based on this dress from the Mint Museum:)
http://www.mintmuseum.org/?open_collection=%2Fresources%2Fcollection-database%2Fitem%2F2005.36.1A-E%2Fafternoon-ensemble-bodice-skirt-overskirt-coat-unfinished-2nd-bodice%2F

Fandom-wise, I've at least had the opportunity to listen to lots of Big Finish Doctor Who stories while I cut out fabric- more than I can properly review here right now, but I just heard 'The Companion Chronicles: The Last Post' today and absolutely adored it. I liked Liz's mum and think they're great together, and it was a clever story, how it was woven through all of the serials of season 7. I guess it was Caroline John's last time playing Liz, too, which I didn't realize till I looked inside the CD booklet after it was over, and it's a good thing I didn't know while I was listening, because I would have been very sad! I love Liz so much, and we're so lucky we get to have a few more stories with her because of Big Finish. Bless Big Finish, for they are doing the Lord's work. ♥ (Well, Time Lord's work, at any rate! LOL)

current mood:

determined

Thursday, March 3rd, 2016

11:59 pm

Behold: a random blog update! Nothing terribly exciting to speak of- I've been sewing pretty much constantly and will continue to do so up until the first weekend in May for Costume Con. I have six new Victorian dresses in the works, which means several new period correct undergarments to go with them, so it's a big project, but it's been my dream to go to a costuming convention with a fabulous historical wardrobe to wear for as long as I can remember, so hell or high water will not stop me until they're all done!

Of course, this also means I have very little time for anything else, and already had to give up auditioning for three plays that open the same weekend as the convention. I signed up for

dw_guestfest too, and really want to do it, but I've found absolutely no time to write lately either. Still, I hope a miracle will happen between now & my chosen posting date and I'll find time to do it, so I'm not quite ready to give up on the possibility just yet.

Still trying to keep up my epic Classic Who watch-a-thon as well, albeit at a much slower pace. I'm currently watching the beginning of the Fourth Doctor's run, and enjoying the team of Four, Sarah Jane, and Harry immensely. (And now I've finally seen episodes with every single TARDIS team in Classic Who! I'm nearing the end of the voyage! Only two full seasons and a few stray serials left before I'm finished! IDK whether I'm happy or sad to be almost done with this wonderful crazy show.) The Ark in Space was so very good- the design of the space station looked really great, and the story was very suspenseful and totally nail-biting throughout. And Harry is just delightful- I think he wins the prize for best under-reaction for a first time TARDIS-traveller with his mildly concerned "oh, I say!" upon landing on a space station thousands of years in the future! Too bad he doesn't stay through all of next season. And it's still a bit strange to be seeing Sarah Jane so young, after having met her first in 'The Sarah Jane Adventures', but it's also kind of interesting, because if you think about, that must be what it's like to actually live in the timey-wimey Doctor Who universe, where time-travel is real and you don't always meet people in the right order. Doctor Who is weird and I love it.

Anyway, away I go to get some sleep so I can sew more tomorrow.

current mood:

busy

Tuesday, January 19th, 2016

3:33 am

I'm going to see the national tour of 'The Sound of Music' in two weeks! Squee!! Very exciting! And Ashley Brown is playing the Mother Abbess! I saw her live as Laurey in 'Oklahoma!' a few years ago and she was fantastic, I'm really looking forward to seeing her again. The rest of the cast and the whole production look very nice too, so hopefully it should be fun. I just hope it won't be too snowy outside, because I have a lovely new dress I'd like to wear for it, but I don't want to have to give it up and have to wear jeans and winter boots instead due to a blizzard.

Anyway, I'm supposed to be sewing things for my big costuming convention, but the cold winter weather (and this 'getting dark at 5pm' nonsense) is somewhat sapping the life out of me at the moment. All I want to do is sleep!

And I have even more costumes to sew now that I've got tickets for a Steampunk convention this fall. It's probably stupid to go to another con the week before I have to go to a Doctor Who con, but I've always wanted to get into Steampunk, and it's right here in town, so best to give it a try when you don't have to stay in a hotel, right? I hope I can get everything done! Especially since I've been trying to write some Whofic too. I should probably put that on hold till after Costume Con, but the writing bug just creeps up when you least expect it. Might do

dw_guestfest again this year if I keep getting ideas- or just leave some prompts, then I won't have to actually write them myself. Best of both worlds. ;)

Friday, January 15th, 2016

6:16 pm - End of Year Fic meme

I've only completed 6 new fics this year, but since everyone else seems to have done this already:( Fic Writing Meme Collapse ) current mood: accomplished
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Saturday, January 2nd, 2016

4:34 am - Answer for question 4584.

The end and the beginning

How was the year 2015 for you -- what was the most important thing that happened to you this year? With 2016 about to dawn on us, what things are you looking forward to (or dreading) the most about the new year? If you make resolutions at this time of year, how good are you at keeping them as time goes by?

Reply 19

2015 was the year I finally got back into theater after years of being afraid to try & and telling myself I'd do it 'someday', so that's definitely the most important thing I did this past year!

But it's important in more ways than I thought it would be: aside from just achieving a goal I'd set myself, I learned so much, did things I didn't think I was capable of, and met so many amazing people. The friendships that have come out of the two plays I've stage managed are as important to me as the pride I take in having helped put on two great shows. That so many people were willing to give me a chance, & believed in me- even at those times when I didn't- is the most amazing gift I've ever been given. I found the place that I belong now, and that makes me really excited for the new year for the first time in forever. If 2016 is even half as good as 2015, I'll count myself the luckiest duck in the pond. I don't make New Year's resolutions anymore, because I'm terrible at actually keeping them, but I'm going to try to just keep doing what I've been doing, and hopefully more new adventures will come my way. :)

Friday, December 25th, 2015

10:44 pm - Merry Christmas!

Once again, so much to tell since my last update! My panto closed last weekend- it was hard work, but worth it for all the laughter, and all the things I learned, and all the new friends I made. I miss it already! But my friends from the show convinced me to join Facebook after years of resisting, since apparently they have more privacy options now, so at least I'll still be able to hear from them all. (P.S. Facebook is apparently for people with way too much time on their hands- how can anyone sort through it all?! I'm not exactly a social butterfly and have no idea how people can have hundreds upon hundreds of 'friends', but I'm limiting 'friends' to people I've actually met, so that should hopefully keep it manageable. We'll see how it goes, or if I retreat in terror!)

But today is Christmas, so Merry Christmas to everyone! (Or Happy Holidays, since there are many other splendid mid-winter festivities in the world!) I'm celebrating with a turkey dinner and my usual round of old Christmas movies, so I'd say I've had myself a merry little Christmas, and I hope everyone else is having happy and peaceful celebrations too. :D

I wanted to write some holiday-themed Whofic, since I haven't had time to write anything while the panto was running, but earlier this week I had the cast party for our show to go to, and then an actual Christmas cookie party at my house with some friends from the show (which were both so much fun!), so I was cooking and/or cleaning my house this week instead of writing. But there's always New Years, so holiday fic could still happen! I've got all those prompts to fill at

dw_allsorts after all. ;D