The Weekend

So what does my weekend have in store.

Yet more costumes. Rehearsals started again yesterday, although only for seven out of the fifteen performers. To say that the show is only 7 week away, I am starting to get a little stresses. If people don't show up next week, I am really going to have to get my shouty voice on. If I can get the costumes done, that will be one less (or rather 50+) less things to worry about.

I could also do with spending sometime in the kitchen. Making a load of thing to put in the freezer, does calm me down, maybe I have some squirrel in me? I picked a load of brambles earlier in the week, so I really need to do something with them. I don't know what it is with the bramble crop this year, but it is insane.

Spending sometime with my lovely husband and little puppy, would also be good. As I'm going to be abandoning them two night a week for rehearsals, I need them to know just how much I love them.

Maybe I should throw some relaxing in there, but I really don't think I have the time.

Costumes, costumes, costumes

The "Heeley Hoofers" are putting on another show this October, and once again I am making the costumes. And just because I must love pressure, I am also directing this show. Now I have never directed before in my life, if you ask anyone really close to me, they will say I can be bossy and forceful and obstinate, to everyone else I am quite shy and try my best to blend into the background. But anyway I agreed to do it (apparently I have an inability to say no to the pleadings of a pregnant woman) and I think it's working out OK.

So anyway, we have put rehearsals on hold for the summer holidays, so I am taking this time to get on with the costumes. I would like to have most of the costumes done before rehearsals start again in September, but I have of course given myself an excessively large amount of work to do. The show we are putting on is called "The Robin Hood Files", which is various different stories about the different incarnation of Robin Hood. And as there are only 15 of us performing this time, it means everyone has to take on multiple roles and therefore several costume changes. Am I just trying to torture myself?

The current list of things to make stands at 51 items, but I'm sure that number will increase. Tunics and Doublets and Dresses and Hats and Cloaks and Robes and a Police Uniform, but definitely no Parrots this time.

A long time ago in a town not so far away

Once upon a time there was a boy and a girl. He lived in costal North Yorkshire and she lived in urban South Yorkshire, over a hundred miles apart, how would they ever meet? The boy was a romantic but geeky soul and he placed an ad for a pen pal in SFX magazine. The girl was also geeky and romantic and replied to the ad. They wrote to each over for a few months about things like "Buffy" and "Angel" and "Joss Whedon". And then the decided to meet.

That was eight years ago today. They met in York and went to see "Minority Report" and six months later they were married.

I hope you found what you were looking for darling, I know I did.

I may very well be crazy

I mentioned fairly vehemently before about being made redundant. No one ever wants to be redundant.

Well I now have a plan about what I want to do post current job. I'm going to train as a teacher. I know I don't want to keep on doing what I do at the moment, job satisfaction is a distant memory for me.

I come from a long line of teachers, going back well over 100 years. I grew up in a household with four teachers in it, which is more that a little bit intimidating. And what do I want to Teach? Well Design & Technology of course. There is the little matter of getting on to a course, surviving two years with not a lot of money and then actually finding a teaching job. Yes, I think I am crazy.

Downs and Ups

The last couple of weeks have been hard. Bonnie died on 22 May. I want to get to a stage where I don't want to cry every time I think about her, and I can be happy remembering all the lovely times we had with her. She is greatly missed.

But both my Darling and I knew we wanted to get another dog, the pleasure does outweigh the pain. So the lovely little terrier above is now part of our family. Her name is Minnie, and despite her appearance we think she is only about six or seven. The fantastic people at Rotherham Dog Rescue introduced her to us. I am sure Minnie will be a feature artist in this blog from now on.

Beautiful

I've had to give up on "Me Made May" on day 17, as this beautiful little girl above has been diagnosed with kidney failure. So we're just taking it one day at a time, and the way she went after a cat yesterday, you wouldn't have known anything was wrong, but it is.

We have only had the joy of Bonnie for about 20 months, but I can't remember what it was like before she was in our lives. We love her so very much and hope she will stay with us for a little while longer.

I hate having my photo taken

Possibly almost as big a challenge as wearing something I have made myself, every day of May, is documenting it. I really hate having my picture taken. I always feel self conscious, stupidly posed and with a daft look on my face. So gripe over with, I'll move on to the outfits.

Like the rest of the Me Made Mayers I did a catalogue of the self made clothes to try and work out what I could wear. What I found was a dearth of casual clothes, loads of things (well quite a few) for work, but little for the weekend, lolling about. So I made myself a pair of jeans last week. Really they are denim trousers, I'm not 100% sure about the fit, but they will do for now. The top I made several year ago, it has a hood at the back and is a linen/cotton mix I think.
The jeans again, we were away for the weekend so I packed light, and a floral tunic that I wear alot. I really should have interfaced the neckband, as it does tend to gape a little.
Forgive the re-enactment pictures, the bathroom was the only one with enough natural light. Floral tunic again, this time paired with a refashioned linen skirt. The skirt was orignally a UK size 8, which I might have been able to wear when I was 8, fortunately it was a wrap, so with a bit of faffing, the addition of a zip and a pocket, the result is a really crappy picture.

This is what happen when you have a four day weekend and very few casual clothes. A men's linen shirt bought on Friday, turned into a skirt by Tuesday. The top was once a pillowcase. I have to admit to wearing a non me-made cardigan with this outfit, as it was just chuffing cold on Tuesday.

My first work outfit. Made a couple of week ago, with Ikea fabric and a thrifted black shirt. This is a "Project Runway" Simplicity pattern, that I really like the fit of and I already have made twice. The purple variation is bound to crop up later in the month.

Thinking about Me Made May, I have realised that here is a dress I have made that I need to find an occasion to wear, that being my wedding dress. Don't worry, it is in no way a traditional wedding dress, it is red silk, vintage vogue and still fits seven years later. Where can I get darling Mr P to take me that I can wear it?

Behind on my posting

We went up to Scarborough this weekend to visit my Mum in Law, so I haven't had the chance to post any pictures of my "Me Made May" outfits yet. Tonight I will re-enact my five outfits, so that pictures can be obtained and posted. Promises, promises...

Me Made May

I'm joining up to Zoe's challenge to wear only (or at least one a day) me made items. I'm just trying to work out if I currently have enough me made clothes, or if I need to get busy in the next couple of weeks. I don't think wearing a parrot costume would be a good idea.

F***ing H***

I don't usually post about work, there are far better thing in the world to post about, like sewing and puppies. But it look like I will be made redundant before the end of the year, and that is a very large pile of shit.

One for Him, One for Me

Now that the insanity of the costumes is over (for the moment anyway). I've been busy with some domestic sewing. Here is my beautiful husband modelling his new Cord Coat (with his best "catalogue" pose) that is wearable if not totally finished. It currently has no pockets, I've given up on the idea of patch pockets on the outside, I think it would spoil the look of the coat, but I do need to give him an inside pocket, he was just too eager to wear it.

Here is a detail of how i finished the seams. I didn't want to line the coat (much to my Mother's disgust - when was the last time she lined a coat?) So I bound all the seam with bias binding, and I'm really happy with how it came out.

This dress is from fabric I have had in my stash for soooo looong. I think it's a linen mix, it was a remnant to begin with. I was going for Joan but really I'm much more of a Peggy. I'm a bit of a Mad Men addict at the moment. I don't know why I have that strange look on my face, it had been a long day, it was just great to come home and there still be enough daylight to actually take a picture. The dress even had little pockets, a must for me.

Panto Pics

Treasure Island - The Panto

So I'll start with the most embarrassing picture first (that is one of me), I'm the one on the left. I made my shirt and waistcoat, I also have a green bodice, but sadly no picture. I wish I had a better picture of Long John Silver's frock coat. I also made him a shirt and cropped some old trousers to make Britches.

Captain Smollett in his finery, frock coat, waistcoat, frilly shirt and britches. I even made the buckles for his shoes.

This is a strange action shot from when we sang "In the Navy", but a good shot of the costumes, I pretty much made everything you can see.

All the bodices were reversible, including Molly's on the far left whose whole costume was reversible.

In the green and purple is "Dot". Everything of hers was dotty, the skirt as you can see, the bodice is purple with white dots, even the blouse's sleeves have tiny navy dots, that no one could even see.

Brian was a riot of colour, this wonderful ensemble was a combination of a hospital curtain and a duvet cover.

And last but by no means least "Captain Flint". This was so much work, but for three thrifted sheets it really does look great. The feet were in fact my husband's Toad slippers.

So the final laundry list of costumes made:

8 Blouses

7 Skirts

7 Bodices

5 Shirts

5 Waistcoats

4 Frock coats

4 Trousers cropped

1 Top

1 Apron

1 Pantomime Dame

and 1 Parrot

and proof that I am completely nuts.

UFO

I'm making a coat for my Darling, very much like to picture above, but with patch rather than inset pockets. We bought the fabric several months ago, before I go distracted by 17 costumes for "Treasure Island" (pictures of them to follow shortly). It is a light-weight cord in a mustardly brown yellow (nicer than it sounds), I've bound the seams with bias binding as I couldn't face lining it and I am determined to finish it sooner rather than later.

There are many many things I have started for my Darling, that are languishing in my UFO pile. Granted there are far more things I have started for myself that are UFOs, than for my Darling, but that's not really an excuse it it. Should March be "Finish What You Started Month"?

I can't help but like this time of year

I can't help but like this time of year, I know it's cold and frequently wet and the snow the other week wasn't at all fun, but none of that dampens my spirits. I couldn't have said the same last year, but that is a whole other story, that I never plan on blogging about.

The best thing about this time of year is my Darling, our wedding anniversary is on the 11th of January. So I get to start every year, by remembering just how much I love him, it's been seven years now and we are still as daft as newly weds.

Then of course I'm off on holiday next week to the lovely Isle of Arran. Scotland in February may seem mad, but we love it. Bonnie running in the waves on Blackwaterfoot beach its just a joy to behold.

I don't even mind the weather, me and the hot weather don't get on. I like being able to wear my boots and my long coat and my leather gloves. And I know I'm going to be sad, when I have to hang up Bonnie's coat for the summer.