it's like the eye of a duck

Last night I joined skill_grl and her friend M. for a lecture on 19th century pattern drafting by Saundra Altman and Ericka Mason.

VERY, very good and thought-provoking. First time I've seen transitional garments and patterns for the period between the 1780s/90s (think "Dangerous Liasons") and 1800-1810 (think "Emma") and some discussion of how clothes developed from one into the other. Also "petting zoo" (i.e., extant garments that the audience could examine up close/handle with care) and I got to try on a muslin for a men's frock early 19th c. frock coat (I have GOT to make one! Another project for the neverending pile). Also learned a little about some very nice software; who knows - maybe I'll run into a place that has it at some point.

It was fun and interesting and a bit socially overwhelming - it turned out that I knew a LOT of people attending, from the ICG and the CSA, and it was good to touch base with some people I've not seen in months. By the time I got home I was completely exhausted, and am still running on little more than fumes today. I was just too wound up from talking to people and learning new stuff that it took me awhile to get to sleep :/

Today: work, plus math homework plus studying for the midterm. Ran across this thing awhile back, discussing how 1) no, algebra really IS necessary and 2) dyscalculia is a real learning disability (discussed by seamstrix awhile back - I tend to agree that facility in math does help with problem solving and logical, ordered thinking - programming prerequisites apart, these are some of the reasons I'm buckling down and taking it. I think everyone uses at least a little math, even if it's only to measure for cooking or figuring out tip. And to keep the two halves of this post from being completely tangential to each other - a goodly bit of math is needed to pattern draft, even with software.

More reasons to need math discussed here and here.

No more math for me tonight. Deeply tired. Think I'll have an early(ish) night.

Haven't felt overly "journal-y" for the past few days. Don't know why, just wasn't there.

Sunday D. and I went to see the Style and Status exhibit at the Sackler - oh, hold me back! Exhibited beautifully so you could see both sides (!) of a garment, the materials were too luxe (and in excellent condition!) to be believed! Lots of cloth of gold (a real treat, as I think most of this was melted down after the garment served its' purpose) and red and gold silk. I could practically feel the satins, just by looking at them. One thing lacking: I wish they'd had an example/reproduction of the loom used to weave these intricate patterns. Leched on the catalog (which is curiously not on their site today, I hope it hasn't sold out), but didn't get yet, because:

Ordered the book for my Survey of College Math class, which starts next Monday. Curiously, I'm not terrified (yet?); my other experiences with online learning have been so good that I've got a good feeling. I hope I'm not proved wrong.

Reading: should probably do a lengthy book post, because as much as I've been slacking in other areas for the past few weeks, I've been reading a lot. What's jumping out in my mind this minute is I finally started Laura Antoniou's The Marketplace. Wow, just... WOW! It's hot (obviously), but with excellent character and plot development. If you tried to read Anne Rice's "Beauty" series and loved the concept but hated the (crappy *cough*) execution, this is the book you're looking for. I'm only a few chapters in and I just marvel...

Fencing: eastern European guy with the weird aggressive moves is back at my club after a year off - still deadly :P My own game - still experimenting with distance, and despite every warning from my historical coaches, am trying to take some of what I've learned about "getting into measure" from rapier into my foil game. Still not quite budgeted for electric gear yet; will consider again after next paycheck.

Sewing: hand-sewing the finishing on D.'s cuff because the machine can't take it - 6-8 layers of fabric depending on if I'm going over seams. Then must finish the pirate coat (wanted to finish it by Halloween last year - yes, that worked out well, didn't it? :P) simply to finish it, and decide What's Next. Trying not to think too much about What's Next because it prevents my completing What's Now.

Teevee: got first Netflix order of discs 1 and 2 of At Last the 1948 Show with pre-Python Graham Chapman and John Cleese. Brief review: sketches with forced endings aren't as funny, but the first one has the original "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch that Python later did live - it translated well :) We shall see how the rest of the discs turn out.

Working: code and more code. ASP.Net still surprises me.

Sleep: not nearly enough, but it'll do. For now.

Coming weekend: haircut and historic fencing on Sunday. Apart from that, hopefully a lot of reading.

It's all cut out and marked, and I stepped out for gold trim for it today. Which got me thinking...

I wasn't sure whether I wanted to line it or not. It seemed like an awful lot of trouble and expense for what's supposed to be a short, fun project, but I did make the pocket flaps into real pockets (pockets are useful to have on any jacket) and I didn't want them to flap around and catch on whatever implements I might end up wearing with the thing. And then I remembered:

I have a similar sized buttload of marigold yellow brocade, which I am also not likely to use much of (I don't wear gold well), but it does look very good with burgundy, and as a lining it won't make me looked jaundiced, so why not?

It's turning into less "Queen Sheba of the Seas" and more "Dirty Bess the Ship's Jester", but it's always fun to see how projects evolve :)

After much dithering re: what I want to make with my recent windfall of fabric (A Regency gown! no, a farthingale! no, a Spanish doublet! no...) I decided to go for something quick, dirty, and fun:

I'm going to use some of the polyester burgundy brocade drapes to make the Pirates of the Carribean coat. Quick: the pattern's called "Simplicity" for a reason! Dirty: it's polyester, so it has absolutely no resemblance to any real or imagined historical pirate coat, and Fun: even though it's burgundy and not crimson, I think it could be a decent start to a "Sheba the Pirate Queen" inspired costume - whatcha think jlsjlsjls?

Besides, I spent much of the past few days taking apart 4 panels of drapes while watching movies - this hardly makes a dent in the stash and I've got to do something with it, don't I?

Photos of prior projects (namely, the partlet) forthcoming.

Got this in my inbox today and thought I'd pass it on for the benefit of interested parties. Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with G Street Fabrics in any way.

( For DC/MD/NoVa folks )

This afternoon I got a call from my friend G. G., among other things, works in television production and was taking a break from cleaning up after a shoot.

She called to tell me that they had a lot of "yellow and red silk" left over from decorating the set. It was free if I could come get it, and was I interested?

Was I interested....;)

G. understated her case somewhat - there was, I swear, a metric buttload of fabric, far more diverse/voluminous than the red and yellow she mentioned. I'm going to need to pick through most of it to remove staples and wood splinters (these were backdrops, after all). Haven't had a chance to go through all of it but I'm most impressed so far with the ~8 yards of burgundy silk/poly drapes. They're crying out to be an Elizabethan (or 16th century Spanish?) though they're a bit slubby (not period, AFAIK) I'm strongly urged not to care just because the fabric and weight (fully lined!) are so wonderful!

Shiny shiny shiny....

It seems I am developing the strength, but not the endurance, for this weapon. After 2 hours of drills my arm is just too tired to hold my guard position during actual bouting. This results in the weight of the weapon getting the upper hand and destroys my point control completely! Of course that means I'm not hitting anyone and not even defending myself well :(

This is not helped by the fact that the "balance" on most of the rapiers I borrow resides a few inches up the blade, rather than right next to the guard. I suspect this works really well for a taller person :/ One day I'll have something created to my specs, but until that day, I need to focus less on strength and more on just being able to hold the damn thing for longer than 5 minutes at a stretch!

Surprisingly my saber game is still decent - I won a single bout 10 to 9, but it was only one bout and I think I'm getting a bit sloppy through lack of practice.

I'm on track with my studies; indeed, I've gone through most of the final study guide so I have plenty of time to cover the first half of the course (final is cumulative).

Found neat links over the weekend: How to choose a well made suit, by englishcut, a London bespoke tailor who recognizes not everyone is wealthy enough to afford his wares :P I've already asked him what a woman should look for in a good suit.

Recently rediscovered 1969 interview with Frank and Beverly Herbert re: what inspired him to write "Dune". Thought it might be of interest to sci-fi/literary types (Paging Doc semmie!)

I'm on a mailing list which provides interesting media gossip; the best I've heard so far is that Johnny Depp will be playing Gypsy Rose Lee in a Tim Burton film and that this guy is set to play James Bond in a remake of Casino Royale. I'm glad they're choosing an unknown - fewer expectations - but I think he's a bit young for the role.

And if you need Jedi robes, Padawan's Guide looks an like what you get when you look up "comprehensive" in the dictionary...

Coffee almost finished, time to hit the road! Happy Monday, y'all...

Given my (nearly completely) unwarranted splurge this weekend, I thought this appropriate:

( Scientific Study Reveals Hypnotizing Effect )

And yes, I'm sure there's a similar effect when knitters/crocheters are in close proximity to lots of yarn....

Don't worry, I plan to read it, just in no great rush. Given the number of friends and family members that are most likely reading with a furious passion right this second, I don't think there will be a shortage of borrowable copies in the near future :P

No, this morning (at the buttcrack of weekend dawn - 9 am) D. and I set out across town to pick up some free sheepskin scraps and possibly some fabric from a woman on a local costuming list who was looking to unload some of her stash.

The haul: 2 boxes sheepskin scraps in various colors (perfectly willing to distribute for free, because I could never use it all - email me privately), 4 rose damask curtains (Italian Renaissance? Regency?), green and mauve/taupe wool (peasant/middle class garb), black velveteen, gray green wale-less corduroy, white satin curtains (Regency?) white windowpane-woven cotton (Italian chemise?), cotton canvas (corset lining or, hopefully, lining for a fencing doublet) a lot of raw silk (many things - perfect shade for Jedi robes, but infinitely dyeable) and other sundries. I'll have to make two payments on it in order to afford it, but given I've not done any serious fabric buying in at least 2 years, this gives me lots to play with :)

D. went with me because I'd never met this person before; it was a safety concern. She turned out to be a very cool lady, ex-SCA and current historical gardener. Much interesting conversation was had :)

Still hellishly humid and hot and after driving halfway 'round the Beltway with no A/C, D. is justly grouchy so I'm giving him some down time. I'd take some for myself but I have a psych appointment this afternoon and still have the groceries to buy. We're eating Baja Fresh tonight - D. deserves a treat and I sure as hell don't want to cook!

Gonna go have my 2nd cup of coffee and eat something. I see myself sleeping very, very, VERY well tonight, if not earlier!