Venting a little summer steam.

I hate this weather. I hate the hot,  I hate the summer. I can't handle it well. I literary feel weak when the humidity climbs and the temp goes above 80 F.  I feel my brain slow down and my body seize up. And my bedroom turns in to a bloody furnace form hell.  Yes, I'm whining.  I shouldn't  be, we've been luckier then last year, were the hot weather started in April. This year it at lest waited till a week before the summer.  

 Still, looking back on some of the photos form the last month, I miss the cool weather already. Damn it, be fall already!

When you're not on edge, you're taking up too much space

So, after not sewing for a whole, I did a lot of speed sewing on a super secret project for a friend that I can't show anyone till after mid June.  Wooo Hoo.

ANd now, with that out of the way, I've started on my Halloween Costume.  This year, I'm going as Alice Liddell from Alice: Madness Returns  ...... I LOVE that game (I'm going to admit I haven't played the first one yet, I have it, just haven't gotten around to playing it.).   Specifically, this dress

I really love all her dresses (well, maybe not Fleshmaiden  or Caterpillar ) .... At first I wanted to do Misstitched, but that proved way too hard to find fabric for. 

Then I saw this fabric  and though " I can work with that".  No, it is not screen accurate  but, it has the roses and the butterflies... More crowded than the other fabric, but not bad. 

The goose took some LSD. This is the egg she laid.

EDIT.... I've been told this post seem a little short and empty, I suppose that is true  so I will probably add more to it later.

I haven't sewn very much lately. I find my mind seizes up, and I almost physically shy away from the thought of sewing most nights. Thankfully, it’s letting up, but I'm trying to take it slow. I tried to push myself back into a hobby I loved, and I almost ended up hating it. I don't want to do that.

I luckily, I have another hobby to keep my form going insane while I suffer my temporary insanity. Lasts year, I discovered the art of Pysanka.  Clicking on the link takes you the Wikipedia write up, but for those  who don’t feel like clicking, pysanka is a traditional Ukrainian art form  done by drawing layers of hot wax with a tool called a  kistka (or stylus) and layering dyes on an egg (either blown out or unblown), and then wiping the wax off to reveal the patterns bellow.      

                                         

I got myself a a basic kit and dyes, and started playing around with it. It’s surprisingly relaxing. I’m ashamed to admit I have about 30+ dyes now. But I;’m getting my eggs for free, so I can indulge a little. :B  

Mother nature, you must be bipolar..... One minute you are coming on hot, then next you're giving me the cold shoulder.

The Ozarks is nothing  if not strange in the weather debarment.  But this spring might take the cake. 

Winter has been slow letting go. Which I can't complain about really,after so many years of hyper accelerated springs (daffodils in February? )  

It was nice to slow it down for and change and not rush to get the garden in before summer decided to kick in.   In fact, we were having a very pleasant (if slightly cooler) spring, complete with spring rains.  Lots of rain. 

  

          This was take some time in mid March.
               Nice and dull and gray! 

  Be warned,  lot of rainy photos to follow. 

Sun dogs... What a funny name.

So, today we got treated to that interesting phenomenon know as a son dog  .... Granted, it wasn't a full on spectacular  halo in the sky... Just two bright spots and and bit of a rim in the clouds.. But still, it was pretty cool. (Why are they call son dogs anyway? )

   

Here you can kinda see one of the the spots, with the arms coming off it. 

In fact, we've had a lot of nice clouds lately (Nice to look at, just no bloody rain. We need rain.)

A sampling 

It's been, what? a year plus since I last posted. I always have such grand plans, but no follow through .so... I guess I will start smaller, and work my way up. That's always good way to do it, right?

First off, I cleaned up around here a bit... that other blogger skin was too...busy.
Now just trying to get my bearing, is changed  a lost since the last time I posted. Google+, new thing here on blogger.  Gah.  I' not web savy to-begin with, so re-learning everything again is frustrating (god, I sound old).

Musing on Mardi Gras

Meant to post this yesterday, but fell asleep. AH well

Ah, Mardi Gras! =InKibus and I have a special connection with the notorious holiday the year we were born, we were born on Mardi Gras ( we were also born in the worst snow storm in Arkansas history up to that point as far as "recorded" history goes.) Ironically, due to the way keeps bouncing around every year, it will not fall on our birthday again until well in our 70s. this years it's the closest it's been in years.
We've always felt a strange special connection with New Orleans. Perhaps the way that Lestat & Louis have a connection with it. Not really part of it, more of the the outside looking in. I have no family connection with New Orleans (other than having a family member buried there, but they weren't born there, they only lived there for the last couple years of their life). my parents briefly lived in New Orleans, finding jobs there back in the 70s. It was interesting hearing their take on it.
       I've only been to New Orleans once, when said family member die, to attend his funeral. I was young eight or nine maybe. I don't remember a lot, I remember was the weirdest, dankest, smelliest place I've ever been to. I remember the reptile house. I remember eating at a greasy café with probably the most unhealthiest food I've ever eaten (greasy and fried!). inky told me later that she thought there would be people standing around in magnificent costumes at the edge of the New Orleans border.
   I was hoping that since I started researching my ancestry I'd find New Orleans connection then, but alas I still haven't (I think Inky was hopping for a voodoo priestess!).
When when Katrina hit, mom and dad both instantly predicted it would flood, there's no way a city that is under sea level couldn't. So, like watching a old tree wilt and die and not being able to do a thing about it, it flooded. I can't even imagine the hell that was. there is talk for a couple years of "rebuilding it", but this year that didn't even make the news. Can you rebuilt it? I don't think so.. Should you? A question to big for me to answer.
Add insult to injury with the oil spill in the gulf, and one wonders if there is anything left of the old New Orleans. I don't know. I intend to find out one day. I still plan on visiting that city, not just for Mardi Gras, but just to see if that ghost connection I've had all my life is real, or if it exist somewhere else.
Link! Clicky! > [link]

Costuming madness

So.... I caved and bought Vogues  2931 and  Vogues 7464  (for view  A) while they were on sale, and then found this nice vintage pattern  that I can modify for the top........   Yes, I think I want to make something like this dress.   But... I'm thinking I'll take the shape, but do different fabrics. I have a gunmetal green satin, a green/blue shot Dupioni , a copper/purple shot Dupioni, and some cotton crinkle textured pinstripe black and white fabric. I'm thinking a Steampunk  Wicked Witch.  Keep the general shape, but layer colours.  100% sure what would go were, but still..... and I'd get to paint my skin green.  Hell, even it I fail as a witch, I'd make a smashing lady  Jägermonster, I'd even have a proper hat.