Went into Nippori today to go fabric shopping. Yay fabric shopping! Not so yay to getting turned around -- again. (I can't seem to help getting lost there, but I always eventually end up at the intended location. Eventually.) There's an Art/Sci meetup this weekend that I hope to attend, so I needed stuff to make garb. Yay SCA!

Was excited to see a 200 yen table at the first TOMATO store I went in, and got 6.5 meters of this lightweight shiny crepe-y pale pink fabric (think they call them 'silk solids' or whatever at Joann's -- have used similar for garb before) and 5 yards of thin white broadcloth.

Further wandering along the road led to finding a shop with decent prices on yukata-print cotton and flag fabric. I mean, like, a full meter of the Union Jack type flag fabric. I think I'll have to go back there if I ever get around to making that Jenny Sparks-inspired punk-loli outfit. Chee. Then came TOMATO II, an upholstery/interior store. Kept getting drawn to everything for steampunk/loli designs (if you aren't aware, Victorian fashion fabrics were taken directly from curtains and couches. It is that heavy.) Grabbed a 1.9m remnant of this pale green jacquard for Y470 -- the most expensive today. *g* There's also a second-hand kimono shop along this road -- stopped in there, but left fairly quickly as I could feel the temptation vines creeping towards me. Or are they tentacles? *g*

Came across a store that boasted good prices on good goods. :D In fact, they had a bolt of light royal blue cotton sateen for Y100/meter out front -- suffice it to say I bought it, all 6 meters that were left. Very Trimarian color, if I do say so myself.

Went looking for silk shops, and eventually found the one tucked away in an alley. Beautiful Thai silks, but at Y4000 a yard... even with the 10% discount, it's a bit too dear to purchase frivolously. Heading back towards the station on the other side of the street, I found some more shops selling fabric for Y100 a meter. Purchased six meters of red (only slightly darker than that Japanese red -- you know, the orangey color?) cotton broadcloth, and six meters of dark rose... something synthetic. Was probably meant to be a lining fabric, but is soft and drapey and not really sheer at all so it is becoming a new skirt thing.

At the third TOMATO store, they had 5 floors (didn't go past the first today, though) and a Y100 section, so I think I'll have to go back. Picked up thread, though.

So, in total, bought like, 30 meters of fabric. It is heavy. It is also in the process of washing, so I can use it. Whee~

SCA event today, daytripped. No pics, as my camera is dead, poo.

Ikan no ho sewing issues, copy and pasted from my email to the sca-jml

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Going to sleep and/or read Turn Coat now. Yay Dresden Files!

Tomorrow I need to work on curriculum project -- and find the paper that I had started drafting stuff out on. I have a syllabus kinda put together, and a rudimentary class period structure outlined, but I don't have a handle on the day to day content yet. I'm making a five-week (two 1 hr classes/wk) lesson plan for middle schoolers at an eikawa (English conversation/cram school), topic focus on travel and vacation. If anyone has any tips, they would be greatly appreciated.

So. Yeah. 430 AM and still not asleep. Was up to 3 sewing for SCA -- event's on Saturday.

So of course, on Tuesday night, I decide that sure, I can pull a high Heian male courtier's outfit out of my ass.

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Total sewing to do: 9 hours plus.

Probably sewed about (21-00, 10-15, 16-21, 22-00, 1-3) 17 or so hours already. Not so bad :P

Leaving about... seven-ish, means waking up around earlier (duh, lol). Hair needs to be done before leaving, make up could be done in the car, I suppose...

sorry for the ending babble, its 530 AM already, gah.

note: long, thick hair does not a good top-knot (chonmage) make. I tried.

Been sewing again. This time, I have some awesome wine colored stretch pinstripe, and I'm almost done with a pencil skirt! Am currently being lazy and will be topstitching instead of facing the waist, and the bottom will likely be hand done. Also, need to haul out the serger and do all the seams. But its cute, and tailored! I have a muslin pattern and everything now, so spiff.

This might also help for the whole paneled loli-skirt thing, too, just flare the bottom a lot (will be uneven for the back, which would be 2 panel instead of three, but I like back zippers more, anyway).

Will need to make a vest to match the skirt at some point, and possibly a jacket. The skirt took less than a yard to make, and I'm pretty sure there was around 4+ yards left on the bolt when I got it... hmm.

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Had a pirate picnic/teaparty today. We went to a park named after squirrels, which had swings and tables and a dog park. Since my camera has no batteries, we have no pictures, which is sad. I'll be reusing the outfit though, because it was fun and better than my current steamy outfits :D And I only had to borrow/trade the corset! I was surprised at what my closet and jewelry box produced.

So. Did:
Swung on swings.
Ate nommys.
Played tag.
Chatted.

Need to do:
Calligraphy hw.
Classical Chinese hw.
TESL hw.
Sewing Ottoman Turkish clothing for Hoggetowne (medieval/renfaire/open event sca puts on).

Just got back from the SCA event -- it was a ton of fun. Worked in the kitchen a lot, but still went to a couple classes (a newbie's introduction to the SCA, and a calligraphy class), and we performed Hotaru Koi a couple of times. With Laur. Who I only started teaching it to the night before. She's awesome. :D (That was why I called hannah at 11 at night -- to get a couple of the lyrics i had forgotten)

So we stayed in cabins with bunk beds -- first night didn't sleep much, cuz of snorers. Slept better last night, but I went to bed before most ppl because I skipped the bardic circle. Oh well.

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I didn't get any good pictures of the make-up or the actual fit of the outfit -- which I like a lot. So I'll do it sometime again, anyway.

...are now gone. And I have chipmunk/man jowls of doom. ( tmiCollapse )


In better news, I have finished my skirt! I have one pic done, then i had the surgery, so more pics will have to wait. ( below cut for flist-saving reasonsCollapse )

So spent a couple days in g'ville last week, hung out with friends. And, as it seems with most decisions lately, it was kinda last minute-ly decided that we were volunteering with the Kaleidoscope program. We being my youngest sister and i.

Wow, way to be disjointed. Anyway, if you remember from... wow, six years back now? I had volunteered there for the first time. Its a five week drama/art camp for disabled children and adults, at the end of which we put on a performace at the Asolo. So Hannah and I will be volunteering there two or three days a week. First day was today, and even though it was fairly easy (as first days tend to be), its a bit draining...

I'm working on another skirt, using this tutorial, mainly: http://community.livejournal.com/egl/9350312.html?view=224083880#t224083880
though I also want to bustle it if I don't give up entirely, which there is an awesome tutorial for here: http://community.livejournal.com/loli_tutorials/11615.html#cutid1

the main fabric (not cut yet) is pale pink with darker pink bouquets of flowers. The lining/underskirt is in a slightly darker pink -- broadcloth.


Also: Bertha? Seriously? makes me think of those toss-the-ball-into-the-clown's-mouth games at a seaside arcade.

So I'm at my dad's out of town office, stealing his internetz. Decided to accompany him on this week's trip, as it gets me closer to my friends on the other side of the state. Current plans are to head to the nearby mall and see the Hulk movie :D. Yes, yes, I've been a bad [neglected] fangirl and have not yet seen a) a comic book movie and b) an Edward Norton movie (which is what my sisters poke me for).

Also, in goth-loli gear. Hee~

Also, I've already finished off one can of Mountain Dew. Got three hours max sleep last night. Think I woke up before my dad did (had to leave at 530AM). Why does needing to get up early make for the hardest nights for me to fall asleep?

So, in the past week, I've edited two petticoats (need to do more work on them, or just make new ones for my heavier skirts), made a new skirt and pair of bloomers, and made wrist cuffs for Ash. Need to come up with something for Kuri, too sometime, or just finish that damn bunny bag. The pieces are scattered between three bins in the garage right now... le sigh.

The wrist cuffs are actually not that bad to make. I changed my mind on the best sewing method between each one, but you can only tell on the inside. If there's any interest, I think i might make them for sale...

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Annnnd the skirt. It was made using this tutorial: http://community.livejournal.com/egl/7929257.html
The bunny fabric is one of the many I brought home from China, but of course its only 40" wide, so I had to rotate the cutting layout, and used most of the fabric -- there's a bit over a yard left.

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forgot to mention in the last post that I spent a grand total on 16.51 on the 18~ yards of fabric. Go Walmart dollar fabric, and the lady there loving it when I buy all the remainders from the bolts -- she gave me a couple yards for free :D

anywho, I found directions for making the foundation skirt for a bustle dress from 1888. The site wasn't listing the page anymore, but go Internet Wayback Machine! If anyone's interested, the directions (and diagram) are here:

http://web.archive.org/web/20051025120945/http://www.vintageconnection.net/archives/BustlePattern.htm

I didn't have enough of the stripe/tapestry fabric to follow that pattern, but it did give me a better idea of how it was supposed to be darted and fall. So, I have it pinned inside-out, and have paired it with the sheer bustle. I'll think about sewing it later.

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the pic's a bit.. pixelated. the perils of photoing in a dark room.

Also? Loving my dress form. Not quite sure why i didn't just photo the skirt when it was all pinned properly on said dressform, but then I wouldnt be able to play with the false bumroll, I suppose...