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[personal profile] janestarz
I got a call this morning from Kees de Kok, that photografer who has been wanting to take my picture ever since the Elf Fantasy Fair. We still feature a picture of his on the Dolle Griet website (here, to be precise). He does some great work when it comes to photography. His e-mails are a bit too fanboi-ish though.
He was nice on the phone and we talked for a while. He still wants to do pictures, and had browsed my web pages frantically. I decided I wanted to take him up on his offer, providing NoKey would accompany me at the very least. Ragar is invited too. We are now still looking for a good location, indoor or outdoors. I don't particularly mind changing clothes in the middle of a forest, I'm a larper after all. But I'd like to have NoKey and his 14 years of experience at taijutsu at my side.

In other news, NoKey will go see the doc this afternoon. My mother diagnosed him with bronchitis, and after last night's coughing drama I'm not so sure it isn't pneumonia. But Doc will know.

Tonight, Malor and JW will come over for coffee. Am much looking forward to that, even if yesterday was very busy. [livejournal.com profile] sjuuls and her two very energetic (to say the least) kids came over. Lotte is in her princess phase and just hands me whatever she wants to get rid of just like I'm her maid, and demands mints or whatever candy there is around. Sjuuls has nice kids, but they get under my skin after about 10 minutes (5 if they're bouncy). I'm just not a kids person.
After 50 minutes of Julliette and her kids, [livejournal.com profile] steelweaver arrived, and I made her tea. Then Eagle, Juul's husband, came to pick up Wolf. Juul had to leave around oneish, so she turned out not to be able to do very much, but the lockmachine was tested and approved of. The pattern pieces she had cut were assembled in no time, and it looked good already. Steelweaver had to tie up some cardboard box induced errors in her group assignment and was working on my computer, which for the occasion was granted to reboot in Windows.

After Juul went to work, Steelweaver and I worked on our clothing, while NoKey baked bread. My 1880s top turned out not to be made for real women, after all, real women don't have shoulders. I'd like to see an American woman, size 22, with those kinds of shoulders. The top was a disaster for me in any case, and the (american-made) pattern will have to be adapted. I can still make a bodice pattern that will fit me, a woman as real as women get, with real hips you can carry laundry-baskets on, and real shoulders ready to bump you out of the way. I'm very historically correct when it comes to that.
The skirt was good though, and because it needs to be gathered at the back it will fit perfectly over my coffee serving tray butt-cushion. The fabric is still nice, but unwashable.
I found out Jennifer Thompson of A Festive Attyre (I mentioned her in a post earlier this week), is also working on a 1875 dress. I can match my progress to hers, though hers is much more professional, and she doesn't buy patterns but makes them herself.

After five, my mother and older cousin Gea dropped in for a pit stop of tea and freshly baked bread. I showed Gea the appartment, and told her about all the dresses we made. She seemed impressed.
When they left, Steelweaver also put on her shoes. NoKey and I brought her to the subway and then walked to the pizzeria, where we got two pizzas. We ate them while recovering from all the visitors (the cats shared a basket toghether (which they never would dare admit were they feeling good) because of those millions of strangers we had and those THOUSANDS of kids that came over); we watched Disneys Hercules "Honey, you mean HUNKulese! Ohooo, I'd like to make some sweet music with him....". Hades RULES! After that we read some more of Kushiels Dart until the very big CHANGE in the book. We're loving it to bits. It was a very good gift, and I'm reading NoKey all of it, a chapter or three a night. Thanks to [livejournal.com profile] voltar and his girlfriend [livejournal.com profile] sjiva

Date: 2004-12-30 03:07 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] randallsilver.livejournal.com
YAY Hades! :-D
"Let's get ready to RUMBLEEEEEEE!"

Date: 2004-12-30 03:17 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] janestarz.livejournal.com
Zeus: "Ow come on Hades, don't be such a stiff. You'll work yourself to death. HAH! Work yourself to death! Hahahaha! I'll kill myself! Haahahah"
Hades: "If only...if only"

Hades is one of my favourite bad guys. He's so subtle. He's got style. He's such ...a cutie!!!

Date: 2004-12-30 03:35 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] butterfly-wt.livejournal.com
"a woman as real as women get, with real hips you can carry laundry-baskets on, and real shoulders ready to bump you out of the way. I'm very historically correct when it comes to that."

Finally a description that fits perfectly. I am going to use this line a lot =D

Date: 2004-12-30 03:52 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] steelweaver.livejournal.com
I'm still trying to convince Twilight to read the Kushiel trilogy, but he's very sceptical about it. I liked the first two books and am now waiting for my local library to buy the frelling third book already.

Date: 2004-12-30 04:26 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] silverseabear.livejournal.com
I assume that since you are beyond handy with all things clothing-making related, you know how big 22 is in an american shirt. I have it in my mind that it's pllllenty big enough for real shoulders...because 22 is not a small shirt by merkin standards, as I recall.

Date: 2004-12-30 04:46 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] janestarz.livejournal.com
Yes, I realize 22 is big - I have quite a bust and some round, historically correct hips to match. But since patterns are always made to a very special size, you will have to measure your bust circumference for the top, and hip circumference for the skirt. The top might have been a 21 for me.
I'm referring to this pattern, in case you missed my earlier remarks.
Image

In case you've missed my earlier rants on the pattern making business, I'll make a small summary: any pattern made by Burda, Simplicity, McCalls, Butterick, Vogue or any other costuming business, generally makes them for the average woman of 158-168 cm tall. Burda sometimes pulls the 158cm length on me. So I have to lengthen most patterns by about 20- 30 cm. That's where the fun starts, mostly.
Patterns are always made for anorexic people. Because real people don't sew.

In any case, after measuring every needed circumference and making a mock-up out of an old curtain, the real thing turned out to be not quite what I had in mind. The armholes stood open to the front, they would have to be adjusted. My bosom would have to have been pumped up about 4 cm, and the neckline just flabbered inwards. Next to that, the top stopped at about navel-height, the peplum at the back were about the only thing that worked, really, and those were the things I figured out on my own. Anything I made according to pattern was just wrong...

It just got me sad, yesterday. Normally, things would have died over this.

Date: 2004-12-30 04:41 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] silverseabear.livejournal.com
...and be careful with your pictures. Fandom is OK(even if a bit creepy somehow), but make really sure you know what he plans to do with them, and read carefully any release he has you sign.

Date: 2004-12-30 05:02 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sjiva.livejournal.com
I'm glad you like the book, although I had expected it a bit. I loved al three te books, and have them at home. If you want to borrow them...
If you like historically correct patterns, look at the Geheugen van Nederland website: www.geheugenvannederland.n, and look at het collectie De gracieuse. It has patterns of that time. If you can;t download them, I might be able to arrange something at work for you...
just let me know

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