wow it's been a while...
I got hired at the costume shop as assistant for the spring semester of 2008. It was awesome. Then (even better!) I got a summer internship at Kent State University with Porthouse Theatre in the costume shop. It was their 40th season, they presented Anything Goes, Alice... (and origional adaptation of both "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass") and The Music Man, a personal all time favorite. Delight of delights, I actually got to stay for the production of Music Man because the director needed band members, and I play tuba!
I learned a lot this summer. A plethora of new sewing skills. I had such a wonderful experience at Porthouse. The people were fantastic. There were two women in the shop from Cleveland Playhouse that were fonts of information (and patience, God bless Clare and Estelle). I wasn't sure initially whether or not I would even want to come back, but as the summer progressed, I started praying that they would hire me back. I used both my comp tickets for Anything Goes and went back three more times as an usher to see it again... and again. I loved watching everything come together. Okay... maybe not loved. This small part of me was dying that I wasn't up there singing. I was kicking myself that I hadn't auditioned after all, but let's face it, I'm pretty rusty in the dance department. I was much happier as an active participant in making the whole product come together, which I was so blessed to able to do at the end of the summer. Am I "good enough" for an MFA acting program? We'll see.
So when I get some things together... which means I have to find my camera again... I'll upload photos of some of the projects I worked on. My favorite costume, and by far the most intensive, was a red and black trumpet specifically for the song "Blow Gabriel" from Anything Goes. I also found this awesome King Arthur fabric that has Stone Henge on it, and I made matching baby quilts for a set of twins in the family. Just finished a red sashed blanket for a little girl due in December. Gotta find the camera and take some pictures. Also have to abandon the 'puter, there's a caller here I'm being rude to.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Thursday, January 31, 2008
new developments
Costume and Make-up was canceled on Wednesday and one small voice beneath the cheering cried out "Nooooooooooooooooooo!" I love costume and make-up. My new favorite past time is hanging out in the costume shop.
The mesh bag is done. It's a little wonky, not gonna lie. The blue quilt is still on the hoop. I reupholstered a footstool and slip covered it last weekend.
I found these long lost patterns in the garage and repurposed an old choir dress for a new life:
The mesh bag is done. It's a little wonky, not gonna lie. The blue quilt is still on the hoop. I reupholstered a footstool and slip covered it last weekend.
I found these long lost patterns in the garage and repurposed an old choir dress for a new life:
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
getting into the swing of things
I started this semester with a quilt on the hoop and a knit mesh bag on the needles, and an as yet mystery project for Costume and Make-up. Let's see if they get done before the semester does.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
just keep swimming, just keep swimming, what do we do? we just keep swimming…
well last week was the push to got all the pieces sewn together and have one finished, complete top. Mission accomplished.
When I bought the sea foam green (which, incidentally, matches the living room carpet) I had done some rudimentary math and figured I needed a yard and a half - at least, I think that's the number I came up with- for the squares and large triangles along the edge. At any rate, I was standing in the shop and realized I had forgotten to include borders and binding. The shopkeeper sold me the entire bolt, which I think origionally totaled 4 yards, it's by Moda™, under the blackbird quilting line. I was going to do a pinwheel border, but I discovered a bunch of presewn units stuffed in a forgotten corner. I think what I've got now is Broken Dishes. By some happy accident I cut the first sashing larger than I intended. It accomodates the Dishes perfectly.
there's old Bill, of course, constant kitty quilter assistant and quality control
the Dishes border is kind of visible in the top part of the picture- it's a Kodak EasyShare I'm working with, so the resolution isn't great.
When I bought the sea foam green (which, incidentally, matches the living room carpet) I had done some rudimentary math and figured I needed a yard and a half - at least, I think that's the number I came up with- for the squares and large triangles along the edge. At any rate, I was standing in the shop and realized I had forgotten to include borders and binding. The shopkeeper sold me the entire bolt, which I think origionally totaled 4 yards, it's by Moda™, under the blackbird quilting line. I was going to do a pinwheel border, but I discovered a bunch of presewn units stuffed in a forgotten corner. I think what I've got now is Broken Dishes. By some happy accident I cut the first sashing larger than I intended. It accomodates the Dishes perfectly.
there's old Bill, of course, constant kitty quilter assistant and quality control
the Dishes border is kind of visible in the top part of the picture- it's a Kodak EasyShare I'm working with, so the resolution isn't great.
Friday, January 4, 2008
I'm an island, you're an ocean...
surf's up dude. it's a frigid 18ยบ out thar, but the ocean view sure is pretty:
I have to stop working on it frequently, all those sparkly colors and I get dizzy after a while.
I have to stop working on it frequently, all those sparkly colors and I get dizzy after a while.
Monday, December 31, 2007
blue, oh so lonesome for you.
well, here's a look at the blue boy:
I can hear some people cringing about the cat being present through this process, but honestly, I didn't feel like arguing with a 20 pound cat that growls. The recipient has pets, so she will understand.
I can hear some people cringing about the cat being present through this process, but honestly, I didn't feel like arguing with a 20 pound cat that growls. The recipient has pets, so she will understand.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Martin Luther King Jr. arts contest... thing
ta da!
the result of over 40 hours of toil and labor, sweating and bleeding fingers. The black stuff in the upper left corner has stars on it- I bought it a few days before Halloween, hoping I could use it for something. Obviously, not a great picture, I really need a shot of each block besides the whole piece, but something is better than nothing. Most of the fabric was lying around the house. I did the applique with wonder-under, to keep it stationary. This was one of those times I wish I had a serger- the machine applique would have gone better and looked nicer. The little people are all hand appliqued. The sun is machined, but the beads (if you can see them) in the center of the sun are all hand done. I put a knot every three beads, in case one got pulled off, they wouldn't all come off. Also not really visible, some of the quilting and applique was done with variegated thread, to mirror the rainbow children.
I hate describing what I intended it to represent, because every time I've shown it to people, I get a slightly different response every time. My grandmother said the people were "the children of the world", someone else said they were the freedom marchers. So, it's up to interpretation I guess. Obviously, the rainbow people could be any one, at any time, from any place. It is my hope that it's obvious the top right is "day" and the top left is "night", that the jumbled stippling in the bottom indicates chaos, and that there is no chaos in the upper panels. The people are separated from the new day above them because they are not there yet- the New Day is when all peoples are truly free, not just in word but in deed. It is for that same reason the people are not to the gold rectangle: We're not there yet. The observant (okay, any one who can actually see the quilt) will note that nothing grows from anger hate and fear, but peace, joy, mercy, tolerance, and hope. I was going for a sort of Faith Ringgold feel, sans painting- that would have required gessoing the muslin, and I have no gesso, and I couldn't find my acrylic paints. So I did what I could with the materials I had on hand. Which is obviously a ridiculous amount of fabric. I'm sure the prof has absolutely no idea who Faith Ringgold is.
Right now it is in the hands of my professor, and I am more than slightly concerned for it, as it was not packed for traveling very well, and he seemed to treat it as one of those "oh, that's nice dear but I'm not really impressed because it's * insert a word indicating inferiority *". face turns red with rage I worked just as hard as the person who turned in the song, the casting or the graphic design, just in a different way, so please don't treat it as a quaint, cutesy, folksey project. I refer you to Michael Kashey, an Edinboro resident who won the National Quilt competition in Paducha, Kentucky. I have no idea if the prof is going to pass the quilt on to the contest or not, but I got an A in the class, the requirement category the quilt filled was something like 15% of my grade. Hurray.
the result of over 40 hours of toil and labor, sweating and bleeding fingers. The black stuff in the upper left corner has stars on it- I bought it a few days before Halloween, hoping I could use it for something. Obviously, not a great picture, I really need a shot of each block besides the whole piece, but something is better than nothing. Most of the fabric was lying around the house. I did the applique with wonder-under, to keep it stationary. This was one of those times I wish I had a serger- the machine applique would have gone better and looked nicer. The little people are all hand appliqued. The sun is machined, but the beads (if you can see them) in the center of the sun are all hand done. I put a knot every three beads, in case one got pulled off, they wouldn't all come off. Also not really visible, some of the quilting and applique was done with variegated thread, to mirror the rainbow children.
I hate describing what I intended it to represent, because every time I've shown it to people, I get a slightly different response every time. My grandmother said the people were "the children of the world", someone else said they were the freedom marchers. So, it's up to interpretation I guess. Obviously, the rainbow people could be any one, at any time, from any place. It is my hope that it's obvious the top right is "day" and the top left is "night", that the jumbled stippling in the bottom indicates chaos, and that there is no chaos in the upper panels. The people are separated from the new day above them because they are not there yet- the New Day is when all peoples are truly free, not just in word but in deed. It is for that same reason the people are not to the gold rectangle: We're not there yet. The observant (okay, any one who can actually see the quilt) will note that nothing grows from anger hate and fear, but peace, joy, mercy, tolerance, and hope. I was going for a sort of Faith Ringgold feel, sans painting- that would have required gessoing the muslin, and I have no gesso, and I couldn't find my acrylic paints. So I did what I could with the materials I had on hand. Which is obviously a ridiculous amount of fabric. I'm sure the prof has absolutely no idea who Faith Ringgold is.
Right now it is in the hands of my professor, and I am more than slightly concerned for it, as it was not packed for traveling very well, and he seemed to treat it as one of those "oh, that's nice dear but I'm not really impressed because it's * insert a word indicating inferiority *". face turns red with rage I worked just as hard as the person who turned in the song, the casting or the graphic design, just in a different way, so please don't treat it as a quaint, cutesy, folksey project. I refer you to Michael Kashey, an Edinboro resident who won the National Quilt competition in Paducha, Kentucky. I have no idea if the prof is going to pass the quilt on to the contest or not, but I got an A in the class, the requirement category the quilt filled was something like 15% of my grade. Hurray.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
festivus for the re'stuv us
The semester ended well. Very well, considering I had two lingering contagious diseases in the space of three months, plus a musical. Plus a pizza delivery job, a church choir gig and full time course work at the local university. All A's, yes, even in French, and a B+ in piano, for lack of a jury.
Best part of the semester? Being able to make a quilt for class. I beaded, appliqued by hand and machine, and finished the sucker of with some hand quilting. This project was brought to you by the History professor, who, if he liked what you handed in, was going to pass it on for consideration in a Martin Luther King Jr. arts contest. I am slightly peeved at the thought that my quilt, which is about half the size of a crib, is sitting around his house being shed on… all this AFTER I read an article about submitting quilts to judges which included all kinds of shipping advice like acid free tissue paper between the folded layers to discourage wrinkling, double bagging, writing the full address of the maker on the quilt, et cetera. *headdesk* I have pictures somewhere*… *addendum 12/30/07 here's a picture
Every time I find the camera, I can't find the card reader... ugh ugh ugh. Now I can't find the camera. The latest quilt I'm working on, since no semester break can be with out a quilting project, is a simple charm in shades of blue, thank you eBay. The blocks are 3 1/2" finished, set on point with a piano key border. It is for a friend who is having open heart surgery this summer… again. Not sure if I want to quilt or tie it, but it will have batting, as soon as I can get to the store for the fluff stuff. It has been pet tested and approved. There are copious quantities of purple charm blocks, 7 1/2" that have to be dealt with yet, and the pieces of the ocean waves that are stuffed in an Amazon box that also require attention. The summer kimono is done, and I finally found the obi fabric, so that will be finished (finally). It turned out very nice. Mom said something about making a short one for dad, but I highly doubt he'd appreciate the crap load of work I'd have to put into it, let alone where'ma going to find quality black silk for the sash without having to sell my kidney on the black market?
Last but not least, I figured out how to cable this semester, and made mom a cabled scarf to match a hat she bought at a craft show years ago. I originally started out with three cables, but it was more of a baby blanket than a scarf, so I ripped and settled on two - worked out perfectly. And she loves it. Two skeins of Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick n Quick. Again, when I can find the bloody camera, I'll provide some pictures.
Quilting goals for 2008:
quilt the jewel box
finish the ocean
Best part of the semester? Being able to make a quilt for class. I beaded, appliqued by hand and machine, and finished the sucker of with some hand quilting. This project was brought to you by the History professor, who, if he liked what you handed in, was going to pass it on for consideration in a Martin Luther King Jr. arts contest. I am slightly peeved at the thought that my quilt, which is about half the size of a crib, is sitting around his house being shed on… all this AFTER I read an article about submitting quilts to judges which included all kinds of shipping advice like acid free tissue paper between the folded layers to discourage wrinkling, double bagging, writing the full address of the maker on the quilt, et cetera. *headdesk* I have pictures somewhere*… *addendum 12/30/07 here's a picture
Every time I find the camera, I can't find the card reader... ugh ugh ugh. Now I can't find the camera. The latest quilt I'm working on, since no semester break can be with out a quilting project, is a simple charm in shades of blue, thank you eBay. The blocks are 3 1/2" finished, set on point with a piano key border. It is for a friend who is having open heart surgery this summer… again. Not sure if I want to quilt or tie it, but it will have batting, as soon as I can get to the store for the fluff stuff. It has been pet tested and approved. There are copious quantities of purple charm blocks, 7 1/2" that have to be dealt with yet, and the pieces of the ocean waves that are stuffed in an Amazon box that also require attention. The summer kimono is done, and I finally found the obi fabric, so that will be finished (finally). It turned out very nice. Mom said something about making a short one for dad, but I highly doubt he'd appreciate the crap load of work I'd have to put into it, let alone where'ma going to find quality black silk for the sash without having to sell my kidney on the black market?
Last but not least, I figured out how to cable this semester, and made mom a cabled scarf to match a hat she bought at a craft show years ago. I originally started out with three cables, but it was more of a baby blanket than a scarf, so I ripped and settled on two - worked out perfectly. And she loves it. Two skeins of Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick n Quick. Again, when I can find the bloody camera, I'll provide some pictures.
Quilting goals for 2008:
quilt the jewel box
finish the ocean
Saturday, November 3, 2007
be be or not to be... mmm yeah. totally to be.
so I announced my intention to be a theater minor. they want me to be a major of course, but I seriously don't think I can squeeze out another two or three or four semesters. I really want to move on with my life, go to grad school maybe... some place far away from this guy in the department that... well, he's into me and I'm not into him... and it's awkward right now, to say the least. I have to reach a point that I'm not creeped out being around him to tell him how I feel. Which could take a while, because we've been through this before. I'm not sure how our friendship is going to weather this, and it isn't as though there's another guy I am interested who is reciprocating the feeling... When did this turn into a blog about the emotional messy stuff? Agh!
I started the Irish Hiking Scarf in Lion Brand Wool Ease Think n Chunky "fisherman" because it would work fast, and my mom has a hat that it will mach. I need another two skeins (at least, maybe four), and I had to take out a couple stitches because otherwise the darn thing would have been a baby blanket and not a scarf. Live and learn. It will be ready for Christmas. Now if only I can keep it a secret...
I started the Irish Hiking Scarf in Lion Brand Wool Ease Think n Chunky "fisherman" because it would work fast, and my mom has a hat that it will mach. I need another two skeins (at least, maybe four), and I had to take out a couple stitches because otherwise the darn thing would have been a baby blanket and not a scarf. Live and learn. It will be ready for Christmas. Now if only I can keep it a secret...
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
long silences
September 27 was the last known communication from me... And I can totally explain.
I was in a show on campus. Not just a show, a musical, whee!! "The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd" We had a great time, we got nominated for some awards, fantastic-ness. now if I could only convince the assistant sage manager I am not interested in him...
I started working on the Irish hiking scarf about a month ago as something to do while sitting around during rehersals. The first eight inches or so were fine, but by the time I added another ten inches, the sides of the scarf had begun to curl. Hmm... Not entirely happy with this turn of events, I ripped the whole thing out, and have started a hat with three baby cables. I had made myself a baby pink wool hat a few semesters ago, and a matching scarf, but it has gone missing. No doubt one of the school mates took a shine to it. Back to the scarf, I'm going into the city today, and I'm going to stop at the store and try to pick up coordinating yarn for a new scarf to match a hat that we already have lying around in the coat closet.
Much better than personal projects are school sanctioned projects. For a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at my school, there is some kind of creative contest. The prof said we could do what ever we wanted, as long as it expressed something to do with MLK Jr. and what his work means to us. So I'm making a quilt. Soft sculpture.
I was in a show on campus. Not just a show, a musical, whee!! "The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd" We had a great time, we got nominated for some awards, fantastic-ness. now if I could only convince the assistant sage manager I am not interested in him...
I started working on the Irish hiking scarf about a month ago as something to do while sitting around during rehersals. The first eight inches or so were fine, but by the time I added another ten inches, the sides of the scarf had begun to curl. Hmm... Not entirely happy with this turn of events, I ripped the whole thing out, and have started a hat with three baby cables. I had made myself a baby pink wool hat a few semesters ago, and a matching scarf, but it has gone missing. No doubt one of the school mates took a shine to it. Back to the scarf, I'm going into the city today, and I'm going to stop at the store and try to pick up coordinating yarn for a new scarf to match a hat that we already have lying around in the coat closet.
Much better than personal projects are school sanctioned projects. For a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at my school, there is some kind of creative contest. The prof said we could do what ever we wanted, as long as it expressed something to do with MLK Jr. and what his work means to us. So I'm making a quilt. Soft sculpture.
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