Sewing in a Menagerie

For those of you who don't know, my family has 5 pets. 2 dogs and 3 cats.

Triton (sound asleep in this photo):

Maddy (with her Woolly):

Peekaboo (or Boo Boo in the center. I don't have many good pictures of him):

Zoe Madison (she's the princess):

And Mickey (he was a stray I brought home from campus. He loves water):

A couple of my lovelies decided to be very helpful while I went about making my 5 minute skirt. Mickey was in a very playful mood and was under the impression that the measuring tape was a vicious snake out to destroy the world. He also tried to pounce on my scissors as I was cutting. Not smart, cat. Not smart. 

Then later Triton needed some love. Immediately. He wouldn't have minded if I also threw his ball a couple of times. 

Despite my zoo's best attempts the skirt is complete. Not quite 5 minutes but it was pretty simple. My biggest advice is to measure everything. I creates a casing and threaded elastic through it rather than do the fold over elastic but this FOE does have me intrigued. I just couldn't find any and I was impatient. 

My other bit of advice is for when you go to hem. Lay the skirt flat with the seams on either side and cut straight across. Then lay it flat with the seams on the top and bottom and, measuring frequently, cut the same length all the way across. It should curve parallel to the waist. 

I did have to purchase elastic, $1.99 plus tax, and we owned a sewing machine (otherwise this would have sucked). My fabric actually came from an old sheet. It had been used for another project but there was enough left. Way to upcycle though, right? Kids bed sheets = new wardrobe. 

E'erybody in the club gettin' CRAFTY

I've been a little down lately. Basically I've been stressed about getting enough work, which so far is not a problem, and now I feel like I let other things slip through the cracks. Things like a social life and the chance at romance. I know that I have a social life and I will not die alone. I think I was just stuck in my head too much. So I decided to be busy. I took old jeans and turned them into a lot of new things. There may even be more to come. 

First up is a wristlet made out of pockets to store my essentials such as cell phone, ipod, and keys. You may remember my post about my overflowing purse. This is something I'm trying in an attempt to save my back. I figure this little guy can tuck right back in my purse but I can use it while running around. 

These jeans are actually threecycled. I cut them off and turned them into bermudas first, which were great last summer but I've come to the conclusion that I don't look good in that style. Here is the site I used to create this awesome mini purse. 

Next came a skirt out of old work jeans that were wearing thin in some places. I used this site for this project. 

It still needs to be washed so that the bottom will fray a bit. It can be hemmed but I don't think I have that skill. It would be crooked and awkward so, it will be frayed instead.

Lastly I took the leg off of the skirt I made, sewed the bottom up real quick, threaded an old shoelace through the top, and now have a hanging bag for all of the plastic bags I accumulate. 

So that has kept me busy and a bit out of my head. For one day at least. Tomorrow I'm going to try to make this 5-minute skirt. We have a big tub of fabric leftover from projects downstairs so I'll see if I have enough. I think I'll need to buy some fold-over elastic or enough elastic to circle my waist but other than that all of this has been FREE! Mostly because my mother, my sister, and I have accumulated thread and needles, etc, and we have my mom's sewing machine. Still I bet it would be cheap for you, too.

I'll keep you posted about the skirt. Wish me luck!

Mission: Accomplished...sort of

So the day went well overall. Things looked great by the end. I had no problem with people not trusting me. But from a fashion standpoint there were a few mishaps.

First, here's what I wore. I apologize for the "meh" picture. I had my dad take it and I didn't want to say "It's for a blog so it needs to be perfect." I'm not sure exactly why but I'm keeping this blog personal for a while. In a week or two I will begin sharing with friends and family but I'd like to get a bit more settled.



Mishap #1: I chickened out on the boots. I felt they looked a little silly. The skirt was not the right length and they were not the right fit. Perhaps I will try them in the future. Instead I opted for a pair of brown flats. I think it was a good choice. It was a bit more professional and it felt more like me. A flowy skirt and ballet slippers? That's how I spent 15 years of my life when all I did was dance. I felt youthful, feminine, cute. I felt more like myself than I would have in boots.

Mishap #2: I've had an issue with this skirt because the back is always higher than the front. I put it on right. The tag goes in the back, zipper on my left side. I assumed it just didn't provide my room for my ample booty. My mom noticed and said try to spin it. I thought ok. I will spin you and show that its just because I have a butt...My mom was right. I spun it so the zipper was in the back and the tag was on my right. Bizarre but my mom said it looked world's better. So, while trying to choose an outfit that would inspire respect. I wore my skirt backwards all day.

The Power of Clothes

I can literally say nothing on this subject that has not been said by my betters and wisers. Some of my favorite bloggers on this subject are Already Pretty and Inside Out Style. They are the inspiration behind my plan for tomorrow. At college I really came into my own in the theatre department. I took on a lot of responsibility and wound up with quite a bit of authority. It took a couple of years, though, and some big "make it or break it" milestones. Now I have to be able to portray that competency immediately. When I go into a call I am leading things. The actual authority lies with the master electrician and master stage carpenters but I tell them what to do. Since I have yet to meet someone in this position I wouldn't trust, I will always accept tips on what order is easiest or what can and can't be done in a certain amount of time. However, if I seem like I don't know what I'm doing, the day is shot. They won't trust me so they will feel like they have to take over, which is not their job and they shouldn't be expected to cover for me. In my past few check-ins with my supervisors, they're biggest tip moving forward is to be confident that I know what I'm doing "because I do". Alas that is the hard part, isn't it? I'm good at my job but saying that sounds like I'm bragging. Plus the people I will be "leading" will almost always be older and more experienced than me. How can I make them think they should listen to me when I'm not sure they should? I believe the answer lies in faking it.

Mission: Embrace my personal power

Description: Use a fun, bolder outfit to inspire confidence.

Backstory time: There is a memorial taking place in our smaller theatre tomorrow and I am in charge of lights. We're in the middle of tech for another show and one of my bosses is moving into his new house. Plus I wanted a chance to spread my wings. So the task falls to me. We'll have four hours in the morning to get everything set and then and hour or so for a dress rehearsal. Of course the schedule is more complicated than that but that's the gist.

Assets:

The people I will be working with are my friends. They are not the types to give me a hard time. They'll respect where I'm coming from and it will be more of a collaboration than anything, so very little pressure there.

The light plot and design is simple and I have an AWESOME spreadsheet to keep me on track.(We'll delve into my organizational habits later.)

Obstacles:

This is a memorial service. This program is supposed to celebrate the life of a beloved Seattle actress and it is organized by her family who must still be coping with the loss. Lots of pressure there.

While I have very little pressure from my crew, I feel a bit of pressure in proving myself to the clients. Famous Seattle actress, highly reputable theatre, and they're sending in an intern? She better be damn good. And she IS. I think. I...hope.

Time. The theatre is in a state of chaos as we did not know about this rental until after the crew left. They're about halfway through striking the last show and we have to put everything together in very little time.

Plan of attack:

I tend to stick to a uniform of jeans, solid colored tee, and cardigan. I don't know yet if that's because that's my style or because that is what is easy. I fear that I have been hiding much of my life so everyone will like me. I don't take big risks so that I don't garner strong opinions. Well tomorrow I want to break out of my shell. I want to wear something in what I think my style is. Feminine. A little artsy. It also has to be professional enough for these people to trust me. I have a somewhat ruffled skirt that I plan to pair with brown boots. What? A skirt and boots? You daredevil you! It will be a first.

I will give you a full briefing with a photo of the outfit tomorrow. Wish me luck!