When real things happen to imaginary people

Otherwise known as "what happens when Jilli sees things on tumblr, then realizes she has the supplies upstairs in the storage room":



(Yes, I had a spare pair of black flats AND an assortment of spikes. What?)

(Yes, I wore them to the office today. No writer is going to sass ME, I tell you what. Now if only the threat of spiky shoes would get the network to obey me.)

In other news, guess who just stapled the arm seam of her vintage blouse after it ripped? I'm just telling myself I'm oh-so-deathrock. Or something.

In other other news, Dear LJ front page, having one of your spotlight communities be one about tarantulas? With its creepy-crawly user icon? NOT OKAY, THANKS.

Thank you, cupcakegothmom, for entrusting me with your Elna sewing machine.

Thank you, Infamous BlueJay, for getting me the automatic buttonhole attachment.

(I'm almost done with the alterations to a blazer that didn't quite fit. One pot of pink dye, a seam ripper, two lengths of D-ring tape, some ribbon, and nine buttons later, and it will look fantastic.)

(Oh argh, I have to iron the dratted thing. Hmmph.)

corbaegirl very, um, helpfully points out that the "Ghastlies" fabric comes on a mauve background.

( So, pink-toned and spooky? )

What I would probably do with the fabric is use it as a center panel in a 4-panel knee-length full skirt, with the rest of the panels made from black fabric. And with a 10" wide border of the "Ghastlies" on those black panels. (Which may be a bit beyond my pattern-drafting and geometry skills, but we'll see.)

I need to find someplace near me that has the mauve background version in stock, so I can take a look at the color in real life. Because my GOODNESS, that fabric is cute.

Sooooo, I've been looking at a lot of deathrock photos and pictures from this year's WGT over on Tumblr. Which is making me crave adding deathrock-y elements into my Victorian Cupcake Goth attire. I'm already going the route of layers of shredded tights and fishnets, but now I'm contemplating going one step further.

No, not shaving the sides of my head. Can you imagine what the Stroppy One would do? Sheesh.

I have an unlined, princess-seamed black blazer, made from stretch twill, that closes in the front with buckles instead of buttons. Notched lapels, and faux corset-lacing in the back to adjust the fit. I am thinking of taking my trusty seam ripper to the back seams, the seams where the sleeves connect to the blazer, and maybe the front seams. I'd open all of those seams up, and then "sew" them back together with safety pins. Many, many safety pins. And then wear the blazer over a high-collared, ruffly striped blouse and fluffy striped skirt. With petticoats, of course.

I can picture it clearly in my head, and *I* think it would look great. But I realize that sometimes I get these ideas, and I am ... easily blinded by the "Ooooh, shiny and new!" aspect of them. This is where you people come in!

[Poll #1576905]

I just got done dismantling a dark purple cotton velveteen duvet cover, which I purchased a few months ago at the Goodwill outlet for under $15. Next I need to pin and cut out pattern pieces. Then there's a dye bath, and eventually it will become a black velvety, ruffly skirt. Yes, I make skirts from duvet covers and sheets. Thrift stores are wonderful.

(Conversation is slightly paraphrased)

Me: "Honey, help me decide which angle looks best for this skeleton hand I want to put on this purse."

The Stroppy One: "What? Wait, you didn't yank that off of your other purse, did you?"

Me: "No. I got an extra skeleton hand."

The Stroppy One: " ... Where?"

Me: "eBay!"

The Stroppy One: "Of course. eBay."

---

After going through the collection of black vintage-ish purses, the base for the new skeleton handbag^* has been decided upon. Now, to spend my evening reviewing comments from beta readers and sewing a skeletal hand onto a leather purse. Time to find my thimble, and possibly some small needle-nose pliers ...

^*I still adore my current skeleton handbag that I purchased at the previous Mourning Market. But Spring is coming, which means I need to be able to carry my sunglasses case with me, and the current bag just doesn't have enough room. So, time to craft a similar handbag ...

^**Note To Self: Cull the handbags and sell some of them in the upcoming wardrobe sale. Yes, really.

I was about to whine a bit about my energy suddenly leaving me, but then I realized that so far I have:

- Made that poll post asking about the black-on-black striped skirt.

- Written a bunch of notes and story snippets for the fiction project I'm working on.

- Transcribed all of my hand-written notes for the fiction project into a Word doc.

- Done 4 loads of laundry.

- Made a batch of sausage rolls.

- Chatted with queeniex and her boy while he sculpted the prototype head for her new doll.

Huh. I guess I Did Stuff today. That might be where my energy went.

In other news, why do I suddenly want a cage petticoat type thing to layer over other skirts? Either an actual boned one (like this one from Azdaja (clicky-link!)), or one that is a "cage" over skirt that is made from strips of ribbon or twill tape. However, I am too lazy (and possibly too math-challenged) to make one of the "cage" over skirts on my own. (Even tho' there's kind of a tutorial over here on EGL.) Can I find a pre-made one anywhere on Teh Interwebs? No, I cannot, and am somewhat vexed about it.

I *should* try to motivate myself to either do more writing, or to work on the final bits I need to do to the "cranky" bloomers I'm going to be selling at Mourning Market next Sunday, but I suspect my motivation is napping. Maybe I'll just spend the rest of the evening flopped on the couch with the cats.

I really some sort of sewing-themed LJ icon, don't I?

Anyhoodle, behind the cut-tag, the back view of the skirt! (And a repeat of the front view, and natter about the construction and so on.)

( OMG ruffles! )

Dear Whatever Powers and Muses I Need to Beseech,

I would like to have Words Back, please. I reeeeeaaally need to write, and I want to. So, can I have my words back?

Thank you!

- Cupcake Goth

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Sleep. So, I've mentioned that I'm nocturnal AND an insomniac, right? (I have vivid memories of being 4 or 5 and being wide awake into the small hours of the night, quietly playing with my toys because I couldn't fall asleep.) The Stroppy One, not pleased with this gradual slide into waking up at 11:30 or noon, has convinced me to try going to bed at 1:30-ish on most nights, and getting up around 10:30 in the morning. Okay, I can see the good points in this, especially since job-hunting probably works best during daylight. Except that I go to bed at that time, then lie awake until around 3:30, listening to the Stroppy One sleep. Let's hope the re-setting of my sleep schedule takes effect soon.

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I left the b&w stripy fabric in the hibiscus tea bath overnight. I am going to rinse and see how it turned out very soon. If it didn't darken the fabric enough for me, my back-up plan is to run it through the washer with about a tablespoon of Rose Pink RIT. Just enough to add a faint blush to the white, not enough to make it really pink.

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Okay, time to see if Words are NOT Gone. Wish me luck!

Thanks to some excellent thrift store luck, I have a bunch of b&w striped fabric. (Helpful Hint: bedsheets are a great source of bulk yardage for fabrics. Especially if you're willing to add a lining to a skirt you make from them.)

Anyway, yes, b&w striped fabric. I just finished cutting out all of the pieces for one of my usual skirts (knee-length, ruffle-edged, and tiers of ruffles down the back panel), and those pieces are now gently simmering in a pot full of black RIT. This will turn them into a black and grey-ish purple striped fabric, yay!

I have enough of the fabric left to make a second of the same type of skirt. My question is this: do I want to cut out the pieces for the skirt and then lightly tea-dye them to an ivory shade? I already have some b&w striped skirts, and the same goes for black and pink stripe. An antiqued ivory/sepia might be a good addition to my skirt collection. But I'm dithering about it. What do you folks think?

[Poll #1515631]