aka Chesty LaRue

Reason #241 Why it Can Suck to Live in Minnesota in the Summertime

Accidentally snorting mosquitos.

'Nuff said.

To Sum Up

Well, what a weekend.  I am still picking the glitter out of my hair.  Had a swell time with all of you at BlogHerNot!  But sadly, I still had to work.  Chained to the sewing machine, that's me.

Princess A has a completed mudder and pictures will be coming soon.  I have SEEN The Lost Boys  and it was GOOD.  It will also be coming to a blog near you tomorrow.  There may or may not have been snacks and liquor consumed with the viewing, so we will see how great my memory is.

I also hosted The Wench Posse (minus Standing Still and the Squid Wrangler, both of whom were out of town, and Gluten-Free C, who had an Irish obligation).  After the obligatory trip to Joann's (where I was actually mocked by the Posse AND the women who work there - thanks guys) we discussed costuming, whether male frontal nudity is actually necessary in cinema, and my personal pet peeve with costumers IN cinema, and people who refuse to call their costumes "Costumes".  (Saving that rant for another day, but trust me, it is a RIGHTEOUS one.)

And thus I cut out about a billion partletts, finished the mudder, and finished The Chick's Raven skirt.  After talking her into a photo session (which involved the words, "Want to have your picture taken?" and her responding, "Does the Pope shit in the woods?" or something like that), I wound up with the following excellent shots. 

You can thank me later.

ACTION SHOT!  (Last year's costume.)

And now I present "That's So Raven, Nevermore:"

Design by The Chick.  Execution by LaRue.  Wings from eBay.  Crown and arm bands coming soon.

ACTION SHOT! 

See you tomorrow with Vampire Goodness.  Yum!

Even Better Than the Real Thing (but pillowcases can't fly you to Lake Como)

Good afternoon to all you BlogHerNot-ters!  I am terribly excited to be participating in 2008's festivities.

I came to the party rather late, only finding out about it at the last minute, and therefore could not participate as an instructor.  But then I read the comments on MommyPie's post, and someone said (and rightly so) that there should be SWAG. 

And I thought, "I can do THAT!" 

So my contribution to the fun is a personalized pillowcase with a picture of the KeyNote Speaker Himself or The Special Guest, whichever you prefer.  It will also feature the winner's name embroidered as such:  WINNER + GEORGE = 4-EVER and "BlogHerNot 2008." 

You can see my previous pilowcase efforts at the very beginning of this blog, at the beginning of April, 2008.  For some reason Typepad won't let me link to my own post.  Odd.  (Those of you who are creative types can make your own, using my easy to follow instructions.  Or not.)

I believe the plan is to comment on MommyPie's post that is linked at the beginning of this post, and then she will choose the winner after BlogHerNot ends this weekend. 

So remember, this is for posterity, so be honest.  Desperate might even be good.

Looking forward to reading the entries!  And do come back again and visit here at aka Chesty Larue.  We often have snacks.

(Just to clarify, this is a gift to the winner, and no money will exchange hands, thus not violating any copyright laws, and landing my ass in the slammer, without a pillow.  And far from Lake Como.)

The Fairest in the Land

As has been previously mentioned, my good buddy A here (hair-cutter of the fabulous new 13-year-old look) is the new Princess of the MN Ren Fest this year.  Consequently, she needs clothing.  I was fortunate in that she asked me to make one of her outfits for her, and she also asked me to retrofit an outfit that had been made previously by another costumer.

Turns out the person who had made this outfit originally thought she had a 42 inch chest and 28 inch waist.  Nothing fit properly in the bodice, and it was pretty bland, as costumes go, and especially for those of Royal Stature.  So I basically had to take apart the bodice and make it MUCH TINIER for herself, a rather wee person. 

When I saw this color combination together I admit I did a double-take and was all, "Hello color blindness!"  But she explained to me that the Royal Court has to wear red and blue (preferably a crimson and dark blue combo) and that she had this available for use as a mudder.  The idea is of course to take an older outfit and use it specifically for when it rains or the weather is particularly nasty.  When you think that they are outside for 10-14 hours every weekend (both days) for 8 weekends in a row, you would see the necessity of having multiple outfits for varied weather. 

Since this outfit (despite being bright and colorful) was lacking in BLING, we needed to tart it up a bit and bring it up to Royal Stature Level.  We did so with trim and with some creative sewing on my part.

The overskirt got trim added to it, which was difficult in that the one trim was metallic, the velvet is acetate, and was not stabilized, giving it the slightly wavy look you see.  An iron and the heavier mud flap at the bottom should take care of the curling effect.  The back of the underskirt (the black and silver fabric) is now gone, and replaced with black cotton, except for a 5 inch band of the original material at the bottom, so that will show in case it peeps out under the skirt.  This is a very traditional method of underskirts/kirtles (see The Tudor Tailor for details).  I am using that fabric to make new sleeves that will hang down from the shoulders of the bodice and attach at elbow and wrist with shiny little buttons.  I also trimmed the hell out of the bodice, added the black with silver and black trim upper section to the front "V" (otherwise it was a little TOO tarty for Royalty - not the black lace, that is an undergarment), and am putting a mud flap on each of the skirts.  A mud flap is a strip of fabric that gets torn off at the end of the season and replaced each year.  It is to absorb mud, dirt, etc. and keep the main gown from getting dragged on the ground.

She will wear a partlett underneath, and then to top it all off, her Swarovski Crystal Tiara on top.  It really doesn't get any better than that.

The outfit should be complete on Sunday, and I will take more pictures then and post them.  Other costuming pictures coming tomorrow, as well as The Lost Boys for this weekend (WOOT) and next week is My Hair Through The Years (a la Mrs. G.) since I will then have a working scanner (DOUBLE WOOT).

Go about your business.

11 is a Magic Number

People will occasionally say to me, "Larue, you have 2 daughters, correct?"

(Ah, the dewy skin of youth.)

And I will say, "Yes, I have two daughters."

And they will ask me, "Are they alike?  I would imagine that it is the same having two girls."

And I would laugh heartily and say, "No, not exactly."

And they would ask me about them, individually.  And when I would describe the little one, I would use words like:

Happy

Cheerful

Dramatic

Out-going

Curious

Brave

Active

Adventurous

Funny

Creative

Generous

Sweet

And my baby:

Happy 11th Birthday, Best S Ever.  You are one of the biggest adventures of my life.

What 13 Looks Like

BEFORE

AFTER

Just another day of torture here at aka Chesty Larue

 

(Action shot!  Grip that bedpost harder, Scarlett!  Poor A getting tied into her corset.  She has a 25.5 inch waist in this thing, which looks to be roughly the size of my THIGH in this picture.  Sheesh - nice camera angle.)

Actual photos coming tomorrow of A's re-worked formal Princess mudder.  (A mudder is an older costume that is worn specifically for when it rains and is MUDDY, thus MUDDER.)  Partletts ahoy as well, and all that jazz.

And success!  I have The Lost Boys Movie in my hot little hands, courtesy of The Chick.  Expect Vampire Hotties sometime this weekend.

Like a pain in the neck

(Sorry for the pun, I just could not help myself.)

(Isn't the hotness overwhelming? Actually, it could be the Aqua Net fumes.)

It is Monday, and yet, there is no post about The Lost Boys.  I would like to place this blame exactly where it belongs:  on The Chick. 

Oh, she said she had the DVD for me, and even sent me tantalizing descriptions of the "extra features" and "director's cut."  But did she bring it with her when she came over yesterday? 

That would be a NO.

So I just want everyone to know that in this time of accepting responsibility for one's actions, and giving the people what they want, that my Netflix account and I are not to blame.  It is all her fault, and she should feel very, very bad.  (hee)

So I am shooting for Friday for the Vampire post, as we have an 11-year-old Birthday, renaissance costumes to be made (and posted about) and softball games to attend to first.  So for tomorrow, Costume P0rn, and I believe I also have a retrospective of hairstyles from my high school years.  So the week is looking pretty good.  Provided I get my hands on that DVD....

Where the Magic Happens

Welcome to aka Chesty Larue.  If you are new to the blog, check out the first post which describes a little bit of what goes on around here on a daily basis.  (Truthfully?  What goes on around here is typically dog yodeling, cleaning the kitchen, something falling from my very tall shelves onto my head, and procrastinating by reading TWOP.  There may also be some sort of chocolate product involved, but only if the day ends in Y.) 

I am also quite fond of parentheses.

Since this post is dedicated to my office space, we should start with a photo of where I spend most of my time, chained to a black adjustable office chair:

 

(Shh!  Ignore the Taco Bell and DQ wrappers in the trash.  Focus instead on the outrageously expensive sewing machine and auto-threading serger.  Ahhh.)

I am a seamstress by trade, with an emphasis in costuming.   Which means that December is really quiet, and I sleep about 5 hours total in August and September.  Which makes me REALLY scary looking come Halloween.  Unfortunately we live on a very busy street and we get NO trick-or-treaters.  Which is good or bad, depending, in terms of then having an entire bowl of Halloween candy all to myself.

(I seem to have acquired a quotation collection.  I started with one quote on a wooden tile from my Grandfather, which reads:  "DO SOMETHING.  Lead, follow, or get out of the way."  I live my life by that motto.  Then other people started giving me more items with quotes on them.  These are some of my favorites.  The Chick gave me the second and third ones.)

Previously I was a partner in a business working in the Scottish Garment Industry, but have gone solo over the past year.  (Really, I worked with LOTS and LOTS of tartan.  I WILL win any game of Name That Tartan.  And yes, I am willing to wager actual cash. Euros not accepted.)  When I started doing this work full-time, it was decided that I needed space to myself in order to Create, especially since there is a dearth of sewing mice available.  (I think they unionized or something.)

(I love these little pins.  Not only are they easy to grasp for those suffering from Dreaded Diseases that cause you to lose sensation in your fingertips, they are also just plain cute.  And cheap.  Behind them is my bobbin winder which is a MIRACLE INVENTION.  I save more time with that thing while embroidering than anything else.  The marks on the desk?  From the eyelet puncher.  This is why my desktop is a melamine board from Home Depot.)

In order to have a space to myself, I moved my oldest daughter, G, out of her tiny bedroom and moved all of my Crappe in.  Which turned out to be quite a lot of Crappe. (We did give G a new bedroom and not just make her live in the hall.  She has too much stuff to live in the hall.)

 

(Notice how all the shelves are nicely organized except for the 4 which contain active projects.)

I find that having everything visible is very helpful to me in locating items.  And having others locate them when what comes out of my mouth often sounds like, "You know, the thing?  With the hook?  That goes in the fabric?  And then you pull it and it goes inside out?  Its in that one drawer, over there.  No, the other drawer."

I like to surround myself with motivational things. Whether this is a poster from the BEST CONCERT EVER featuring the Very Hot Sting: 

Or artwork made by the Children:

(This particular piece of art represents the many facets of my life - the costuming, El Jefe with his shiny bald spot, the MS ribbon, the dog, the two children, my dream home, and a margarita. Sniff.  I love them.)

Or gifts from friends:

(Decoupaged by N.  N, the Chick and I in our finery.)

Or LOTS and LOTS of bright thread:

When you get right down to it, though, I spend most of my spare time sitting right here, procrastinating:

(Look!  I cleaned my desk for you people.)

I get some of my best ideas from reading blogs, and surfing the web.  Some people find Nirvana in the shower.  I find it on You Tube and Wikipedia TFoAK (The Font of All Knowledge).

As much as I love to do the actual sewing itself, I also like to read about it.  I call it being better informed about my job.  Others call it "excessive and obsessive."  Those others know to ply me with chocolate when it comes time for their bodice to be sewn. 

Like all people of the Sewing Arts, I have an admittedly excessive stash of patterns and fabric.  (This is just the bin of currently used patterns.)  I know many people who prefer to drape part or all of their garments.  I prefer to start with a pattern and go off creatively from there.  It works for me.

There is a reason that people say that the person who dies with the biggest fabric stash wins.  (I cropped this picture too.)  

(Gutermann thread, the best there is.  They also make very nice beads.)

I love to create new things, as well as help others realize their dreams (such as going to the Ren Fest in costume, which was the Chick's dream, and which really kind of started it all).  I have made a Shark-boy costume, a Pirates of the Caribbean costume, and (I'm not even kidding here) the dress that Gabriel's fiancee was wearing when she (SPOILER!) died in the church fire in the movie The Patriot. 

(Soon to be a court gown for the Princess of the MN Ren Fest.)

And I like to make things for the people that I love:

(The Wizard of Oz quilt for my Mother's birthday.)

Creativity is messy.  You can easily wind up looking at your cutting table and wondering where you are going to fit the fabric for your Anne of Cleves costume since you are busy cutting partletts, as well as trying to remember to bring your laundry downstairs. 

You might also be wondering when you are going to have the time to cut the beads off of the Joan Collins Dynesty-era shirt you found at the thrift store.  And looking at the dog hair, you think that it may be time to officially turf the dog from the sewing room. 

(The little rock garden that I see right outside my window.)

I love this room.  And I hate this room.  I have to take vacations away from my home sometimes to force myself to take a break, as the room is ALWAYS THERE and I am ALWAYS IN IT.  It always has something in it that needs to be done. 

And yet I like having this space all to myself, with "my things about me."  I like knowing that everything I need is right here. 

So the next time I read a blog post on German dowager princesses and am compelled to create a Cranach-style gown, or someone comes to me and says, "LaRue?  I have decided that I want to be a Raven for the Bristol Ren Fest, " I will know that I am well prepared. 

And if not?  I can just lock myself in here, alone. 

Although I should probably buy a mini-fridge first.

(I would like to thank Manager Mom for organizing the Office Open House.  Check her blog for more open house stories.)

It will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine.

People, I have found the most amazing thing. 

I was driving with Those People I Live With when Bohemian Rhapsody came on the iPod.  Turns out that because the children were all born after 1992, they had never heard of Wayne's World.  (Also likely that it has not been age appropriate material for them.  However, since G has now seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail, she can probably watch Wayne and Garth.)

Anyway, I told them I would go to Wayne's World and pull up the video so they could watch it.  Also on You Tube was this:

Isn't that fantastic?  I sat here giggling to myself and then decided I needed to watch more of the UC Men's Octet.  Another hysterical one is the Justin Timberlake tribute which opens with Cry Me a River and ends with Dick in a Box:

I believe at one point they do the Chick's favorite dance, the Chilean Rainbow. 

The Billie Jean video and the 500 Miles video and the Stayin Alive video are all excellent.  (I seem to be rather fond of the 2003 Octet, although there only seems to be 7 of them?  Which is not exactly an Octet?)  But the very best is this little classic:

It is sung in Barbershop Quartet style, and to hear them sing about when they get "Sprung" I lose it every time.  God love them.

And who knew these guys were so famous?  According to Wikipedia TFoAK (The Font of All Knowledge):  "From Billy Joel to Journey, the group’s broad repertoire features several genres of music including barbershop, doo-wop, pop and alternative, and a healthy dose of Berkeley fight songs."  And all in little Prep School suits.

Seriously?  I am a tiny bit in love.  I mean, who knew Nirvana could translate so well into doo-wop?  And they even did Wham!, with the whole Zoolander intro too.  And the Lion King, which is also pretty funny. 

And just so people don't think I am strictly a Berkeley fan, I give you the BYU Vocal Point Men's Group doing Thriller:

Don't you feel better already?  I know I do.