Halloween Costume #4: Angel of Death
My fourth and final Halloween costume was a dark angel fallen from grace. (Some people said, “Hey, the angel of Death!” and I didn’t disagree. I didn’t have anything that specific in mind, maybe I was the angel of Death.) I made the wings using wire coat hangers, a square of corrugated cardboard as anchor in the back, lots of black duct tape, a satin slip, elastic, and another black dress. I bought something like five dresses & nighties from Goodwill on half-off Saturday and ended up using pieces from only two. My original plan was for much larger majestic wings and I scrapped that idea when 1) structural integrity was lacking due to my unreliable engineering, and 2) I’d knock too many things over if they were any bigger. As it was, I poked two people in the face when they were standing downhill from me and I turned without realizing how close they were.
I wore black boots, fishnets, and a black skirt, another Goodwill half-off refashion that I made smaller and shorter to fit me. I asked the gentleman of the house if I needed to cut it any shorter or make it any tighter and he said, “No, no, that gives the idea, that’s plenty good.” It was halfway to my knees and my friends commented on my modesty. I think maybe he just didn’t want me wearing a super short skirt out to parties he wouldn’t be attending…
P.S. No, not pregnant, just caught unawares not sucking in my belly combined with poor posture and a few extra pounds these days. I was going to Photoshop a flatter stomach and decided to just leave it, the unvarnished reality.
Halloween Costume #3: Hot Cop
On Friday night I went to a party as a hot cop, using my costume from last year. I made the dress out of an old duster-type button shirt, shortening it a whole lot to make a dress, buying a hat and badge, and adding other accessories from around the house. As I liked to say, it’s not that you could see my underwear at times because the hot cop dress was so short; I was wearing a second pair of underpants over the fishnets to hold them up, so technically you could sometimes see my overwear. Plus they were black and modestly cut.
My friend was a cat burglar, burglaring cats. The picture below from last year is Sarah Palin (this was just a few days before the election), hot cop, and a witch. You can tell it’s last year because my hair is shorter and I’m skinnier.
Halloween Costumes #1 & #2: Giant Chicken and Cheerleader
At CrossFit on Friday we came in costume. I started in my giant chicken costume and took it off within 10 minutes to reveal my cheerleader outfit from college. Check out a great video that two CrossFitters, Nathan and Virginia, made and posted by the next day.
Goodwill Finds and 2 Giveaways
I pressed Publish on a witty enjoyable post and something went wrong. I don’t want to write it all again, so look at that picture of two polyester jumpsuits from Goodwill, still with their original new tags on them, and imagine a humorous conversation between me and a friend who disagreed with my decision to buy them for $3 each.
I entered two giveaways on blogs I regularly read. First, Megan Nielsen is giving away a beautiful green dress she made — yes, an entire handmade shantung dress. Second, Brown Paper Packages has a 100th Post commemoration giveaway of lots of flannel scraps, also very cool. Sometimes I skip giveaways because the chances of winning can be small and the prizes are sometimes not up my alley — what would I do with a felted wool crochet owl knick-knack? These are both things I would really like and oh boy oh boy do I hope I win.
Lunch tote bag – now with more chickens
I made tote bag #3 using hideous leftover chicken flannel that was the backing for a quilt I made my mother using only fabric that had chickens on it. The inside is a yellow stripe from a fall apron swap last year. For perspective, I’m including a picture of it next to a half gallon of milk. Two of these next to each other would just fit inside. I filled the bag with random food from the fridge, it’s not stiff and wouldn’t stand up on its own.
Spooks Rattles Pots and Pans Swap Package
The Halloween apron swap package that I put together included the apron, a tote bag made from my favorite Skullfinity fabric lined in orange, a set of Halloween fabric scrap cards, and a bag of candy corn. I’ve gotta say, I was really proud of this package, I think it is my best yet, and the package I received in turn was also fantastic. As for the apron, I recommend that it not be worn with four-year-old SpongeBob pajama pants and a tank top wet with spilled toothpaste. (The picture was taken at 7 a.m. when the photographer generously agreed to wake up early to take a picture before mailing it off that day.) For some great pictures displaying the items, check out the recipient’s blog post.
Halloween apron swap package!
When I got home tonight I realized that I didn’t check the mail yesterday. I went outside and found a box for me: my Halloween apron swap package had arrived! I got the camera and opened it right away. As I type this, I’m wearing my delightful new apron and black headband with black rose and feathers. It also came with purple and orange jack-o-latern tote bag, perfect for bringing my lunch to work tomorrow; a small plate with the cutest bat saying “Screech” (in my right hand, it’s turned away from the camera); a beaker full of skull and bones candy; and a smaller felt Happy Halloween bag. You can see more pictures of the apron at Gin’s blog. I especially like how the ties are long enough to be wrapped around to the front, as I’m doing in the picture above, or tied in a big bow in back.
Watercolor floral knee-length skirt
Here’s my first attempt at a new skirt pattern. For some reason I started with a slick purple watercolor floral fabric rather than an easier (cheaper) basic cotton. I screwed up the zipper and should add some kind of waistband or at least waist finishing, and I think it’s still wearable, perhaps for work as pictured. I had to make it smaller once I had sewed it, because apparently my measurements don’t actually correspond to the size on the pattern that it says they should. I also cut off six inches from the bottom for a better proportion. As you can see from the difference in length between the front and the back, I failed to account for the shapeliness of my hindquarters and will need to adjust the hem in the front to make it even. (Working on my posture could help too.) My rear has certainly become curvier since I started CrossFit coming up on a year ago, in a way I do not find entirely unpleasant.
I turned scraps from the fabric into a set of cards. I still have at least two yards of the material left, which I will turn into something awesome as I gain sewing skills. While the gentleman of the house says it’s granny fabric — “Face it, you like old lady things just like this big flowery material. Old lady, I say!” — I think it’s beautiful. (“Old ladies can be beautiful, and like beautiful things!”)
New camera!
I’m buying my brother’s digital camera so now I have my very own camera of fairly recent vintage. It comes with a charger and an extra battery, so I have no excuse for not posting pictures on a regular basis. I started today by adding photos of my first lunch tote bag and some of the new fabric cards. I also took pictures of the apron and a few other items in my swap package for Aunt Pitty Pat’s Spooks Rattles Pots and Pans Apron Swap, except I can’t post those until I know my partner has received them sometime in the next week. (Being mailed tomorrow.)
24 Pull-ups!
I did 24 kipping pull-ups in a row tonight, tying the women’s record at our CrossFit gym. Several weeks ago I grabbed the crown by doing 22, and the next week another woman did 24. I tried so hard tonight to get that 25th and I just couldn’t clear my chin over the bar on the last one. I dropped to the ground, pleased that I tied the record and disappointed that I couldn’t pull off that last one to take it myself (ha, pull, pun!).
