It's a long road to a Twelfth Night dress

My last court dress was made in 1998.  After  Amaryllis, Aleea and I completed the greatest Coronation clothes I ever worked on, I promised friends and family I would make my own dress before working on anyone else's.

This has been one of the most fun and silly experiences.  First, I needed to remake my corset.  This has been in the works for ages. I finally put the darn thing together, and wouldn't you know, it fit miserably!  How could I have gained so much in the waist that it needed *5* inches!!! 

I wasn't about to fit a bodice on top of an uncomfortable corset, so I got out the pattern bits to remake them.  Wouldn't you know, I had sewn the front to the backs top-to-bottom, and was therefore wearing  it partially upside-down!  Somewhat humiliating for a costumer, but too funny to be upset about.  I remade it promptly this time, and put a strip of trim on the top of the new corset so I know which end is up,

The dress is based on Titian's 'La Bella' and will be made out of a cherry-red cotton brocade with blue silk under-sleeves.  I hadn't planned to decorate the bodice like the painting, but wouldn't you know Amaryllis has black fur piping to imitate the fur lining, so there was no reason to skip the slashes on the bodice and upper sleeves.  

Amaryllis is such a sewing goddess - or an even higher entity, if there is one.  Her sense of design is wonderful, and she has developed the resources to do anything.  In addition to the black fur piping, she showed up on Saturday with a bagful of laces and piping and a piece of blue brocade for the lining.  We spent two hours trying this lace and that, finishing with trim instead of gold lace around the neck, cherry red piping along the edges of the slashes with the black fur showing from  beneath, more of the blue trim at the skirt hem with blue and gold piping surrounding it, and a different blue and gold piping to edge the slashes on the sleeves.

Needless to say, with these additions I'm not finishing it for Saturday, so now I'm aiming for the Twelfth Night on the 31st.

This is going to look so pretty!

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Holiday Concert

Today was Rebecca's first ever holiday concert.  Hats off to the W PA School for Blind Children - they go all out.  This was the concern for the pre-schoolers, age 3-6.  The theme was "December around the world" 

The hall was decorated in hand-made flags of different countries, with the backdrop for the performance area draped in blue and silver cloth and lit with those icicle lights along the ceiling.  The lights were behind the sheer cloth, which made it very elegant.  They had paper cut-out figures in silver mylar strung together with Xmas ribbon, so it looked like a really long line of paper dolls crossing the wall.

Rebecca's class was first.  They introduced the theme.  All 8 kids had a costume for a different country, mostly made by one of the teaching aides in the classroom.  She bought Rebecca hanukkah-themed cloth and made her a little dress with a white peter pan collar and cuffs trimmed in lace.  There was even a little triangular head-scarf in the same material.  She looked exremely cute.

This was a serious amount of work on the part of the staff, and they effort they put into the program was equally large.  Each kid was accompanied by a staff member - they got everyone into the act, teachers, aides, therapists, administrative staff all acommpanied children and walked or carried or pushed wheelchairs, walkers, standers and tumbleform chairs through the choreography.  Some of the more verbal kids got to narrate or sing into the microphone.

For the past three weeks, I kept getting messages home saying "Rebecca sang her heart out in practice today" so of course she was stone silent for the performance.  Her lower lip was out a mile, too, a really classic pouty face.  But they stood her on her feet and she stayed there for a decent period, which is great.

After Rebecca's class introduced the theme, each of the following classes had a specific country/song.  They did Mexico, China, Australia, Germany, Israel, and, of course, the U.S.A.  Then there was a sing-along, and they gave the families lunch.

A nurse and an aide from the daycare took the morning off to come see the kids perform.  There are several kids that go to Rebecca's daycare who were in the performance - I counted 48 kids listed in the program, and besides Rebecca, there were 5 current or former children from Child's Way.

One of the best things about these activities is the chance to socialize with the other parents.  Two of the kids in Rebecca's class are new, and I got to meet their parents.  I get to the classroom less often than the other parents due to my work schedule, and it is great to share impressions with them.  It helps that they are usually complimentary about Rebecca.  From the outside, it probably sounds like a bunch of old ladies - we mostly compare doctors and therapies, sources for medical equipment and adapted toys, etc. We're a support group for each other.  Our kids may not have the same diagnoses, but there are similar techniques for coping that help.  Three of the other mothers are going to nursing school, partially to improve their career options and partially to understand how to care for their children.  One mother said to me today that she hates being in meetings and having a teacher or therapist use terms she doesn't understand.

Most of the parents went upstairs to the classroom after the concert.  The other kids were changed back into their regular clothes, but the teacher said that they thought I would want Rebecca to wear her dress for the rest of the day.  So she did.  In the classroom, the teacher demonstrated to my parents how Rebecca stands to play a game, and I got to see how the aide she eats best for convinces her to eat.  Every time I go to the school, I'm impressed all over by how much effort they put into helping these children.  We're lucky to be there.

I had planned to take the whole day off from work, but my department scheduled their holiday luncheon for this afternoon, so I went in to work for all of 1 hour before we left for the lunch.  Nice day.

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Mini catch-up
Man, this has been a busy week, but I haven't posted since summer, so it is time.

The weekend was fabulous.  I have a new project - sew for the Royalty.  This is going to be extensive, since we're planning a whole wardrobe.  This weekend was scheduled to make dress patterns for the princess.

Part of what I got out of the weekend is that I have awesome friends.  Amaryllis and Aleea came to the pattern-drafting session, and we got several patterns drafted.  Once I finish my Twelfth Night dress, there are lots of pieces to start with.  Then Ariella is going to host a sewing circle so we can make multiple outfits for Pennsic.  She's gotten to be a great seamstress and is willing to take on a whole dress herself in addition to hosting and helping with the sewing circle.  We don't exactly know when this will be, probably in February or March.  Several local costumers are willing to come and help, so it ought to be a fun and productive day.

After that, there are always more clothes to make and people to wear them, but I'm hoping to make a pair of gloves next year.  It's been a while and I know where are the materials are in the house.

The house is still a money pit, and I have to put any available funds into repairs and upgrades when I really want new furniture. *sigh*

Tomorrow is Rebecca's first ever holiday concert.  I'm trying to charge the camcorder batteries now.  So much has happened with Becca since my June post that I will save that for later.

Current Mood: sleepy

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Beccablog

For non-fans of kids, please note the subject.  It will not offend me if this sort of rambling is not for you.

On Saturday, Amaryllis and I were sitting on a blanket at an event, and I noticed that Rebecca was sitting without any support from me.  Amaryllis and I started watching, waiting for her to tip over.   She sat unsupported for what we believe was more than 10 minutes!  This is a new record, the last was around 8 minutes at school and therapy.  In fact, she has never floor-sat unsupported in front of me before.

The past few months have been enormous for Becca's progress.  She has stood (without knee braces) at a low shelf for @3.5 minutes, supported herself on hands and knees for @2.5 minutes, taken a few independent steps while her therapist "walks" her around the room, and is starting to walk reciprocally (one foot at a time) in her walker instead of shoving both feet simultaneously.  Huge progress in gross motor skills.

Her command of reciprocal language is also growing.  She understands more and more words, some of which she responds with specific actions, such as "up" causing her to arch her back, "give me your hands" she reaches for me, "how big is Becca" she raises her hands in the air, and "time to brush teeth" she clamps her mouth shut. 

Sadly, she really doesn't want to use her vision.  It is really hard for me to get her to look at things, much less use a visually guided reach.  Her school teacher is going to come over July 5 to babysit, and I want to talk to her about options I should pursue.

Other Becca news: we have a nurse again.  I was a little worried having a guy watch Becca unsupervised, but he is doing pretty well, and my paranoia is subsiding, though I will be cautious for a while at least.  Nothing to do with the nurse, but being careful doesn't hurt.    Since I have the nurse, I hope to do some more activities in the SCA as well as elsewhere.

The other recent thing Becca has been doing is getting very excited when I come to pick her up.  When she hears my voice, she starts laughing and wiggling around.  

She is also willing to put both arms around my neck for short periods now instead of being slung over my left shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

That's enough for now.  It is great to have so many things to record.

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A kid post

Friday night a guest artist, Sheldon Low, performed at the Shabbat service.  He was pretty good, especially when accompanied by our cantor, another cantorial soloist, and an additional musician.  It was great and Rebecca loved it.  So when I heard that he was performing a free concert at the Jewish day school on Sunday, I decided to take Rebecca.

For a public outing, it was a success.  She responded well to the  noise and crowds, enjoyed the music, and didn't get bored without a toy.  I am a little perturbed at how much children stare at her, even without her wheelchair, but no one was rude.

However, I can certainly say that *I* was not the target audience.  Most of the pieces were from a children's CD he has just released, and while there was a sprinkling of hebrew words and references to Jewish life, none of the music was remotely religious in theme.  There was so much participation with the audience that the music got lost.  On the other hand, the kids really had fun, so who am I to kvell?

Maybe "Sesame Street Live" could come next, or something else that has music and doesn't expect silence from the audience.

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How time flies
I was lured back onto livejournal by <lj user="dona_violante">, who sucked me in by being darned interesting in email correspondence.  It says I haven't posted in 181 weeks.  wow.

Actually, the first thing I did after a look-see around the site was to go through my old entries and delete a bunch of them.  Some just seemed stupid, others made me feel weird - I'm not that person any more and it made me uncomfortable to remember her.  Kind of like the time I found my teenage diary.   I was surprised at the number of posts that were there.

Rebecca, my daughter, is the main cause for dropping lj for so long.  As with most parents, she comes first, in between, and last.  Unfortunately, it doesn't leave much time for other stuff.

I am hoping to change that with the nursing assistance that started two weeks ago.  The nurse is still getting used to Becca,  but things are getting better, and I can work on house stuff a little.  She comes 15 hours per week, which we've scheduled for Tuesday/Thrusday (4 hours) and Saturday (7 hours).

After some time for house stuff, I am really looking forward to social time with friends.  Three years is a long time to neglect relationships.  <lj user="cellio"> is high on my list for a nice conversational dinner - soon.

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Rants and observations
Two @!?#@?!! more weeks. I am getting so sick of being told "Stay in bed for two weeks and we'll see." My director at work has finally run out of patience, too, and is talking to HR about short-term disability for me. Grump. I *feel* fine, the kid is doing fine, and here I am stuck in bed, soon not even to have work to keep me occupied. I really didn't want the enforced vacation. Of course this happens just as the doctor says it is OK to increase moving around a little. The light at the end of the tunnel is right up there, but the car seems to be in park.

It is bad to complain too much about this, whatever needs to be done for the health and safety of this pregnancy I'm willing to do. But in addition to the tedium of bed-rest and missing my own apartment, every day on disability shortens the amount of FMLA time I can take to extend the 6-week maternity leave, and I'd rather keep it for then.

The solitude is a big issue. I'm used to working in a busy environment with lots of people around, and going out 3+ evenings per week. Sitting in a room by myself all day is a really lonely experience, especially after 6 weeks of it. I can't say how very grateful I am to family and friends who keep visiting, calling, and sending email. Something like this really shows you who your real friends are.

4+ months and I've gained only 6 pounds, none of it in the last 1.5 months. This is the first time in my life I've been worried about NOT gaining weight. Somewhat ironic, I think.

Plus-size women can't buy diddly in maternity clothes. And don't talk about quality - there isn't any. I don't mind spending good money on clothing, if only I could find where to shop.

Shopping, oooh. Internet shopping just doesn't compare to making selections from long racks. Even with Amazon sending regular packages, I dream about going to Borders. :)

On the way to my doctor appointment yesterday, I dropped off my 2002 car for inspection. It has less than 19K miles on it. The call back? Four new tires! An ad in the same day's paper for 4/$50 tires had a warrantee for 40K miles. What kind of cheap crap does Honda put on its new cars? What a rip-off.

Two men in my department recently got promotions. There isn't any chance for something like that for me, certainly not anytime soon. There is another job opening up in another department that I applied for last year, but I couldn't even go in for an interview, much less present a professional appearance. It really brings home the how career versus parenthood is still an issue for women. I really want some upward mobility (especially with daycare to worry about in 6 months), but I can't pursue it from home. Oh well, I can start networking when the kid is already born.

Funny observation: a friend asked me if I had picked names for the child. When I responded that my chosen female name was "Rebecca," she said "I would have thought you would pick something more jewish." I'm going to have to find out what a 'more jewish' name than one of the matriarchs can be.

Oh well. Back to work.

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On associates
This has been a long week. Non-work obligations include revising the the current list of Pelican candidates for an upcoming survey, having the annual meeting with my protege, and working on a contract for a potential new apprentice. Lots of SCA peer business.

( Associate annual meetingCollapse )

( Musings on associationCollapse )

Wow, staying up to cogitate all this was probably a bad idea. I have an early doctor's appointment thirty minutes drive away from home. Oh well, more on my week later.

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Muse of fire
Thursday night 11/13 I had the privilege of seeing the Globe Theater Company from England put on a performance of "Twelfth Night" in what they called 'original practices.' Original practices seems to mean that in addition to an all-male cast, efforts are made to present a venue that is as close as possible to how it would have been performed in Shakespeare's time. Twelfth Night was first performed in Middle Temple Hall in 1602.

( plenty of gushing aheadCollapse )

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How time flies
Twenty-two years ago today I autocratted my first SCA event. I had been in the SCA for 4 months.

Actually, it was a co-autocrat position with the person who got me into the SCA. She had never autocratted either. We didn't even know we needed a marshal for the tourney!

The feast was pre-cooked. We cooked it at another person's house since we were both freshmen living in dorms with no kitchen.

The event had @30 people there, which was a reasonably decent size for local events back then. Now it's small if there are fewer than 100.

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Weekend
On Friday afternoon my mom and I decided we would attend the new 'alternative' service at our synagogue. All I knew about the service before attending was that the rabbi did an interpretive text reading instead of a sermon and that the cantor played guitar. I had expectations of hearing the great songs from youth group, lo these many years ago.

I got a little worried when I went to pick up my folks and they were wearing suits. Supposedly this would be an informal service?! Well, there were several other people in suits, too, which really threw me. Luckily, I had dressed decently and there were several others in sweaters or sweater sets, so I didn't feel too badly out of place. Attendance was @20-25 people, including some elderly and several kids.

So the service had loads of hebrew and loads of singing, both of which are very meaningful to me. Unfortunately though, there are new melodies from the ones I knew 20+ years ago - almost all of the songs were new to me. Luckily, I pick up relatively quickly.

The Torah portion for the service was the "Song at the Sea" from Exodus. This is what the Israelites sang when the Egyptians were drowned in the Reed Sea. The rabbi invited anyone who had never seen the scroll to stand around the Torah as he read the portion. The text of the song is spaced to simulate waves. I watched three children @6-7 years old standing around the Torah. This isn't something that happened to me when I was young - I like that these children will grow up with a familiarity for the holy symbols.

The haftorah was from Deborah, but instead of reading the haftorah, the cantor sang a song written by Debbie Friedman that paraphrased the Song of Deborah. There were handouts of the torah portion and the haftorah in hebrew and english so it was easy to follow along.

This service, despite the unfamiliar melodies, touched a chord in me. I felt more a part of this service than my synagogue's usual services and would like to attend more in the future. The service is held on the first and third Shabbat each month, alternating with a 'Tot Shabbat' childrens' service.

Unfortunately, the service starts at 10:30. By the time the service was over the the meet-and-greet of the oneg was completed, it was 12:30. That's a big chunk of a weekend day gone. I'm such a whiner - the Shabbat service starts too late and the weeknight evening services start too early for me to get there on time.

All in all, this was a great experience. I hope to keep attending so that I can learn these new melodies.

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what to include?
Tonight I have to write a handout for a class I'm teaching on Saturday. The topic is "Basic Sewing Skills for the Beginning Costumer." My goal make sewing medieval outfits easier for the inexperienced sewer. There are a lot of decisions I have to make at this point, and I'm hoping for feedback from anyone who has an opinion.

There is so much information that this topic could take several hours, and I only have one. What would be the most useful 'in a nutshell' pieces of information? Should I write up basic modern sewing information, and devote the class to a show-and-tell of equipment and partially constructed apparel? Or can people get modern sewing technique from non-SCA sources, and I should concentrate on how to make modern sewing more medieval?

Suggestions of the things that made a difference to people who learned to sew when they joined the SCA would be helpful.

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Starting up
I haven't the vaguest idea how often I am going to (or will want to) post here, but it will be a fun way to keep in touch with my friends. Technology is good :)

Working without a manager over one shoulder is amazingly productive. Having my manager in the opposite cube must be a source of stress, since I get so much more accomplished when he's not here. Two days without him in the office will be great for my workload.

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