Welcome to the inside of my head
Having determined the answer was one corset, I had to start making the thing. When I was but a young costumer doing fest garb on the cheap, there was a technique we all could do mostly in our sleep (and often did): the duct tape corset pattern. None of us had dress forms, and couldn't… Continue reading Midwinter Masque Part 2: It Always Comes Down to Duct Tape
Once I decided what I wanted to do, the next question was “what are the appropriate underpinnings for these silhouettes?” For fest garb, I always started with my corset and shift. But houppelandes predate corsets - did I still want to wear one? Tabling that for a moment, did Shoryl want to wear one? While… Continue reading Midwinter Masque Part 1: Of Corsets
As best as I can tell, other than a few pieces of fest gear around the same time, I’m costuming for the first time since I made a zoot suit for Shoryl back in 2006. It’s been…awhile. But on a whim, Shoryl and I got tickets to The Longest Night Midwinter Masque back in July.… Continue reading I’m Sewing Again
One of the reasons I've been sharing my recipes is because one of the "antidotes" to cultural appropriation is "find you own culture." ** Well, this is mine. The two formative cooks for me (my grandmother and my dad) never shied away from canned vegetables, margarine, and starches. They knew how to stretch a meal,… Continue reading Recipes and Culture
I'm seeing this pervasive strain of discussion lately that basically boils down to "ahhh, now this is the internet I remember!" And as someone who is old enough to remember that internet and have participated in it, I find it frustrating. This tendency to look back with impenetrable nostalgia sells short not only the thing… Continue reading Twitter, Mastodon, and Nostalgia
A Twist of Metaphor 