Costume College, Day 2

Donned my medieval garb this morning and headed in to Costume College! Fortunately I'd taken in my Bargain Bazaar items yesterday, because I had no time to have dropped anything off today! The commute in was a beauty; I only dropped below 65mph once, and that was for a right-lane closure. I also got petrol just before leaving this morning, so I reset my counter and now have an accurate gauge that it's 50 miles from home to the hotel.

The petticoat class went great! No one finished in the three hours, but a few people were close, and I think everyone left with the skills to finish their petticoats and make more in the future.

After that three hour class ended, I had just enough time to drop my tub of samples in my car and then go to a three and a half class on stringing pearls. Remember that set of pearl earrings I promised myself after finishing Queen's Choice? I now have them, along with a matching necklace. And, honestly, the skill was easy enough for me that I'm now thinking, hmm, who on my Christmas list would like pearls. :)

Both of which classes also led me to the contemplation that I'm one of those people who picks up skills reasonably quickly. In particular, the wide range in my petticoat class of who "got it" quickly and who didn't, has led me to thinking about this. I guess "learns easily" is a skill unto itself?

I also browsed the Marketplace, and sadly, Hedgehog Handiworks is not there! ;_; I'm going to have to do a mail order from them, as no one who is there seems to have a 12" busk, which is something I need for the 1912 corset. And there are a few other things I want, too. Lucet weaving book! I did, however, peruse Decades of Style's offerings, and picked up the Kitchenette Pajamas for next Costume Con's Single Pattern Competition, and also purchased the pattern for the 1950s Object D'Art Dress, which is so new it's not even up on her site yet.

And while I was doing all this, Wonderful Husband heroically got up early on a Saturday morning and waited online in line for SDCC membership. He got our memberships, and we will be going Sat/Sun next year. Yay!

Costume College, Day 3

Woo! Costume College was, overall, excellent this year~!

Yes, I totally hit it out of the park. I did three for three on awesome teaching. The felt and rickrack flowers demo, in fact, I had several people tell me I should repeat next year as a workshop! So, next year, I'll offer to teach a workshop on that, and embroidery since I got one question if I was going to teach that again, and... something. I have like half a year to think up a third class.

As for the classes I took, the Heirloom Sewing Techniques class was great and will be highly applicable to the 1912 project. The Card Weaving class was also interesting, but I think it's not something I'm likely to take up as a hobby unless I get a loom for it. And I have so many higher priority things that weaving's probably not on the cards for years and years. Still, new technique learned, and by the end of class I was puzzling out my mistakes and correcting them.

Between those three classes, I didn't have much of the day free, but I did manage to attend most of a lecture on La Mode Ilustree, and got to say hi to several people I knew. (And buy a few things at the Bargain Bazaar, but, trust me, I came home with less than a tenth of what I donated.) I ended up wearing one of my Regency gowns, which I actually don't think that much of; I could sew it so much better now, but hey whatever. Got several compliments on it, and one photograph taken, the same as yesterday's medieval garb, the reaction to which also confused me. They're both very plain garments, not really worthy of notice or compliment.

But so overall I have my creative batteries recharged, my enthusiasm high, and end my weekend feeling happy and refreshed. My plans are now to list out the sewing projects I intend to do for the rest of the year, write up my birthday list so my rellies don't cream me, start work on that cut out dress weighing down the ironing board, and think on how to start the next chapter of Deus Ex Machina.