Random Encounter

  Obligatory photo in the hotel room because the second boots hit asphalt, all bets are off.   Wore the hat through the airport because both it and the box were too bulky and there's no way that's getting crushed. Big hit. No, seriously. If you ever want walk-by compliments, I highly recommend wearing a silly hat through an airport. It will make someone's day. Think of yourself like the frozen watermelons they give polar bears in July.    Truth be told I was really only planning to wear the costume one day. Locals tend to bristle when you point this out, but Atlanta in September tends towards the hot and humid. And you gotta walk. A lot .   Also, technically the hotel I was staying at isn't even on this map.    What? You think I'm making "stays at host hotel" kind of money? Flattered, but no.   Anyway, flipping through schedule and saw a FF shoot. Told myself I'd go if I got ready in time. And if they didn't look bothered. And if I got ready in t...

    Last time--if you can remember back that far, goodness knows it was a struggle for me--the hat style and size were determined and all the pattern pieces cut out. To help shape things, the pattern uses a much thicker interfacing and a double-sided one at that. So, you know the score by now. Cut out all the pieces, including the layers of interfacing.     As with every other time with the interfacing, it needs to be ironed to the fabric. Since this is double-sided, do yourself (and your ironing board) a favor and insert a sheet of parchment or wax paper between the interfacing and whatever you don't want micro-glued.     Okay, now take the long strip and make our crown. Pin the edges together, inside out. Stay stitch, then check to make sure the fit is good (I apologize for not having a photo of a shot so ridiculous). Make sure the edges are folded open, not both folded to one side or the other. Then do a regular stitch to lock the whole thing into place....

 Apparently the thing that was stressing me out the most was the hat. Alright then. Let's start on that. Meow.     First up is this piece of costume jewelry I found that would make a great accessory. Let's hear it for your local junk vintage shop! Despite the size of it, it's extremely light. Very easily bendable too, which makes me think it's made of tin. Not a big deal. Though it makes me a little nervous it'll get broken. No idea what that "19" is about. Rest assured, it did not cost $19.   First step is to get rid of the loop up top. We're not going to hang this like a necklace, so we don't need it. The pendant is indeed tin, so snipping of off and sanding the edges smooth takes half a jiff.     "So how are you going to attach it then?" Hush, I'm getting to that. This thing long ago lost whatever (probably plastic) widget went in the center. So we're going to remake that widget and embed a shank button into it. For example, t...

      So last time there was a laundry list of things to do and start gathering. At this juncture that means bookmarking a thousand things and then waiting like an ambush predator for it to go on sale.       What? Did you really think I was going to pay full price? For any of this? I'm flattered. But you saw that sketch. I have a job, sure, but it doesn't pay sword-pimp levels of money.      This go-around the fabric order included some red corduroy, gold belt buckles, and ostrich feathers. Also included, for no additional charge, was a month long shipping ordeal as everybody's packages got snarled, lost, and then found again. Love ordering stuff in December. Never a dull moment. Everyone should try it at least once. Oh wait. They did. Eeesh. Only been worn once and it already looks worse for wear. So embarrassing.        The feathers do fluff up the hat a bit. They're...not bad. Just one would think  eight...