I remember going over my wish list. There were certain things that I really wanted. Poet/Bard shirt. New bodice. Boots. Pouches. Belt. Tankard. Cloak. A ton of stuff really.

Well, since then I've been looking at garb like crazy. What would I get? What should I save up for? Well. I've been looking at quite a few things. I'm looking at a pair of boots by Son of Sandlar's. The high boot in particular. They're about $315, but I was told they were worth every penny. I'm also looking at a 3/4 cloak from half-moon cloaks. I know a bunch of people who have cloaks from them and say they are really good and I like this one alot. For a tankard, I've actually been looking at instructions on how to make one. My dad loves to work with wood and I think it would be fun to make a tankard with him. I've also been looking at places to get good pouches and belts.

Well, anyway, I was walking through Wal-mart yesterday with my parents and my little brother. I've always thought that if I see something, I'd keep it in mind. I have no problem looking at thrift stores and such for anything that might help me out. But so far, I haven't been lucky. Oh well. I'll live. Anyway, I'm walking through wal-mart and I need a belt. Not just for faire, I really need a new belt. So I'm looking at their belts and I come across one that is PERFECT for faire and for my character at LARP. The even nicer thing is that I wanted a large belt for faire. I was able to find one in 2XL so that it would be large. Not as large as I had originally wanted for faire, but definately a nice size for me to work with. It was $11.00. So, of course I bought it. Now all I have to do is punch a few more notches into it and it's perfect. I am so psyched right now. Enough that I'm again looking at prices for linens and such. But, I'll be good. I'll save up for boots first. (And perhaps a membership to the IFRP as well. LOL)

So, HUZZAH to new garb!

I went LARPing again this past weekend. Oh my gosh it was amazing. It would have been better if I hadn't gotten a nasty cold while I was there, but hey, what can you do. It was still fun and I so plan on going back again.

I get there and I'm chilling in the tavern when we hear something that spooks us. So we go and figure out what it is. On our way back to the tavern we find that there are wraiths and other things attacking the tavern. I hid with Vica. There was no way we were going down into that fight. No way on earth! I hid up by the garrison where I could see the fight clearly, but I wasn't going into it.

Then, while I'm chilling in the tavern, a bounty hunter comes up to me and says "I'm going to start by saying, I suggest you buy me a drink." Now, you know that can't be good. So we sit down and start talking. Only over the course of the conversation I find out that he had been paid handsomely to return me to my home. (My character is a run away.) So of course I don't want to. I pay him every bridge I have to get him to come back tomorrow so that I have time to think. Only as he was leaving a bunch of undead came. We thought they killed him. And if was my first fight where I actually used one of my skills. YAY.

Turns out he wasn't actually dead though. He came back for me and everyone had to pool together money to get him to leave. I think we paid him half a castle (which is like two diamonds)

Then an elemental came and fused us all with fire. Don't know what that means. We also got fused to another element. I was fused with water. There were actually 5 of us who were fused with fire. So we each did tests to see how we reacted to fire then. 1 had a normal reaction. 3 had no reaction. It didn't hurt or harm them. Then me. It knocked me unconcious.  I still don't really understand.

We went into an abby where there were mind flayers and medusa. And I was knocked unconcious and then turned to stone. But then Smirl saved me. I like smirl.

We closed off the portal where all the creatures were coming from and we were able to turn the scourges off completely. That's really cool. We also were attacked by orcs, and in the fight, I killed an orc. My first in character kill. I searched the body and found money. More than I had paid the bounty hunter. I found 1 gate and 2 bridge. Combined with the bridge I found in the tavern. HUZZAH! I have money now!

It was so much fun and I cannot wait until next game. But sadly that won't be till apriil. Maybe I'll be able to update my garb and my LARP costume since they are incredibly similar. HUZZAH

I made a stupid horrible beginner's mistake that I should not have made.

Last week I measured everything and cut out all the pieces. Then I started sewing it together. Simple enough. And smart. Cut first. Then everything is good. I forgot to cut the gussets, but it was no big deal. I wasn't ready to sew them on and I had plenty of extra smaller pieces of fabric that were just the right size for my gussets.

So I go to school, spend the week happy knowing my bard shirt is coming along great.

I come home and spent about two hours sewing on it yesterday and working on it. And it wasn't until late last night that I realized the stupid mistake I had made.

I went to cut the gussets and got all excited. I had found a piece of fabric that was a nice size. It was great. Almost as if I had extra fabric. Only unknowingly to myself at that moment, it was not extra fabric. It was one of the sleeves. Stupid me forgot to label the pieces. And I ended up scrounging to figure out how to make another sleeve with what was left. Then of course I had to make sure it looked right so I had to work and make it all equal with the other sleeve. Now I have two sleeves with not enough fabric in them. So I tried adding more to the gussets and well, all in all, it's not going well.

I'm not going to stop work on this shirt. Maybe I'll be able to save it and will look great. But I doubt it. Besides, I learned a valuable lesson. Label everything!!!!

And if anything, I better know how to make this kind of shirt so that when I get the money to go out and buy more fabric I'll be able to have experience to help me out. HUZZAH!

So, even though I screwed up, there are lessons to be learned and I will take them with me for the future!

I always wanted a piratey/bard like shirt. I was really jealous. My brother had one and I didn't. I mean, I understood. He was in order of the arrow. It was part of their ceremonial Mohican Indian outfits, but still. I wanted one.

I have a shit load of fabric from my grandmother. Just tons and tons of it. Some of it is useable. Some of it isn't. She gave me this one, it is either muslin or linen or something, but the color and dye in it has got this strange look to it. It wasn't dyed all the way evenly. It was just strange and awkward. It looks like you can't use it for much.

But I was thinking. For my LARP I had stolen my brother's shirt. My character is a Bard. She's been wandering for the past 5 years and doesn't have alot of money. (In fact, she only has three bridge to her name and that's really dirt poor.) She sort of takes what she can get. So, crap fabric or an old shirt? That makes sense! She'd use it! And it would give me a reason to use the fabric.

So here's what I did.

I grabbed my brother's shirt. No I didn't take it apart. I'm using it as a reference. Referring to it when I need to or going back and forth to compare. This is the shirt he has. 

http://www.alicescottage.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=531

So that's my reference. I took a costume construction class last semester and I still have my bodice pattern from it. (Bodice as in the upper body portion of a pattern, not a nice bodice with boning and such.) So I grabbed that and opened my book to making shirts and such. I made some basic pattern edits and went from there.

At current, I've got a very basic piece started. I have the back panel done. I have the front panel done, including the little cut section across the front. So I'm happy about that.

I have to cut the sleeves and sew on the cuffs. I also have to sew on the collar. Not too hard. I need to open up the armseye a little bit. But when I do that and when I add the under arm gussets, they will work out fine then. I have a shit load of buttons I can use. Or I can work with some wooden beads/toggles. So that will work out very nicely.

I can't work on it again until next week. But when I'm done, I'll take a picture of it and put it up for you. HUZZAH!

Yay for new garb!

Gah, do I need some new garb.

I have some new rennie friends who work at faire and it only makes me more jealous when I see the pieces they have and then I see what I want to have...

But, I did buy some new pieces at faire this year... well, one new piece. I bought a brown muffing cap. So much fun. I love that thing. Besides, Jack Sparrow helped me to pick it out. How can I say no when it's Jack Sparrow? (No, not Johnny Depp! Some guy very well dressed as Jack Sparrow. Deal with it.)

But on the other hand I have a better idea of the things I want to make/buy...

To make! I really need a new shirt. The one I have is great for now, but it needs alot of work. I have some tan muslin in my closet, I'm gonna see what I can do with that. I'm going for a more piratey or poet shirt kind of look. I plan on using this shirt not for my current faire garb but for a more bard like outfit. Or a more piratey outfit. Besides, I plan on using it when I go LARPing. It would work far better than me stealing my brother's pirate shirt. LOL

I need to make a cloak. I want a really warm one too. My mom actually got me this cool pattern. It's like a combination cloak/shawl and it's utterly cool. I think for colder months and such, I'll have a fleece one of those. But I don't know. I definately need to make myself a cloak. And preferably something that is water proof. LOL

Things to buy. Boots. I was told not to get boots from Renboots but to go to Sandlers. I haven't really looked yet. Hopefully I will see something I like. The thing is I have to make sure they have plenty of arch support and ankle support. I can't just buy a pair of boots. They have to be good ones.

I also need to buy myself a belt and some leather pouches to put on the belt and a tankard as well. Actually, I was thinking the other day about making a wooden tankard with my dad because he might find that to be alot of fun. But I'd need to know how to seal it so that it is both waterproof and safe to drink from. 

So that's my garb update. I hope I can get these pieces made or bought soon. My only problem right now is lack of money. Well, hopefully it will all work out. Maybe I'll get some christmas money... oh wait! Christmas money. I already know how I want to spend that. A boffer dagger and broadway tickets. Well one of these days I'll have the money.

Though on the plus side, I already have the fabric to make myself a new shirt top. Who knows, maybe I'll have a cool pirate shirt in the next week or so! HUZZAH!