Random Bits and Bobs

Bits and bobs seemed like an appropriate title for a post about miscellaneous things. (It is a favorite expression of my Scottish-born costumer friend Rona, so I always hear it in my head the cute Glaswegian way she says it.) Bits & pieces (the American version) just isn’t quite as colorful to me.

Currently, I am helping build the costumes for The Dallas Shakespeare Festival’s summer productions of Twelfth Night and Coriolanus. Costumes for both shows are designed by Leila Heise, who I have enjoyed having as a co-worker on many occasions, but this is the first time I have had the pleasure of sewing her designs.

This production of Twelfth Night is styled in a historic setting with turbans and such a-la-Spartacus. For the last couple of days, I have been embellishing the Duke’s fancy coat using pieces of beautiful hand-embroidered and sequined net fabric – it’s so bee-U-tee-full it cost $92 a yard! (Good thing Leila only needed one yard for her design!)

My in-progress photo of the Duke’s coat.
Notice the net is trimmed away from the pieces of embroidery that have been stitched in place.

I still have at least one more day of hand-sewing the fanciness (it will be mirrored on the other side). Here’s a close-up of the ornate fabric:

Pretty sparkles!

Besides the coat, I’ve had a blast sewing things like capes and harem pants, and just generally enjoying the company of my fellow costumers in the shop. We have way too much fun talking and laughing as we work! =)

Speaking of good company, a few weeks ago, I was bestowed the honor of the “Versatile Blogger Award” by fellow blogger A Girl in Winter. She is very sweet to think I deserve such a thing, and I am touched that she finds me interesting. =) I have enjoyed following her first sewing adventures and seeing the wonderful fabrics she chooses for her projects.

I’ve seen the Versatile Blogger Award on other people’s blogs in the past, yet it never seems to have the same “rules”. So I hope no one will be terribly offended that I have decided not to pass it on (I’m not very fond of chain-letters either – I always break them!). The rules that come with the award remind me a little of the “telephone game” where a friend whispers a phrase and it gets passed on so that everyone can laugh at how badly the original phrase gets distorted at the end.

Speaking of rules, Cindy of Cation Designs recently wrote a post about getting a prom “do-over” with her husband and how much more stylish she was the second time. (Luh-kee!)

I left her a comment about my own thrifted senior-year homecoming dress that I didn’t think was all that bad (considering all the dress-code rules we had to follow) but my husband (who met me a little over a year later) thinks it was awful. He deadpans his Napoleon Dynamite impression every time he sees a photo of me in that dress – “I like your sleeves. They’re real big.”

Napoleon (Jon Heder) and Deb (Tina Majorino)

(Things are about to get embarrassing…)

So, Cindy, since you asked to see it, here’s the photo!

High school senior-year homecoming with my friends
Fall 1996

I absolutely HATED my hair that night. My mom took me to have it done at a salon, and the hair-stylist didn’t really listen to what I wanted in an up-do. I wanted it to be a softer and looser style, but I got a tight French-twist and crunchy hair-sprayed curls instead. (This is the main reason I did my own hair on my wedding day!)

Later that school year, I had an opportunity to have a better photo taken in the same homecoming dress (with my normal hairstyle) for Senior portraits. I didn’t use this formal look for my official yearbook photo, but I liked it in black & white and it’s currently hanging in my hallway among other family photos.

I still don’t think the dress is all that bad!
It’s not horribly dated, even if the sleeves are kind of biggish.

Speaking of red dresses, today was the Festival of Pentecost (celebrating the birthday of the Christian Church) and red is the color associated with Pentecost. So I wore my slightly retro 50’s-style dress and coordinated with red heels and red headband this morning.

I bought this dress 6 or 7 years ago and always try to remember to wear it for Pentecost Sunday.

These days, I have a variety of looks when I dress up, but overall, I would say that my style is slightly retro, ranging from the 40’s to the 70’s, without being too costumey. I promise my style sense has greatly improved since the restrictive dress-code days of private high school! I wish we’d simply had uniforms!

Speaking of uniforms, I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day!