Olive's Howl-o-ween: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

We went really nostalgic for this year's Howl-oween. While technically DH and I are the same millennial generation, we're enough apart in age that most of my childhood memories aren't his, with the exception of a a few shows like Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? I credit this to the long run it had and the fact it was pretty ageless (we watched a few episodes on youtube and thoroughly enjoyed it, partly for the cheese factor.) I wanted something iconic (do you know how many CS costumes there are out there?) and pretty comfortable for Olive. Carmen's red fedora and trench and her yellow* turtleneck fit the bill.
Fun Fact: Season 1 of the game show was not entered into syndication, even though seasons 2 through 5 were. Why? Geography changed too much between Season 1 and 2... the Soviet Block collapsed.

This was a somewhat lazy costume compared to her BUGWB uniform. Lazy in that I used a commercial pattern as a base for the jacket and legwarmers for the turtleneck dickey. The hat was not lazy but I now have a go to for canine fedoras should I ever need it (because everyone needs one of those, right?) The jacket pattern needs more tweaking, you'll notice the fit issues in the profile shots.

So things got a little busy....

So here's what happened-
I have yet to finish Olive's Sherlock costume, the fabric for Carment Sandiego is still on the roll, and Olive rewore her BUGWB uni for trick or treating (no dedicated contests this year)
I registered for my last semester of grad school, I have 2 days left in my last internship, and I'm finalizing the edits on my writing requirement (my program's version of a thesis)
I had some less than stellar news from my physical that further constricts my diet, but knowing family history it really shouldn't have been a surprise
Olive competed in two Herding Instinct Tests and Q'd on Saturday. While I think she did better on Sunday, it wasn't enough for a second Q and we may just leave that title unfinished; the trials are kind of far away (out past my barn) and she's not going to competitive at herding. Upside is the first judge called her "The Pretty One!"

This is her "I want that cookie your promised" face

I now have a sewing list of fabric and patterns I already have on hand:
1. Mom's flannel nightgown
2. DH's plaid negroni (sort of regreting my choice of fabrics but we'll see how it goes)
3. Altering a knit skirt and breeches
4. Olive and my Sherlock Holmes pieces
5. Spring 1930s blouse for me (using a Miss Depew pattern)
6. Olive's Carmen Sandiego costume

I also have a couple of recipe reviews to post, too

Olive's Second Halloween: Planning

Originally, I planned to make Olive a little Iverness cape and Deerstalker cap out of herringbone stash fabric for Halloween- obviously she was going to be Sherlock Holmes. I even planned to have a red buttonhole. But then a bug hit and I started shopping for red suiting and yellow fabric. Why? Olive is going to be classic Carmen Sandiego. I loved 'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?' and had the Where in Time computer game which I completely wore out.

Everyone loved this idea and so I have started another costume.
So here are the parts for her costume:

The Trench - I already drafted an un-tested Iverness so I need to omit the cape and draft sleeves (uuuugh, hate sleeves) and figure out the lapel situation. I know shades vary but I think a bright red would be good to be more eye-catching, but I don't want it to get too McDonalds-y.

 I'm thinking a Red Gab, it'll be lightweight enough to not bother Olive but enough structure for the trench.

The Shirt- I'll throw together a yellow dickie so Olive's not wearing too many layers. Maybe make a cowl neck or something

I'll go cheap and use lemon broadcloth. I could make a slinkie/sleazy-type-thing out a knit but I'm not sure I want to do that or not.

The Hat- I'm not how dramatic to make it. Olive's great about hats, as along as she can see, she's good. If I had my way it'd be HUUUGE- let red hat society huge.

I'm not sure which is the best method for Olive's hat- make my own felt hat (with an itty bitty crown) or piece a fabric one together. I'm thinking piecing might be better for my own sanity but felting would look cooler. DH wants a big hat too - but his contribution to sewing is ironing so there's that. I'm not sure if I should use ribbon or fabric band.

I made a quick sketch of what I was thinking but it just looked like puppy as a farmer, I hope that's not an indication of how this is going to go.

Olive's Costume/Sewing List

My machine is off to the shop (the bobbin case is catching the top thread on something and I can't quite figure it out) so there's going to be very few sewing posts until I get it back. In the mean time, I thought I would work on a sewing list for Olive, it's only fair.

Costumes:
- Joan of Arc (enough of her being called 'him')
- K-9 (there's an adorable corgi dressed as K-9 floating around pinterest)
- Sherlock Holmes (I really just want to make her the iverness coat in a tweed or houndstooth)
- Serenity (the ship)
- Disney-canon Maid Marion (she already has the foxy Sheltie face, despite her raccoon markings)
- Pony (mostly to make up for my mistakes 13? years ago that I subjected on poor Niki)

Other Sewing Projects:
- Something for the Scottish Walk (probably using DH's clan's* tartan, or else the Stuart tartan since it's similar and cheaper). Do women wear kilts? Can you even make a puppy kilt without it looking like it belongs on a "Kilt Girl"? Shame only boys are supposed to wear TOS, I think they're adorable (and one of the reasons I would consider going the PhD route, since it really doesn't have professional value outside of teaching and just no.)
- Recovering some of her old toys using stash fabric

*Don't ask me which one it is, I know Sean Connery is in it and it's HQed on the Isle of Man. If I had taken the program opening in the UK we would have gone to the annual meeting this year.

Miss Frizzle Costume: Planning

(The shirt I've been working on for the last two-three weeks is just waiting for a hem and button holes, I just keep putting it off. I should finish it tomorrow... maybe)

For another day at ComicCon I wanted something a bit more... out there. And what's more out there then everyone's favorite magic schoolbus-driving teacher? A lot of things, but this is as out there as I want to go. I may be putting this off for Halloween in favor of Fairy Godmother- depends on if I can find a shirt for Kaylee and how intensive of a design I choose for this.

 

Did you know they have whole episodes on youtube? I'm reliving my childhood.

Unlike Kaylee, the Frizz doesn't exactly have a set costume. In fact it can vary wildly in each book/episode or even scene to scene! So my first step was to figure out which one I wanted to attempt. It seems like most people do the space dress, so I'd like to do something different. These were my favorites (so far, of course, subject to change):

The red unidentifiable things look they have the Earth point of origin symbol on them, don't they? Kind of makes it my favorite

I'm not even sure she wore this dress in an actual episode,
someone grabbed this screenshot from the intro- where it changes designs a couple times

Green cowboy boots!

I already found a wig: 

Arda Wigs- Glinda

So I just need to make the outfit (including shoes) and find a Liz. Apparently the stuffed Liz creatures put out a couple years ago are now going for $50-90 and I'm not spending that on a stuffed animal Olive will likely try to destroy. I may just find a Beanie Baby that vaguely looks like it (they still make those, right?) or do what L* did for our last convention and make the thing (she made a 2-3 ft bright pink rabbit that poked me in the ear constantly as we walked, her dog later destroyed it. She made me a mini to take with me to college. It has a lavender sachet in it and is currently keeping my wedding dresses smelling nice, I know it's best practice but I'm not terribly concerned with the continued condition of them so, oh well.)

I ordered this pattern with a gift card I got from BIL for Christmas (along with good fabric shears, thread nippers, and new marking pens)

Not a perfect match but I'm going to Frankenstein the bodice a bit anyway, so I'll be combining it with McCall M6124 I have in my stash already.

*L, being the really awesome art major that she is, made DH and I really awesome mugs- she also made the little Kaylee I use as my profile pic as part of a high school graduation/you're-moving-to-Texas-and-leaving-us gift. Who can figure out the two 'verses?

Costume Wishlist

I'm taking a break from studying (or something, more like having a Disney and cheesy late 90s/early 00s movie marathon with some notes open with my legal primer staring me down giving me a guilt trip) and wanted to make a costume wishlist. I have a sewing wishlist somewhere for "real" clothes (I have a shirt planned for the week between the end of the semester and Christmas) but nothing really for costumes except for a vague "costume closet" pinterest board. So here goes:

Kaylee Frye (Planning)
Ms Frizzle (Planning)
Fairy Godmother from Cinderella (I really just want a glitter wand)*
Jane from (Disney version) Tarzan
TARDIS (original)
DubDub from Middleman (a mix between the show and the GN)
Weeping Angel (I think this is mostly making up for the mistakes I made in high school musical tech doing set and makeup for Cats)**
Margo from Despicable Me 
Lady Adventurer (not quite steampunk but something not quite accurate either, with a vest. I need a reason to draft a custom vest since I know I wouldn't wear it in real life, but I want a vest!)***
Charlotte La Bouff from Princess and the Frog
This list subject to change and updates as I remember



*Also, the caftan/robe looks like I could wear sneakers underneath or whatever and that's just a win in my book. I'm always looking for a costume that allows for me to wear comfortable shoes.
** Here's a winner from when we were trying to figure out Old Griz's makeup. I was test monkey- someone else got to wear Jennyanydots that night. Her eyebrows got higher with each application.

***I may have mentioned this before but in high school and part of college I worked for Hershey. Part of the uniform in my area for a time was a hideous vest. Not even sure if it was an improvement over the previously hyperfitted ringmaster coats.Wearing both the coat and the vest, I was mistaken for a "nice, young man". Ruined menswear for me forever.

Kaylee Costume: Planning

Here's the tie-in I promised! I'm kind of running ragged with year-end work and filling out paperwork for a really awesome volunteer position. It's been a couple month process so I'm really excited to get it all completed. Anywho, here's the tie-in to Olive's potential Serenity costume.

Ms. Kaywinnit Lee Frye aka Kaylee

Photo courtesy of Serenify Costumes 

(other reference shots as well)

Olive's First Halloween: Olive Joins the Golden Wave (in spirit)

Unless we decide to take more pictures for Homecoming (first time DH hasn't been, in almost a decade) Olive is finished with her role as the Furriest Member of the Golden Wave! (Fluffiest? Certainly not Hairiest... and I've seen babies dressed up so not Smallest either).

A Quick and Messy Fez

It's almost Halloween again, so I thought I would share another costume piece DIY (also works for a lazy cosplay for a convention.)

When I made my TARDIS dress, DH wanted to be the Doctor (the 11^th to be exact) and he needed a fez.

If my costume was hasty, his was … worse. I had every intention of sewing a bowtie and fez. Things got away from me so he rented a tie from Men’s Warehouse and in the 5 minutes I had between rehearsal, decorating the gym and the dance I took two plastic cups, a staple, and some red fabric and made a very messy fez.

This is more or less how it went.

Take 2 *matching* plastic cups. Cut on the dots.

Staple the two cups together along the long sides to make a larger loop. Then cover in fabric (again, staple) however you can. I didn't like how I did it soo... yeah. Ya'll are on your own.

And this is how it turned out

Rethinking the TARDIS Dress

A couple years ago (2? 3?) I made a TARDIS costume.

This is the TARDIS:

It travels through time and space and according to Neil Gaiman’s really awesome episode, The Doctor’s Wife, is female.

I picked a 60s type dress and handstitched the thing in a week. It was serviceable but so ill fitting. I want to tackle this again, just to have it on hand (doesn't work for my plan for upcoming-next-year-big-event.) So here’s the original:

A cardigan will cover a multitude of sins... like unfinished/incredibly sloppy armholes that were supposed to have sleeves.

Olive's First Halloween: Progress Report III

I gave up on the plume. Nearly spent more on a boa with the correct tinsel (white with gold, for those wondering) than I did on fabric. It arrived with new trimming sheers for little Ms. Barky McBarkenstein (thank DH for that one, even though she is remarkably quiet for a Sheltie) so I was very excited. Sheers are awesome (tidy paws and ears now, so cute), boa not so much. It's a sad, sad, sad boa. If I were going for a ridiculous May West costume, it might have worked but with it going to be a very small section for the chicken, it would look just weird. Also, it shed everywhere and Squishface (my name) tried eating the pieces*.

The boa is now sitting on my scrap pile until I decide what to do with it. I never put a plume hole in her shako (which is adorable) so it's not a big loss. There's a weird pucker on the top that I need to touch up that I was hoping the plume would hide. Otherwise her costume is done.

 Not her costume, but still cute (pre ear and paw trim)

Made three epaulets (one was sewn with buckram forgetting that that stuff doesn't bend and it when flipped inside out should not be between the front and back). Sewed button holes for the epaulets and the cape. Used fancy gold-plated buttons (Fabric Warehouse 5 packs for $2 sale) to attach everything. Freaked out about the zipper (only had a white invisible, should have gotten a white separable) decided to do a fake lapped zipper and have with a gap at the top and bottom (also didn't have the right length). Freaked out about which type of hooks to use, ended up sewing in two different types before realizing I'm worrying about a dog's costume. Drank a lot of cups of tea (Early Grey, hot- also, Turkey Hill Diet Green Tea). Cooed a lot over Ms. Smooshface (DH's name, again) and how cute her costume was).

Olive (halfheartedly tried to convince DH we needed to remain her Oveta after Col. Oveta Culp Hobby) will likely debut it this Saturday at the Petsmart Howl-o-ween, there are at least two we will also do. So no pictures until then.

Waiting very patiently for DH to finish making her special dinner (between trims)

*Discovered that she will eat anything. Also, discovered she has as sensitive a tummy as her mom. Hello, Saturday morning vet visit and "special" food that requires a scrip. Also, special ear drops for her mild reaction to something that she ate.

Olive's First Halloween: Progress Report II

Olive's costume needs:

Shako Brim
Shako Emblem (trying to figure out how to do that, may be lazy and just make a star)
Shako Strap (do not trust her to keep it on out of the kindness of her heart)
Shako Top Piece
Chicken Plume (must be a universal thing, my high school band called them chickens, and my college band called them chickens... despite being separated by ~1500 miles)
Epaulets (not sure I'm doing these. Me=Lazy)
Cape Buttons
Zipper (or some sort of secure method, I don't have a separating zipper so that puts me in a sticky place)
New Hem on the Coat (positive I measured correctly but surprise...)

I think that's it... that just seems like so much but it really isn't. I'm on the fence about some of these - do I really want to hem the coat? It's reminiscent of my uniform junior year. I could have been a good 6 mo pregnant and not needed a new uniform. Senior year at least it was near perfect. Like it should since it was built to my measurements (or near enough, whatshisface has no idea where the waist is and put my high hip for my waist measurement so that was a wee bit roomy). Epaulets may look silly since her "shoulder" is so sloped (nevermind that's now how you measure the shoulder on quadrupeds) but I'm wondering if I need to hide the attachment of the cape... I still have a month to figure it out.

Here's how fitting has gone most times...

 

"I'm not so sure about this..."

 "That's the cookie bag!"

 "Yay! Cookie!"                        

Since she forgets she is getting a cookie until the very end (every single time), I feel that it's not a bribe. More a reward. Or compensation. Whatever. She gets a cookie, I question my ability to measure correctly.
I swear I measured her several different times but somehow all of the pattern pieces were too big and I ordered far too much fabric. Now I'm tempted to make a cape for myself, just because I miss mine and we didn't have them with the new uniforms and that made me very sad (just like the news about the changes to Homecoming this year. I want to know who thought that was a good idea. But I digress). I have no idea how to draft an armhole for a dog so I aired on the side of caution and it's huge. Like I could fit my arm through probably (I am not trying, I remember what happened when I tried on an old ballet costume. I think my mom almost laughed herself sick while looking for the seam ripper).

But you can see that Olive's ruff is coming in so very nicely. Three months ago it would have barely puffed up and would have looked very sad. Now it's adorable. I just need to remember to hide her tags for photos. I really want to get her a new ID tag- DH put the wrong zip code on the back (before we moved) and it is heavy for her heavy martingale collar, not the thin safety collar. We switched so her coat wouldn't separate as much- no worries, we still use the martingale for walks (or as she knows it "potty", I'm not sure how she figured that out, wish she knew "walk" instead) so there won't be a pretty-much-Sheltie running loose. If we didn't use a martingale she would have slipped her collar long ago when we were just starting on leash manners,.

Olive's First Halloween: Progress Report I

My hometown's fair kicks off the funnel-cake season for the area (yes, it's a season). We discovered when I was still young enough that they had a children's pet show that had a best dressed class in each division that qualified for BIS, additionally, the 4H region (could have been district) fair also had a pet show that was not limited to 4H projects (thankfully, since I was horseless member of the year for the county the year before and nothing changed since then sadly, but DH has promised me a pony within the next decade. I'm holding him to that). A couple years before my parents took in a Sheltie when his owner moved out of the area. He became my guinea pig for drafting costumes. He was Harry Potter, a pony, and a sheep before I aged out of the division and he got too old to put up with that nonsense.

Until a sewing table is constructed, I use the dining table for all my sewing needs. Yippee...

An Introduction I suppose

So I guess I’ll give this blog-thing a shot. At the very least, I’ll have somewhere to document new recipes, projects, and the antics of the puppy (DH has decided she will be a puppy until she is 8, and may even after that. We have 7 years to decide).

On Washington Crossing the Delebear.
In a search for a clever user name for something university related and after suggesting more questionable names like "bear collector" (sounds like a bad lingerie shop to me) DH landed on that gem. With a little convincing, it stuck and I promised him I'd reserve it as blog name (since twitter doesn't allow for long handles apparently). It's a play on the fact that our alma mater is the bears (technically bruins but we only use that in pep tunes that no one outside the band actually knows, though they did start announcing as our "war march" my senior season, no clue why) and they love a good play on words. And we recently moved so I can work on another degree in the DMV so it sort of makes sense. And I love history, and I used that particular painting in one of my last finals of undergrad (yes, really, it was military history final no less). So there. Washington Crossing the Delebear.

You’ll find a couple different things here (hopefully):

-          Reviews of mostly successful recipes (I may include disasters like the Pink Lady Cake just because it was that special)

-          “Normal” sewing projects (things that wouldn't be too strange to wear to class)

-          Costumed sewing projects (I have the firm belief that everyone- including the dog- could use a costume box)

-          Puppy sewing projects (yes, double coated breeds are more or less waterproof but they just look adorable in little yellow slickers, especially when they still have a puppy coat and very little undercoat)

-          Maybe some little crafty bits

-          Lots of parentheses (don’t ask where that writing style came from, couldn’t tell you)