What two posts in one day? This one IS about sewing and just for my friends on Illyriad

Ok, so my new addiction is Illryiad, a totally awesome MMO online game and at the request of some of my alliance members, here are some pictures of stuff I have done in the past, while I wait for the weekend to work on the sewing room some more. I promise, we WILL get around to stuff that I'm working on.

First off, let me tell you a little about these dolls.  I got an order a while ago for some rag dolls for some High School Senior cheerleaders.  I was a bit overwhelmed and a bit late with this so I ended up with a bunch of dolls in need of new homes and no money (always, always, always get a deposit!).

Here's what we do to cheerleader dolls when the client doesn't pay.  BWAHAHAHAHAHA.....

Goth Doll

Yeah, that's right we mess up theie hair and dress them up like this. This one was done for a co-workers daughter last Christmas.  I took my inspiration from Henritta Biggle from South Park. She's one of the Goth kids

Yeah, that's right, I change cheerleader dolls into chain smoking, Doc Martin wearing goth kids. :)

Oh, but that's not the best one, cause really this one beats this:

Biker Doll

These of course are custom jobs, and I still have a ton of others to costume. I'll post more later to wet your whistle. Maybe even some human sized costumes. 

:)

The post that's not about sewing

Ok, so I've been a bit grumpy lately, and I've been wracking my brain to figure out why and after going through all of the usual suspects, (Birthday in 6 days, demolition site of a sewing room, in charge at work, etc) I think I have figured it out.

I'm have a Senior in High School moment.

Now, I know that a lot of  you out there HATED High School, but really for the most part, I loved it (I also loved College, Grad School, term papers and finals, so I'm odd, ok?).

And I know that most of you that are reading this are familiar with me and my work (let's call it Office-R-Us) and the little.... issue with the continued employment of some of my colleagues.

But for a recap, waaaaay back in June of 2009 Office-R-Us had a big push to hire a bunch of people for a new service center.  Now, as we end 2011 we are getting ready to launch a global center, not here, somewhere else.

Sooooo, a lot of people are losing their jobs, and some of us very fortunate people are getting reassigned to do other things.

The problem is, since Oct of 2009 I have been working closely with a bunch of ummmmm.  Heck, what can I call them that can be all code.  Ok, lets just say that I've been working closely with a great bunch of people for over two years now.

That's where the High School Senior moment comes in.

Back when I started this post (I am NOT a procrastinator, it was only before Halloween) it was almost the last Halloween (and my Birthday) that we were going to be working together.

Now it's almost the last Thanksgiving.  I mentioned to one of my .... people.... (gotta get a better word) about it and she mentioned Christmas was coming, I almost broke down cause this is the last Christmas that I'll be helping her out.

No wonder I'm not much in the holiday spirit.  Sigh.

But this blog isn't really about work. It's supposed to be about my costumes and dolls and quilts and such, and as such I'm gonna try to get back on track.  It's a loooooong weekend coming up, and hopefully I can start sewing soon.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Progress? Just a little bit I think....

OK, so first off a shout out to all my Illyriad friends who might be reading this (my other obsession right now besides sewing)!

But I did manage to get some work done (mostly this weekend) and I have the pictures to prove it.

So, these are from mostly the same positions, in mostly the same order.

Ok, not EXACTLY the same angle, but you get the idea I hope

That looks nice (but blurry, gotta get a new camera.....)

Not much improvement on this one, still looks a little dubious to the right....

Oh look, there's some stuff behind that pile of other stuff, fancy that...



How many days until the Halloween Nights at the Dallas Zoo...... Oh yeah, that's right 8 Eep!

Did I mention that I need to organize the Sewing room.......

Hi all, I'm back!

Alright, so in the last post I introduced myself and Matilda, and at the end I mentioned that I needed to organize the sewing room.

Well, I've been working on that on and off now and I have made some progress but we have quite a bit to go (and Halloween only two weeks away).

Let me show you want I'm up against.  These are pictures taken on Saturday after lunch.

Ok, this doesn't look to bad (except that it's a bit blurry), nothing we can't handle right?

Oooooh, not bad either, all that nice neat fabric stacked nicely and neatly in the book shelf, ooooooh.

Ok, things are looking a bit scarier, but there's Matilda! Sporting my Pirate Captain's coat (which I should get around to finishing one of these days), but that bit over on the right looks a wee bit rough....

EEEEEEE!!!!!! Run away..... That bit doesn't look fun at all, and most of those boxes are full of fabric.  Much to do, much much too much to do.

Soooo, I worked on things on Saturday and Sunday and I'm proud to report (although no pictures) that things are doing a bit better now.  You can actually move in the place and a lot of the stuffi is organized and put away.  Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to get to the closet!

Just in time to have to rush a Pirate costume for the 28th at the zoo....

And away we go.....

Howdy folks!


Welcome to my new blog.


Let me first say that my name is not Matilda.


Now, now hold on a minute, get back here, I didn't lie to you or anything.... yet.


So if "I" (the author) am not Matilda, then who is?


Well, she's kind of quiet and doesn't get out much.....


She doesn't eat much and she doesn't mind too much when I accidentally stab her with pins....


Ok, you got me, she's a dressmaker's dummy.


But what's with the name? I can hear you asking.


Well, that's a loooooong story.


See, when I was little I got a a stuffed koala bear from some relative or another, and I was always fascinated by where they came from and always used to pester my Grandfather (who had been in World War II) about that.


He would always say that he had been in New Zealand and not Australia and didn't really know where Koalas came from, but he could tell me all about wallabies. 


Not a lot of help, but I didn't care, I mean I was like four and he was the most awesome thing on the planet (well, they both were, my Grandfather AND the stuffed animal, at least the stuffed animal WAS until my dachshund got a hold of it and ate one of his eyes....).

So I grew up with this stuffed koala, and loving the whole idea of the land down under and all that good wholesome growing up in the 70's stuff and loving this Australian song "Waltzing Matilda".

Then I went to college and things changed.

I had already fell in with the "drama" crowd in High School, but I met people in college, people that took dressing up and acting to a Whole New Level.....

Reenactors.

So in college it was the SCA (we were the incipient shire of something or other somewhere in Caid, THAT was decades ago  don't remember what the name ), then after college I moved and found more SCA groups (Bjornsborg I miss you.....).

Anyway, I moved again, further north, but still in the state and we ran into another group of people....

Civil War Reenactors!

I said this was a long story....

Ok, so I got into Civil War Reenacting hook, line and hoop skirt and started volunteering at a local history museum.

And that's where I found Matilda.

She had been used for a exhibit and they were going to get rid of her, so I took her off of their hands.

And named her Matilda....

Why? Because that was the song that was stuck in my head when I got her.  And coincidentally, now that I have finally gotten around to researching the song (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltzing_Matilda) it sort of make sense.

Ya see, Waltzing Matilda has nothing to do with dancing with pretty Shelias in the outback. Oh no my friends, it's about a swagman walking (waltzing) around the outback with his bag o' stuff (Matilda) and nicking sheep!

Well, I say (covering Matilda's non-existent ears), if you tilt your head just so, and squint, she kinda looks like a bag....

Ok, so I don't have a picture yet, you'll have to trust me on this one.

Ok, so you know a little about me, and the long twisty story of Miss Matilda, now you are probably asking why the heck am I blogging about her?

Well, I'm a bit of a procrastinator, and I figured that if I had a blog I would actually work on things so I could post my progress and there by want to do more so I could post more....

Oh you get the idea!

Just don't ask me how long I've had this blog and this is my first post.

So, I'll be posting info on my project and all sorts of fun things here.  Hopefully fairly regularly.

Now I just have to finish organizing the sewing room.........