New Costumes…

Yes, it’s that time again, when I start working endlessly on new costumes, or one new costume, I should say.  I’ve got another bag with a costume that I really need to put together at some point, but as I didn’t buy anything new for it, other than yarn for tassels, I don’t feel too terribly bad about casting it aside for a while.  The colors won’t suit the venue that I’m dancing at, so I might as well just hang onto it until the point I’ll have a place bright enough to use it.  Still, it’s time to get back into the costuming trend.  The spring and summer outdoor venue season is creeping up on me, so I’ve really got to get working on some stuff.  It’s well past time I try and put a few things together.  Given that the only costumes I have that fit are my Melodia stuff, which is really plain, and the green costume from Sarah, it’s time I get some new stuff going.  I’ve got to finish altering some of my old costumes anyway.

This new costume is going to be something entirely different from my old costumes.  It’s much brighter.  It’s got bead trim and some pretty beaded trim.  It’s rather simple, but it’s really pretty.  I like it so far and can’t wait until it’s done.  This is going to be completely unlike any other costume I’ve worked on to this point.

Over the weekend I took Oz out shopping.  I got him some stuff to keep him busy while I’m working away at costumes.  He’s go a model car to put together and paint.  He should have fun with that.  Meanwhile, I dragged him to Hobby Lobby to search for costume stuff.  I picked up some pretty gray trim, gray ribbon, some blue toned bead fringe and some white fringe.  Yes, you read it right, white.  I know I never wear white, but I figure it will show up wonderfully in the dark venue of The Shisha Lounge.  I had an idea in my head and just ran with it.  I also grabbed some white fabric from the remnants bin.  I had no idea how I was going to put it all together, but I imagined I’d figure it out.  There’s some pretty white and blue-green elvish eyelash yarn as well.  I got two balls of both white and the blue-green color.  I’d planned on using those to make myself a new fringe belt.  I just have to find chain or something to put it together with.  Then we hit up Target so that I could get a bra to embellish.  I found the perfect bra for the project.  It’s white and one of those low-profile bras that I love so much.  I hate to say it, but something a little low cut really makes a difference.  I’m sure anyone would have gotten a kick out of watching me do chest shimmies in the dressing room while leaning forward and back to make sure I wouldn’t jiggle right out of the bra while I was dancing.  I’m sure that would have seemed amusing!  It was nice because I picked up another couple bras for myself while I was at it, so now I actually have real supportive bras, not just yoga bras that don’t really do the trick in holding everything in place.  Oz got spoiled as well because he got new clothes out of the deal.  I know that made him happy.

So the new costume is going to be built on white, gray, and blue.  Thus far I really love it.  I think it’s going to be my favorite costume yet.  When I’m finally finished with it all, it’s not going to have a lick of black.  I didn’t notice it while I was shopping, but I also conveniently made a nice selection with both bra and trim.  The bra has little gold pieces for the adjusters on the straps and the loops the straps are run through on the back.  The beaded trim I picked has tiny clear gold glass seed beads separating each of the larger beads.  As a result, there’s a little hint of gold running through the costume.  I think I may have to accent that with a hint of gold in my jewelry for the show.  I’m thrilled about that!  I’m not typically one for gold, but it really seems to add to the feel of the costume.  It gives it a little splash of color that white, blue, gray, and silver really don’t cover.  It gives it a little bit of something flashy, since silver tends to match far too welll with white.  It’s kind of nice to have that little hint of something different and slightly clashing.  It gives it a new depth.

At the moment, I’m going to have to stick with black pants.  I don’t have anything in white, never mind anything white that will work.  Then again, maybe I could use my silver pantaloons for now.  I’ll have to figure out what I want to do with that.  The eventuality would be to get some white Melodias or some other white dance pants that will go well with the rest of the costume.  I like keeping with the base of neutral white so that the colors will be a splash of brightness over it.  It just lightens up the whole thing.  I also hope to eventually accent it all with some white and blue or white and gray flowers for my hair.  It won’t show up terribly well with my hair being as blonde as it is, but it’ll be something.  I need to do something with my hair that will be more dressy than simply putting in a ribbon or something.  I have a feeling this is a costume that will be with me for a good long while.

I have to say, it feels really good to be getting back into costuming.  I love my knitting.  I love reading.  I love all the other things I’ve been doing lately, but it all seems to be lacking in some way.  I never realized just how much I missed making costumes for dance.  I’m starting to think I almost like it more than dancing itself!  It’s not so much the big pieces that require long, tedious seams and hems.  It’s the detailed work that I love.  It’s embroidering mirrors, beading, sewing on trims, and all of that.  The little details are really what make the final result look that much more stunning.  I think in the end I need to get into doing more detail work in all of my costumes.  I think it will make a stunning world of difference in the end.  It’s amazing what a little bit of flash and color can do in the end, even if it is time consuming and some people find it really tedious.  Now if only I can get it finished by Friday!

Thankfully, with the regular shows at The Shisha Lounge, if I don’t get it finished by Friday, I can always pull it together for the next show.  I like having a regular venue to perform at.  I don’t need to worry quite so much about making the deadline for a particular show or I may not have a chance to use the costume again for months, in which case, it gets forgotten.  I like that I can pull something together and know that I’ll be able to use it again in two weeks or a month down the line if I choose to.  I’m really enjoying the ability to pull new things together, now that I’ve found the motivation to do it again.  It’s certainly helped.

I’m sure it doe

sn’t hurt that I’m trying to take some steps towards pulling my life back together.  Oz has been a huge influence in that.  I’m going to be down in Austin Friday afternoon taking poi classes with Ivy.  I was supposed to do that months ago and I’m finally getting the chance.  I think that’s possibly one of the best birthday presents I could get, though I’m not so sure how I’ll feel after the class.  I may just feel pathetic, like I’m never going to get good at it.  Even so, it’s going to make for a new format for progress, with any luck.  I’m finally back on my costuming kick, as if that weren’t obvious.  If I weren’t up to my eyeballs in costuming stuff right now, I think I’d be back on my dance thing again too.  I may not be able to keep up for as long as I used to.  My stamina has certainly taken a dive, but every little bit would make a difference.  I’ve really got to start pushing myself to do it more regularly.  On top of it all, Oz and I are finally going to work towards the motivation to get ourselves on some kind of schedule.  Our sleep schedules have all been crazy here, for everyone, even the kids.  We haven’t been eating meals at regular, predictable times, so that’s helped with the lack of routine.  Once we get that back, it will make a huge difference in our ability to get things done.  It will be so much easier when it doesn’t involve sleeping all day!  Finally, I decided to dig out my prenatal vitamins from when I was still nursing Aris.  They expire this summer, so I may as well use them before that point.  I have to wonder how vitamins go bad, but I guess I can’t really question that much.  Everything else expires, so why not?  And don’t go getting any ideas either.  Prenatal vitamins just happen to be what I have on hand!  That and they tend to give the biggest kick in the butt if you’ve got any deficiancies, which I probably do with my horrible diet.  Surprisingly, I’m only on day four and I’m starting to feel less exhausted all the time and more motivated.  Perhaps my recent depression phase was due to some kind of deficiancy.  Well, if that’s the case, at least I know that’s an easy fix!  Just keep up with the vitamins!

Well, I should get back to that costume.  I’ve just finished sewing on the fringe.  I’ve just started sewing on the bead trim.  Once that’s done I’m going to cover the bra with the shiny fabric I have.  Then I’ve got to sew all the embelishments on the upper edge of the bra.  Sounds like a lot of work, huh?  It is.  I’m not sure I’ll get it all done in time.  I’ve also got to put together a belt, though I may just cheat and use something I already have.  There’s a lot to do and not much time left to do it, so wish me luck!  I’m off to bust my tail on costuming!  Hopefully it will be done in time and I can have a new costume for my birthday too!

~*~Rave~*~