a busy little bee is me

SOOOO - the countdown to Estrella War is here, and I'm strangely calm. I've got one outfit done, another cut out, and am doing other little tasks in the interim.

First - the completed outfit. My SCA mistress did me the kindness of buying me and D countless yards of beautiful silks and actual silk brocades (as opposed to the polyester american imitations). This amazing treasure of fabric is being used to make a number of beautiful things, the first of which was a new Tang crossover for D - which he wanted before 12th Night last weekend. The result was:

D is the cute boy on the left wearing his new red & gold Tang crossover. (as an aside - 12th night was a "masked ball" and the boys felt the need to make it a little more lively, hence the lucha masks - LOL)

I still need to finish making his belt that goes with the outfit. BUT, I have to say that there was a DISTINCT and OBVIOUS difference in sewing the chinese silk vs. the american cousin. It sewed so easily and beautifully. I have adapted my sewing style to accomodate US brocades and how they twist & fray - but NOT THIS STUFF! It is heavenly. I need another friend to go to china and buy me $300 worth of fabric!

One of my other Estrella tasks is to make a banner for the top of the NEW PAVILION THAT WE BOUGHT! (SQUEEE!) The friends we bought it from gave us all of their finnials to go atop each pole, and red pennant banners for all of them. But I thought that the one on the very top should be different - more individualized.

So - again I'm silk painting golden monkeys! Being that this banner is only roughly 10 inches tall, but a very long pennant - I decided to spend $1.30 and get the largest needlepoint circle I could find. It has been MUCH easier to paint (compared to the monstrous thing I already made). I've already done the monkey - the body of the banner is red, but I'll probably do golden yellow edges. I'm very proud, and I hope it looks rockin on the pavilion.

OK, THEN my INSANE self found these fabulous beading kits on clearance at Michael's, and I've already blown through 2 of them, with one more to go...

THE KIT

THE EARRINGS

THE SET

See - I'm insane. Yet, doing all this has kept me busy, and kept my mind calm.

I have tons more to do, and will do my best to keep posting my processes and the fruits of my labor.