Little Red Riding Hood

I am an avid convention goer, and I particularly love cosplaying. While I'm not a huge fan of any particular anime or many of the shows most commonly associated with cosplay, I like to bring my own interpretation to characters I have a a passion for. Normally my cosplay is directed by the guests attending the convention, but this year I just decided on something a little more generic and versatile for use at other events. So, Little Red Riding Hood it was.

Originally, I had a brilliant idea for a werewolf hunter, Anna Valerious-esque twist on the traditional Red Riding hood. Something closer to what the Grimm Brothers might have imagined she'd grow up to be guided by the cunning and knowledge of her Grandmother and the skills the Huntsman who saved them. A red velvet hood would replace the jacket, a crossbow in lieu of the sword, but keeping the flowing romanian style peasant blouse, underbust corset, fitted black pants and knee high boots.

As all brilliant ideas go, I had started the crossbow 6 weeks out from my event.  The weapons codes for Supanova (my preferred Australian pop culture convention) are very strict, and for any sort of projectile weapons require them to be unstrung and without ammunition. This required a completely static prop with the look and feel of a strung crossbow. While the majority of the work had been completed, I ran out of time to finish the weapon for the event. However, I will post in detail later when it is finished.

My next task was my hood.  Initially, I bought a beautiful deep red, synthetic, 112cm wide double velvet. The pile was beautifully luxurious, and being rayon, it wasn't as heavy as you would expect from a cotton double velvet.  If I may offer one word of advice to anyone sewing with velvet for the first time: for the love of anything holy to you, DO NOT put it in the washing machine.  For some stupid reason - I think my brain took a leave of absence - I chucked it in the wash with the rest of the red fabrics I'd bought recently. I've never washed velvet before, I never will again. I just destroyed $224.95 worth of fabric. And despite what all the blogs say about 'How to revive the pile in your velvet', nothing worked.  Not handwashing, not handwashing in hot water, not steaming it in the bathroom, not steaming it with a steamer, nor ironing it face down on a towel.  Nothing.  And I didn't have the time or the $90 to buy a needleboard, which would have been my last hope. However, if I ever need 5 meters of crushed velvet, I don't need to buy it.  Lesson learnt.  After much crying, hair pulling and despair, I was incredibly lucky that my local discount fabric store had a suitable red cotton velvet for a fraction of the price of my original purchase.

The pattern I used for my hood was based on the Butterick B5265 Historical pattern. The basic pattern provides for a semicircular unhooded cape. I modified the pattern and added 5 inches to the length. This was purely to make the piece more versatile, as I can also use it as part of my medieval re-enactor garb. If this wasn't your intention, it is far more manageable and wearable at the original length. 

I then added the hood from the robe in Simplicity 5840 to create my preferred garment. Lined in red poly cotton, the finished product required a little additional gathering around the neckline to match the two patterns together.  Having only ever worked with velvet once before, and failing dismally due to my lack of understanding on how to cut patterns to ensure the pile ran in a consistent direction, I was a little chuffed that everything worked out relatively well. I know in the future I need to add extra allowance to the lining to prevent puckering of the external fabric. This is my finished product.

From here, I used an old blouse I already owned to create the pattern for the peasant blouse.  Made from a cotton cheesecloth, with 2mm rolled hems, it secured the edges inside the elastic channels without adding additional bulk. I added elastic to the necklines and arms to allow for off-the-shoulder styles, and for better shape to the sleeves.

While it looked exactly as intended, it was at this point when I put everything together that I realised I did not have the figure to support the curvy wench look I was aiming for.  I just don't have the hip width in the fitted jeans, and even with the corset, it just didn't look right. So this, combined with the fact that I couldn't get my crossbow completed in time, meant I had to really rethink my initial kick-ass, warrioress style Red Riding Hood and pare it down.  I decided to bring it back to a more traditional character, rather than abandon the costume completely for this convention.  So I changed the boots to something a little more girly, and found I had enough fabric left over to create a matching skirt.

I decided in a simple circle skirt.  It added additional colour to the costume, but also provided the illusion of wider hips, giving that more traditional medieval style silhouette I was aiming for. A great site for basic circle skirt tutorials is By Hand London, and they've even got an app for the calculations. Once you've got your measurements, I find the easiest way to create the circular arc for your skirt is by folding your fabric in half, and drawing a semi circle using a fabric pencil tied to a piece of string the same length as your skirt + the radius of your waistband.  I also chose to line this skirt with the same red poly cotton as the hood, simply to maintain the integrity of the velvet.

With all pieces I could create completed, I complimented the outfit with a gorgeous faux suede, gold microfoiled underbust corset, created especially for me by the lovely Elizabeth from Curvy Wench on Etsy.  She has amazing skill and creates beautifully fitted custom pieces to order. I'm not a regular corset wearer, but I was able to wear this piece all day while traipsing back and forth from one end of the convention to the other.  It is incredibly comfortable.  One day I aspire to be able to create corsets, but in the meantime, I will happily spend my money with Elizabeth.

On a side note, I prefer to trace all my patterns onto a trace and toile interfacing, rather than relying on the tissue paper patterns that tear so easily. I've always been an unusual shape, and most patterns don't fit me well, so I find the interfacing allows me to modify and customise the pattern without damaging the original. It's also cheaper, and far more forgiving that making mistakes on your fabric.

From here, my next project is for the premiere of Star Wars VII - The Force awakens.  I'm aiming to create my own Jedi robes, as close to the canon as I can.  I hope to see you then - but in the meantime, here's Little Red Riding Hood hanging out with the Jedi from the Tattooine Base of the Rebel Legions at Supanova Brisbane, 2015.  May the force be with you!

 

Favourite Retro Inspired Stores - Brisbane, Australia and Beyond.

Thought I might pop a little note here about some of my favourite stores. The list is not exhaustive, but these are the stores and sites where I've personally shopped and had exceptional service. Others have been left off the list due to 'issues' - including extortionist shipping charges to Australia - but please feel free to comment and I will add any you think I need to know about :)

Brick & Mortar Stores in Brisbane
That Shop - https://www.facebook.com/pages/That-Shop/179136394420
Tattooed Zombie http://tattooedzombieaccessories.bigcartel.com/
Poison Kandy Klothing - http://www.poisonkandyklothing.com.au/
Rockabilly Retro - http://www.rockabillyretro.com.au/


Online with Local Pickups/Returns
Beserk Clothing - http://www.beserk.com.au/

Australian Websites
Kitty Deluxe - http://kittydeluxe.com.au/
Rock N Roll Retro Ragz - http://www.rocknrollretroragz.com.au/
Atomic Cherry - http://www.atomiccherry.com.au/
Trash Monkey - http://www.trashmonkey.com.au/
Ruff n Ready - http://www.ruffnready.com.au/
Ideed - http://www.ideed.com.au/
Stars and Swallows - www.starsandswallows.com.au/
Von Merc Alternative - http://www.vonmercalternative.com.au/
Kat Frankie's - http://www.katfrankies.com.au/shop/

Pigtails and Pirates - http://www.pigtailsandpirates.com/ - these ladies also make the cutest baby rompers!
Your One Stop Pinup Shop/Louella DeVille - http://www.yosps.com.au/ - their double layer petticoats are so fluffy!

Overseas – Remember these can take up to 4 weeks to ship
Pin Up Girl Clothing - http://www.pinupgirlclothing.com
Retroglam - https://www.retroglam.com/
Vivien of Holloway - http://www.vivienofholloway.com/
Atom Retro - http://www.atomretro.com/
Bowling Shirts - http://www.bowlingshirt.com/bowling-shirts/retro/… (great for the guys, but they also do poodle skirts, saddle shoes, cats eye glasses and all kinds of 50s gear)

Shoes
Knock-out Heels - http://www.knockoutheels.com/
Kitty Deluxe
Your One Stop Pinup Shop
That Shop
Beserk Clothing

Hair and Makeup
Fabulous Everything Hair and Make Up - https://www.facebook.com/fabulouseverything?fref=photo - Juanita owns her own salon and is the undisputed queen of vintage makeovers.  She also runs vintage makeup and hair styling workshops through the year, an absolute must for beginners and experienced pinups alike.

Hanging it on my sleeve

As you might have gathered from my previous posts, life has been a little rocky for the last 10 months or so. From dealing with a critical incident where I may have lost my husband (and I still have lost him in some ways as he's never been the same, oh the joys of PTSD), adding to that stressors of my own workplace and a series of assaults that left me with anxiety and panic disorder, I've been feeling a distinct lack of control over my own life. So in December 2014, I made a decision that I hope will help me take back that control. I'm booked in to get a Gastric Sleeve.

Also known by the medical fraternity as a Sleeve Gastrectomy, it's a procedure that will permanently reduce the size of my stomach from by potentially 90% and help me tackle with the obesity problem I've been fighting since my late teens. From when I was about 16, I had my last growth spurt, and as many girls do, I went out instead of up. I gained about 10kg and went from a size 12 to a 16 in the period of six weeks over the school break between Grade 11 and 12, in no small part assisted by having a boyfriend who had a car at worked for a pizza takeaway (and no one makes a triple cheese, double anchovy pizza like Brian did). While I didn't gain any more weight while at school, once I graduated and started working in an office in the city centre, I went from 2 x 20min brisk walks five days a week, to dragging myself out of bed at 5am and crawling back into it at 8pm exhausted, to do it all again he next day. As tends to happen when you're time poor and on public transport for four hours a day, the easy take away foods became my staple. I was old enough to drink which added additional unneeded calories, and by the time I started university 12 months later, I had ballooned out to 110kgs and a size 20. 

For the past 10 years or so, I've been a relatively stable 94 kgs. I've tried numerous diets over the years, lost 12.5 kg with Weight Watchers, 10 kgs with Lite N' Easy, but the weight always crept back on. And unfortunately at 165 cms tall, and a central weight carrying body type, a typical apple shape, it's taken its toll on my health. At 21 years old, I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and High blood pressure - conditions practically unheard of in people in their early 20's. In the years after, I also developed high cholesterol, fatty liver, polycystic ovaries and sleep apnoea (thankfully that was only due to having massive tonsils, not due to my weight, and resolved when I had those huge mongrels removed in 2013).  All these issues have ultimately also impacted my fertility, and as a result my husband and I have suffered two early pregnancy miscarriages. Two was enough for me, and for a long time now I think I've been too scared to try again. To try and drop all the weight again, to go onto insulin, testing blood sugars 6 times a day just to have it all fall apart again? I played the ostrich, kept my head in the sand, focused on buying a house instead, adopting my fur baby family and avoiding friends with small children as often as I was able to. I kept telling myself we couldn't afford it, the mortgage needed to be 20% paid off before we should try again, that if it was meant to happen, it would have by now.

No more. The past year has pulled up all my failings and shoved them in my face. I could have lost my husband. I could have lost the one person who has suffered with me, who silently stood by and never criticised me, who has never spoken about his dreams of being a father because he understood my pain and fear of failing the most basic function of a human being, reproduction. And it's not fair, to him or me, for that to continue being the elephant in the room. I've made the decision, made the appointment, paid the surgeon, and in two weeks, I will have procedure that will assist me to permanently drop 30% of my body weight and forever improve my quality of life. While there are some people who have told me that I'm not fat enough, I should trying harder to diet and exercise, that I need better self control, even those who say I'm perfect just the way I am, they must understand this - diet and exercise is great. It works for many people, people who have motivation, self control and lack a pathological self sabotaging personality type. I know and understand my shortcomings, my health outlook and shortened life expectancy. My generation is potentially the first to die before their parents due to obesity. I have tried the other ways: I've dieted, starved, adopted 'lifestyle changes', exercised until I burned and couldn't move for two days. I've been there. I've done that. I did not come by this decision lightly. It's scaring the crap out of my to be absolutely honest. But this is it. This is my decision. Here's to facing the fear, to hoping; here's to hard work, babies and living past 60. Cross your fingers for me, my new life starts at 31 :-)

Epiphany and the burst light bulb.

Since May 2015, my life has been an unpleasant rollercoaster, which pretty much culminated last week in the realisation that the Australian justice system is utterly skewed and there is no such thing as justice for victims anymore.  The concept that a man can attack a police officer with a samurai sword, someone sworn to protect and defend our communities, to cause severe, debilitating and ongoing mental anguish to the victim and get to walk away without a day of gaol time makes me sick to the back teeth. But as ever, when in community service, those who serve and suffer as a result are never repaid for their service.  A judge who can sit at her bench and preach how Police Officers need to be protected, to lecture on the increased sentencing put in place to deter such offences, how the perpetration of domestic violence in Australia is intolerable, and to then let the man walk out the door with his family, after he has destroyed mine, should not be allowed that privileged position.  If you will not use your power to enforce the laws of the country you serve, if you will not sentence offenders in a manner which will deter further crimes, if you will not provide justice for victims - GET OFF THE BENCH. Take your self-entitled arse off the bench and allow someone who has a passion to uphold the law to get up and do the job properly.

I do apologise for my rant - but I find this absolutely infuriating.  Not just because it was my family that was affected, but because in this event, I see where the rot in our society is originating.  There is no such thing as respect for the law anymore.  If judges will not sentence to deter offenders, what point is their position in our society? If they will not enforce and protect our communities, what service are they actually providing for their six figure salaries? Police risk their lives to uphold the laws of our country, to protect victims, potentially becoming victims themselves whilst defending our communities, just to be undermined by the court system.  I now have no doubt why an officer will shoot to defend their own life, rather than wait for justice that will never be served.  Oh how I wish I could meet a judge with the courage and conviction to do the right thing, to sentence appropriately, to uphold and value the law, and to provide the justice victims deserve. Heaven only knows what I'd be feeling if I'd been the 13 yr old child molested by the man who sat in front of me in that dock, and know he'd only in gaol for 3 months goal for taking my innocence. The poor child was already self harming in the time between the molestation and when that Rock Spider* finally made it to court. What further damage has that judge done by failing to validate the physical and psychological suffering that child endured?  Hell, I'm a 31 year old, university educated woman, and as a result of seeing what this judge considers adequate sentencing, I have no faith in our justice system. Would you, if it was your spouse, or your child who was affected? It makes me wonder if this loss of faith in our society as it functions today is the root of our dreams of apocalypse; a chance to reset the rules, to allow us to seek direct governance and justice for the wrongs made against us. To protect ourselves without the restriction and torsion of laws that undermine and expose us by those who are meant to defend us.  Just a thought.

* Common Australian term for a paedophile.

My Bug Out Bag Blowout

My Bug Out Bag Blowout.

There seems to be a general conundrum about whether to ‘Bug Out’ or ‘Bug In’ when SHTF.  Both options require significant planning and multiple alternatives, to cover all the 'what if's'.  However, all said and done – what happens when you have to leave, regardless of where you are at any given time? For me, that suggests that while bugging out should be left as a last resort for those who are well located and prepared to shelter in place, the inevitability of needing to leave means a well prepared Bug Out Bag, or BOB, is a sensible idea, regardless of the original plans.

I love making lists, and I love buying stuff, so getting a BOB together was something I absolutely jumped at.  Now, to be totally honest, I can’t say I’m the most judicious person when it comes to buying the latest gadgets and knick knacks.  If my budget allows it, I’ll buy something without too much further consideration beyond a) can I afford it, and b) does it suit the purpose I’m buying it for? This method is how I ended up with a massive Lowepro Fastpack 350 camera backpack that is far too large for me (at 167cm tall) to comfortably wear and access, but dammit, it was only $10 AUD more than the next size down!  Anyway, after reading all the sites, blogs and ‘must have in your bug out bag’ lists, I had a fantastically comprehensive list of everything I could ever possibly need to restart civilisation.  I’d picked out a full sized military style pack that might have been big enough to stuff me into, let alone all my gear, paramilitary style tactical boots, cargo pants and so on.  The list was huge, and this gear was going to cost me thousands. It got me thinking, was there a better way to do this? A cheaper way? How many of those sites were littered with advertisements and links to sales sites to buy all of those ‘must have’ items, and were they really all that ‘must have’?  So, rather belatedly, I thought maybe I should actually ask someone who has had to hump the requirements of life around on their back through some of the nastiest terrain in our inhospitable country before I go and spend all that money on things I may not actually need.

Thankfully for me, prior to his current job, my husband has served in the Australian Army, with on-the-ground war zone experience. Rather than show him all my lists and be laughed at (because inevitably knowing me and my ideas of ‘practicality’, that is what would have happened), I sat down with pen and paper and picked The Man’s brain.  What were first priorities when setting up camp? What were the things you absolutely couldn’t live without when out ‘bush’? What were the things that you took with you that you rarely used, and so on.  The first thing that was pointed out to me, was that my idea of 1-2 litres of water per person, per day in summer in Australia was woefully inadequate.  Secondly, when looking at the ‘pack everything but the kitchen sink list’, The Man made the point of asking: what are the basic necessities when you’re just trying  to survive? How much is all this going to weigh? Can you lift that much? Can you run with that amount of weight in a pack? Have you ever worn a pack? Where are you planning on lugging these things off to? Are all those things going to end up being assets, or slow you down and leave you vulnerable? Needless to say, most of the answers to those questions made me completely rethink how I approached my Bug Out Bag idea, and we ended up compiling briefing of what the bag was intended for, a list of bare necessities, and the military style alternatives that some of us completely inexperienced civilians have no idea about.

Here I’ve included my pared down list of the bare necessities according to the categories my husband suggested.  By comparison, his suggestions (read practical, sensible inclusions/exchanges) are listed alongside.  It certainly gave me some insight into just how inexperienced I’d be in situations like this, and why it is always a good plan to having someone with military experience in your apocalypse survival family. (Oh, and in case you were wondering, the reason I’ve included a bow and arrow in my defence/weaponry is because I’m a long bow archer.)

	My Ideas	His Suggestions
Water	9 x 600ml bottles of water, Life Straw	Camelbak hydration system, army style water canteens, reusable, collapsible water bladders
Food	Homemade/Commercial MRE’s	Emergency Food Bars/Protein Bars
Shelter	Small tent, sleeping bag, rain jacket	Bivvy Bag, Poncho, rope
Heat	Firelighters, lighters, tinder, waterproof matches	Steel and Flint, waterproof matches
Light	Torch, batteries, candles	Wind-up torch, LED headlamp
Defence	Machete, bow, arrows	Hunting knife, pocket knife/tool machete
First Aid	Bandages, non-stick gauze pads, pain killers, tough/fabric bandaids, antiseptics, field dressings, scalpel, suture kit, gloves, tweezers, forceps.	‘sounds about right’
Miscellanea	Hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, boots, pants, long sleeve shirt, gloves, compass, whistle, mirror, pen, paper	Wire, wire saw, rope, fishing kit

So, that should give you an idea of the road I’m wandering along to the construction of my BOB.  Next post, I’m hoping to do a little more analysis about the contents before I start road testing and comparing some of the features I haven’t quite made my mind up about yet.

Until next time :)
KC.

Back from the ...

Well the past three months have been somewhat... challenging.  All things progressing as they should however, I've been jotting down ideas, reading, researching, sewing, crafting, creating and generally trying not to spend money on unnecessary things - easier said that done! But, here we go again on the merry-go round of inspired thoughts :) Look forward to seeing you back soon.

Pondering the beginning of the end...

Over millennia there have been a multitude of different prophecies about the end of the world; the Rapture, Ragnarök, the Mayan apocalypse, the Large Hadron Collider, all stating that in one way or the other, our world as we knew it would come to an end.  But so far... nothing.  There’s been no catastrophic comet collisions, the crust of the earth hasn’t erupted like a pustulent follicle, we haven’t been devoured by mini black holes, nor been invaded by an alien species who have assimilated the bodies of our politicians (although that may be one way of forcefully injecting intelligence into our esteemed representatives?)  Whichever event may have been predicted, it hasn’t happened.  So, how have I been sucked into the whole ‘Lets prepare for the end of the world’ concept?

My background in nursing and a brain that errs on the side of the scientific, logical, analytical conclusion usually preclude me from giving much consideration to these ‘end of the world’ prophecies.  I mean, seriously, how much credit can you give to a statement that the world is going on end on this specific day, at this specific time, from a random person who in all likeliness, isn’t quite right in the head?  Well, a lot, apparently.  And this is something I find fascinating: despite the continual disappointment of the world not ending at the prescribed time, there is a large section of the human population who will devote varying amounts of time, energy and often a large amounts of money to preparing for the end of the world.  Ranging from simply putting a bag over ones head at the appointed time, to having a 3 foot thick concrete walled bunker stocked with 2 years of supplies in the middle of nowhere, why do people fortify themselves this way? Have they thought through the various scenarios? Have they considered the cross-purpose potential of their preparations if something different occurs? Is it something that they will actually use when the time comes, or is it really just a salve to soothe their fear of the unknown in the here and now?

So after watching three seasons straight of The Walking Dead, and indulging in too many disaster films, I found my disgustingly overactive imagination wondering ‘well, what would I actually do?’ Not surprising for someone of my generation, my initial answer to this question was - Google it.

And what a can of worms that was.  Being primarily American sites I was directed to, most of the advice was – ‘guns, lots of guns, and ammunition, and explosives, oh, and maybe a bottle of water’.  Might I add here – not helpful.  In Australia we have tight firearm restrictions and the concept of having 15 loaded semi-automatic rifles in your house for protection is just not going to happen. On the other hand, there was a deluge of information about ‘Bugging Out’ – the concept of taking a bag of supplies (a Bug Out Bag or BOB) to last you 72 hours and enable you to get the hell out of the populated areas to a place you may or may not have prepared in advance.  A fantastic way to spend hundreds of dollars on stuff you’ll probably never use – think miniature survival kits in sardine cans, itty bitty first aid kits, energy nuggets (read chewie lollies), tiny pouches of long life water etc, all stuffed into an expensive military grade backpack.  Problem – I live in Australia, where everything tries to kill you.  I mean it: everything.  The sun, the weather, the country side, the wild life, the plants – if you tried trekking about out here without some decent prior knowledge, you’re not going to make it three days even if your tiny water pouches lasted that long.  Needless to say, I had to find some more useful information.

Right.  Priorities.  How to establish the what’s, why’s, how’s, when’s, where’s, what the ...?  The things your teachers tell you in high school are right - learning to research does come in handy occasionally – especially when it’s for things that aren’t compulsory or work/study related.  Sometimes, it can even be fun (don’t laugh – you’d be surprised!). Anyway, we'll get into that next time.

Until next time :)
KC