Margaret's garter

Just wanted to post about a little bit of costuming I made for Margaret-- though it is a small, simple thing, I am pleased with how it came out.

For one scene Margaret needs to have a garter that she can take off and put on York's head as a mocking crown. I didn't know about this until relatively late in the process, so I found myself needing to make one on short notice. Digging around in the bits and pieces in my sewing box, I found inch-wide elastic, dark red ribbon, and white lace with large holes up the band in the middle. The ribbon was the perfect width to go through these holes, so I wound it in and out of them, over three on top and then under one below. I left a tail of ribbon hanging out on either end. Then I measured Caitlin's leg to make sure the elastic would be just snug enough. I stretched the elastic as far out as it would go and pinned one end to my shoe and pulled the other end taut with my hand. Working to keep it pulled out the whole time, I sewed the laced and ribbon part onto the elastic so that the non-stretchy lace would not keep it from stretching as necessary once it was attached. Then I sewed the ends up together and tied the tails of the ribbon in a little bow. This is how it came out.


Despite my efforts, it is not as stretchy as I hoped it would be. Fortunately it fits on Caitlin's leg well enough and can be easily put on and taken off. I like the look of it a lot; it's pretty and elegant and I am pleased with my utilization of the resources I had available. I really lucked out with the ribbon width and the holes down the middle of the lace. It's a nice little handmade touch that I am pleased with myself to have made.

Big beautiful copper bowl

As I've mentioned, I'm a huge fan of copper cookware. It delights me to no end to have it in my kitchen. Unfortunately it tends to be very expensive, especially when bought new. Today when I was doing my final costume run for Margaret I was in the Framingham Savers, on my way out, I spotted this lovely copper mixing  bowl, ten inches across and about five quarts in volume.


And this is no piece of junk copper. Most of the copper I've been fortunate enough to find in thrift stores tends towards the cheaper sort, thinly coated, lacking the heft that characterizes the good stuff. This, however, is sturdy and substantial, not to mention a sizeable piece. Mauviel, the premier manufacturer of copper cookware in the world, sells a bowl of this size for $130.00.

I paid $2.99. HELL, YEAH.

The newest addition to our little family

My grownup corner is no longer in quite the same state it used to be. My beloved butcher block is under the window now, while my collection of copper pots hangs on another wall. But it sure does look lovely against the blue wallpaper, and the adorable little spice rack that blendedchaitea made is a charming companion for it. And doesn't the newest addition to our little copper family look nice? :-D

I'm beginning to think my journal needs a "home decor" tag, given how often I write about it lately.