The earth has been good to us this season. Our raised garden beds have been a great success, we went blueberry picking, and our yard has had enough flowers to spare some for indoor arrangements. So far this year the garden has produced more lettuce than we could eat, a… Read More »Abundant Earth
Last weekend, for the first time, we checked out the Massachusetts Renaissance Fair at the Cummington Fair Grounds. With a name like The Massachusetts Fair, I expected a little more. The permanent fairgrounds (for county fairs and showing animals) were large, and under-utilized, making the Ren fair seem very small. There… Read More »Massachusetts Renaissance Fair 2019
Once again this year the household took a summer vacation to beautiful Round Island, a private island in the middle of Long Lake, NY, on the edge of absolute wilderness. I did not touch my phone while I was there; I even bought myself a cheap watch ahead of time… Read More »Sketches of Long Lake, New York 2019
Our mailbox is no longer the most shameful one on the street! Last year, a distracted driver hit our already old and dilapidated mailbox one morning in the summertime. They also ran over a lily which has fortunately since recovered. Jake was able to twist and zip-tie the box back… Read More »New Mailbox Installation
My mom wanted some new paintings to go with her freshly painted bathroom walls. Formerly, she displayed two green wooden panels with dreary flowers painted on them. She asked me to update the panels with some new flowers on a white background. My mom likes purple (the living room carpet… Read More »Rustic Flower Paintings
I’m trying to decide what color to paint the front door. It’s a beige house with white trim and black porch fixtures. I’ve quickly photo-shopped my ideas onto the house, but because the porch is in shadow, it’s not an easy thing to picture. I know that black would look… Read More »What Color Should I Paint the Front Door?
Last year we bought a used canoe. Then we used that canoe lots and the driver’s seat gave out. We are ready to use the canoe again this year, so we needed to fix the seats. I ordered 50 yards of polypropylene webbing in bright safety orange, Jake’s favorite color,… Read More »New Canoe Seats
I really didn’t think I was going to have a blog post for you today, as I haven’t finished anything in a while and I’ve been so busy enjoying the summer sun. Many projects remain in progress, but I haven’t really had the time or desire to put in the… Read More »Striped Summer Dress
Last weekend we had a beautiful day at the Faire! Mutton and Mead is an annual celebration in Western Massachusetts with a casual and merry mood. It is one of the few proper “Medieval Festivals” in the area, similar too, but not to be confused with, a Renaissance fair. Essentially… Read More »Mutton & Mead Medieval Festival 2019
Indoor projects have slowed as the weather improves and we spend more of our free time outdoors. The garden is coming along spectacularly though. All the intense labor is worth it when the colors burst forth from the dirt and stems. When we bought our house a year and a… Read More »Expending Effort Outdoors
Are we really still talking about Bento bags? I sew for fun, and follow my passions, and my passions took me down this road to follow this project all the way to its natural end. First, I failed to sew test bags following a bad tutorial. Next, I found a… Read More »Following this Bento Thing to Its Natural End
Whipped up this new belly dance belt a few days before a performance to match this bra that I made a few years(?) ago. I had plenty of extra fabric lying around from the bra top, a super comfortable performance stretch. The pattern was simple enough: a rounded triangle essentially,… Read More »New Belly Dance Belt
Are we really still talking about Bento Bags? Yes we are. After trial and error, I have devised a method to making lined, reversible bento bags using one-third the fabric of the last tutorial that I used. Directions and photos below. The previous method used two rectangles of fabric three-times… Read More »Reversible Bento Bags from Less Fabric Tutorial
Last week I posted a disastrous attempt at sewing the internet popular bento bags using a very bad tutorial also found online. After contemplating all my errors and doing more research, I found a better tutorial and made a much better bento bag. The tutorial is as follows in the… Read More »Better Bento Bags
So busy and yet look at all the posting I’m doing! So busy because of all that sewing, climbing, gardening, and now also because, surprise, I joined a dance troupe. The Whip City Witches, based out of Westfield, or “Whip City” Mass, is a group of adult women who share the common practice of… Read More »Bonus Post, I Joined a Dance Troupe
On Pinterest I saw some really cute, super simple Bento bags that internet models were using to carry produce, toiletries, and of course lunch boxes. I was charmed by the no effort linens and free-spirit stripes swaddling pretty food, and was thus inspired to make a few “test” bento bags as proof of… Read More »Proof of Concept? Bento Bag Fail
Now that I’ve purchased the base for an armored ensemble in a breastplate and back-piece from Medieval Collectibles, it’s time to add my own shoulder armor to take the look to another level. This children’s body armor is perfect for me because it’s made for the very small and is… Read More »Leather Spaulders and Pauldron
My best friend Kelley is finishing her Masters in Art Education in order to continue being the wonderful and patient art teacher that she is. Her primary artistic body of work for this degree is a collection of clothing that features and embodies runic symbols to empower the wearer and… Read More »I am a Magical Sea Nymph!
When it comes to fair garb, sometimes there are pieces that I either don’t want to make myself, or which are much cheaper to outsource from a manufacturer who moves more volume in a particular item. A good example of such a category would be armor and weaponry–both steel and… Read More »Medieval Collectibles
I really hope you’ve been enjoying the weekly posts! It’s been a really consistent run these past few months, and I’m going to try to keep it up! I hadn’t sewn anything new in a little while, but an easy project always gets me going when I’m feeling stuck. This… Read More »Cotton Jersey 2-Way-Stretch Dress (Simplicity 1358)
This shirt was a learning experience and an adventure. I am no expert in men’s tailoring and Jake had some very specific requests for this former curtain found at a local Saver’s. He spied the curtain amidst other discounted second-hand fabrics and I told him that there was enough there… Read More »Blue Zipper-Front Peacock Men’s Shirt
Making men’s clothing and costumes is hard. Especially since I am not a man, nor anywhere near the size of most men. When I make clothing for me, I do a million test fittings; always holding up pattern pieces to my body or dress form, checking the fit every step… Read More »Duct Tape Body Form How-To
Another pleather bodice for the books. This one in an incredible metallic green scale pattern sourced from my local fabric warehouse. I used the same pattern as my last brown bodice with slight modifications to the front so that it would close fully instead of leaving a gap. The two… Read More »Green Dragon Scale Bodice
Another awesome year at the Vermont Winter Renaissance Fair at the Champlain Valley Exposition Center. We love this fair because it’s in the middle of the winter when we haven’t been to a fair in months and are eager to get back into the revelry. the cooler temperatures allow for… Read More »Vermont Winter Renaissance Faire 2019
So I was perusing my local fabric warehouse (because that’s where I go for fun), not even looking for this most amazing embossed pleather, but there it was! So here we are. I was already planning on making a bodice; the original plan was a reversible fabric bodice with a… Read More »Brown Embossed-Faux Leather Bodice
Lusting after a breezy and casual fantasy look, I borrowed inspiration from the Germanic farmers of northern Europe during the middle ages to create this muslin peasant top with rustic trim. Muslin is considered a practice fabric. It’s cheap, lightweight cotton that’s easy to work with and abundant. Unbleached muslins… Read More »Middle Ages Farmer’s Tunic with Trim
Honestly, some of my best days at the renaissance fair came with a slight drizzle. I love an overcast fair day; it really sets the medieval mood. Dark, dreary, dramatic. Added bonus: the fair is never crowded on a cloudy day and interactions are only with the dedicated time travelers.… Read More »Heavy Traveling Cloak
This is not a food blog. But everyone has to eat, and that includes me, and sometimes that involves cooking. I cook dinner a lot; three, sometimes four nights a week. I am so proud of myself for this meatball recipe that I’m going to share it with you, whether… Read More »Hoisin Turkey Meatballs with White Wine Mushroom Sauce
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! I love all of you who take the time to read my blog, visit my website, and support my artwork and hobbies. Thank you so much for giving me a little bit of your valuable time and attention. The website updates are going great; you may… Read More »Happy Valentine’s Day
Another pair of harem pants! It’s wintertime, and a warm pair of pants is a great garb solution. As I’ve expressed before, harem pants are a really easy one-afternoon project. However this pair I complicated for myself with the addition of pockets! My pattern for harem pants doesn’t have a… Read More »Warm Winter Harem Pants
I’ve been braiding Jake’s hair for a long time because it helps him live that Viking life. Here are a few of his signature looks. Because hair can be art too.
Winter has finally arrived in the North East. With temperatures barely climbing above 0 degrees Fahrenheit today, I would like to look back on warmer times. Below is a collection of back yard improvements undertaken in the spring of 2018 and my thoughts on further improvement for the spring of… Read More »More Backyard Projects from Last Year
A year after the big move I was still searching for a good fit in a new dance studio when I enrolled in a 3-week advanced winter session of Belly Dancing in a not-so-local movement arts space. Wanting to impress my new classmates with my array of dance attire, I… Read More »Brown Harem Pants for Dance
Halloween isn’t a season, it’s a way of life. Actually, I did make this hat for Halloween 2018, but haven’t made the time to post about it until now. I’ve always felt my costume collection was suffering by it’s lack of a proper pointed hat. Most of the things that… Read More »Witch’s Pointed Hat
Happy Saturnalia! Bright Solstice! Merry Yule! It’s a very busy time of year for me, as always, so I haven’t had much time to post. I was doing so well there for a while! By now this painting has been published, so it’s safe for me to share. Above is a… Read More »Holiday Commission of the Boston Skyline
My very first trip ever to the New York Renaissance fair! People have been talking about this fair for years; about how it’s the biggest and the best around, about how they can’t believe I haven’t been. Well, this year we finally made the long drive in the early morning… Read More »New York Renaissance Fair
Another quick-sew to use up some fabric lying around my studio; I made a reversible red and blue bubble cape with hood and yoke. Some subtle red paisley lining fabric leftover from one of Jake’s earlier jerkins seemed like it would make a good red cape of cloak. A red… Read More »Reversible Costume Cape
Labor Day weekend Jake and I attended military appreciation day at the King Richard’s Faire in Carver, MA. Every year the second day of the fair is free for active and retired military, so we try to go on that day to save on Jake’s admission. King Richard’s is one… Read More »New Viking Garb for Military Day at King Richard’s Faire 2018
I am sewing a lot. I love it. Here is another piece that I whipped up in an afternoon using a sari that was gifted to me by a friend. The sari had such beautiful boarders that I didn’t want to cut off or disturb, and the only pattern I… Read More »Dark Orange Essos Dress
Jake needed another pair of viking pants in a different color. Lucky for him, our bed sheets decided to rip in the washing machine, and I wasn’t going to let all of that good cotton go to waste. So here he is in his new pair of giant pants featuring… Read More »Gray Viking Pants with Side Panel
Hot tubs are very expensive luxury purchases, but we’re still kind of cheap thrifty people, so we thought, let’s save some money by building the tub foundation ourselves. If you need a foundation for your hot tub, rent a back-hoe. Don’t do what we did, which was spend 24 man-hours… Read More »DIY Hot Tub Foundation
A great success in cotton jersey! I have a lot of clothes for the fair; many I made myself, some pieces I’ve purchased, but even in the depths of my vast collection I was lacking a neutral knee-length base layer that could also be worn alone. You know, something for… Read More »Cotton Jersey Faire Dress
I made a sweater! I am on a mission to clean out some of my fabric stash by making each yard into the garment of its dreams. I have had this gorgeous lightweight cotton jersey sitting in a bin since Black Friday of….2014? Finally I’ve made it into a comfortable… Read More »Gray Cotton Jersey Sweater
In the middle of July we took an absolutely lovely vacation to the heart of the Adirondack park to a private Island in the middle of Long Lake, in up-state NY. The Island is called ‘Round Island’ and it’s owned by the family of some of our closest friends. They… Read More »En Plein Air at Round Island
A slightly less hideous application for this vintage fabric that I bought a whole bunch of for super cheap; I made a button down shirt. Previously, I made a vintage nightgown out of this stuff that ended up looking like a hospital gown. With so much extra fabric that I’m… Read More »Vintage Fabric, Try Again. This Time, a Shirt!
Not everything that I sew can turn out cute, okay? Does that mean that I should exclude the ugly things from this blog? Maybe. But this is the first thing that I sewed from start to finish in the new house and the new sewing room so it’s getting a… Read More »Not Every Project Is a Masterpiece.
Happy Summer everyone! This post has nothing to do with summertime, but I hope everyone had a wonderful solstice nonetheless. This post is kind of the opposite of summer; it’s another skull painting that I finished last winter, but I was waiting to get it framed before I published a… Read More »Canadian Lynx Skull Watercolor
This is the first spring in our new house, and the yard has a lot of existing flora but hasn’t been maintained in many years. It’s been fun seeing what pops out of the ground, but very time-consuming to clean things up. Early spring brought the nice surprise of crocuses,… Read More »What’s Up in the Backyard
Arriving home after a half-day hike in the woods I attempted to recreate one of the beautiful landscapes that I came across by memory. Though the image seemed vivid in my mind, it is never preferred to recall an image by memory alone. Memory isn’t a reliable visual resource; most… Read More »Tiny Landscape From Memory
World, meet Tovi. Our beautiful Belgian Malinois, German Sheppard, Chow-Chow, mix puppy. Mixed with what else? Sight-hound, Sporting, Companion, Terrier, and Asian genetic groups. A real mutt! Tovi has changed my life because now my life revolves around her—or at least it has for the past thee-and-a-half months. Finally she… Read More »Tovi