My fabric stash is an extremely generous place; always filled with things that I didn’t even know that I had. The other day I came across a scrap of white high-pile faux fur that was just wide enough to make a small muff. The piece wasn’t big enough for much… Read More »Faux Fur Muff with Pocket
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, but what you all really miss is Halloween, isn’t it? We hosted a big party this year and I made sure to take nice photos of all of our entrees into the costume contest! I hope you enjoy this photo album of shenanigans. Voting… Read More »Halloween Contest Entrees 2019
We have transformed our master bath with paint and a medicine cabinet. It only took *checks notes* two years to get this room finished*, but the day has come. Below is a photo of the before. Plain white walls, not enough storage. Lucky for us, the fixtures that came with… Read More »Master Bath Makeover
My female dog has a beard and a mustache, so naturally she is constantly being misgendered. Not that I think she minds, but maybe some pretty bows will help? Buying pre-made collar sliders online is expensive. And they are so small, and use so little fabric! I’m pressed for time… Read More »Collar Sliders
I thought the dog already had a new costume for Halloween this year? Yes. She does. But this idea is just so cute. Give the people what they want. What they want is more dog photos in costume. Earlier this season I sewed Tovi, our almost-two-year-old Belgian Malinois mix a… Read More »Cardinal Dog Costume
Blessed Samhain to you! Everything is wonderful! A spectacular month overall. My website just got upgraded to a new, faster PHP so it’s more secure and pages are loading at blazing speeds. Whoa! I’m here with a bonus post to wish everyone a safe and fun Halloween. We didn’t get… Read More »Blessed Samhain
What the heck’s a scooptacular? It’s an ice cream party on a farm with animals and vendors and fall things. What completes a fall party? Dancing witches, of course! It just so happens that I belong to a troupe of witches who will trade event coordinators our dance-entertainment for money.… Read More »‘Scooptacular’ Dancing as a Witch
I’ve sewn a new dress for this most magical time of year. Nine-or-so yards of buttery polyester had appeared in my fabric stash. I don’t remember where I got so much of this sage green delight, but many a historical fantasy garment call for such great lengths of fabric. Lengths… Read More »Green Elven Gown
Our second trip of the season to the Connecticut Renaissance Fair. Absolutely perfect weather–a crisp 60 degrees for a high, with most of the day stalling in the mid 50’s was ideal for layering; our preferred method of using our plentiful garb. I am most fond of cold-weather fair going… Read More »Connecticut Renaissance Faire 2019 Round Two
I had dreams of sewing Jake a very traditional Viking tunic. Something long, loose fitting, and functional. When I found several yards of sombrella fabric with a visible weave and stiff hand on clearance, I thought it had the perfect rough look if you ignore it’s forever fade-resistance. Jacob had… Read More »Orange Sensational Viking Long Tunic
I have too many projects in progress at once, and therefore nothing newly finished to show you. So instead, we’ll all have to settle for a quick works-in-progress post. I am making Jake a new tunic and just finished this elaborate neckline last night. It took considerable time to make… Read More »Works in Progress, Fall 2019
Well, the dog is ready for Halloween. A few weeks ago we brought Tovi to the Connecticut Renaissance Faire, and everyone had such kind words to say about her Master Splinter Costume. We won tickets to return to the fair later this season, and I can’t have my pup wearing… Read More »Little Red Riding Hood Dog Costume
On Labor Day 2019, the whole family (that means the dog too), attended the Connecticut Renaissance Fair in Lebanon, CT. This is one of the only fairs in the region that allows pets any day of the fair, however opening weekend was pet-themed. Tovi put on her only costume to… Read More »Connecticut Renaissance Faire 2019: Tovi’s First Ren Fair!
Abstract art has it’s place in home decor. Representational work is my bread-and-butter, and how I’ve worked exclusively my entire career. The art I make is either utilitarian, or representational. Usually it’s both. But there are spaces in the home that don’t need the specificity of realism. For these spaces,… Read More »Desedimentation (My First Abstract Painting)
Is it October yet? Nevermind. Happy Labor Day, everyone! The unofficial end of summer. Not that I want time to go by any faster, but I am gearing up for fall, starting with an easy little afternoon craft. The Witch’s Dream Catcher consists of two 8″ metal rings wrapped in… Read More »The Witch’s Dream Catcher
Super productive weekend last week! I feel we are in our last big push to get summer chores done before summer ends, because right behind that comes fall clean-up and winterizing. I made a project for myself early this summer when I scored these two awesome but old Adirondack chairs… Read More »Adirondack
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