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[1908 dinner dress] Three steps forward, two steps back

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© Cathy Hay with the permission of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery


So just as a reminder, here (above) is a photo of the ruffle on the underskirt of the 1908 dinner dress. Building it from the inside out, the silk satin underskirt and underbodice, onto which the rest is draped, come first.

Yes, silk satin. And check out that diagonal seam. For this ruffle, that leaves me attempting even, evenly spaced pintucks on bias strips of silk satin.


© Cathy Hay


It was simpler than I anticipated, though very time consuming. There was a lot of pinning as the fabric slid around, but they did come out even. The only screw-up was that I cut the bias strips exactly the width I needed and no more, meaning that when the fabric slid around and didn't get cut quite straight, I ended up with something narrower than I needed. I should have cut twice as wide as I needed, made the pintucks in the middle and worked out from there, but since I did not, I have had to make peace with a ruffle that looks reasonably similar but not the same, and remember that this is the ruffle on the underskirt, and it will not even be visible.

(I'm not even sure I would have cut them wider if I went back and did it again: silk satin is expensive, and this used a lot of it already.)

I did begin with the middle pintuck and work outwards in an attempt to keep them all reasonably parallel, rather than ending up with a straight one at the top and a decidedly wavy one at the bottom, and that worked. And I made a sterling effort not to be too anal retentive with the evenness of the pleating. It isn't even. Honest.



© Cathy Hay


And that brings me to the bodice. Here is where I was cutting the neckline, attempting to match the drawings (which are an artist's impression and not necessarily accurate) and the real dress (which is not seen on a body) to my mock-up.

Firstly, it was confusing to realise that I would have to design the asymmetrical look in mirror image to what I was used to - above you see the image I was looking at in the mirror, having to hold up the drawings I'm so familiar with and look at them in the mirror too.

Getting the neckline right promised not to be a precise science, but luckily I noticed that the rosette on the front is in a very specific spot in relation to the front darts, which you can see here (click to enlarge):


© Cathy Hay with the permission of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery


The far left point of the rosette is at the top of the first dart, which meant that I could mark its position on the mock-up for certain, and work from there. Each shoulder is just about the width of the braid, and the back neck could be marked in relation to the place where the top of the side back seam fell.

The front neckline was a little more tricky; my instinct was that making it lower (below left) would make it more attractive, but it's easy to see when you compare the two possibilities side by side (with the one on the right having a more accurate amount of space between neck edge and rosette) that the higher neckline works better, especially since the drapery on the bodice will end at quite a high waist, and I don't want to be trying to cram too much into too small a space. The lower neckline seems to put emphasis on the waist in a Victorian sort of way, whereas the higher neckline invites more of a Directoire, higher-waisted effect.


© Cathy Hay


The original, for comparison:


© Cathy Hay with the permission of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery

Although now that I look again, the amount of braid visible both in the original dress and the drawing is more similar to the lower necked version, and my rosette is a little higher than it was drawn in the book, meaning that my darts end higher than the original ones and my rosette is therefore too high. *sigh* What do you think? Higher rosette and neckline, or lower rosette and neck?

Anyway, I put together my silk satin underbodice and began overcasting all the seam allowances by hand, just like the original, and boning the back edges, and at the end of the day put it on the mannequin over the corset.

And this is silk satin, and when it's 2" smaller than the corset it's being stretched around, it doesn't like it. The fabric pulled away at the seams, and I was glad I hadn't done ALL the overcasting. Evidently I have yet to find the sweet spot between following what the original dress tells me and following my own practical experience of what works and does not work.

Was the original bodice not cut so small? Was their satin a bit stronger? Who knows. But I'll be interlining this sucker when I cut it again today, probably with the check cotton that worked so well in the mock-up.

Four weeks to go. Three steps forward, two steps back. One challenging frickin' dress.

[1908 dinner dress] One step at a time

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© Cathy Hay


Give a mathematician a decision, and what does she do? Draw a diagram, of course! You can see above (click to enlarge) that we were all right about the neckline: the braid is right for the lower neckline, but the centre front is right with the higher neckline - and the rosette was too high.

After all that, the difference I cut out was all of ⅝".

I have re-made the bodice, silk satin backed with cotton, and it feels much sturdier. With the hooks and eyes in place in the centre back, I have confirmed that it fits without stretching or tearing.

And now I'm working on the boning and seam allowances.


© Cathy Hay with the permission of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery



© Cathy Hay

[1908 dinner dress] Seam allowances and boning channels

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© Cathy Hay


In my last post, mala_14 asked for nitty gritty details about how I'm treating the seam allowances and boning channels inside the bodice, so here: the innards.

A reminder, first of all, of what we're going for:


© Cathy Hay with the permission of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery


In the original dress, the seam allowances are whipstitched by hand. Insane? Yes. Admirable? Yes. But I don't think it looks neat, and since I have two layers and only two weeks before I get on a plane, I can do a mock Hong Kong finish instead, like this:

Trim the seam allowances of the cotton to half their width.


© Cathy Hay


Press the satin allowances over the cotton, into the middle.


© Cathy Hay


Where the seam allowances will be seen (ie not under the bones), press the satin edge underneath to create a neat finish that looks like binding. Hint: You will need asbestos fingertips.


© Cathy Hay


Spend two weeks handsewing this down perfectly.


© Cathy Hay


Cut, trim and file (synthetic) whalebones to shape and size, punching a hole in each one for the embroidery floss to pass through. Cut boning channels (from ribbon, in my case.)


© Cathy Hay


Sew the ribbons down to the seam allowances only, covering the raw edges of the satin, except for the top two inches.


© Cathy Hay


Insert bones.


© Cathy Hay


Handsew the bone casing closed around the top.


© Cathy Hay


Floss. And when you're done with your teeth, embroider the bones securely into the ends of the casings (click to enlarge the photo below).


© Cathy Hay


I've secured boning into the centre back edges and covered the raw edges with ribbon, and bound the bottom edge, also like the original. Finally, I've basted the seam allowance on the top edge over to the outside, where it will be covered by all the drapery.

Next, I get to work on something that'll be visible - what a concept!

Anniversary

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Today is a special day.

It was a year ago today that I took my courage in both hands and did something I'd secretly wanted to do for years: I left my partner of almost ten years.

It would appear that this is a strange thing to celebrate: the end of a relationship is a mark of failure to be mourned, surely? I disagree.

I was held in the grip of enormous guilt for a long, long time before Demi and I split. It was front and centre of my mind for a year before it happened; it was the common thread throughout my journal for another two years before that, and I remember explicitly that even as many as six years before July 10th, 2012, I heard someone challenge anyone listening to say the thing you know you need to say - "It's over.""I love you.""I quit." It hit me right in my gut and I knew, but I could not accept it, much less do it.

There is nothing whatsoever wrong with Demi. Demi is a wonderful, wonderful person. I love her dearly. She is family, and will always be family. I'm a wonderful person too. There was no abuse, no arguing, no obvious transgression that made the idea of splitting a clear need with a reason I could point to and say, "This is why I'm not a bastard for doing this." But we were wrong for each other - we have different values, different interests, and we want different things out of life and out of relationships.

So I felt desperately guilty. "How could I hurt this wonderful person?" I thought over and over, and I got waylaid by a whole host of Rules.

  • The Relationship is sacred and must go on For Ever And Ever in order to be Successful. If the Relationship does not go on for ever, it is a Failure, and you are also a Failure.
  • If you are not happy with the Relationship, that means that you are not trying hard enough. (In other words, the Relationship is more important than the people in it).
  • You have to Work At It. If you have differences that make you less than deliriously happy together, you're not allowed to bail out; in order to be a good human being, you have to Compromise and Settle, as much as is necessary, for life.

Now, I'm not saying that you should never work at a relationship and never compromise, but there is a limit to how much compromise can co-exist with your happiness. After months and years of going over and over it, with the help of a lot of ink, a very patient counsellor and some very patient friends, I discovered the following.

  • A relationship can be finite and still be successful. Demi and I were good for each other on many practical and emotional levels, and we came out of it much better people than when we went in. We have no regrets.
  • The people in a relationship are more important than the relationship itself. If I am not happy, I am not happy; there is nothing wrong with me and I'm not an evil bitch, however wonderful my partner is. Two people can be great people, but not be well suited.
  • The courage to end something that is no longer fun is an enormous strength.
  • You are allowed to leave exactly when you are ready to do so. You do not have to stick it out until you are thoroughly miserable and in constant pain. You will know in your soul, long before the point of utter despair, that you need to go, and by going then, you might well be able to keep a sense of love and family with this person.
  • Your first responsibility in life is to follow your bliss. You are not required to settle for less than what makes you absolutely happy, and there are enough people on Planet Earth that among them, there is someone beautifully suited for you. You will still have to compromise sometimes, but the compromises will feel like a gift to your beloved; they will not kill your spirit and make you feel resigned to a future in which you do not get to have what you really want.

I have a close friend here in England who is where I was a few years ago, and although she is miserable and knows, will even admit to being in totally the wrong relationship, she will not go. She considers herself to be "stuck with him". She has "made her bed". I ache for her, and I cannot do it for her, but that's as it should be; she has to go through it for herself. And one day, she will leave, and be stronger and happier for it, and she will wonder why she wasted so many years settling for less.

Life is short, people. Have courage, and follow your bliss. The pain is temporary, and the view on the other side stretches for miles.

So a year ago today, Demi and I had The Conversation. It was terrifying. And it was over in ten minutes.

Two weeks later, Demi said to me, "You know what? You were right."

Six months later, she met Ruth.

And a year on, she's so freakishly happy, it's sickening. Crucially, she is happier with Ruth than she ever was with me. I think that leaving her is the greatest gift I ever gave her - and myself.

And that's why today is a celebration.

You're going to hate me...

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...but I'd just like to point out how awesome it is to be self-employed and set one's own priorities. Today? Ten hours sewing. Progress is mine!!! Hahahahahaaaaa!

[1908 dinner dress] Pintucking

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© Cathy Hay with the permission of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery


On to the outside of the dress! First, this pintucked panel. A week or two back, I bought my piece of silk chiffon with which to do this (*sigh*), but unfortunately my monitor let me down and I received a very bright turquoise rather than a nice subdued teal blue.

Meanwhile, I also noticed this:


© Cathy Hay with the permission of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery


Yes, folks, not only are we pintucking an area of silk chiffon the size of a small cat with absolutely even, regular ⅛" pintucks, but we're doing it by hand.

This is undoubtedly the most complex dress I have ever made; it's official. It's way harder than the Oak Leaf Dress or the Peacock Dress, because those dresses lay out exactly how much work is involved for all to see. This one is sneaky. It hides its secrets until you look closely.

With only a couple of weeks to go before I leave for California, it is breaking my heart that I can no longer give this dress the painstaking star treatment that I want to; the handsewing is going to continue to be minimal. I have almost stopped twice now, resigning this dress to a finishing date long after the end of July.

But you know I don't give up easily, and here is another skill, I suppose, the art of Making It Work.

So I machine stitched some tramlines in white, pressed along them and machine sewed my pintucks on a piece of silk satin that is the right blue, and I cried the entire time because this engineer's daughter can see half a millimetre at twenty paces and they're not even. But I did it, and I finished it, and I will unpick the white stitches once the piece I need is cut out.

It's the same principle as I learnt when building Your Wardrobe Unlock'd: get something out there. Stop waiting to be perfect.


© Cathy Hay



© Cathy Hay


Now, here's where I get to add it as the first piece of drapery on the outside of the bodice; one by one, you'll see the pieces build, one on top of another, to form the the dress you recognise.


© Cathy Hay


Finally, here it is with the pintucked panel trimmed and sewn down, and the underskirt pinned in place, now complete with a false panel of crêpe de chine sewn to the front, off-centre. This will show under the side front split in the skirt, which means that now I have to figure out the skirt...


© Cathy Hay

Chateau de Pys: the MUSIC VIDEO

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Oh yeah, we went there.



If you liked this, share it like crazy and do consider tipping the filmmakers, who are battling breast cancer right now in a country without free healthcare. Look for the donation link on the right of the page I've linked to, or buy something in Trystan's garage sale. Thank you!

[1908 dinner dress] The fun part - decorating the bodice!

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© Cathy Hay


When I was in the museum, my favourite part of figuring out this dress was the layering of the pieces of drapery on the bodice. I numbered all the little pieces on a scribbled diagram and really looked forward to the day when I'd get to blog with a series of photos that'd show the pieces going on, one by one, to create the dress we all recognise.

That day is today - well, for the first half of that story, anyway.

Piece 1 - So here's where we were up to: the pintucked satin, now minus the white stitching. (You were right, it looks great.)


© Cathy Hay


2 - Piece two goes on the back of the left shoulder. I pinned a piece of scrap cotton on first, then used that to cut about the right size out of the expensive stuff, so that I wouldn't see too much of it on the floor.


© Cathy Hay


3 - The third piece goes on the back of the right shoulder. On the original dress there's no piece here, just the underbodice, but I didn't want my check cotton interlining to be visible, so this covers it.


© Cathy Hay


4 - The fourth piece, on the front of the right shoulder, tucks under the blue piece, actually; I think it was on top on the original dress, but I can't get away with that because my braid won't hide the join between the two.


© Cathy Hay


5 - Instead, by tucking the ends underneath, my very open-weave braid continues with a blue background and a neat edge.


© Cathy Hay


Here's the braid continuing onto the back of the bodice. The piece that extends across the centre back is only sewn down to the red pin; the end of it is loose and will hook onto a couple of thread eyes hidden under a later layer of drapery.


© Cathy Hay


6 - This one, actually.


© Cathy Hay


7 - It was fun to figure out which bit of stitching must have been done when. This next layer, I noticed, was stitched on wrong sides together at the top edge, like this...


© Cathy Hay


... and then folded down....


© Cathy Hay


... and pleated.


© Cathy Hay


Here it is trimmed and sewn down with the big running stitches that indicate that Fordred Modes and Robes also did this directly on the stand, attempting not to sew through the mannequin itself. I've also trimmed away a little more of the blue, which was showing through this piece in the photos above.


© Cathy Hay


So here is the total progress so far, next to both the original dress and Nancy Bradfield's sketches of it (click to enlarge either)...


Left: © Cathy Hay with the permission of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery, Center: © Cathy Hay, Right: Er, *cough*



Left: © Cathy Hay with the permission of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery, Center: © Cathy Hay, Right: Er, *cough*


We're into the last week before I get on a plane. Things are hotting up. This week is pretty much all about this dress, until I pack my suitcases again on Monday next. If I work hard and keep my nerve, I know I can do this...

Visa dilemma

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In my last post on the subject, I shared how I may have found my way into the United States. The E-1 Treaty Trader, a non-immigrant visa that'd get me in for two years, renewable for another five, requires me to show that more than 50% of my international trade is with the US. Instructions on the website are clear as to exactly what I need to send them, even the kind of binder in which they'd like it to be sent. There is a helpline and an email address for questions. When I submit, they will let me know if anything is missing and, it seems, give me time to provide it. The process takes 90 days and costs $270 or so.

Both of the lawyers I've spoken to, one in Los Angeles and one in London, both of whom come very highly recommended, insist that I cannot do this on my own, that despite the process being clearly laid out on the Embassy website, it is, in fact, "deceptively tricky". Overall their costs to take me through the process come to £8000 (slightly more than $12,000).

I called the Embassy and of course, they told me that I don't have to apply through a lawyer, but I'm unsure as to my chances.

Could I try it alone, and then try again through the lawyers if I fail? Not really.

The officer's decision is final. If the applicant feels strongly that the case was misjudged or if the material facts of it change, he or she may submit a new application for the same business.

Hmmm. Do I gamble, or do I begin brainstorming where to get $12,000? What do you think?

ETA: I have been invited down to London for an initial consultation in which the lawyer would assess my eligibility. This meeting alone costs £500 ($800).

[1908 dinner dress] More draping, and adding the skirt

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© Cathy Hay


Did you notice this? Neither did I. Yesterday morning, before I could carry on draping, I had to fix the ridiculous back. I have no idea why I did it like that. But anyway, then it got more interesting...

8 - An eighth piece continued underneath the seventh, but this one wraps all the way around to the back.


© Cathy Hay


9 - A piece of braid covers the join, ...


© Cathy Hay


10 - ... and a small strip at the back hides the end.


© Cathy Hay


The next piece to go on is actually the skirt, and after that, one last piece will cover the remainder of the bodice and the waist edge of the skirt, and wrap right across the back of the bodice, with a final piece of braid covering the join.

I pinned the braid on to find where the skirt should attach.


© Cathy Hay


And so to the skirt. This is a vital element of my recreation; it's the part that (in my opinion) no-one's ever quite nailed. Makers tend to add a skirt that hangs from the underbust like a Regency dress (below left, on my cotton mock-up), but if the sketches are to be believed, that's not how it works; it's somehow stretched and fitted from underbust to waist, and flares out below that. My cotton mock up did this fine (below right), but the silk was more temperamental.


© Cathy Hay


I futzed and futzed, and got upset, and it wouldn't work, because I couldn't get it to fit snugly around the torso and flare out properly below, as in the sketches. Meanwhile, all the time I was snipping further and further into an expensive piece of fabric that I may not be able to replace in time if I mess it up. But finally, when the end of the day stopped me, I realised it was probably just fine, and once again I was getting waylaid by the need to perfect it.

I was upset that when I spread it out, it floated to the floor and looked like a bad wedding dress. But when I fiddled a bit, it looked better, and I think that when I cut the hem and pad it, it'll look better still. I think I know now why it has that padded hem: it gives the skirt some weight.


© Cathy Hay



© Cathy Hay


And when you give it the Gorgeous Pose (ie twist it around the legs à la Camille Clifford) it looks great. So I'm going with it.


© Cathy Hay

[1908 dinner dress] Sleeves and hem

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© Cathy Hay with the permission of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery


And so to the sleeves. I'm into my last couple of days in my own sewing room, so I'm getting all the major work out of the way and leaving the finishing to be done in dazeoflaur's sewing room after I arrive in California next week.

Ah! More pintucking, down the outside of the sleeve, from shoulder to cuff (above).

It was, as with the bodice, pretty fun to try to reverse engineer how the sleeves were made. See if you come to the same conclusions as I did as I recreate them.

Firstly, there was clearly an understructure to the gathered sleeve.


© Cathy Hay with the permission of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery


Those pintucked rows were stitched to it.


© Cathy Hay with the permission of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery


The cuff is cartridge pleated on afterwards, and the placket finished and held together with tiny hooks and eyes.


© Cathy Hay with the permission of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery



© Cathy Hay with the permission of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery


First, I needed a plain white two-piece undersleeve as a foundation for the outer ruched layer. Silk organza was the obvious choice, since it's sturdy and very light, although I'm not certain the original was exactly the same fabric. I drafted from the 1908 instructions as before, joined the two pieces down the front seam (with a neat French seam, not that ugly thing they did in 1908) and finished the cuff edge, and marked the position of the middle gathered pintuck, down the outside of the sleeve.


© Cathy Hay


Next, I pulled five threads from a large, rectangular piece of silk chiffon, twice the length of the sleeve and plenty wide. These threads marked the outside edge of each pintuck, so that I could press a crease on each one and stitch ⅛" tucks, ½" apart, with a longer stitch length than usual.


© Cathy Hay


The half-way point of the middle pintuck was pinned to the central mark along the sleeve (ie the outside of the elbow).


© Cathy Hay


Gathering from one side....


© Cathy Hay


...and then the other. I pinned the central pintuck down the middle line that I'd marked earlier.


© Cathy Hay


Then I turned the whole thing over and tacked the middle pintuck down to the sleeve, then the outer one either side of it.


© Cathy Hay


I basted around the edges of the sleeves, through both layers, arranging the folds of chiffon as best I could, with the edge of the sleeve hanging over the edge of the table to simulate the curve of the arm. Then I turned it all over and trimmed the excess...


© Cathy Hay


..leaving a recogniseable sleeve.


© Cathy Hay


Turning in the cuff and placket edge, I handstitched the two together to finish them, then cartridge pleated a tube of silk chiffon to form a cuff frill; I'll be sewing that on tomorrow.


© Cathy Hay


Meanwhile, I've also padded the hem of the skirt. This is now basted down, ready to add the ½"-spaced French knots to embroider it down later. (Yes, really.) I've tested my method on the false panel at the front of the underskirt, ensured I bought more than enough floss, and I'll be doing that at Laurie's in California, the week before Costume College.


© Cathy Hay with the permission of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery



© Cathy Hay with the permission of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery



© Cathy Hay



© Cathy Hay


Funny how my hem, like the draping on my bodice, is surprisingly perky; it didn't occur to me before quite how much the crushing and packing and aging makes a hundred-year-old dress very flat. I'm sure mine will be nice and flattened too after crossing the Atlantic in a suitcase. ;)

[1908 dinner dress] Last photos in England

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© Cathy Hay


Here is the dress one more time, before it goes into the suitcase. The sleeves are in, and the oversleeves will now be gathered up into the cap shape of the original and trimmed with braid. There's also braid on one side of the skirt front opening.


© Cathy Hay


The last-but-one piece is on the bodice, wrapping from the rosette at the front under the left arm and across the back. The end of this piece, where it hooks down to the back of the right armscye and hides most of the workings of the back of the dress, is partway done.


© Cathy Hay


Here's the kit that I'm taking with me. Clockwise, the ruffles at the top left are for the cuffs. There are two reels of Kinkame silk thread (highly recommended), the rest of the braid (there is JUST enough), and extra crêpe de chine remnants, just in case. Four hundred or so beads will trim the dress last of all, assuming I have time, there's embroidery floss for the French knots around the hem, lace and ribbon for the finishing touches to the inside of the bodice, hooks and eyes, and the piping that'll form the rosette on the front of the dress, made but not yet coiled into shape.

I go to London tomorrow, and I'll be flying to San Francisco on Wednesday. The next photos will be from the uber-fabulous sewing room of the drop-dead talented Laurie Tavan, with whom I'll be staying for the crucial last week before Costume College. See you then!

[1908 dinner dress] At Laurie's

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© Laurie Tavan


Anyone who knows Laurie will know that she's a great photographer as well as a great costumer, so just for once, you get pictures not just of the work, but of the worker. Here I am pinning the sleeves in place.


© Laurie Tavan


All is going well, but there is a lot to do. I've divided the hem into equal portions so that I know I need to do sixty half inch spaced French knots per day. I've found a bead store and bought the tiny seed beads I need, which I left behind in England. The sleeves are coming on, and the list of things left to do is mercifully short, although the hem and beads are big tasks. Now to stay focussed enough to do this when I'm surrounded by awesome people I could be hanging out with! (I'm doing that too.)


© Laurie Tavan



© Laurie Tavan



© Laurie Tavan



© Laurie Tavan

Costume College

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What just happened?

This is what I remember: I was at Laurie's, and then there was a long, long drive, and then this flash of COLOUR and NOISE and ENERGY and there was this kind of strobe effect in which I think I saw every single costumer I have ever known, and I didn't sleep for a week, and then CRASH, and then another long drive into a beautiful sunset, and now I'm in an attic in Alameda feeling like I've just been Tango'd.

And I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

For the first time, I arrived by road and not by air, and although the drive was long, the costumes were in garment bags and did not require me to spend hours in my room ironing. Score! However, I did find myself envying friends who arrived a day early, on Wednesday - I think that extra 24 hours might be useful even when I'm not fighting jetlag.

I know a lot of people and I always find myself fighting to fit everything in. Thursday night I made it to one party, but virtually missed the pool party - by the time I arrived most people were gone. And this is what I wore, with thanks for the image to Jen Thompson:



Friday I taught a great class - great because I realised at the last minute that my neat Powerpoint presentation wasn't going to be half as much use to a group of budding businesspeople as a much more interactive group discussion. I think they got a lot out of it, and I don't think they realised how much I got out of it too. I got a lot of ideas on how to move forward with them.

Friday night, again, was a mess of trying to do everything - I showed up early to the Ice Cream Social, but just a little too early to keep my promise to Jen that we'd have an open robe picture together. (The pictures are by Rebecca Maiten - I do have more pictures of this outfit now from the chateau to show you, when I get to it.)



And after dinner with my girls, the obligatory Pretty Princess Party, hosted by the crowd from the chateau. This is usually a hugely overwhelming experience with a lot of VERY LOUD PEOPLE in a very small pair of adjoining hotel rooms. My strategy in the past has been to duck through the madness and hide behind Francis at the bar, but this year was very different (I think I'm fixed.) I think I talked to just about everyone, and I was fine, and I didn't get panicky even once; I was totally at home among friends. (Thousands of them, in a matchbox). I left on a high.

Saturday morning I taught my "Conquer the World" class, which people also seemed to get a lot out of; I had about forty attendees again, which was very flattering, and they made complimentary noises at the end, so I think that worked overall, although I will make some changes if I do it again; that one needs to become more interactive and less about me talking.

Both Friday and Saturday afternoons I tried to take it easy, but this was not easy on Saturday, with the debut of the dinner dress imminent. It all went beautifully; even though I had not had time to try the dress on finished, it was just right, and even though I only picked up the wig an hour beforehand, the headdress fit with it beautifully. There's another post to come about this and the vast group project of which it was a part, but for now, here's a photo of the whole outfit, with thanks to Rebecca Rowan:



And that was the end of the classes and the expectations that the weekend puts on me. It was the end of the dinner dress project, and the first time I could truly breathe out since February, when I began sewing for the chateau. Within hours I crashed hard, and was lucky enough to be drawn into the warm embrace of a group of wonderful women, some of whom I only see once a year. I was a mess for about 36 hours, and that's ok; it's what I needed, and I'm finally relaxing and taking some time out.

So next year, I'll be scheduling more downtime during my projects. I'll set better boundaries and say "no" more often, in more contexts. And before Costume College, I'll be taking it pretty damn easy for a week or so.

And so, to the next post: the bigger picture of which the 1908 dinner dress was just a small part!

GISHWHES is back....

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Well all, Cherylyn, Claudia, and I will be checking out of our minds for the next week. We are participating (for the third time!) in the community social art project known as GISHWHES.

What the hell is that, you ask?

The Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen!

And we have the Guinness World Records to prove it...

"But," you say, "I am an artist with time on my hands, a fridge full of kale, and a desire to win acclaim for my feats of daring charcuterie clothing design. How do I play!?!?"

We have an opportunity for you... Hunt groups have formed but our team - High571! - is looking for folks who are interested in taking on one or more challenging public art projects to lend a hand.

What sort of projects, you ask?

The list is long (literally, last year was 157 items and the year before was more than 200) but they can include things like...

Documentary photos of two children under ten years old covering a VW Beetle in whipped cream...

Finding a local sauna that will allow you to eat a melting food in their establishment while snapping photos...

Posing as Eve at a bus stop, complete with fig leaves, snake and apple...

Building a tea house from recycled goods under a bridge and posing in Japonesque repose there...

Searching under benches in Sausalito or Singapore for secret missions, and then accomplishing them...

All of the above have been accomplished by Deputy members of High571 in years past. Do you have what it takes to join them? Are you crazy enough to do it again?

[With thanks to Cherylyn for the perfect wording]

GISHWHES: The List

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ALL of the Items below should either be captured as "images" (which are photographs) or "videos". IMPORTANT - Unless otherwise specified, ALL VIDEOS must be 30 seconds or less!

1. IMAGE: "GISHWHES Hugs the World!" We are going to break the Guinness World Record for the largest online photo album of people hugging. The current record is 69,004. DO NOT SUBMIT THIS ITEM ON THIS PAGE! Go to www.gishwhes.com/hugtheworld.php to submit an image of you hugging someone or someone you know hugging someone. Every hug image is worth 3 points and your team can earn up to 300 points. If everyone on your team submits 5 hugging images, that's an easy 225 points! 300 POINTS

2. VIDEO: Go order food at your favorite fast-food restaurant. Greet the attendant, explain how hungry you are, what you want to eat, and how good it will make you feel. One thing, you must speak as the Bard wrote. Place your order in Shakespearian verse. 42 POINTS

3. VIDEO: Modify a stationary exercise bicycle so that when you pedal, the spinning wheel powers a mixer that whips heavy cream into whipped cream. Make the whipped cream and eat it. You should be dressed in late 80's style aerobics wear. The finished video should look like a short infomercial. 113 POINTS

4. IMAGE: You know the expression, “Beefcake?” As in, “He’s such a beefcake!” Have you ever really stopped to think about it? What exactly is a beefcake? It sounds good, right? I think we should have beefcake for dinner. Serve frosted beefcake at a family dinner where at least 3 generations are represented. 39 POINTS

5. IMAGE: A stormtrooper at a laundry mat folding clothes. 56 POINTS

6. ITEM EVENT: Join Misha Collins to break another Guinness World Record! Show up in the northwest corner of Central Park, Burnaby, BC (part of metro Vancouver) on Thursday at 2pm for 2-3 hours. Exact location in the park and more details to be announced on the 'Updates' page early this week. You will need to bring at least 100 safety pins (each safety pin must be 1-2 inches long), a dozen+ pieces of paper (any type) and a pen or marker. Also (this part is optional but will guarantee you euphoria in the afterlife) bring a gently used coat or blanket that's in reasonably good condition that you are willing to say goodbye to. 20 POINTS

7. VIDEO: Make a “DIY” (do it yourself) instructional video on how you can repair a damaged marriage using only bubble gum, a stapler, canned peas, dental floss and a hair dryer. Your video must include demonstrations and caution statements. 31 POINTS

8. IMAGE: Dress your grandfather (or a man over 75) like a teenage girl from Jersey Shore. 16 POINTS

9. IMAGE: Let’s see you and a friend, seated side-by-side, donating blood or platelets. Wear something festive on your head to commemorate the occasion. 33 POINTS

10. IMAGE: Jennifer Kristiansen. While showing some sign of the dragon-attack on your clothing or body, panhandle on a sidewalk (NOT ON A MEDIAN IN TRAFFIC!) with a sign that reads: "A DRAGON BURNED MY CASTLE DOWN." Donate any money given to you to your local food bank. Bad karma if you don't. 47 POINTS

11. VIDEO: Try to eat a large sandwich in one of those simulated skydiving machines. Bonus points if it's a "sloppy joe" (up to 15 second video). 64 POINTS

12. IMAGE: In my town, the sanitation worker who hangs on to the back of the truck always dresses as the Velveteen Rabbit. What does he wear in your town? 0 points for overalls or standard sanitation uniforms. 39 POINTS

13. IMAGE: A fully dressed nun in her habit going down a waterslide or swinging on a rope into a river. 100 POINTS

14. IMAGE: You, dressed as The Flash in the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) tunnel. If this is too difficult, you will get full credit for dressing as The Flash in any actual, operational particle accelerator. 216 POINTS

15. IMAGE: Vonda Wright. What would a teddy bear hostage situation look like? 28 POINTS

16. IMAGE: Russian courts have recently imposed a 100-year ban on Gay Pride parades. Take a photo of two people of the same sex kissing in front of a Red Square landmark. 77 POINTS

17. IMAGE: A rooster wearing a Gishwhes tank top. 62 POINTS

18. IMAGE: A dog that looks like a wolf wearing a Gishwhes t-shirt. Bonus points if it’s an actual wolf. 62 POINTS

19. IMAGE: Krista Keith. Attend a ballet class or "spinning" cycling class wearing full scuba gear -flippers, mask, tanks and all. 70 POINTS

20. IMAGE: Retrofit a wheelchair and its owner to look like a powerful superhero in a “Gishmobile.” 69 POINTS

21. VIDEO: Find an example of someone who engages in sustained generosity in your community and then do something nice for them. For example there is an 82-year-old Connecticut barber who always offers free haircuts to the homeless in exchange for hugs. You could find this barber and polish his shoes. Find someone similar in your own community and do something nice for them. In the video, you must describe what the person does for their community, and then show what your kind gesture toward them is. 32 POINTS

22. IMAGE: Alicia Graham. Model this summer’s hottest fashion trend. Let’s see a swimsuit made entirely from tea bags. 68 POINTS

23. IMAGE: Prom Night! Get dolled up or decked out in your most fabulous prom-wear and pose for an awkward prom photo next to your date holding their… side-view mirror. A car must be formally dressed as your prom date. 91 POINTS

24. VIDEO: From cardboard and other materials create a miniature movie set of buildings, skyscrapers and homes. The tallest “buildings” must be at least 3 feet tall. Now dress as the Wooster and demolish/attack the city. Submit a slow-motion of the attack including sound effects. 69 POINTS

25. VIDEO: Do a stealth act of kindness for someone in public or at work like leaving a flower on their windshield, or a “kindness note” at their desk, etc. Film them discovering it. 32 POINTS

26. IMAGE: Emma Brofjorden Chevin. Take a picture of you with someone who has won an Oscar. The Oscar statue must be in the picture with the two of you. One of you must be wearing a bald cap. Photoshop the name of the Oscar-winner into the image. 93 POINTS

27. IMAGE: Annie Houston. Get your ducks in a row. 4 of them. But they must be live ducks in movie theater seats. 73 POINTS

28. VIDEO: Go to work dressed as a robot. We must see clips of you getting ready in the morning, commuting, and arriving at work and doing your job. We must also see the reactions of people you pass on your commute and/or at work. 102 POINTS

29. IMAGE: You're a pirate, so dress like one. In addition to the eye-patch and other accoutrements you must have a live bird perched on your shoulder. You should be standing on your ship's deck, which in this case is neither a ship, nor a deck... it's a queue at the Department of Motor Vehicles. 75 POINTS

30. VIDEO: Roost on a busy sidewalk until your egg hatches. Announce the birth with a squawk (no more than a 15 second video). 29 POINTS

31. IMAGE: Miriam Weiss. Have at least six men in military, police or fire uniforms holding you over their heads as you sunbathe on your beach chair. 48 POINTS

32. VIDEO: The Scottish have their highland games that include an event where a man in a kilt throws a long wooden pole or trunk (caber) as far as he can. Let’s see this, but have the man in a full Scottish kilt throw a caber that is at least 10 feet long and is painted or adorned to look like a giant piece of asparagus or other vegetable. 59 POINTS

33. IMAGE: Laura Camanini. Dialysis treatments are long and boring. Entertain a dialysis patient during their treatment. 26 POINTS

34. IMAGE: A roach retirement home. Must have live cockroaches in it and must be sized to their scale, for their comfort and enjoyment. 56 POINTS

35. IMAGE: You’re naked and late for your day job of saving cities. You’re in your garage with no time to hit your secret lair. Get dressed using only auto/home improvement tools and landscaping items. 48 POINTS

36. IMAGE: (CALENDAR ITEM) Make yourself into a truly irresistible pastry or desert. Place yourself where we might find such a treat: on a countertop, in a display case, at a buffet, in a picnic basket, etc. 82 POINTS

37. IMAGE: An elderly couple holding hands as they crush grapes for wine the old fashioned way. They must be at a real winery in a real wine-grape-crushing barrel and they must be at least ankle-deep in grapes. 72 POINTS

38. IMAGE: Rage against the dying of the light. 22 POINTS

39. IMAGE: You car has taken a sudden affinity to trash. Oblige its indulgences. Decorate its entire exterior with trash. 43 POINTS

40. VIDEO: Kristy DeMoe. Dress up as a character from Supernatural and perform heroic crosswalk duties at a busy intersection. 19 POINTS

41. IMAGE: Have a pool party with at least three guests swimming. In this case, your "pool" shall be made from a large garbage can or dumpster. The party must also include towels, a BBQ, cocktails and floatation devices. All three people must be in the "pool". Bonus points if it's a dumpster. 80 POINTS

42. VIDEO: Film your team’s GISHWHES experience - you all communicating with each other via the Internet, doing courageous items in public, items at home, laughing, crying, screaming, running - we want to see it all. Include a couple of personal voice-overs or video clips of one or more of you commenting about how it affected you (bad or good). We want to see the journey. Edit it into a 2-minute video. 103 POINTS

43. IMAGE: Go to Jigokudani Monkey Park and, dressed like a “Snow Monkey,” pose with your fellow creatures. 124 POINTS

44. VIDEO: Valerie Grotto. Gel your child’s (under 6 years of age) hair kind of crazy and tussled like Einstein’s, then have them explain Einstein’s Theory of Relativity in his or her own words. 24 POINTS

45. IMAGE: Strike up a conversation with a homeless person, talk to them until you know their first name, where they are from, and what their favorite food is. Bring them that food and, if they give you permission, take your picture with them and their meal. 38 POINTS

46. IMAGE: A sitting member of the U.S. House of Representatives or Senate wearing a sock monkey hat. The congressperson must be photographed talking seriously with someone wearing a suit and tie in an office or hallway. Photoshop the name of the congressperson onto the bottom of the image in the following format: Representative John Doe, D-New York. 48 POINTS

47. IMAGE: Sell an eBook to Jeff Bezos. 104 POINTS

48. VIDEO: Create a simple two-player video game. Player one’s avatar is, of course, the GISHWHES 2013 mascot, the Wooster. Player two is the GISHWHES 2012 mascot, the Fograt (Google it). 77 POINTS

49. IMAGE: Take the road less traveled. 9 POINTS

50. IMAGE. Little Jack Horner, Little Bo Peep, Peter Pumpkin, Little Boy Blue and the Queen of Hearts at a late-night vice-ridden poker game. 87 POINTS

51. IMAGE: Alana Roberts: Host a diaper drive and donate the diapers to a diaper bank or homeless shelter. Take a picture of you delivering the diapers. 48 POINTS

52. VIDEO: Have elementary school kids perform the Ukranian Arkan dance or the Greek Kechagiadikos dance – we’re not prejudiced so either is acceptable. 63 POINTS

53. VIDEO: Using clips of West Collins that his parents have exploitatively posted online, lay down a rockin’ beat (electronic or human beat box) and create an original rap song. The lead “singer” will be West. You provide the dancers. 46 POINTS

54. IMAGE: Decorate your cubicle or office as GOTTWHES “Greatest Office Trap the World Has Ever Seen,” including an enticement to lure strangers in. Sit in it and wait. 27 POINTS

55. VIDEO: Erin Leigh: A preacher in church condemning GISHWHES and GISHWHESHEANS. 44 POINTS

56. IMAGE: Create an online dating profile for your pet on a real dating site. 25 POINTS

57. IMAGE: Start a twitter feed for your alarm clock. Get at least two hundred followers. At least once a day the account must post: “BEEP! BEEP! 7:00 AM.” We will be checking the twitter accounts to verify count. 46 POINTS

58. IMAGE: Give a concise summary of the proof of the “abc conjecture." 18 POINTS

59. VIDEO: Tisha Fay: Hold a pillow fight that involves 10 or more people all in pajamas. 22 POINTS

60. IMAGE: Safari time! Construct an animal you would see in the African savanna entirely from feminine hygiene products. 47 POINTS

61. IMAGE: Sidney Scott. CS Lewis once said, "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one!'" Take a picture capturing this exact moment. The two must have something very visually unique about them. The photo must be taken in a crowd of other people who do not share this unique quality. For example, both could be dressed as cavemen at a crowded train station. 57 POINTS

62. IMAGE: Let’s see your interpretation of “helium pants.” 32 POINTS

63. IMAGE: Edit screencaps of 10 different instances of your team using the word, "abnosome" (or one of its conjugates) in online posts into one image. In other words, 10 images edited in a grid into one image. This will introduce the world to this new, and important word, which of course means: "abnormal in an awesome way." 38 POINTS

64. VIDEO: A university professor giving a technical explanation of why the telegraph will inevitably be making a comeback. 58 POINTS

65. IMAGE: Have a group of children (the more the better) collect litter from a beach or park. Then have them make a sculpture or sculptures from the trash they collect. This must be two images edited into one with the images side by side: one showing the kids collecting the trash, and the other showing their final creation (with the kids posed behind it). 28 POINTS

66. IMAGE: (Four photos joined into a single digital image). Shoot a real life comic book page. In other words, shoot 4 photographs of something that looks like it would be in a comic book or graphic novel and arrange the photos like panels onto one page. This must be an original story with original characters and it must be staged, not photoshopped. You have to figure out how to make the thought or dialogue bubbles and lettering during the shoot. 162 POINTS

67. IMAGE: Use a smartphone or tablet computer to find water. You must be riding a camel. 92 POINTS

68. IMAGE: Viking rats. 32 POINTS

69. IMAGE: Toast for underwear. Butter and jam are optional. 22 POINTS

70. IMAGE: Go to Iguazu Falls holding an umbrella made from used aluminum cans and plastic utensils (forks, spoons, and knives). 89 POINTS

71. VIDEO: Dress up in your finest “steampunk” attire and get behind the wheel, rudder or other steering instrument of a steam-powered vehicle (train, steamboat, thresher, etc.). 66 POINTS

72. VIDEO: Time lapse: A family of at least 4 posed for a Holiday Card in full Holiday dress. It must be in a mall or similar crowded public place. You all must stand posed completely motionless for 5 minutes, smiling, with the video condensed to 20 seconds.66 POINTS

73. IMAGE: Create a shrine to an actor from a CW show. Pay homage to it. 56 POINTS

74. IMAGE: Create a promotional poster designed to market ukuleles to heavy metal guitarists. Ideally your campaign would feature Dan Spitz. 29 POINTS

75. IMAGE: “You are what you eat.” Prove it. 21 POINTS

76. VIDEO: Dance in the middle of a boring school class while your friend beat-boxes. Detention lasts an hour, the memory, a lifetime. 27 POINTS

77. IMAGE: FOR CHILDREN UNDER 12 ONLY! Paint or draw a picture of what you love most in the world. Then write what it is under the picture. Parents may provide the description if the child chooses not to demonstrate their genius penmanship that day. 22 POINTS

78. VIDEO: Two people in business suits at a small conference table discussing how fed policy affects mortgage interest rates. Use terms like, “quantitative easing,” “macro economic,” and “private equity.” The conversation must be rife with sexual innuendo. 55 POINTS

79. IMAGE: There was something you always wanted to do as a child but never did. Do it. 24 POINTS

80. IMAGE: Create your own homemade team uniform. Each team member must wear the uniform and have a photo taken. Compile the photos into a grid of photos with your team name at the bottom of the image.61 POINTS

81. IMAGE: A live mouse, as a passenger in Barbie’s car. 22 POINTS

82. VIDEO: Build a prototype for a WMD (Weapon of Mass Dictation). 33 POINTS

83. IMAGE: Mexico is famous for the perfect desert: the churro. We know churros are delicious, but what else are they good for? Improve on perfection by modifying a churro to serve an alternate non-food purpose. 27 POINTS

84. IMAGE: Three of you tour the Dali Museum in Spain. You all must be wearing large fake mustaches. 39 POINTS

85. IMAGE: There are Seven Wonders of the World. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonders_of_the_World) Claim one of them for your team by staking your team flag in front of it. 98 POINTS

86. VIDEO: Start a chant at a sporting event. Rather than chanting a player's name or an inspirational cheer, the chant should be "GISHWHES". At least 200 people need to be chanting. 123 POINTS

87. IMAGE: Host a seated traditional Japanese tea ceremony in an elevator to make the passengers feel more at ease. 48 POINTS

88. VIDEO: Let’s see a marching band playing “Carry on My Wayward Son." They must be in marching-band attire and marching in a populated school location or in a populated public area. A cosplay character from Supernatural must be leading them. 89 POINTS

89. VIDEO: Create a dynamic, documentary short film exposing little-known facts about your hometown (two minute video). 49 POINTS

90. VIDEO: Someone you know has always wanted something incredible. Get it for them. Surprise them. Catch the surprise on video. 81 POINTS

91. VIDEO: Pitch a quoit in your finest medieval ware at a popular dog-walk park. 28 POINTS

92. IMAGE: Jennifer Gutierrez. Cosplay “Gishbot” (www.twitter.com/gishbot) as realistically as possible in public. 66 POINTS

93. IMAGE: Sara Anderson. Release the Kraken. 19 POINTS

94. IMAGE: While scuba diving underwater, show us your spear fishing trophy kill. Today’s catch is not fish, however, it’s a large piece of man-made trash with the words “GISHWHES Sanitation” written or attached to it. 74 POINTS

95. IMAGE: We all know that colonels in the Russian army wear boxers, but we want proof. 39 POINTS

96. VIDEO: FLASH MOB! Musicians and singers playing and singing “Carry On My Wayward Son.” The performance must take place in a crowded place of people sitting and waiting: a large train station, a mall, a passport office, an airport, etc. The video must begin with all of the performers undercover, blending in with the rest of the public. Then, one musician stands and begins to play their instrument. Then the others slowly join in. Record the full song and 20 seconds before the song begins. There must be AT LEAST 6 musicians and 6 singers playing to a public crowd of at least 35.200 POINTS

97. VIDEO: Go through a fast food drive-through with an adult dressed as a baby in a car seat in the back. The adult must have a pacifier in his or her mouth and must be pre-verbal. The video clip must scan from the driver ordering food to the adult-child in the backseat to the fast-food employee at the window. FYI the adult-child will require extra napkins. 66 POINTS

98. IMAGE: Smoke a fake cigar and make a champagne toast as the proud father of a new litter of baby non-human mammals that are displayed next to you. 39 POINTS

99. IMAGE: Taxidermy animals dressed for and playing or doing one of the following: roller derby, doubles tennis in whites, a 4-some of golfers (must be traditionally dressed with knickers), cricket players in whites, disco dancing (in 70s disco clothes), synchronized swimming (with nose clips), or a karate class (black belts). 111 POINTS

100. VIDEO: Record the Nerdist.com theme song using anything but conventional musical instruments
or the human voice. (The song is "Jetpack Blues, Sunset Hues" by Anamanaguchi.) 78 POINTS

101. VIDEO: The CEO of a major corporation wearing a business suit dancing to the song “Single Ladies," using the same dance moves Beyonce did in the music video. 77 POINTS

102. VIDEO: Install a plaque commemorating a fictional historic landmark. 48 POINTS

103. VIDEO: Create the packaging for a “Pet Cotton Ball.” Get it put on a store shelf and sell it. Video must show the packaging, its location in the store and the customer buying it. Remember, we have expert criminal psychologists on staff who can easily tell if you’ve staged the purchase. 64 POINTS

104. IMAGE: Have a prisoner make a license plate with the Impala from Supernatural’s plate number. 57 POINTS

105. VIDEO: A military aircraft with Gishwhes decals. The video must depict take-off. You may not illegally or secretly graffiti the plane. 185 POINTS

106. IMAGE: Outfit a public statue of a celebrated historical figure with a knitted or crocheted Gishwhes cardigan. 53 POINTS

107. VIDEO: Jayne McKenna. Film yourself bungee jumping. You must start the jump by saying into the camera: "I’m doing this for _______!" (you fill in the blank), and then jump. Bonus points if you edit together the camera angle of you talking and another of your entire jump. Super bonus points if there’s also a helmet cam viewpoint edited in as well. 72 POINTS

108. IMAGE: Let’s see a flattering portrait painting of Star Trek’s George Takei or Felicia Day. Your materials will be sand. Your paintbrush will be your finger. 74 POINTS

109. IMAGE: Shawne Keevan. Make a suit or evening gown from watermelon rind. 39 POINTS

110. IMAGE: If Gishwhes were a fraternity or sorority, what would the initiation ceremony look
like? 43 POINTS

111. VIDEO: Time lapse item. Make a wig from your own hair. Wear it. 71 POINTS

112. IMAGE: Tweet genuine compliments to 10 people on twitter. The compliments must all be personal, true and thoughtful. Tweet them consecutively with the hashtag #poweredbyGISHWHES. Submit a screencap showing the 10 tweets. 18 POINTS

113. IMAGE: Run an ad in a local paper for the cult you are starting. Sell us on it. Make us want to join. Make grandiose promises. 41 POINTS

114. IMAGE: Let’s see a portrait of Chris Hardwick from the Nerdist.com made from dried fruit. 44 POINTS

115. VIDEO: Program a Commodore 64 (or similar vintage) personal computer to turn on a coffee maker and brew you a cup when you type in the command, “Rise and shine!” 84 POINTS

116. IMAGE: Serve salad in a soup kitchen. 52 POINTS

117. IMAGE: Narrow the prime gap to 47.23 POINTS

118. IMAGE: Make a cozy quilt from old dirty socks. Snuggle up in it alone or with your best friend. 85 POINTS

119. IMAGE: Type out your team’s one-page manifesto on an old, mechanical typewriter. The page must be legible and the bottom of it must be partially fed into the typewriter. 16 POINTS

120. IMAGE: Jessica Mejia. Let’s see your most dramatic interpretation of “Death by Chocolate!” 34 POINTS

121. IMAGE: Enjoy a burrito standing in front of a laboratory. The international laser-warning sign must be visible behind you. 81 POINTS

122. IMAGE: A Peugeot car in France with a French License Plate and a “Bush/Cheney 2004” bumper sticker. 51 POINTS

123. VIDEO: Create your own Sonic Screwdriver and use it to get you out of a sticky situation. 65 POINTS

124. VIDEO: Collect signatures in front of a health food store on a petition to: “Pave all of California’s beaches so we don’t have to get all sandy to go swimming.” Must have a printed form, vest, and clipboard. You must be extremely smiley and optimistic about the whole petition. 42 POINTS

125. VIDEO: Fold a paper crane whilst sitting outside, uncovered in a rainstorm. 45 POINTS

126. VIDEO: Is there an “unsung hero” in your life? Well, make them a “sung hero.” Write a short song about the person and why you appreciate them. Sing it to them. Record the very first time they hear the song. 34 POINTS

127. IMAGE: Make your country’s flag from food or food packaging. 49 POINTS

128. IMAGE: Write a haiku about waiting. Post it (no graffiti!) at a bus stop. 28 POINTS

129. IMAGE: Create an innovative piece of "sock monkey" apparel. It can be anything but a hat. Wear it proudly in public. 67 POINTS

130. VIDEO: Find a dog named, “Castiel.” Call it. Have it come when called. 46 POINTS

131. VIDEO: Time Lapse: Play the violin using a bow strung with your own hair. (If you are a horse, you may only participate in this item if we see you operating a pair of scissors to trim your mane). If you’re a human we must see video clips edited together of you cutting your own hair, stringing the bow, and then playing the violin with it. 74 POINTS

132. IMAGE: Create a stained glass window depicting a character or characters from a CW TV show.91 POINTS

133. IMAGE: (Screencap) Get Jared Padalecki (@jarpad) to compliment Misha Collins (@mishacollins) on twitter. The post must include a Username from your team. 201 POINTS

134. IMAGE: As you know, pink ninja sightings are common at Ayers Rock in Australia. Take a photo of tourists spotting one at the rock. 56 POINTS

135. IMAGE: Have your public service workers over for pie. Seated at the table, and eating their pie, are a fully dressed professional (not costumed) fireman, police officer, teacher and paramedic. 39 POINTS

136. VIDEO: Train a parrot to say “Jensen,” or “Ackles,” or both. Double points if the parrot chuckles after saying it. 48 POINTS

137. IMAGE: If Gishwhes were a moving or shipping company, what would its slogan be? Let’s see the slogan on the side of an 18-wheeler. Letters must be at least 3 feet in height. No illegal graffiti allowed! You must have permission from the owner of the truck and we must see the entire truck in the image. Feel free to decorate the rest of the truck as you deem appropriate. 82 POINTS

138. IMAGE: Design the graphic cover of a romance novel: Misha and the Queen of England in a torrid embrace or otherwise adventurous situation. Give it a creative title. 99 POINTS

139. IMAGE: In front of the most famous building or monument in your city or town, hold a sign over your head with what your town's tourism motto should be based on how you see it. For example: "Burkfields, MA! Where people used to have jobs!" or "Los Angeles, CA! Where everyone sleeps in!" 16 POINTS

140. IMAGE: Liv Heller. Recreate a recognizable piece of architecture or a landmark using only books. Bonus points for size. 31 POINTS

141. IMAGE: Make a picture book for preschoolers explaining the Pythagorean theorem. 22 POINTS

142. IMAGE: (Two photos in one image.) "Hell and back." In other words, we want to see a before and after photo of a GISHWHES 2013 participant. The first photo should depict the participant eagerly getting ready for the great, adventurous week ahead, and the second photo, what the participant looks like at the close of the hunt. 61 POINTS

143. IMAGE: Create a grammatically correct anagram sentence using the first names of each of the members of your team. The image must show both the first names of your team members and the sentence. 27 POINTS

144. IMAGE: Children behind the counter of a post office, dressed in postal wear, dealing with adult customers. They must look really bored. 52 POINTS

145. VIDEO: “GISHWHES” or a GISHWHES theme in skywriting. The plane must be in the process of completing the letters. In other words, we must see the plane, we must see the smoke leaving the plane and we must see the letters. Take photographs as well. You don’t need to submit the photos, just the video. 216 POINTS

146. VIDEO: Get your team’s new ice cream flavor on sale in an ice cream parlor. The new flavor must have a catchy new name and must be a combination of ingredients that we (the judges) have never before heard of in an ice cream. The ice cream shop employee must tell a customer what is in your ice cream and the customer must sample your new flavor. 58 POINTS

147. IMAGE: Go to Neuschwanstein castle in Germany and hold a seated séance in the front courtyard with 5 of your friends. Extra points if you have an Ouija board and are dressed as “traveling minstrels." 64 POINTS

148. VIDEO: A local TV news piece covering a local radio story. 49 POINTS

149. IMAGE: Let’s see you in a cage staring down an animal in a cage. The catch: your cage is in his cage. 61 POINTS

150. IMAGE: Let’s see a watercolor painting of one of your teammates leading the cavalry of a battle charge. The warriors, however, are not riding traditional horses, they are riding rocking horses. Give us a fitting landscape and weaponry as well. 30 POINTS

151. VIDEO: Start a chant at a sporting event. Rather than chanting a player’s name, however, at least 200 people must be chanting “GISHWHES” with enthusiasm. 123 POINTS

152. IMAGE: Surf's up! Let's see you surfing while "tin can" talking to another surfer on a different surfboard. Your tin cans must be connected. 70 POINTS

153. IMAGE: Get Alexander Misurkin, Pavel Vinogradov, Chris Cassidy, Fyodor Yurchikhin, Karen Nyberg or Luca Parmitano to take a photo of themselves holding up a sign that says, "Hey (INSERT ANY USERNAME FROM YOUR TEAM)! GISHWHES does space too!" or a similar slogan. As a side note, the preceding individuals are all currently on the International Space Station orbiting planet Earth. 334 POINTS

154. VIDEO: Project the youtube short film "Stranger Danger" or the Oscar-Worthy feature film, "Stonehenge Apocalypse" at an abandoned drive-in movie theater. 49 POINTS

155. IMAGE. Change a life! Random Acts (www.therandomact.org) and GISHWHESHEANS are going to change the life of someone and their family! Details will be announced on Tuesday (U.S.) on the "Updates" page. You will submit for it at that time. 250 POINTS

156. MYSTERY ITEM. To Be Announced. 51 POINTS

Alphonse Mucha and his Models

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I believe the idea came from claughter713, and it wasn't long after last year's Costume College - the idea was banded about when I was staying with her last August, so it looks as though we actually managed to keep the idea of an Alphonse Mucha group project a secret for a full year.

There was a Facebook group. There were headdress workshops. The team started out as about six of us, and ended up as thirteen. Many people picked a specific portrait to copy; some did a Mucha-inspired outfit of their own. For example....

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I wanted to do my usual blogathon, so I picked an appropriate dress that I wanted to do anyway, but that would fit in. It was something that I could tell you all about without giving the game away. And I found an image that was near enough - I think the lady on the left is somewhat similar in silhouette, at least...



And here are some more images, courtesy of Rebeccas Maiten and Rowan. In a couple of weeks I'll be back at Laurie's, and there's a Plan afoot to do a formal photoshoot of this outfit, so watch this space.















Home, part 1: Fairfax

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Last night was one of those occasions when you start chatting with a friend and end up talking into the night.

I can be pretty guarded, so it always comes as a surprise when I find myself taken unawares, rattling on with no concern about whether I'm interesting or not.

Tim and I talked about a lot of things, but more than anything, it stunned me to realise how unused I am to going into detail about what my currently crazy itinerant life is really like. Each different friend or group of friends get to see snapshots, but no-one, however close to me, gets to see it all, and I don't ever explain successfully how it really feels to be here, and then there, and then somewhere else, and belonging everywhere and nowhere all at the same time.

So I thought I might attempt to change that.

With the disclaimer that I am throwing out of the window any fear of "tl;dr" from you, dear reader, I present the following: my crazy life, the complete picture, part 1.

Home, part 2: Sausalito

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Last time I told you about where this story began, but there are a couple of prequels. Here's one of them. I also reveal why things have not been quite right with me for the last few months, and why it's so important now for me to try to create my own sense of HOME wherever I happen to be...

[I recommend clicking the "CC" icon and turning on the captions, since there's some background noise and I'm quiet.]

Home, part 3: Alameda

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If any of my UK friends are looking for a good idea for a catering business, I've got a corker for you, because there's one thing I love to do in America that just doesn't seem to be a Thing in Britain.



There are no breakfast restaurants in England!

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The story so far:
Home, part 1: Fairfax
Home, part 2: Sausalito


I'm mightily flattered at how many people seem to be watching these videos. Thank you so much for being there for me, all of you.
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