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Below are the 7 most recent journal entries recorded in catherinejs' LiveJournal:

    Wednesday, June 25th, 2008
    7:39 am
    Another meme for Miss Book Geek
    The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed. Well let's see.


    1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
    2) Italicize those you intend to read.
    3) Underline the books you LOVE.
    4) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've only read 6 and force books upon them ;-)

    Hey, 65 out of 100! Not too bad!  But I was an English major so I might be messing with the curve here.

    ( The List )
    Wednesday, April 30th, 2008
    7:35 pm
    Because Miss Literature geek couldn't leave this one alone
         What we have here is the top 106 books most often marked as "unread" by LibraryThing’s users. As in, they sit on the shelf to make you look smart or well-rounded. Bold the ones you've read, underline the ones you read for school, italicize the ones you started but didn't finish.


    Friday, December 21st, 2007
    2:24 pm
    Will the real Jane Austen please come forward?
     Let's get this straight: I love Jane Austen as much as the next girl.  Probably more than most girls, given my English-major background and historical dressing habits.  But does the world really need (a minimum of) TWENTY-NINE separate authors writing "Austen-inspired" fiction?  Twenty nine???  In my endless quest for non-heinous historical fiction, mysteries, or (hallelujah) historical mysteries, I asked the great god Amazon to send me "Jane and the Wandering Eye".  Jane Austen, amateur sleuth, is a bit twee even for me, but I have to say the book was Not Too Bad.  And now Amazon has recommended to me an untold number of similar tomes, mostly to do with the Darcy family, by the aforesaid (minimum of) twenty-nine authors.  (Twenty-nine is where I stopped counting, and many of them had written multiple books.)

    People, is is too much to ask that if you're going to make your living writing fiction, that you actually Invent The Plots And Characters By Yourself?  Have you not noticed that pretty much all books "continuing" or "retelling" a classic work, not to put too fine a point on it, suck?  When I want Austen, I'll take the real thing, thanks.

    Current Mood: aggravated
    Thursday, August 16th, 2007
    10:30 pm
    Another sewphisticate meme

    1. Five-eighths, one-half or three-eighths?
    Five-eights for big-3 patterns, one-half for everything else.  5/8 always seemed oddly random to me, and anything less than 1/2 makes me anxious.
    2. Linen, cotton, wool or silk?
    Silk! Or poly if it's decent, cotton or wool is nice... I never use linen.  I hate ironing.
    3. Stripes, solids or prints?
    Not in a print-y place; stripes, solids or woven patterns.
    4. Drape or draft?
    Alter existing patterns!  Draping is on my "learn to do" list; drafting sounds like way too much math.
    5. Pins or weights?
    I have NEVER been able to make the weights work.  Everything is just way too wiggly.
    6. Nipper or seam ripper?
    Ripper!  I like being able to get the point under one thread.
    7. Pleats or ruffles?
    PLEATS.  All those nasty little drawstrings make me insane.
    8. Wheel or scissors?
    Scissors.  See number 5 -- same problem.
    9. Princess seams or darts?
    Either, depending on usage.  I like the look of princess seams, but they're more fiddly to get right over a full bust.
    10. Flat-line or bag-line?
    I always flat-line, occasionally bag-line as well.  Usually not, since I like to leave alteration access.  (Not that I have ever actually altered a bodice.)
    11. Serge or French seam?
    Don't have a serger.  I flat-fell or french seam underpinnings, since they get laundered a bunch.  Otherwise I zig-zag the raw edges to prevent fraying.
    12. Invisible or original sliding?
    I almost never use zippers.  And I have never acquired the invisible zipper knack.  So I have to go crying to mommy, which is annoying.
    13. Hooks & eyes or lacings?
    Generally hooks and eyes, since enormous visible metal grommets are a huge pet peeve of mine, and I'm way too lazy to do hand-bound.  I also really like buttons.
    14. Corset for comfort, or corset for look? (And no, you can’t claim both.)
    Look.  Duh.
    15. Bind, pipe or face?
    Facing = evil.  I usually turn the edges with bias tape, but I love piping when I'm not feeling lazy.

    Sunday, June 17th, 2007
    11:44 am
    Me me me me me!
     [info]sewphisticate's excellent costuming survey!

    1
    Wednesday, November 1st, 2006
    2:50 pm
    New Year's Eve
     So this is my big project for the year -- along with some friends, I have been planning a Ball. A New Year's Eve ball, in Berkeley, CA. And if you're reading this, you're invited -- check us out at www.gildedgalas.com. The site is sensational -- Julia Morgan built it at the same time she was building San Simeon, and it shows. The band is incredible -- as anyone familiar with Bangers and Mash from the Dickens' Christmas fair knows. There will be finger food, dessert, champagne, men in tails and ladies in big swirly dresses -- what more could you ask for? We're selling a limited number of tickets, so get yours today!

    I've been making a dress, or rather two dresses. It will be a race to the finish line, and then I'll decide (based on what's done) whether to wear the black-and-red-striped, over-the-top bustle gown or the peach changeable silk taffeta 1890s gown with embroidered pansies and silk satin ribbon. Flamboyant or tasteful? Hard to say at this point.

    Must go pick up the kids. How do I have time to plan events and wrangle monkeys (I mean little boys)? G*d knows, but I consider it therapy.
    Friday, May 5th, 2006
    1:19 pm
    My very first meme
     Don't expect frequent postings here; I'm a busy mommy and if I get sucked into this, my minimal sewing time will evaporate. But the machine is in the shop, so here's a fun survey from my friend Sewphisticate:

    1. You are limited to sewing costumes from ONE era (I was going to say one decade, but that's too soul crushing). NOTE: If you prefer fantasy or science fiction work, you must limit yourself to ONE movie or book series. Pick!
    2. You must choose ONE color to work in for the rest of your life (NOT BLACK. NOT WHITE.) It is...
    3. You must choose ONE type of fabric to sew on forever, it is... (and no, "silk" isn't good enough. Nor is "cotton." "Cotton voile," or "silk satin," however, are both suitable answers.)
    4. Why did you choose that ONE fabric you just chose?
    5. You can have only ONE costume whore DVD to watch forever. What is it?
    6. You can keep only ONE of the costumes you have made. What is it and WHY?
    7. You get only ONE website for research, or for diversion. You choose...
    8. You can keep only ONE of your reference books (painful, I know). Which is it and WHY?
    9. You may keep your machines, your scissors, your chalk, thread and pins, but you may have only ONE other sewing tool. It is...
    10. The sewing g*ds are feeling a little guilty about their draconian measures, so you can have ONE costume from a movie, or stolen from someone's (anyone you choose!) closet for inspiration. You take...

    1. This is in a way too easy, although I'm tempted to challenge myself. Gilded age: 1870-1915. That covers everything I'm currently obsessing over. But if I were going to challenge myself, I'd choose 18th century, which I adore and know nothing about. That would keep me busy for a long time!
    2. Red. I just love it. And I can cheat into pink, rust and burgundy.
    3. Silk doupioni. No brainer. And I KNOW, it's slubbed, it's not period, blah blah blah. I don't care; it's pretty.
    4. I love the sheen; not satin-shiny, not flat mattte. I love the thousands of colors it comes in, I love the wild irridescent color combos, I love that it's easily available and reasonably priced. And I love how easy it is to sew!
    5. The Buccaneers. Lots of scrumptious bustle gowns.
    6. Tough one. Probably the bustle ballgown I'm working on right now, although with the bodice in pieces and the stripe matching making me crazy, it's hard to say. Otherwise, my "I'm going skating on the pond" 1870s plaid wool day dress.
    7. Demode. Can't beat the real clothing links (is it cheating to follow a link somewhere?).
    8. Now that is just MEAN! Jean Hunniset 1800-1900, for the patterns and construction advice.
    9. Wait, I have to choose between a hand needle and a measuring tape???? OK, I'll use hook tape forever more, forget about buttons, and choose the measuring tape.
    10. http://www.museumofcostume.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseAction=SM.nav&UUID=DB5563A8-C34C-48B7-9511936786E23DD7 If I get one dress to inspire me, it's gonna be Worth.
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