Rosetta, the glamorous assistant - Isn't she amazing?

Guys I think I just made my best Hallowe'en costume to date and it's all down to the fabric.  Ok, it's somewhat down to the pattern as well, but Oh.  My God.  The Fabric.  Instead of the usual 'dress up as something scary' shindig my awesome friends threw a circus-themed murder mystery party and I was assigned the role of glamorous magician's assistant.  Obviously my brief for that was going to be skin-tight, shiny, and as tacky as I can get, so I nearly wept when the aptly named Cheap Fabrics threw up a pink and purple leopard print/zebra print monstrosity.

OH MY GOD YES

I used the Nettie pattern from Closet Case Files, which I got in the Sew Independent bundle last month - I will readily admit this is not the first thing I had in mind when I saw the pattern, so I'm sure it will be re-used for slightly more real life appropriate garments.

I cut a straight size 10 low-neck, low-back dress with no modification other than to lengthen the skirt and leave a slit in one side - this isn't the most forgiving fabric so I had to suck my stomach in a fair bit, but I imagine in a slightly firmer knit it would be a damn good fit.  I may give the low back a miss next time though; as Heather rightly pointed out in her sew-along having only half a shelf bra does pull on the side seams and gives the shoulders a tendency to slip off.  I still think the shelf bra is genius though - being able to go braless in October with nary a peep of neeps is ruddy marvellous.

Of course no costume is complete without accessories, so I finished the look with fishnets, a feather headdress, the cheapest feather boa I could find (Poundland FTW) and as much make-up as I could fit on my face.  I think I left bright pink feathers all over Alix's house.

Stole my friend's boyfriend to be my magician - he didn't get the memo about the pink.  Very disappointing.  I don't think my friend minded too much as she was secretly having affairs with both of us while being married to the murder victim.  Who then turned out to be faking his own death to frame the swindling knife thrower.  Meanwhile I had an inescapable alibi as I had apparently managed to lock myself in box.  All prime fodder for some excellent drunken ham acting!

Hope you all had an equally silly weekend!

I am back! And grrrrraduated.

Look! I'm a real grown up person! I graduated...err...a month ago and got to ponce around in an unflattering gown at silly o'clock in the morning. Wheeee! Just what I've always wanted!

The month since has been somewhat blah, jobsearching is sucking at my soul and because the jobcentre is run by robot monkeys I'm not eligible for job seekers allowance. But hey, I have a lovely (and highly convenient) boyfriend and he has a lovely mother who doesn't want to charge me more than enough to cover the extra food in rent, so I have a place to stay until I find a job and a flat of my own.

(See, if I call it 'a place to stay' rather than 'living with my boyfriend' it's a lot less scary.)

All my worldly possesions, aside from a few clothes and the essential 8 or 9 knitting projects, are now in storage, including my poor neglected sewing machine, which got one last outing after uni to finish my dress for the graduation ball.

This is the best photo I've got of the dress, which is the one that was originally intended for Nancy and Olly's wedding last year before the previous sewing machine blew up. Or possibly just stopped sewing. I forget. It's a shame I didn't get a better picture of all the gathering on the bodice (it took me long enough), but apparently I was more focused on getting drunk and grinning/grimacing like a loon for the camera to get a good shot from the neck down. I think it was worth it. Although, the celebratory amounts of alcohol made it all the more confusing and disturbing when the dancing dwarves came on stage. I know I wasn't imagining this - I found photographic evidence the next day. Also, I'm wearing my Mia! At last!

The other costumes I made last month, for the other ball (yes I got two :D ), were somewhat less sophisticated. These were for the Summer ball held by the Bournemouth University - they kindly allow us Arts Institute types to latch onto their social events like creative little barnacles. My boyfriend and I went this year as the Queen and the Prince from Katamari Damacy/We Love Katamari. I'm not quite sure how to explain this. Katamari is a bizarre Japanese Playstation game in which you roll a ball around picking up things and making the ball grow bigger so you can pick up bigger things. And...um...that's all there is to it. And I love it intensely.

Anyhoo, I found some patterns online and I sent the link to Martin in an 'OMG, look at these, they are so hilariously weird' moment thinking nothing more of it and he came back with 'summer ball costumes please'. Who am I to deny a request for giant knitted earmuffs from my beloved?

I feel I have to add that this was ALL his idea, right down to the green shorts and lovely purple tights. I'm fairly convinced no one had a clue who we were. I did get one high five from a stranger but I think it was because he thought had a pair of boobs strapped to my head.

I can see why he thought that.

Stay tuned (maybe) for new socks! The whole of south east Asia! And the other new resident of Martin's bedroom!