Login

Showering Aiden

In April we welcomed the newest addition of our extended family into this exciting world. Jason’s sister Carley became a mommy last month when her son Aiden reluctantly joined humankind via an emergency C-section. This little guy had to be delivered 6 weeks early due to some complications and, unfortunately, he’s had a rough life thus far but we celebrated his arrival nonetheless.

I decided to make this blanket out of 6 inch pieces with 5/8 inch seams: 200 squares in all.
I decided to make this blanket out of 6-inch pieces with 5/8-inch seams: 200 squares in all.

I, along with some of the other family females, planned a baby shower for Carley the last weekend of April. Aiden wasn’t supposed to be around yet but his surprise womb exodus didn’t halt our schemes. Good thing because I had been conspiring up gifts for this event since January.

I used the same polka dotted flannel for the whole backside to keep the quilt from getting too busy.
I used the same polka dotted flannel for the whole backside to keep the quilt from getting too busy.

I wanted to make a blanket for Aiden, as I have done for our last few nieces and nephews, but not an ugly blanket. I’ve tinkered with some hand-quilting in the past and these experiments haven’t exactly turned out fabulously so I decided to put the curious scientist inside aside this time and stick to an established quilt fabrication method…mostly. While I didn’t want Aiden to end up with the crafting equivalent of an exploding beaker, I couldn’t resist trying one teensy material modification with his blanket. I’ve made a number of rag quilts from flannel over the years so I was intrigued by several online sites I found recently that recommended the use of a minky/flannel mix to create the optimal combination of fraying and softness. My curiosity compelled me to give this rag variation a shot. Aiden’s blanket ended up incorporating 100 squares of each type of fabric assembled into a flannel side and a minky side. It took a considerable amount of time to connect all those pieces. I questioned the wisdom of using minky at several points throughout the process, usually when I was choking on fuzz balls. Cutting or sewing this fabric creates masses of fluffy lint that get on everything. No need to fear if you are making a minky rag quilt though, constructing it may produce a fibrous mess but once it’s washed the minky sheds no more. Aiden’s blanket turned out cute and colorful; I finished it just in time for the party.

My friend Robyn made an adorable cake for the shower that matched the invites.
My friend Robyn made an adorable cake for the shower that matched the invites.
I bought four delicious varieties of cupcake to supplement Robyn's darling cake.
I bought four delicious varieties of cupcake to supplement Robyn’s darling cake.

Carley’s baby shower proceeded as most do, with perpetual oohing and awing over miniature apparel. My friend Robyn decorated a fantastic cake for the group of gift givers and I complemented its adorableness with cupcakes from Cravings Alisha’s Cupcakes. Yes, sweetness and well-wishers were both abundant at this event. Many thanks to all of you that came and supported Carley and her mini-man.

Jason and I were only able to meet Aiden recently due to RSV season restrictions.
Jason and I were only able to meet Aiden recently due to RSV season restrictions.

As for Aiden, the wee tike had to go in for surgery earlier this week to have a portion of his intestines removed but he is recovering nicely and hopefully in a month he’ll be able to come home. Welcome to the Sabin clan Aiden! Good thing you’ve already got toughness in the bag because, where your family is concerned, you’re going to need it.

Rachel May 22, 2013 1 Comment

The Great Nerd Surge

This April our friends, the Rowleys, for the third time hosted RowleyCon: a weekend teeming with board games, videogames, anime, cosplay, and all other things geek. Jason and I again attended and again conquered…while simultaneously being utterly overthrown.

I have quite a bit more hair now than I did last time I dressed as Frodo so a wig cap and a lot of bobby pins had to be employed before I could don my curly locks.
I have quite a bit more hair now than I did last time I dressed as Frodo so a wig cap and a whole lot of bobby pins had to be employed before I could don my curly locks.

Although costumes are encouraged for RowleyCon, the vast majority of goers do not dress up. Either they lack the motivation or they lack the lack of dignity necessary. Luckily, I have heaps of motivation and a complete dignity deficiency so sign me up for working hard at looking stupid anytime. Jason and I decided that this year, with The Hobbit’s recent release, it was time to pull out the LOTR costumes I made for us a decade ago. So, for the first night of the Con, Jason came as Aragorn and I dressed as Frodo. (Remember, I feel no shame wearing something even a chocobo would snub.) I spent a great deal of time creating these costumes back in the day and I was impressed by the extent of their detail when I reexamined them. Nothing had been overlooked, including: Sting, the One Ring, the Evenstar, pointy ears, and hairy feet. It took us a bit to dig up all of the pieces for these outfits but they came back together nicely.

The relationship between me and Jason might stretch the standard definition of "a fellowship" slightly.
The relationship between me and Jason might stretch the standard definition of a “fellowship” slightly.
Forget Gangnam Style, I worked Dance Central 3 hobbit style.
Forget Gangnam Style, I worked Dance Central 3 hobbit style.

For our Saturday attire, I took our somewhat simple polar plunge outfits from this year, Mario and Princess Peach, and embellished them. I added extra layers of puffy girliness to my Princess Peach dress, which I didn’t finish sewing together until 2 AM that morning. These embellishments represented an interesting challenge because I had to construct them primarily without a pattern. But there’s nothing you can’t accomplish when you put pink before sleep.

We were thrilled to have the opportunity to meet Tracy Hickman, the famous fantasy writer, at RowleyCon. He was quite clever, not that that was a surprise.
We were thrilled to have the opportunity to meet Tracy Hickman, the famous fantasy writer, at RowleyCon. He was quite clever, not that that was a surprise.
I wore more pink as Princess Peach than I ever have in my life. I pretty much looked like a giant gumball.
I wore more pink as Princess Peach than I ever have in my life. I pretty much looked like a giant gumball.

Jason and I won the prizes for the best costumes once more. Since we were practically the only ones that dressed up, it wasn’t exactly an epic battle. With our two sets of homemade outfits, I’d like to think that the other geeks would need a power-up if they wanted to beat us anyway but that self-assured theory remains to be tested. The Sabin reign of triumph didn’t stop there though. We also participated in the contest for ultimate nerdination. This year the competition games were: For Sale, Dominion, StarCraft II, Dance Central 3, and a Jeremy concocted anime trivia match. I ruled For Sale but had to give up my distinguished title in order to claim 2nd place overall. I was okay with that. Yeah! Abigail, my only gaming superior, was declared the supreme nerdinator. Let 2013 be forever known as the year the testosterone-laden were tested and found lacking. That’s right you momma’s basement dwellers, you may be able to out stink us but that doesn’t mean you can out think us. Plus, we wave slide like the gods.

Jeremy's anime trivia game included penalties. Jacob and John got "angry eyebrows" as a result.
Jeremy’s anime trivia game included penalties. Jacob and John got “angry eyebrows” as a result.
Drew and Isabelle dressed as Totoros. They were among the few in costume.
Drew and Isabelle dressed as Totoros. They were among the few in costume.

As you may recall, it was Jason that walked away with the grandest geek prize last year. This time, however, my dear sweet geekalo came in dead last. My darling nerd, what has become of your skills? I thought I would always be able to count on your hotkeys expertise and your dice-rolling aptitude. But, instead, you bring shame to the family with a shortage of victory points. I can only hope that someday you’ll regain your bases and your honor.

Adam lost For Sale and his 2nd place ranking to me.
Adam lost For Sale and his 2nd place ranking to me.
Abigail and I massacred a bunch of men in order to assert our supremacy.
Abigail and I massacred a bunch of men in order to assert our supremacy.

Many thanks to the Rowleys and their underlings (i.e. Lee) for putting together another weekend of geeky delight. We came, we fought, we rolled, we danced, we practically slept at your house. You have done more for the cause of geekery than anyone* since the creation of PONG.**

Disclaimers:

*”Anyone” solely refers to those two guys that discussed who would win in a fight between Han Solo and Captain Kirk with us once.

**This statement has not been evaluated by the Opinionated and Self-important Gamers Committee. RowelyCon is not intended to cure or mitigate hipsterness. Side effects may include: body odor, caffeine overdose, lack of friends, weight gain, lack of showering, man-funk, spontaneous spell casting, delusions of popularity, and dance skill overestimation.

Rachel May 2, 2013 2 Comments

The Regency Ball

It’s no secret that I’m an Austenphile. After all, it is a truth universally acknowledged that any woman of good taste must be in want of a Mr. Darcy…and if Mr. Darcy isn’t available then a well-dressed replicate will do.

My hairdresser Stacy created my do for this event. She did a great job; I got lots of compliments.
My hairdresser Stacy created my do for this event. She did a great job; I got lots of compliments.

When I heard that the Jane Austen Society of Utah was holding a Regency Ball and a group of our friends was interested in going, I was instantly on board. Unfortunately, because I only learned of this event two weeks beforehand, I had to sort out our costumes in a hurry. Thankfully, since Jason and I dressed as Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet for Halloween a couple of years ago, I had already made most of what we needed but some quick stitching was still necessary. I had run out of time that Halloween and, consequently, hadn’t gotten around to making the authentic (circa 1790-1830) shirt that I had planned on sewing for Jason. He had had to manage with an obscured pirate blouse. And his waistcoat, another actual pattern from the late 1700s, had turned out undersized even though I had added 3 or 4 inches to its length. (Those Georgian gentlemen must have been puny things like me.) Since I wanted Jason to look perfect for the Regency Ball, I was determined to get that historically accurate shirt done and a new longer waistcoat made for him. Also, being a woman, I felt compelled to accessorize my costume a bit and an Austen style purse, known as a reticule, which could hold all of my girly stuff during the party, was just the thing so I added one of those to my sew list.

The men had snobbish disdain down pretty well. Practice does make perfect.
The men had snobbish disdain down pretty well. Practice does make perfect.

Two weeks isn’t much time to sew a shirt, vest, and purse but it’s doable. Then again, these weren’t your run-of-the-mill clothing items. Because I was using actual 1700s patterns, the instructions were horrendously hard to decipher and follow. Plus, the designs for these articles incorporated a whole lot of extra pieces that didn’t seem to serve any purpose. I ended up completely disregarding the instructions for the waistcoat and just doing my own thing. The shirt’s directions weren’t as awful so I did use them for the most part, even though they called for an absurd number of gussets to be stitched into peculiar places. (Before this experience I didn’t even know what a gusset was.) I also had to make my Princess Peach outfit for our polar plunge in the middle of all of this. (Insert curse word of choice here.) Talk about sewing to near insanity! Everything turned out splendidly though so I have no lasting complaints. Oddly, Jason’s unembellished shirt, with its simple details, was my favorite out of everything I created. Those gussets and strange pieces combined to make something that could have come straight out of Pride and Prejudice.

Jason and I make a pretty great pair. Maybe that's why we nearly won best couple.
Jason and I make a pretty great pair. Maybe that’s why we nearly won the prize for best couple.

And the ball? Fantastic! Most of our night was spent dancing with only a short intermission for dinner. I love moving my feet so I didn’t grow weary of skipping, spinning, and galloping even after four hours. The meticulous costumes and ubiquitous curtseying successfully made me feel like I had been transported to a time long-gone when a bow to honor your partner was customary before a tune began. We were taught many dances from the Regency Period but we moved through them quite quickly so I’m not entirely sure how much of that footwork my tootsies retained. However, I definitely remember the steps to my favorite dance, the reel, which involve a whole lot of whirling and dosadoing. I’m a twirly kind of girly!

Our group looked spiffy in their mostly homemade attire.
Our group looked spiffy in their mostly homemade attire.

All the members of our group put substantial effort into their attire. Amber made terrific costumes for her and Jeremy. Simone and Abigail bravely sewed their dresses but decided to send their husbands to the costumer’s. And Jason and I looked pretty bona fide adorned in our useless gussets. The work I put into our clothes did not go unnoticed. We were runners-up for best couple out of the roughly 200 people present. It made me feel a little better about all that manic stitching.

Jason's shirt looked like something straight out of Pride and Prejudice.
Jason’s shirt looked like something straight out of Pride and Prejudice.

It was a perfect evening filled with frills and twirls. My feet were throbbing by the end of the night but I enjoyed every minute of the ball regardless. It provided an excellent excuse to get dolled up and then get down. The setting may not have been as plush as the halls of Pemberley but I felt immersed in that classic grandeur all the same. Plus, my late model Mr. Darcy was definitely handsome enough to tempt me. I hope we can attend this event again next year. You might want to consider joining us. After all, any savage can dance.

Rachel February 20, 2013 No Comments
 Categories

Recent Posts

Recent Comments
Blogroll