My Final Reveal: Hopeless Optimist - Population One

Yesterday I boasted that I could finish this costume in less than 25 hours.  Dumbass.  I spent six hours on it today and didn't even get started on the pants.  GROAN.

The pasties and assels are done except for dropping on the tassels.  I rhinestoned the underbra and panties.  The monokini still needs the ass pads installed to hide the assels.  It also needs a closure and some snaps to tidy up the line with the underbra.  I had hoped to cut and stitch my gauntlets and cut the pants tonight, but I ran out of time.

I reach a point with every costume where I ask, "What was I thinking?"  That happened today.  I'm working with spandex that isn't very stretchy because of the foil print.  I'm making a monokini that requires bust supports because I don't have the chest for your average monokini.  I was losing my mind less than an hour ago.

Tomorrow is a new day.  I'm cutting those pants and gauntlets before my first cup of coffee.

Total spent so far: 15:45 and $243.80.

My Final Reveal: Assels

I was naked most of the day Saturday and in classes for most of Sunday, so Mr. Snapper had to go rhinestone shopping for me.  He was surprised to spend $55 plus tax on stones, but I had him pick up ten gross of different shades.  He did a great job color matching with my swatches.

Last night I took two hours to rhinestone my assels.  My hope is to get the pasties rhinestoned and the underthings embellished during the day today so I can wrap up the monokini padding and elastic tonight.

I'm in the crunch zone.  I have to have all of the pieces done for my final studio rehearsal and hip-hop lesson this coming Sunday.  I think I can get it all done in less than 25 hours, even if I did go over my financial goal for the costume.

Total spent so far: 9:45 and $243.80.

Topless Vlog #8

LINKS:
Donate for the Monday Night Tease gallery project
The Painted Lady/Liz Goldwyn

Also part of the new costume, Doodlebug saws logs in the background, and Buster says hellp.

My Final Reveal: Lift

Buster thought we were doing a vlog.

I'm a bit more focused than I was yesterday. :)  I squeezed in thirty minutes of hand sewing today to finish the wire channels of my underbra.  I have a couple minutes of machine sewing for the rest of the halter strap and the bra is done!  I may add some rhinestones here and there, and I may also add snaps to the sides to help the monokini stay in place when I dance vigorously.

This is the first underbra I've constructed from scratch.  Attaching the front closure directly to the underwire channeling was a challenge (pin it, check it twice, then sew it).  Next time I make one of these bras, I'm going to attach some glue to parts of the underwire before inserting it into the channeling so the channeling is less likely to twist.

I made an underbra for this costume because my boobs need a little support.  This piece gives them some support without compromising the physics very much for tassel twirling.


Total spent so far: 7:45 and $183.99.

My Final Reveal: Focus

I make a lot of lists.  I'm a bit of a scatterbrain without them.  I have so many ideas buzzing around my head that I have to write them down so I can do something with him.  I make a list of the things I plan to accomplish when I'm home, and I usually do well marking completed items off a list.

Today I went off-list.  I was very unfocused.  I intended to finish my underbra and stitch cups into my monokini.  I was all ready to wrap up the bra, but I discovered the permanent marker I used to color my bra clasp was rubbing off.  I had to remove the ink then spray paint the clasp.  While waiting for it to dry, I started working on the monokini but the cups are white and I need them to be black.  (The audience will see parts of the inside of the costume, so I don't want to jar them with stark white cups.)  I spray painted the cups, then worked out and pondered life while I worked out.

Back to the grind while catching up on episodes of "The Office."  I turned my panties into "kaboom" panties (gathered ass crack) and started putting the elastic in the monokini.  I tidied up parts of the bra then took a dance break.

In my evening of mental hash browns, I spent three hours getting plenty of random costume stuff done.  I also got some rehearsing done and found the best placement for my assels, but that was off the clock for this part of the project.  I ordered zippers for a gauntlet and my pants, and I ordered a pattern because I'm too distracted to draft a pants pattern.  I hope I can focus better tomorrow.

Total spent so far: 7:15 and $183.99.

The Gift of Growing Up Poor

I come from a family of six children, spread out so that no more than four of us were of trick-or-treating age at a time.  I remember wishing for those hideous plastic masks and thin plastic coveralls from a box for my Halloween costume, and I remember being told they were too expensive.  In retrospect, they were shitty costumes and a total waste of money.  But at the time, they were all the rage.  Having one of those shitty costumes would mean I was normal, or just not poor.

I had one really great Halloween costume when I was under ten, one that was custom-made and looked fantastic.  Since I was a redhead and had Buster Brown shoes, my mother was more than happy to make me a Strawberry Shortcake costume for Halloween.  She hunted for the perfect fabrics and found reasonable substitutes when the world didn't have replica fabrics available.  She stitched the green diamond patches on the apron and made a strawberry-shaped pompom for the hat.  It was amazing.  I would've worn it every day if I could.

The rest of my childhood costumes were not as incredible, but they also weren't as well-funded.  I'd tell my mother what I wanted to be for Halloween, and we'd have to brainstorm how to make that happen.  I made scribbly sketches and went through my closet to see what I had that could be of use.  We'd have to scour the house to see what we had so we could bring it to life.  Some costumes were, well, shitty.  Others were not too shabby.  I had to learn to work with what I had, to plan wisely, and to use my imagination because there was no money hose to problem solve for me.

My childhood prepared me for burlesque.

Topless Vlog #7

Buster is dressed as a proper gentleman for Halloween and I'm making a bacon fairy costume!

LINKS!
www.alignballetmethod.com (fantastic ballet classes for the beginner adult)
www.one-eyedgypsy.com (burlesque venue formerly known as Bordello, great food & drinks)
www.facebook.com/jewelofdenial.losangeles (one of my first burlesque teachers, amazing hip-hop instructor, choreographer, burlesque & bellydance performer)
www.indiegogo.com/mnt (Monday Night Tease Gallery Fundraiser - every donation appreciated, great perks)
www.mondaynighttease.com (Monday Night Tease)
www.snapperburlesque.com/buystuff (my online store - buy something by 10/31/12 and I'll send you something from the Snapper grab bag)