Maybe this should be at the top of the list?

You know you want it!

This just in from the Make Magazine blog feed:

This may be one of those situations where my love of a good story gets me in trouble with the more hard-minded scientific types among you, so please understand first that this is all intended in fun. Nonetheless, there are some intriguing facts here.

During the summer of 1997, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) repeatedly detected an extremely powerful underwater sound on an array of Cold War era hydrophones originally installed to listen for soviet submarines. "While it bears the varying frequency hallmark of marine animals, it is far more powerful than the calls made by any creature known on Earth." Phil Lobel, a marine biologist at Boston University, purportedly "agrees that the sound is most likely to be biological in origin," although his opinion appears to be in the minority. (Both quotes from this article at CNN.com.) The approximate origin of the sound has been identified as 50 S x 100 W, which is almost exactly the same latitude as Lovecraft's fictitious sunken city of R'lyeh, at 48 S x 123 W, although it is 1000 miles distant in terms of longitude. [Thanks, Maredith!]

You can listen to a sped-up version of "The Bloop" on the NOAA website here:
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/acoustics/sounds/bloop.wav

I realized I first posted that SCA holiday faire notice on my own LJ, not the mid-atlantic costuming community one as I meant to but then thought this might be a good time to put the word out about the MACC on LJ once again.

I was somewhat frustrated that I kept missing events in the mid-atlantic region because I simply didn't hear about them in time to I create the Mid-Altantic Costumeing Community on LJ as a place to post information on events, shopping opportunities, conventions, reenactments, classes and sewing circles in the Mid-Atlantic region. The concentration is mostly on DC/MD/VA/PA/DE/NJ/WV/NY but high profile events further a field are also welcome. Please feel free to post info on any events you hear about - the point is to get the word out to all costumers in the area so we know about fun events to go to!

Join the fun here, we hope to see you at the next event!

All the info is here

http://stierbach.org/events/holidayfair/holiday.php/

And just an aside - we're counting on you, the members of mid-atlantic costume, to fill us in on events in the mid-atlantic region. There is a lot of stuff going on - SCA, Anime and SciFi conventions, reenactments etc but we won't know to go if YOU don't tell us about it! So please, fill us in on the events you know about, the more of us who go the merrier! :)

This just may be one of the coolest Star Wars costumes EVAH! Check it out:

I don't know how many others of you have discovered the joys of Tokyo Milk but as my bottle of "Waltz" is getting low I thought I'd check up on their latest and initiate you in the joys of perfumes of the sort Marie Antoinette might wear. In fact, Tokyo Milk's whole vibe is right up this particular costumer's alley - how can you not love scents with names like "I want candy" and "Let Them Eat Cake?"

Waltz is my favorite. I've long been a fan of Linden, I love the smell and it's a fragrance that was a la mode in the 18th C, but it can be very hard to find. Waltz is a lovely light combination of linden, honeyed rose, wisteria and white musk.

I Want Candy is another one I own. While still very floral is has some fruity notes - it's a yummy mix of apples, peaches, violets and roses.

But I must admit I like Honey and the Moon better than I Want Candy. It's a blissful blend of honey, violet, jasmine and sandalwood. And I swoon for a good jasmine scent.

I'm dying to try a few I hadn't seen in Anthroplolgie, where I got my last bottles. In particular Dead Sexy and Poe's Tobacco have caught my eye. Next time I'm in Reston I'll see if Antho has them so I can do a sniff test.

They also have wonderful bubble baths (you just KNOW you want to take a bubble bath in a scent called "Marie Antoinette" - I do!), solid perfumes (Mmmm, sugarplum!)  and lip balms (Petit Fours and Honey Blossom are sooo yummy!)

I was listening to the Antonia Frasier Marie Antoinette book today and heard something that got me thinking.  She mentioned that Queen Marie Leczinska, the wife of  Louis XV, was derisively known as "La Polonaise" in much the same way that MA was known as "l'Autrichienne."  I'd always heard that the robe a la polonaise had come into being in the 1770s or 1780s, and had also heard of a variety of reasons for the name including the old "Poland was divided into three parts" one.  But I began to wonder, could it really have been another gown named for a queen like the Chemise a la Reine?  I did some poking around online and found that she was indeed credited as having invented the "robe a la polonaise" in a few sources.  Given the questionable nature of website veracity I poked around a bit more and found this enigmatic tidbit from L'Histoire a la Mode en France

"Sep 5, 1725 - Marie Leczinska,mariée à Louis XV, le 5 septembre 1725, mit en vogue les hongrelinesles robes à la polonaise, à la hongroise, garnies de brandebourgs." 

Anyone fluent in French willing to translate?  Were they really around in 1725?  Or was this some other robe a la polonaise?  Is it really named by or for Queen Marie Leczinska or were they just saying it was a Polish style dress?  Or are the Victorian era authors of L'Histoire full of crap?

Discuss.

I had enough fabric to make some pleated trim.  I like it on the sleeves and WAS liking it on the neckline but now...I think it looks a little too poofy  and poofy usually makes me look a little stay-puffed marshmallow.  Any thoughts?  I've actually found a bit more of the fabric on ebay so I may switch things up and do long sleeves, which is what I originally wanted.  Originally I was thinking long sleeves with little batiste ruffles at the cuffs and batiste or the lace around the neckline and a sash.    I still think I need another petticoat too - I wanna be really floofy!

I finally started triming the hat from Mela's class.  I like the lace around the edge and the pleated ribbon around the crown.  I only had a bit of the ribbon so it's nice to use it on something.  I'm going to add more ribbon and feathers and maybe some flowers and a brooch.

What can I say, 18th C is my favorite! This is the very light printed cotton I mentioned. The color is slightly off in the photos, it's not pink, it's a light red. I had enough fabric to do a flounce around the petticoat so I didn't end up trimming it with the white batiste. I've got a wee bit more and could trim the neckline or sleeve ends with it too, what do you think? I can always take the white lace off...maybe t's better without the sash and ribbon?  I tried some other sash colors but they didn't look right.



And now for something completely different - red floral ( HORROR! )

In other words what am I wearing for Halloween tomorrow?  I think I'm going to wear the new black 1840s gown I made for the Edgar Allan Poe funeral and be a Victorian Ghost.  I'd originally wanted to be a bride of Frankenstein but the bride wigs I found were all so universally abysmal I just couldn't make myself do it.  And since little H seems set on being Jack Sparrow for Halloween and not a Vampire as originally planned there is less impetus to go the classic monster route.  I could do a vampire but I'm a bit bored with that, vampire is my back up Halloween costume every year and I'd like something different.  I really like the new gown and I think with some creepy white make up it will be pretty effective and actually a bit spooky.

This sounds phenominal!

AUGUSTA AUCTION COMPANY

MUSEUM SALE - NOVEMBER 4th - NOON

  PREVIEW            Nov. 3rd - 2PM to 7PM &

            Nov. 4th - 9AM to NOON

ST PAUL AUDITORIUM

15 COLUMBUS AVE (at 60th Street)

NEW YORK CITY


Loren,
     Our museum fashion and textile sale featuring clothing and accessories from the Brooklyn Museum collection is just sixteen days away. In case you haven't visited our website recently, the first four photo galleries are now posted. Hundreds more images documenting these collections will be available for viewing on-line over the coming week.
     We will be presenting all lots at our preview, open to the public, on November 3rd in advance of our November 4th NYC auction. Many of these textile treasures have been hidden away in museum collections for decades. Most fashion items included in this sale have never before been available for public viewing.
     Institutions that have consigned clothing to our November sale include Museum of Fine Arts (MA), Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (VA), Montclair Art Museum (NJ), Hartford Symphony Orchestra (CT) and incredible selections from New York's legendary Brooklyn Museum Historic Costume Collection.
     Lots to be sold include designs from many of the top fashion names of the twentieth century. Gems from Claire McCardell, Bonnie Cashin, Pauline Trigere, Norman Norell, Jacques Heim, James Galanos, Thea Porter, YSL, Dior, Ceil Chapman, Mme. Gres, Valentina and many others fill out the 300+ lot sale.
     Among the auction lots are original hat illustrations for Maude Panizon, Parisian milliner for Paul Poiret, and an extremely rare signed 1925 drawing by Edith Head, perhaps the oldest surviving example from her half century Hollywood career.

     Featured items include rare 1930’s & 1940’s Bonnie Cashin & Claire McCardell garments donated by the designers to the Brooklyn Museum, a c. 1620 Emperor Wan Li Kesi panel, c. 1890 Tlingit ceremonial costume, 18th & 19th C. stays & corsets, hand-woven and lace shawls, sporting clothes including a rare 5-piece 1880's skating outfit, a large collection of 18th to mid-20th C. shoes, a c. 1680 silk embroidered polychrome wall hanging with Medici provenance, an 1832 printed cotton map of London, men’s 18th C. clothes, a large collection of 20th C. hats, 17th & 18th C. pocketbooks, silk lingerie and so much more.
     Textiles and clothing offered at our fall sale span more than three hundred years of fashion history.

To view thousands of fashion and textile photos from the upcoming November sale and from our past fashion auctions, visit our website at http://www.augusta-auction.com/. Within the week the entire sale catalog will be posted on the site. As a convenience to customers unable to attend the sale in person, we will once again make a portion of our sale available for Internet bidding. Our home page will offer a link to our Internet catalog posted through our bid partner, Artfact. Directions, phone & absentee bid forms, preview times and other details about our November 4th fashion sale in New York City can also be found there.

If this email has reached you in error or you no longer wish to receive email notices from Augusta Auction Company or Karen Augusta, please click the opt-out link on the bottom of this page.

     If you'd like to receive flyers from us about our future fashion sales, click the manage ink below to ensure we have your correct mailing address.

       Please use the link at the top of this page to forward this email to any friends and colleagues who share your interest in historic & couture clothing, fashion accessories and textiles.

    We hope you are able to join us November 4th for this special fashion event in New York City.

And C's birthday, which is the 23rd, has a monster theme, so the boys and I did a bunch of decorating yesterday.  I've been collecting and making Halloween stuff for years now and have quite a lot of it.  Here are a few highlights:

I've got tons of these Ravens, most of them go outside but I thought this little one looked good on our tree lamp.


I wish I could have found this Poe candle for the funeral event, oh well...


The little paper silhouettes I made:




And the painting of the boys above the mantle and the bones and tombstones down below

A few people were asking me about the ebay seller who I bought the long sausage curls I wore to the Poe from.  It's Hairworld By Jamie

If you're in the area I've got a color ring for her somewhere, I can bring it to sewing if you want.  You can also buy one yourself and I think she refunds your $ if you send it back or something.  She sells products from a multitude of companies though, so it's not good for everything in her store.  The sausage curls are here.  I think her prices are good and I've liked everything I've bought from her.

It was an awfully fun event.  I'll have a full report once I finish uploading all my photos to flickr.  In the meantime I thought you might like this little tv bit from the BBC on the event.  There's even a quick shot of all of us in the footage!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8301882.stm

I got my (first) order today!  It's gorgeous, more of a grape than a "dark fuschia" but lovely and actually more what I'd hoped for, and NO slubs.  I've got blue on the way too...

Encouraging news on the autism research front and an actual breakthrough on chronic fatigue.

Here's the last word from Jeff about the procession.  If you're coming this weekend please read if carefully for instructions!  I think we should all try and get there around 11 just in case...

Begin forwarded message:

Please go into the hall, find your seats, and see Nancy, my wife, who is in charge while I'm at the house with the coffin.
 
You and all the costumed people with invited guests will be escorted through the Law school to Baltimore Street where you will join the hearse. The speakers will stand directly behind the hearse, then your people and other costumed guests then VIPs.
 
There's going to be a lot going on so if your people could arrive no later than 11:15 that would be great. Tell the security guys out front that you are in the procession and they will let you in.
 
Don't wait in line!!
 
It's going to be a short walk from Baltimore Street to the front of Westminster Hall.
 
Once the hearse stops then you can go back inside to your seats.
 
I think that should cover it.
 
Many thanks and I'll see you and your friends on Sunday.
 
J

I just got the kids the They Might be Giants Science DVD/CD (they have the TMBG Math and ABCs ones already)  and am once again blown away by them.  If you're a child of the 70s like I was you may have fond memories of Schoolhouse Rock.  TMBG takes that idea and goes full throttle with it.  I can't think of any other tv program for kids that even mentions the periodic table, much less has a whole song explaining what it is and going over the individual elements - with music that is catchy and pleasing to the ear and wonderful animation!   Wow.

If you've got kids, or are that cool nerdy aunt or uncle, I highly getting this DVD for the little people in your life.

Yeah, I know, some people got shantung last time instead of taffeta - but either way $5.99/yd is a pretty darn good price.

http://www.fabric.com/CategoryDetail.aspx?CategoryID=834c1169-ba1c-4eab-9c12-0588cbfe50cd

Edited to add:  enter ANNV1 in the coupon code box to get even more off - I just got 6 yards of 60 inch wide dark fucshia  silk taffeta for a little over $28!!

I was checking out the Forever 21 website a while back and found some cool things.  There's the usual vintagey jewelry like this:
http://www.forever21.com/product.asp?catalog_name=FOREVER21&category_name=acc_jewelry&product_id=1068952445&Page=2
http://www.forever21.com/product.asp?catalog_name=FOREVER21&category_name=acc_jewelry&product_id=1069855703&Page=1

But they had a few other things that caught my eye.  These would make great findings for miniatures, especially the first two.  Just pop out the cheesy plastic jewel (save it to use as a size template for your miniature) and glue your miniature in:
http://www.forever21.com/product.asp?catalog_name=FOREVER21&category_name=acc_jewelry&product_id=1066416047&Page=7
http://www.forever21.com/product.asp?catalog_name=FOREVER21&category_name=acc_jewelry&product_id=1065425714&Page=8
http://www.forever21.com/product.asp?catalog_name=FOREVER21&category_name=acc_jewelry&product_id=1069775207&Page=1

They call this a necklace but I thought this would be cool for insta-hat-trim.  Just tie it around a top hat or bonnet and voila!
http://www.forever21.com/product.asp?catalog_name=FOREVER21&category_name=acc_jewelry&product_id=1065917591&Page=2

And these hair clips with feathers looked cute for 20s or more insta-hat trim:
http://www.forever21.com/product.asp?catalog_name=FOREVER21&category_name=acc_hat_hairgoods&product_id=1068886655&Page=all

And all of it is pretty cheap!