Three sentence movie reviews: The African Queen

Part of the Ruby Oliver Film Festival.

This is another one of those classics that’s actually fun, not a grind to sit through.  I loved Hepburn’s embrace of the crazy that her life had become and the freedom it brought her.  It was also both amusing and gripping in places and packed much more of a punch than I expected.

Cost:  free from library
Where watched: at home.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/1951/african_queen.html
The tag on that poster (Actually filmed in the splendor and dangers of the Belgian Congo!) reminded me of my favorite part of the credits.  At the very end it said, “Filmed on location in Africa and Sussix England”  You know, because “Africa” is a small place, so we know exactly where you are talking about.
I also this poster for being so bodice-ripper.

Colette Patterns finished Mabel

Okay, fixes made.  Here’s the final result.

And here is an overly large photo (I’m not sure why Blogger didn’t shrink this one) from the back, showing the kick pleat, which was the feature that lured me in.

The outside pictures weren’t showing the texture of the fabric, so I brought the skirt in for a closer shot.  You can see that the pencil effect has disappeared and the front/center panels ratio is off.

I really love the material, though.  And it’s a very comfortable skirt.  The waistband should be much bigger, but I cut it off twice due to making mistakes in construction.
I blame myself, not the pattern for the disaster.  I think my problems were threefold:
1.  My knit wasn’t firm enough, which meant it just kind of “let go and let god” when I cut into it, which is nice for some things, but not so much when  you are supposed to be keeping a shape.
2. I didn’t do a very good job of taking my measurements.  Twice.  Because Mr. Hornaday, my 8th grade shop teacher taught me to always measure twice.
3.  My scissors are incredibly dull and they stretched out the fabric as I was cutting.
So I’ve learned my lesson.  I will attempt this skirt again with a stronger knit and later in the day after I’ve finished my other projects. And licked my wounds.  I’m going to start the next version by cutting and sewing the waistband and TRYING IT ON right then, before I cut out the skirt parts.
As a post script, the first time I wore this out and about, it relaxed even more, and I ended up pinning out the sides, just so it wouldn’t fall down.  I think this material would make a great shapeless wrap-type jacket.  But not a skirt.

Finished Laurel dresses with tiny ruffle variation.

Here it is!  After a year delay, the debut of the Laurel dresses.

The woman who owns and designs Colette Patterns is large of bust and long of leg.  Her designs tend to minimize bust and highlight leg.  As I am small of bust and short of leg, I am always dropping her necklines (sometimes by several inches) and hemming her dresses to a longer length.  
After I finished making these dresses, I remembered that this is not necessarily the most flattering style on me.  I tend to do better with a defined waist.  However, these are incredibly comfortable dresses and I think they will get a lot of use.  I’m glad I spent so much time fitting the shirts, as it translated into a pretty good fit on the dresses.
To see all the posts in the Laurel journey, click here.

Three sentence movie reviews: Tiny Furniture

I was a fan, as I’m always interested in movies that mark college-to-real-world transition, especially from a female perspective.  It was also interesting as fan of the television show Girls, because some of the same actors appear. There’s a scene that takes place in a playground that will probably stick with me for awhile.

Cost:  free from library
Where watched: at home

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2010/tiny_furniture.html

Photo from October 1990, poem by Gary Soto

Another good one taken by Cindy.  That’s me on the left and H on the right in Pleasanton, California where we traveled with the marching band for competition during the autumn of our sophomore year.   I’m wearing fishnet stockings with zebra striped glow-in-the-dark Converse high tops. My friends and I were prone to wearing the fishnet/Converse combo from time to time.  That was the band trip that H arranged for all the boys in the band to sing “16 Candles” to me on my 16th birthday.

Also in the same photo album a poem/snippit of a poem by Gary Soto that I really liked when it was handed to me by Mrs. Brown, my awesome ninth grade English teacher.  Thank goodness I kept it, because I can’t find it anywhere online.