Friday, October 10, 2008

Kevin Ross took this lovely photo at YIV


Kevin Ross took this lovely photo at YIV
Originally uploaded by mirvana

I made the pants and arm warmers in this costume. The pants are based on Melodia's design.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Mirv's sewing stuff

Mavi's Sewing Room on FriendFeed
http://friendfeed.com/rooms/mavi-s-sewing-room - where I've been posting links for patterns, sewing, supplies, &etc

Mirvana Makes Stuff
http://darkthreads.blogspot.com/ - you're lookin' at it. I'll keep posting photos of my creations and other interesting stuff here. This blog feeds into Mavi's Sewing Room, too.

Darkthreads.com
http://www.darkthreads.com/ - same old address, but I have repurposed the domain for selling military and tactical uniforms and accessories. Yes, I know that's a far cry from corsetry and Medieval costuming, but we are catering to airsofters, paintballers, and LARPers who do military/scifi themes. Http://darkthreadsgear.blogspot.com is my blog devoted to that space.

Dark Threads network
http://darkthreads.ning.com/ - and if you are interested in joining the discussion about Darkthreads gear, airsoft, milsim & tacsim, and scifi costuming, please join us here!

Saturday, September 13, 2008

I finally posted a creation to my profile over at BurdaStyle.com! It's been a while since I made myself something that wasn't SCA garb or a costume of some sort. These are just regular old casual pants for work, using Burda Mode pattern #9305 Ellen Pants that I downloaded for free :D. I used a cheap piece of stretchy brown denim that I found at Walmart. I guesstimate that it cost me less than $10 in materials, and they fit pretty well. I like the pattern and might reuse it, but the instructions were dodgy. I just did it my own way.
pants001

I can't wait to make more pants!

Back to costuming, I also recently finished making another kimono and obi:
purplekimono
I used Folkwear's kimono pattern with purple silk dupioni from fabric.com. The obi was a piece of satin brocade from mystash.

Monday, September 08, 2008

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

QotDs:

In politics, absurdity is not a handicap. ~Napoleon Bonaparte

I met in the street a very poor young man who was in love. His hat was old, his coat worn, his cloak was out at the elbows, the water passed through his shoes, - and the stars through his soul." ~Victor Hugo

An author is a fool who, not content with boring those he lives with, insists on boring future generations. ~Charles de Montesquieu

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Head wrap


headgear
Originally uploaded by mirvana

...to complete the period Japanese outfit.

Amulet (pouch)


amulet 002
Originally uploaded by mirvana

Kamakura period Japanese accessory

Saturday, July 19, 2008

What I've made recently:


Hippari (Japanese field jacket) in cotton camo.


Regimental jacket for American Revolution reenactment (unfinished in the photo). I'm hoping that my client can send me photos of him wearing it in action.


Kosode with simple wrapped cloth for skirt, as in this photo.


Kosode with mo-bakama skirt, as in this photo.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Darkthreads.com is rising from the ashes and I will be re-opening my Ebay store! STAY TUNED!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

QotDs

Three for Tuesday:

There's a whiff of the lynch mob or the lemming migration about any overlarge concentration of like-thinking individuals, no matter how virtuous their cause.
- PJ O'Rourke

For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three.
- Alice Kahn

I have a new philosophy. I'm only going to dread one day at a time.
- Charles M. Schulz

***
That first quote is totally true.

So that middle quote is especially poignant because today I had to make a lot of phone calls and wade through a maze of phone menus.

And that third one is my "motivational" quote of the day. :)

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Sunday

Drink beer on the porch tonight? Gimme a call and come over, BYOB. :)

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Post

It's easier to put on slippers than to carpet the whole world. ~Al Franken

Monday, June 09, 2008

Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is a nobler art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials. ~Lin Yutang

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Costume flick alert! Must see this...http://www.theduchessmovie.com/

Monday, June 02, 2008

I gotta learn to take photos of this stuff so I can be cool like the other food bloggers...

Anyhoo, I know you want these recipes even without the pictures. This evolved over the last couple days in an effort to utilize leftovers. You start out making one dish, and you end up with three!

Shopping list:
Whole ears of sweet corn
Zuchini
Vidalia onion
Red bell pepper
Portabello muchrooms
Whole wheat tortillas

Staples:
Olive oil spray
Olive oil
Mrs. Dash Southwestern Chipotle seasoning or similar
Canned black beans
Rice

Day 1: Grilled Veggies

whole ears of sweet corn with husks still on
A little olive oil (optional)
1 medium zuchini, sliced into about 1/4" ovals
1 large vidalia onion, sliced into 1/4" rounds
1 red bell pepper, sliced into 1/4" rings
1 c. thickly sliced portobella mushrooms
Mrs. Dash Southwestern Chipotle seasoning

Clean off some of the outer husks of the corn, but leave at least a couple layers of husk on, and trim the ends. Soak ears of corn in water for several minutes and then place on a hot grill for 5-10 minutes, turning ever few minutes. Wait at least until some grill marks form, and then check for doneness by peeling back a little of the husk and poking at the corn kernels. I like mine to be tender-crisp. If you like yours well done, wait for more carmelization. If you have asbestos hands, peel and enjoy, otherwise, let cool for a bit, and you can eat drizzled with a little olive oil, or cut kernels off the ears and set aside.

Spray the remaining four ingredients with olive oil spray and season to taste with Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning. Arrange veggies on a hot grill and turn after a minute or two. Try not to over cook or let them burn; keep an eye on them. I like my veggies to be tender-crisp. Remove veggies after they have some nice grill marks, and toss in a large bowl with the corn kernels. Eat warm, or let cool for a nice cold veggie salad.

Day 2: Southwestern Veggie Fried Rice

About 1 c. leftover grilled veggies from day 1
1 c. cooked rice
1 c. canned black beans, drained and rinsed
More Southwestern seasoning mix

Saute everything in a hot grill pan until heated through. Viola! You have another dish!

Day 3: Southwestern Veggie-Rice Burrito

About 1 c. of leftover fried rice from day 2
Whole wheat burrito size tortillas
Reduced fat, organic, or soy jack cheese, shredded
Salsa or taco sauce

Top each tortilla with a couple heaping tablespoons each of fried rice and cheese, top with salsa to taste, and then heat in microwave about 1 minute each. That was lunch today:D

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

QotD

From all that I saw, and everywhere I wandered, I learned that time cannot be spent. It only can be squandered. ~Roman Payne

Friday, May 16, 2008

QotD

Clipped from the Tricycle editor's blog:

Some pithy Words of Wisdom from Lama Surya Das:

That which we call “I” is just impermanent, ownerless karma rolling along.

Don’t take it personally.

*

Reality is not all it’s cracked up to be.

*

I’m enlightened enough for now.

*

Don’t forget to medicate the ferrets.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around...

Ok so I've been on Facebook for a while now and I haven't gotten all that much use out of it, save for finding a few long-lost friends and keeping in touch with others who aren't on livejournal...as much as I would like to Superpoke you all back, take the quizzes, accept your gifts, hugs, good karma, and so on, I just don't have the time to keep up with it all. Please don't be sad if I don't always reciprocate. I still love you:)

QotD

Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.
- Douglas Adams

Tuesday, May 13, 2008


UNLoadOut 003
Originally uploaded by mirvana.

I wasn't initially planning on going with the boyfriend to the Ai500 Black Jack event at Fort Blanding in a couple weeks. However, I decided to combine the trip with a visit to my grandfather who lives in Florida and so...I did not have all the stuff to do the load-out for a combatant/player in the game, but I still wanted to participate in some active way. This is my attempt at an NPC "UN observer/reporter" costume. Notice the UN flash on the hat, and the robin egg blue vest. I also have a light blue baseball cap with the UN logo on it, and I applied a UN badge to the backpack that I'm going to carry. I made the vest, based on an existing bulletproof vest that Stef has. I bet that no one else has ever gone to such lengths for an NPC.

Monday, May 12, 2008

QotD

Tell me, and I will forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I will understand. ~Chinese proverb

Positivity

For some reason, I feel like I'm sending "positivity vibes" (that's a technical term) out to the universe today. Can you feel it?

Monday, May 05, 2008

Buddha B-Day

Happy (belated) birthday Buddha!

Friday, May 02, 2008

Personal boundaries

No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.
~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Since I started using Google Reader to aggregate my news feeds, I've been discovering some new and interesting blogs to read, such as UrbanMonk.net. This article is third in a series about personal boundaries---How to Deal with Critics http://www.urbanmonk.net/305/how-to-deal-with-critics-personal-boundaries-part-3/

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Advice to new grads

After graduating from college umpteen years ago, I somehow managed to find a successful career. It's had itse ups and downs, but I can safely say that I'm happy with it now. I make enough money to keep a roof over my head and pay for my hobbies and indulgences. I get enough time off and flexibility with my schedule to have a life outside of work. How did I get there? Well, I didn't realize it at the time, but I was following the advice in this article, on Get Rich Slowly. http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/05/01/life-after-school-advice-for-new-graduates/

Some Excerpts:

"Treat your time as an investment. It’s more important to invest your time wisely than to invest your money wisely."

"The people you work with are more important than the company. You want to work with people who have high integrity, people you can trust. It’s nice to work for a great company, but it’s better to work with great people."

"What you studied in school does not matter. Students should major in subjects they enjoy. They should pursue learning. One of Ron’s colleagues is a brilliant lawyer who has a degree in music. He knows a judge with a degree in pharmacology. Your degree does not matter."

"Self-discipline is the common denominator among the successful. In order to get into college and to earn a degree, one must exercise delayed gratification. This doesn’t end after school. Delayed gratification and self-discipline are necessary for continued success in life."

"Be willing to do grunt work. By doing the entry-level jobs, you’re building skills necessary to move up. As you progress in your career, find things in each job to be passionate about."

"It’s more important to be happy than it is to be rich."

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

QotD

Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.
- Faith Whittlesey

Monday, April 28, 2008

OMG New York Dolls!

"The music lineup for the Three Rivers Arts Festival in June has been released, and the first name that jumps off the list is the New York Dolls, the legendary punk band which reunited in 2004, more than 25 years after splitting." Full article here - http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08119/877297-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml

Friday, April 25, 2008

ART ALL NIGHT!

Art All Night in Lawrenceville is this Saturday and Sunday. Patricia Wake and I will be performing at 11 am on Sunday. Lots of other cool bands to see on Saturday night and Sunday. Check it out - http://www.artallnight.com/

Thursday, April 24, 2008

QotD

Coming home from very lonely places, all of us go a little mad: whether from great personal success, or just an all-night drive, we are the sole survivors of a world no one else has ever seen.~John le Carre

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Blog resurrection!

I haven't posted here in a while, but since I finally got a gmail account and I'm using a lot of google tools right now, I linked my old "darkthreads" blog to that account now.
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