#mp goes all crafty

[dearestpartnerofgreatness]

Fandom - LBD, Carmilla Ship - Cheleanor, Wyallie

Y’all know the drill–gonna do these separately because I’m verbose lol.

Lizzie Bennet Diaries

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my:

Favorite character: Jane!!! I love how sweet & generous she is and how she grows into a more confident, self-assured woman. 

Least Favorite character: UGH WICKHAM WHAT A CAD

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): Jane/Bing, Lizzie/Darcy, and platonic ships I enjoy are the Jane/Lizzie/Lydia sister bond, Lizzie/Charlotte friendship, and the Lizzie/Fitz brotp

Character I find most attractive: Bing Leeeeeee although Darcy ain’t bad and Wickham is hot for being so evil

Character I would marry: BING LEE OH MY GOSH TAKE ME NOW

Character I would be best friends with: Charlotte 

a random thought: Jane and Lydia should reenact Lizzie and Darcy’s first meeting/dance (with Jane as Darcy and Lydia as Lizzie, respectively) during their wedding toast. Like costume theatre, but more embarrassing. 

An unpopular opinion: The last portion of Lydia’s arc in the series was actually to the detriment of her role as a feminist character. Although the sex tape situation displays the depth of Wickham’s evil, an important part of her character journey in the books is that she doesn’t regret what she and Wickham have done (as in the book she literally says she doesn’t care when/if they get married at all) and despite her ‘sin’ she actually escapes the consequences that other “fallen women” that Austen writes about experience (such as Eliza in S&S and Mariah in MP). While I appreciate the attempt to deepen her relationship with Lizzie and force the audience to empathize with her as a character, I feel the plot line was too “very special episode” -esque and it would have been a stronger choice to have Lydia consent to the sex tape. This could still explore Lizzie confronting her own judgmental nature and lead to a vital conversation about Lydia having autonomy over her own body/choices regardless of what her sister thinks, because Lizzie should support/love her anyway. 

My Canon OTP: Lizzie/Darcy 

My Non-canon OTP: Maybe Gigi/Charlotte? Idk

Most Badass Character: Lizzie because she showed the bad/good of herself online, learned to swallow her pride, and selflessly ate an entire plate of green beans in jello. 

Most Epic Villain: LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH. Or, Lizzie’s impression of her. ;) Honorable mention goes to Caroline for being crafty with lovely hair. 

Pairing I am not a fan of: I don’t have any issues with how the pairings sitch turned out! :) 

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): Kitty–just kidding, haha. Tbh, I think they got a little carried away with trying to make Lydia’s character more likable. I actually enjoyed her more in the earlier part of the series when she was popping in to annoy Lizzie, take over costume theatre, and break up the sarcasm with her bubbly quips. I don’t think they needed to bring in all the drama to make her a layered, complex character and it bothered me that they took most her character traits and explained them away as attention-seeking behavior. Also her rant video @ Lizzie was just mean and I don’t think the series should have justified what she did as being fair just because of the gift Lizzie gave her. 

Favourite Friendship: Charlotte/Lizzie! I love them so much

Character I most identify with: Probably Jane or Gigi–I’m kind of shy, I try to be kind and take care of the people I love but I can be very anxious and fearful of going after what I want, and I have a very close relationship with one of my siblings. 

Character I wish I could be: Can I say Fitz because he looks like he has his life together? 

Carmilla section of ask can be found here

Wyallie section of ask can be found here

[trashy-fujoshi-blog]

NDRV3 Cast in AOT

If the NDRV3 Cast lived in the Attack on Titan World as Cadets... What would they join, the Military Police, The Garrison or the Survey Corps?.

NDRV3 SPOILERS MENTIONED. 

This is gonna be fun....

I’m lying.

Kaede Akamatsu

Kaede Akamatsu is scared. Holy hell she is terrified of the Titans, but she has to act strong, for herself, for her sister, for her parents, and most of all, for her friends. 

Kaede is like glue, she holds everyone together, because she appears to never give up her beliefs that they’ll win, they’ll live, and they’ll be fine.

Kaede would probably be in the Garrison. She’d want to help, but she wouldn’t have the guts to join the Survey Corps. 

Going outside the walls does sound exciting, but oh lord the horrors she sees every time they return, men with limbs missing, despair etched onto nearly every face.

But the Military Police are stuck up assholes so she wouldn’t dare join them.

Kaede is a fighter, so she wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Amami Rantaro

Rantaro would be in the Military Police.

He’s sly, intelligent, and he’d likely get into the top ten in the cadets training.

Rantaro isn’t stupid, he knows it isn’t safe outside the walls, and he can’t go dying when he had his little sisters to care for. 

Instead he’ll chose the Military Police, because that’s the best thing he can do for his family.

He doesn’t get along with the assholes in the MP, but Rantaro can fake it, he can fake liking these jerks when he thinks of the benefits, of the safety it gives his sisters, who move with him into the inner wall.

Ryoma Hoshi

Ryoma is a savage mofo. He probably grew up in the underground.

He’s tiny, shorter than everyone, and he uses that tiny height to his advantage. 

There’s barely anything to him, so big, slow titans have nothing on him.

Ryoma goes straight ahead and joined the Survey Corps.

He doesn’t think his life means much, and there’s no one to miss him, so he might as well give his life for freedom, rather than cowering inside the walls for the rest of his life. 

He’s a pro though, zipping here, there and everywhere, using barely any gas at all.

He has to have custom gear made, because the typical harnesses are way too big for him, which is a bit embarrassing. 

Ryoma just slays titan ass so hard tho. 

Kirumi Tojo

Kirumi joins the Military Police.

She’s quite the fighter, and she believe serving in the MP, protecting the King, is her duty as one of his subjects.

She’s a bit misguided because the King is an asshole.

Kirumi likes to think she’s doing the best for her species though, helping to protect the symbolic leader of their home, with everything she has.

Sometimes the assholes in the MP are a bit too willing to use Kirumi’s desire to please everyone, and Kirumi ends up washing and cleaning everyone else’s stuff frequently.

Kirumi doesn’t mind though, because Kirumi likes things clean.

Angie Yonaga

Angie is so wild and free. She can’t be contained by walls godamnit.

Angie goes right ahead and joins the Survey Corps because she loves the feeling of flying through the trees.

She has the nasty habit of using up her gas too quickly, and by the second week in the Corps, nearly everyone knows to bring extra for her.

If it was anyone else, they’d just make her use less, or not bother wasting it, but Angie is one hell of a fighter.

Angie wizzes about so quick, doing all sorts of crazy tricks when she fights, claiming its not her own skill, but God’s. (Because no matter what world she is in, Angie will have Atua guiding her.)

Tenko Chabashira

Tenko is a fighter for sure, she’d love nothing more than to join the Corps and experience the outside, but she promised to stick by Yumeno, and she wouldn’t dare let that girl outside the walls, where death rates are so high.

Tenko joins the Garrison, because she can’t leave the shorter girl alone, no way.

Tenko is pretty much Ymir, and Yumeno is Christa? 

She doesn’t like to slack off though, like some of the Garrison do, and Tenko makes sure to keep training everyday, in case the worst happens one day.

Korekiyo Shinguji

Kiyo joins the Military Police.

He is quite smart and sly, and oh there is so many pretty, nice girls in the Inner Wall. His sister will be so happy with him...

He isn’t stupid enough to risk his life in a pointless attempt to kill all the titans, he’ll just live out his life in the inner wall, killing from the shadows where he can, and using his power in the MP to not draw suspicion to himself.

Kiyo is still a little crazy.. okay pretty crazy... but he’s pretty much his normal self.

The MP guys don’t like him, but his talent with the gear is better than most of theirs, so they can’t say much against him without sounding Jealous.

Iruma Miu

Iruma is pretty wacky, and she ends up in the Corps, in their sort of scientific team, trying to understand the titans more.

Her inventive skills come in handy too, and she helps to upgrade and evolve the Maneuver gear for the corps, saving hundreds of lives in missions to come.

She’s kind of going to end up a bit like Hanji if we’re being honest though...

The corps think she’s a little weird sometimes, but she’s herself, and that’s rare in this world, so she’s loved by quite a lot of the corps, who can overlook her language.

Gonta Gokuhara

Gonta is a Gentleman™, and he will protect his friends. 

Plus Gonta still loves bugs, and where else can he witness more amazing bugs than outside the walls?

Titans are pretty scary, and he doesn’t like to kill them, even after witnessing so many people die at their hands

Gonta doesn’t like to kill anything though so that’s understandable.

He loves being outside though, he gets to see way more bugs, and be around so much nature.

When they make up camp outside the walls, you can guarantee Gonta is off his horse in a flash and down on his stomache, peering into the long strands of grass for bugs,  

Ouma Kokichi

Ouma thinks Titans suck.

He’s not going outside the walls to die at their hands, he’ll stick to the Garrison thank you very much.

Sure, it would be fun to mess with the Military Police, but he’s happy staying in the middle of things, because the MP and the Corps seem to always be at each others throats.

Sticking in the middle means Ouma can silently keep an eye on both sides. 

He’s still a brat regardless of the world he’s in, and he loves nothing more than pranking everyone in the Garrison.

Most of them get infuriated, but Ouma managed to find 9 people who positively adore him and his tricks, and they form their own secret group, purely to annoy everyone in the Garrison with a stick up their behinds.

They end up adopting the name D.I.C.E and Ouma somehow ends up as their infamous pranking leader.

This all goes straigh to Ouma’s head and he starts declaring himself the new Supreme Leader of some intense, huge, evil organisation.

*DICE snicker in the background at the fools that believe him*

Kaito Momota

Kaito has always loved the sky. The stars, the moon, the vast openness that it held. 

Looking up at the sky inside the walls reminded him how trapped he was, and Kaito hates feeling trapped. He wants to be free, he wants to touch those stars that dance across the sky so freely.

So Kaito joins the Survey Corps.

He’s not the best fighter, but he believes his team will always have his back, and his trust in the Corps members is so strong.

People adore him, and yet also think he’s quite stupid

His blind trust may end him one day, but he doesn’t mind, because there’s nothing he loves more than seeing the vastness beyond the wall every time they hold an excursion. 

Tsumugi Shirogane

Shirogane is quite scared on the inside, so she tries to hide her feelings the best she can.

She’s not brave enough for the Corps, so she sticks to the Garrison.

She would have liked to have been in the Military Police but she doesn’t make it into the top ten.

She’s nice enough to be around, and she can be quite crafty in some situations.

(HAHAHA CRAFTY GEDDIT???) e n d m e

She is reliable though when needed, and she likes to blend in, remain a face in the background, she doesn’t like attention on her.

Sometimes people can’t tell what she’s thinking, and that’s a bit scary.

Kiibo

Kiibo is weak, he always has been. He’s quite short for his age, and he doesn’t have any amazing talents.

His strength his average, his intelligence is average, he is just an average person.

Kiibo likes to protect his friends though, so even though he is average, Kiibo joins the corps.

He feels like he is nowhere near as strong as some of them, but he likes that they don’t judge him.

They accept him, and try to help him improve, because they care, they don’t want their comrades to die.

It’s quite nice, because its the first time in his life Kiibo feels accepted.

Maki Harukawa.

Maki grows up in the underground too.

She has quite a few children that just latch onto her, so she ends up sort of like a big sister to a handful of orphans.

Because she has young children relying on her, Maki has to be strong, she has to know how to fight, and how to move, to judge her opponents and always aim for the weak spots.

With titans this is no difference, and Maki is an absolute natural at fighting them.

She joins the corps, because she needs to make sure the Titans never get through the walls, never end up killing someone innocent again.

And she’ll deny it, but she also joins because there's a certain idiot she did her training alongside, in the corps, that she needs to make sure doesn’t die within ten seconds of being outside the wall.

Yumeno Himiko

Yumeno joins the Garrison.

Titans are scary, and Yumeno doesn’t have the motivation to go beyond the walls on long expeditions.

The Garrison is nice, because she doesn’t actually have to do much, and she gets to spend her days with Tenko.

When Titans actually bust through the walls, Yumeno is so out of practice with the gear, and has to have her ass saved by Tenko.

After that, Yumeno takes up training alongside Tenko, because she wants to make sure if she ever has to repay the favor, she doesn’t end up letting them both be eaten.

Saihara Shuuichi

Saihara is in the Garrison too. 

He’d like to say he would join the Corps, but he’s too scared. 

He doesn’t have the confidence when they chose, but afterwards, Saihara does regret his choice just a tiny, tiny bit, with Kaito and Maki leave him to go beyond the walls.

He has Kaede to support him though, and it’s nice seeing some of the others around too, like Tenko and Yumeno.

Saihara doesn’t slack off though, he and some of the people he trained alongside, meet up near nightfall and train, just like he did with Kaito and Maki, back when they were cadets.

It’s nice, because it makes him feel just a tiny bit closer to his friends, who are fighting, his friends who are risking his life, and his friends who he’ll never forget no matter what happens to them.

That’s everyone...

I also totally didn’t do this in death order.

Thanks for reading.

[obviously-john]

Pirate meta of doom

by request of @quirkygown , I have very carefully not really sorta kinda put together a fun lil’ meta about the parallels between young Victor Trevor wearing an eye patch and John Watson getting shot in the eyeball.

First, let’s say for funzies that EMP is not involved, and Sherlock was alive and awake for the bizarre duration of TLD.  I have theories about the wonky timeline in that episode, but for now we will stick to what we were given.

The opening scene in TLD is an image of a literal smoking gun.  

Then it pans slowly down 

I assure you, if I could do gifs, I’d be all over that, but I’m not that crafty.

And lands on an image of John on his back with only his right eye showing.  The angle is strange and is probably done that way because, well, artistic intent. or whatever. But also as if we are experiencing this from John’s level.    The next frame is from above John:

Again we only get a shot (haha) of John’s right eye.  He does not appear as one would after being shot with a tranquilizer gun.  He looks more like he is in shock.  Also- tranq guns don’t smoke.  that’s what the inter-webs told me.

The scene changes to John lying in bed (not this hardwood floor) with an imaginary Mary.  The rest of the episode goes on.  This is where the Mind Bungalow theory comes in.  And the wonky timeline.  

At the end of TLD, Eurus confronts John and the big reveal is that she’s Sherlock’s sister etc. and says she wants to put a hole in his face.  

And fires a shot. We don’t see the bullet leave the chamber, but there is a puff of smoke and we get this:

Which is very James Bond, but also suggests blood running through John’s vision, since we are made to look at it through his eyes.  

Now I could post a bunch of links from Google to pages where people discuss getting shot in the head vs. the eye and basically it breaks down to this.  If it is a glancing blow, it can destroy the vision with bone fragments but not penetrate the brain.  Others said that you can survive without quite a bit of brain matter, but that is neither here nor there.  My best source was the director of a particular series involving zombies and a character getting shot in the eye.  Not gonna spoiler it.  

I theorize that Eurus didn’t want to kill John so much as use him as bait for Sherlock.  The “miss me” implies Moriarty after all, and she claimed that Culverton gave her the original note.  And she was surprised he missed the invisible writing and probs needed a new way to bring Sherlock to her.  But let’s not get into that.  Let’s talk about pirates instead!  

In ASiB, when Mycroft tells John about Irene and speaks of Sherlock’s heart, he mentions that Sherlock wanted to be a pirate.  This was startling news to John because he had just stated that the man didn’t feel things the way others do.  So it humanized his friend.  And of course Mycroft teases Sherlock with the pirate thing in T6T but John wasn’t there for that.  Unless...[insert other wild theories I have]

So if we follow the Mind Bungalow theory- that John has been injured and is currently hanging out in his version of a MP while in a coma- and that he is basically dreaming all of TFP, and I would link the metas on all this, but I’m tired and  bit lazy, so here’s the gist.  Every imaginable movie tropes from John’s fav genres, the little girl on the plane is a mirror for John being in a coma and doesn’t know how to land, Molly is a mirror in that she’s wearing the same sweater as when she played John in TEH and is looking sad and lonely at home and making tea and pining after Sherlock etc, and tiny baby Victor Trevor, Sherlock’s only friend, looking a lot like a little John.  Plaid shirts and such. Adorbs.  He has an eye patch over his left eye and was put in a well by Eurus.  If none of this is real, and all of it is John, he easily could have made that connection because wherever Sherlock went, John followed and if Sherlock wants to be a pirate, so will he.  Because that’s what he deduces about Sherlock’s heart.

So yeah, I guess in conclusion, I’m saying that John got shot in or around his left eyeball, and will have to wear a sexy new eye patch which Sherlock will think is awesome.  

so there it is; my slapdash eye patch theory in all its glory.  possibly with typos.  Based off of this post http://obviously-john.tumblr.com/post/156357303084/quirkygown-kimbiablue-chrysanthemumsies

[meg-review]

V for Vendetta: My Review

V for Vendetta (2005/6) was directed by James McTeigue who has directed films/shows such as the Netflix Original Sense8 (2015). The film was produced by Joel Silver, Grant Hill, Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. 

So who does it star?

Natalie Portman stars in the film as Evey Hammond. 

Hugo Weaving portrays the infamous ‘V’. 

Also starring is Stephen Rea as Eric Finch, John Hurt as High Chancellor Adam Sutler and Stephen Fry as Gordon Deitrich.

WARNING SPOLIERS AHEAD! 

The film is set in a dystopian future filled with political mess and harsh laws, these harsh laws actually make it so ‘undesirables’ are sent to a concentration camp, the people entail atheists, homosexuals, Jews, Muslims etc.

It starts with a flashback, Evey Hammond is narrating a story about Guy Fawkes as we see him being executed on screen. As we see after the flash back she is getting ready, a news report is being played in the back ground, the report is showing Lewis Prothero using his words as propaganda against everything that the political party in charge views as ‘wrong’. 

Evey leaves her home even though a loud-speaker mentions that curfew is now in effect. She is approached and harassed by finger-men but is saved by a man in a Guy Fawkes mask, who goes by the name of V. V then takes Evey to a rooftop to show her his explosion of the Old Bailey, this is accompanied by blaring music. 

A news company, the BTN broadcast saying that is was an emergency demolition but V interrupts the broadcast, admitting it was him and encouraging Brits to join him, while police officers including Inspector Finch track him to the BTN tower. V is very crafty and he has dressed many workers in the same costume that he wears while also triggering the smoke machine, this causes police to be disorientated, although they eventually come across the real V and attempt to capture him, Evey stops the police officer but gets knocked out in the process. V takes her and she wakes up in his house, he cooks her breakfast and informs her that she must remain with him for 1 year, until the next 5th of November.

We then see on-screen Lewis Prothero who is narcissistically watching himself on TV, while he showers V enters using Evey’s ID and kills him, he places a red rose on Prothero’s body.

Evey finds out of V’s actions and is disturbed. We are then shown the Bishop of London, Anthony Lilliman. He is told by some sort of assistant that a girl who is “older than usual” is waiting for him, he goes into the room and there stands Evey Hammond, who attempts to warn him of V, he does not listen thinking it is some sort of sex game, V then kills him, he is found with a red rose on his body.

Evey has taken this time to flee again, going to her bosses house, Gordon Deitrich. While she is at his house he shows her his stash of prohibited items including homoerotic images and an old Quran. V confronts another victim, Delia Surridge, a woman who had experimented on him at his stay at Larkhill concentration camp 20 years ago, she shows remorse at her actions so he grants her a painless death. 

Back at Gordon’s house he shows her his new show, which is actually a comedy which makes fun of the Chancellor (this does not go down will with the chancellor), after the show Gordons home is raided and Evey is captured after a man puts a bag over her head. She gets her head shaved and is consistently tortured to get her to give information on V. While in her cell she finds a note from an actress Valerie Page, who was killed because of her lesbianism, the note explains her life story.

Evey is then told that she will be executed unless she reveals V’s location, to which she does not stating that she’d rather die behind the chemical bins. She is then randomly released, it is discovered that she was actually in V’s house and V was the one torturing her. She was extremely angry at first but then discovers how free she truly is and walks in the rain laughing. She then leaves but says she will return before the 5th of November.

Meanwhile Finch has been reading Surridge’s journal and discovered that V is the result of human experimentation many years ago and also that V has been targeting those who kept him prisoner. Finch is also searching for V’s true identity, he traces him to a bioweapon program in Larkhill. He then meets William Rookwood, who talks about how the program was directed by Sutler, it ended up creating a deadly virus (which was released and was named a terrorist attack).

The 5th of November is now fast approaching, V sends out loads of Guy Fawkes masks. The population starts to side with V. As promised on the eve of the 5th of November Evey comes back to visit V. V shows her a explosive filled tube train in the now abandoned London Underground, which passes right under parliament. V trusting Evey lets her make the choice.

V then meets Creedy, he made a deal to surrender as long as he gets to kill sutler, so Creedy kills Sutler, but V being V decides to kill Creedy and his men anyway, but not before getting a ton of gun shot wounds which later on result in his saddening death in which he reveals to Evey his love for her.

A saddened Evey puts V’s dead body on the train and covers his body in red roses. She is approached by Finch, who now understands the true horror of the government. He still lets Evey make the decision to pull to lever which will send the train off, which she does. Above ground there are thousands of Londoners in Guy Fawkes masks and black capes who march in unison towards armed guards and parliament. The tube then reaches parliament and it blows up in a magnificent display of fireworks. 

The Characters

V (Pictured Above) is one of the main characters. Even though in a general sense he could be considered an antagonist according to stereotypes, he actually turns out to be a protagonist, the British government being the antagonists. V is a crafty and extremely skilled anarchist, he is considered to be a terrorist through out the film. V stands up for what he believes in and isn't afraid to do anything to get the point of what he really wants to do, as shown when he captures and tortures Evey (as part of an act).

Evey Hammond is a young woman who is orphaned since her parents were captured and killed for preaching against the government. She is strong and independent, like V she isn't all to afraid to stand up for what she believes in although at the start she was more afraid.

Adam Sutler is the High Chancellor he is a former Conservative MP. He is a very corrupt leader and even played a role in realising a deadly virus. He enforces stupid rules for the citizens of Britain, causing Britain to turn extremely right wing.

Gordon Deitrich is a talk show host, he is extremely famous and classed as a comedian, but he is also a closeted homosexual, since homosexuality was outlawed.

Analysis of Key Moments:

Key moments present themselves a lot in the film itself, some key moments include V’s death, how he cleverly used a type of bulletproof sheet under his outfit, even though he still died. He fooled everyone around him. Another key moment is when thousands upon thousands of people turn up to stand up for V, all wearing the same outfits of V, since it shows unity. 

Another key moment that I noticed was when it showed Evey standing in the rain after being imprisoned and tortured, it was euphoric and showed just how free she had become, it also reflects V’s escape from Larkhill. 

V’s escape.

Evey in the rain.

Although the film is actually set in the future, the whole look of the film isn't exactly that futuristic, all the props and sets in the film show this. The film is quite dark, not a lot of it is set in the day.

Another dystopian film it could be compared with even though the plots are no where near alike, is ‘The Hunger Games’ (2012) they are both set in the future in which there has been some sort of war (in v for vendetta there has been a civil war in America) which has disturbed politics. There is a man in charge who is extremely unfair and most people are treated badly if they are not of the higher class. In both these films the evil government are overthrown (spoilers).

The film reflects well on todays society, America is very nearly in war and politics are being all over the place. It gives us an insight of what could happen to us in the future if we don't change our ways. 

I think the whole idea of setting the film in the future was genius. It makes us think about what we are doing to the world currently and whether we need to change anything, like a subtle way of making us judge ourselves and our decisions. It's the whole idea that we can stop it from happening. Like what was done in a Netflix Original show ‘13 Reasons Why’ which is a show where a girl commits suicide and leaves 13 tapes behind explaining why. it shows in the last episode when people are being recorded for a court case that it is in fact November 2017, which is obviously the future. This makes us realise that we can prevent things such as suicide from happening, like what V for Vendetta does but with politics instead.

I also think that V’s craftiness worked well, the character was extremely three dimensional and he strays from a fair few stereotypes, since the character who is meant to be the ‘hero’ shouldn't kill nor die themselves. 

There are some things that worked well but obviously some didn't. I think the film was a tad slow paced and I wasn't exactly on the edge of my seat for the entire film or really any of it. It is also a film you have to force yourself to watch for the first half an hour or so. Other than that it was great. I would recommend the film if you are a deep thinker or love the crime genre. 

Rating: 8.5/10 - due to it being slightly slow paced.

[gessvhowarth]

Free And Cheap London Events: 9-15 January 2017

All week Shadow walker by Richard Peters is on display at Horniman Museum. © Richard Peters WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY: Nature and photography lovers have one final week to check out the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Horniman Museum. Free, just turn up, until 15 January SCIENCE AND SPIRITUALITY: Lose yourself in Zara Hussein's sculptural installation Numina at Barbican, combining designs of the Islamic world with modern digital arts. Free, just turn up, until 25 January JOURNEY TO JUSTICE: Multimedia exhibition Journey to Justice, at Morley Gallery, tells the story of the US civil rights movement, its connection with the UK and the impact it had on the world. Using a series of 'bus stops', the exhibition focuses on the stories of people who are less known in the UK. Free, just turn up, until 3 February [open Monday-Saturday] GLAD TO BE GAY: Discover the struggle of the journey to legal equality faced by gay people since the 1967 Sexual Offences Act. Exhibition Glad to be Gay uses the Hall-Carpenter Archives and The Women’s Library collection to consider the legal challenges of the last 50 years. Free, just turn up, until 7 April Monday 9 January PRACTICAL MEDITATION: Get your zen on with Inner Space's Practical Meditation course in Covent Garden. For better concentration, creativity and relaxation, Raja Yoga is something anyone can do for a mindful, peaceful and happier life. Free, book ahead, 4pm-5pm Tuesday 10 January THE SPRING TO COME: It's the final day of this Southbank Centre exhibition, which explores the story of an aspiring poet as he tries to deal with the realities of war. Free, just turn up, from 11am LUNCHTIME CONCERT: Treat your ears to free music with a lunchtime piano concert at Morley College on Westminster Bridge Road. The students of the Composition Workshop will perform their work. Free, just turn up, 1.05pm-2pm MATHS AND MOVIES: Explore the relationship between maths and movies with Mathematics Goes To The Movies, a Gresham College lecture at Museum of London. Professor Chris Budd explains the significance of mathematics in manipulating and changing images, and how this can be used in fields from crime to medicine to film. Free, just turn up, 1pm-2pm Wednesday 11 January Listen to spoken word with The New Poet's Prize at Southbank Centre. GENDER INEQUALITY: Join this panel debate at LSE to explore recent developments affecting gender inequality. Maria Miller MP is among the panellists. Free, just turn up, 6.30pm-8pm SPIKE LEE: Explore Spike Lee's controversial breakthrough film, Do The Right Thing at Deptford Cinema. The film follows Mookie through a tense day on the streets of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. £5/£3.50, book ahead, from 7.30pm POETRY PRIZE: Relax with an evening of spoken word from 2016's New Poet's Prize winners. Listen to winners Imogen Cassels, Jenny Danes, Theophilus Kwek and Phoebe Stuckes's readings at Southbank Centre. Free, just turn up, from 8pm Thursday 12 January Lego Robots at Drink, Shop & Do. Photo: Drink, Shop & Do BUILD A LEGO ROBOT: Put your Lego-building skills to good use at Drink, Shop & Do in King's Cross. With a group of five, build a Lego Robot, give it a name and a skill, and see who wins. Free when you buy a drink, just turn up, from 7pm Friday 13 January LUNCHTIME GIG: Folk duo The Frog, The Fish & the Whale perform a lunchtime concert at Southbank Centre, blending genres from classical to world, pop and jazz. Free, just turn up, from 1pm THE GET DOWN: Confetti cannons, wall-to-wall disco and Bronx hip-hop is what's on offer at Drink, Shop & Do. Put on your finest threads for a night of New York fun in London with The Get Down. Free until 10pm, £3 after, just turn up The Frog, The Fish & the Whale will be playing at Southbank Centre on Friday 13 Jan. Photo Source: Southbank Centre Saturday 14 January MYTHOLOGY BITES: Children can learn about Nordic myths with this short workshop at Southbank Centre. Explore mythology and powerful poetry in this whistle-stop tour, Mythology Bites. Free, just turn up, 11.15am/12.45pm/2.45pm LEARNING THROUGH LEGO: Tap into your creative side with the Lego team at Southbank Centre. Learn about the value of play from experts and get hands on with those plastic bricks. Free, just turn up, from 11.30am PICK ME UP: Be motivated in 2017 with Inner Space's Boost Your Motivation, a talk guiding to towards a more motivated and driven life. Takes place in Dalston. Free, book ahead, 11.30-12.45pm COSY AND CRAFTY: Enjoy hot chocolate and other treats as you knit, craft flower crowns and relax in the story-telling corner at this family-friendly Hygge themed event at Southbank Centre. Free, just turn up, from 11.30am Sunday 15 January MYTHICAL BEASTS: Become one of the many mythical beasts in John Keats's poetry. Make head dresses and tails from natural materials in this family day at Keats House. Free, book ahead, 1pm-4pm A WORLD OF STORIES: Journey to far-off lands with Horniman Museum's A World of Stories. Inspired by the museum's exhibitions, festivals and nature, the event is run by some of London's best story-tellers. Free, just turn up, 2pm-2.45pm/3.15pm-4pm

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/londonist/sBMe/~3/VdyXRlJEzTI/free-and-cheap-london-events-9-15-january-2017

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M-P Goes all Crafty : WIP - The "Chintz in Bloom" Francaise

Pic heavy below the cut!

Hello again, friends! I thought I'd update with a few picture of my progress on the "Chintz in Bloom" robe francaise I'm currently making.

This hasn't gone as quickly as I would have liked, but that's namely down to one thing: the weather. It's been so darn hot this summer that even the thought of sitting in front of a warm sewing machine has made me want to melt into a puddle - so progress has definitely been restricted to 'when I can bear to machine-sew.'

I also ran into a difficulty that meant it took twice as long because of the fabric I'd used. If it had been silk, I wouldn't have needed to line the overgown - but, for my sins, I used cotton print. And I wanted to be able to pull the skirts up through the pockets, like this, to turn it into a walking dress AS WELL as an elegant formal gown.

Problem is, if you do that with an unlined quilting cotton, you get the ugly plain underside punched up through the pocket slits, which makes it just look... unfinished, and kinda cheap looking. . I still wanted that beautiful deep red! So, back to the fabric store to find a deep burgundy cotton lining that matched - and close enough that it wouldn't clash with the print. But the result is looking nice.

I've also added a lovely pink and burgundy fly- trim to the edge of my cotton ruffles. This wasn't on the original gown's trimmings; but as my fabric has a smaller, busier pattern than the original silk, the ruffle on the petticoat just wasn't showing up, and I wanted it to stand out a bit.

You can now see the trim much better - and I think when it's added to the sleeves and stomacher as well as the side of the overgown, it should look very nice and appropriately 1760s.

- hearty thanks to @tockamybeloved and her own beautiful silk creations, by the way - I'd have never have got up the courage to make a robe francaise without you!

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The 'What's M-P Been Up To’ Costuming Post...

Uh... otherwise known as the big, huge, “sorry the new fic chapter won’t be posted until next week” post. I have no excuses other than the sewing bug bit me and I’ve been ignoring my writing responsibilities in favour of making ‘ALL the pretty things’.

I finished the blue and silver silk jacket and the stomacher, and used my scraps to make a frou-frou neck ruffle and ribbon to make it just a little more formal...

This was really just a useful way of using up snippets, but it was quick and easy fun to make! It also means I can dress the jacket up or down, depending on whether it’s a Versailles ball or a relaxed promenade. I have another stomacher in the works using cream silk with blue trim, to mix up the look a little.

I also took the opportunity to also a) restyle my trusty 18th century wig...

and b) dress it up by making a lace pinner cap with detachable lappets following the pattern in the American Duchess Hair and Beauty book. It made up rather nicely, if I say so myself - I had some odds and ends of vintage lace I’d been saving to get a rich, authentic look...

So, er...sincere apologies to the people who are wondering when the heck I’ll update on the fic front. I’ll get on that and take a break from the madcap crafting shenanigans!

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Mini-Gown Extravaganza: A Girl for All Time’s Bex.

Another lowdown on my ‘A Girl for All Time’ mini-makes - this time looking at Bex, another Modern AGAT doll.

Oh my goodness, guys - I don’t know what it IS about Bex - how perfect her hair is? That really sweet, lively look she has?  Her gorgeous brown eyes? I shouldn’t play favourites, but when I downsized my collection last year, and Matilda and Bex were the keepers. I rehomed the other dolls quite happily - but those two? Nope. 

 (seriously, look at that WONDERFUL little face!) 

Of course, I’m not particularly into modern clothing, so Bex here became Miss Beatrice, a sweet young lady from the 18th century.

Bex here is modelling a shot green silk taffeta gown. I made it for her out of a cheap bridal chair sash, which has just enough fabric for a 16 inch doll to get a dress out of it. I trimmed it up with some leftover rococo trim from my green gown. I used some elasticated organza trim for the sleeve ruffles.

Seriously, I don’t think there’s even such a thing as a BAD angle for Miss Beatrice. It doesn’t matter what I put her in - I could put her in a sack and she’d still manage to make it look effortlessly stylish. 

I do tend to spoil her when it comes to fabrics for her outfits, too. Silk remnants can be delightfully cheap on Ebay, and whilst they’re not big enough for humans, they’re just right for dolls...

Here’s Bex in an 18th century banyan/dressing gown, made of gold embroidered silk, and lined with a soft red polished cotton! She also “borrowed” Felicity’s lappet cap for this photoshoot...

I’m hoping to make her some more 18th century gowns in the future, although she also looks pretty darn cute as a ballerina...

The Romantic tutu was one of my favourite items to make! 

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Sew-Isolation: The Elizabeth Swann Plum Gown

Hello again, Tumblr mateys! Well, as working from home stretches on here for the foreseeable in my corner of the globe, I stand a good chance of actually finishing  the Elizabeth Swann Costume Project, something I never thought I’d say! Just one more gown after this one is finished and then I’m done!

 This particular gown is a favourite of mine, though. Otherwise known as the “red/plum gown” in costuming circles (or the “purple-y piratey gown” if you’re me...) it’s the silk gown Barbossa gives Elizabeth to wear before  the whole Curse backstory is revealed. This is because its colour is really hard to pin down - in some lights it looks purple, and has a vaguely Goth pirate chic feel to it, but in others, it looks burgundy/deep red (and ALSO  vaguely Goth pirate chic)

This is both a blessing and a curse for costumers - because on one hand, WHAT THE HECK IS THE REAL COLOUR? How can anyone possibly be screen accurate?

On the other hand, it does give you a choice. you can pick either purple or red fabric to make the gown,  depending on which you think is nicer/suits you and neither option is strictly incorrect. I’ve seen gorgeous cosplay recreations in both colours, and they’re always stunning. 

As you can see above, I went with burgundy. 

Because this is a lovely piece of finery, no matter the colour. Silk! Gold trim! Frogging and buttons and lacings, oh my!

You can tell the designer Penny Rose had a lot of fun contrasting Keira’s slim figure with the big sleeves and bustled skirts - and I’m not going to lie, making my own version has been a lot of fun, too - if way more labour intensive than the gold gown, as it’s taken up way more trimming.

First off, we have the shift:

I had real trouble finding a nice embroidered cream linen - and in the end, after fruitless combing of online fabric shops for something similar, I had to settle on beige. I’m planning to try bleaching it at some point in the future, but for now? the colour’s reasonably close, and I’m pretty happy with it! (This has since had hand sewn eyelets added to it rather than pins - I’m just lazy about photographing until I’m done on a project)

 I made this using a medieval shift pattern, because the A-line construction of Elizabeth’s shift is definitely closer to that than any extant 18th Century shift I’ve seen! It’s been designed to look figure hugging and flattering, rather than the angular sack look of actual period examples. I used the now out-of-print Mc-Calls 4490, simply shortening the sleeves of View C and moving the back-lacing to the front.

It’s a great pattern if you’re looking to recreate the rum shift, but it eats up about 7 metres of fabric with the flared hem something fierce!

The red gown itself is a Frankenstein. I’ve been planning this particular cosplay since about 2006, and back then I slavishly followed the Movie Costumers Guide. The lady who ran it actually recreated this costume and offered a step by step hack on how she did hers - so I took advantage of that and followed her advice on how to alter the Butterick 3640 pattern and make it look more like the movie costume!

The full puffed sleeves were another frankenstein I pulled from my good old friend the out-of-print Simplicity 3677 ‘pirate wench’  pattern. I used it to make the full sleeves for my Elizabeth Swann nightgown, and I knew they’d stand out beautifully with the stiff taffeta fabric I had in mind...

PUFF SLEEVES -so crisp and pretty! 

You can’t really see, but there’s about three different types of black lace trim on the under bodice, to give it the rich look you can see so well in the movie...

Add to that all the gold trim and frogging decoration and gilt buttons and this is a pretty trim-heavy piece!

Here we have a look at the in-progress black underskirt - I opted to use an embroidered black broderie anglaise. I think the original is silk of some kind, but I’d spent most of my budget on the faux burgundy silk by that point. I still need to finish this before the gown’s anywhere near done!

Thought I’d share my current progress point though, as a mini-apology for the lack of fic/ posts in general. The acres of burgundy faux silk have been attached to the bodice, along with some gorgeous point lace ruffles I’ve been saving for just this project! Just the black underskirt to finish and a little trim on the overskirt, and then I’m ready to pull back my skirts and be menaced by undead pirates!!

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Maya, 1700s Mode: Remodel of a Felicity “Meet” Gown!

Hello again! We only have one dress to look at on the historical-mini-gown extravaganza today - but this was a really interesting one for me!

Now, back when I first discovered what I’d missed out on as a British child with American Girl, my absolute first love was Felicity and her original Rose Garden ‘Meet’ dress. You know, this one:

Seriously, 8 year old would have sold her kidneys, baby sister, and possibly her SOUL for Felicity and all her historical goodies. That was just how little M-P rolled. And that chintz is a lovely 18th century print! But I was just a few years too late to that party.

But then my mum caught the AG bug and started collecting. In her wanderings, she found a reasonably priced Felicity clothes bundle! The seller photo was fuzzy, but worth a punt - she bid, and won it...

Only then we found out the dresses in it were... messy . Some just needed a wash, but there was an ugly brown stain across the back of the ‘meet’ dress that hadn’t shown up in the Ebay pictures- and all the washing and careful treatment in the world wasn’t going to make it salvageable for any AG doll! 

But I’d coveted the lovely look of that gown and that fabric for YEARS. I couldn’t just let her throw the meet dress away...What to do?

But then I looked at the  smaller, slimmer frame of my A Girl for All Time dolls... and my brain went “zing”!

If it’s too damaged for Felicity - how about reworking it for someone else? There was enough fabric in there if I was careful and did some piecing....

 This was before the AGAT company released Elinor the historical redhead, so alas, there was no pseudo-Felicity. 

(Sorry Elinor, you’d have been almost perfect as a Felicity!)

But I’d recently bought Maya, and I wasn’t really feeling her dungarees much... 

Historical makeover for you, my girl!

So, well.... THIS happened...

I had enough in the meet dress that I got bold enough to play around, and made Felicity’s dress into an honest-to-goodness open robe for Maya, in the style of Felicity’s Christmas Dress!  (you may notice she’s “borrowed” Felicity’s lappet nightcap for this photoshoot)

I’m not going to lie - this was hard; harder even than making actual stuff for me, because I got so nervous about making mistakes with the tiny amount of fabric I had. There wasn’t extra if I cut it wrong! But luckily for me it worked out. And I had the bonus “historical” experience of having to rework an existing item of clothing without wasting fabric, something many seamstresses in the past had to do with what was available in their closets!

 I had to piece the bottom petticoat beneath - that’s mostly plain white cotton with a tiny strip of the “Meet” fabric sewn in to make it look like a full underskirt.  I made a stiff stomacher for her out of cardboard (full disclosure: I cut a triangle out of a kleenex box! ) and covered it with a scrap of the fabric, giving it a little centre bow out of rose pink silk for compliment the flower print in her frock. 

I took in the sleeves and saved the little strips of fabric I took out of them to make the robings (the green ribbon-edged pieces on the sides of the gown bodice) They went very nicely together. There’s some hidden snaps under the robings for getting in/out of the gown, and it suited Maya like a dream!  

It also, weirdly, gave me the confidence for doing it large scale with my green robe anglaise. I’d long wanted to improve it, but I didn’t have the confidence to start. Practicing on a smaller model showed me I could do it if I was careful and planned it out. 

And, just for fun - Maya looks to be having no end of fun taking tea with Matilda and Beatrice (another doll I should introduce sometime...)

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Work In progress: The "Cheery In Chintz" Robe a la Francaise Project...

Hello again, friends!

With lockdown rules yo-yoing around in my area, not entirely sure if I'll get to wear this any time soon outside an impromptu photoshoot in my back garden - but what the hey, I'll share my plans any way!

There's a delightful exhibit on the history of 18th century Dutch Chintz going on display at the London Textile and Costume Museum later this year, organised by no less than the Fries Museum from Leeuwarden!

A bunch of my fellow 18th century costumers invited me along to attend in 18th century dress - ideally, of course, in chintz, to pay homage to the historic prints on show.

But after looking through my wardrobe...alas, I HAVE no floral cotton gowns to wear!

So yes, that's right, there's another project in the works...

This above delightful silk robe francaise from the Mint Museum has LONG been on my 'to make' list, because that rich red wine colour is just divine (and the talented @tockamybeloved has been really inspiring me with HER fantastic robe francaises from the American Duchess pattern. But I never thought I'd find a fabric that would come close, until i stumbled across this delightful Dutch Heritage reproduction cotton print:

Best yet, it IS an 18th century reproduction print, made by a Dutch company - so I'm honouring the historical Dutch prints by wearing a modern one. There's a really nice symmetry to that.

Not quite the same, and a tad busier (and cotton, not silk), but absolutely PERFECT for paying homage to the exhibition. Plus, cotton will be nice and cool if it's still warm when we plan to attend. If it's outrageously warm I may wear the chemise gown, but this is a nice compromise for if it's a little cooler.

We'll see how it goes - I'll post pictures as I travel along in the making process!

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Hello again, everyone! Now I've officially done my duty by my fic-writing for April, I can share the other things I've been getting up to with my fabric stash. Mostly stash-busting, but there's been a few other little things I've been enjoying working on.

1) Stashbusting - A Blue Silk Short Jacket

I've had a small piece of blue dupioni silk sitting temptingly in my fabric cupboard for a good few months now - and, considering the stupidly difficult Elizabeth Swann wedding gown may well be in my future, I decided I should practice on getting the fitted short jacket right. So, I whipped out the JP Ryan short jacket pattern, for which i had just enough yardage, and squeezed this out with a bit of careful pattern placement. I even managed to line it with a matching shot cotton that had also been languishing in my fabric stash. So a definite score for reducing the amount of fabric I have!

A further progress picture with the scalloped sleeves and robings (the straight jacket edges) attached. No stomacher yet, however - that's my stays you can see poking out with the pink beneath...

The ever-wonderful @tockamybeloved suggested that this could actually work as a modern history-bounding jacket with jeans and a t-shirt beneath, which absolutely blew my MIND as a suggestion! Rather than sew the stomacher in the way I normally would, I'll make a proper stomacher with tabs for pins, just so i can use this in the way she suggested. Although I do keep toying with the idea of making it even fancier with silver lace and ribbons, which... would make it less jacket-y. BUT I could make a matching ruffled silk petticoat, and it would go with my white silk bergere hat...

I don't know guys, what do you think? !8th century, or try and work it in a modern look?

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M-P: Craft Works In Progress

Hey guys!  I’m in something of a creative quandary at the moment. I have five craft projects I could be working on, and I kind of want to do them all ...at once. Which happens sometimes, but then it means I can’t do anything because I keep thinking of the other projects. Gaaaaah.

So, listing my current sewing and craft WIPS to help sort my bewildered brain out. Any input thankfully welcomed!

Option 1:

The Elizabeth Swann Project Peach Gown

Bodice is pinned together, pretty much ready for sewing. It’s currently sitting there reproachfully in the corner of my room with it’s unattached trimming draped around its neck..

Option 2: 

The Plaid Bustle Gown

After finishing my 18th century plaid gown, I should really finish this Victorian bustle gown... but, I’m kinda sick of looking at this fabric right now. (and the pattern matching - GOD, the pattern matching! Also, although I love the look of the bustle era, the 18th century is so much my comfort area it feels odd stepping out of it (Sewing Questions: Can you cheat on the 18th century?) . This is currently in one of my project boxes as an Unfinished Fabric Object waiting for inspiration to strike. Something to finish for Autumn 2021, I think.

Option 3: 

American Girl Doll Gowns

I really, REALLY want to have a go at making these.  It all looks so great! The lappet cap! The removable stomachers!  The little short jacket! 

The bonus is as they’re smaller, they’re a more manageable project than full size gowns, and less time-consuming. Plus I can go fully accurate 18th century and pull out some of my extant patterns if I want! I’ve printed out the free pattern from AG Playthings  & cut them out... and I have suitable fabric...

Sigh. But then again, I still have some other sewing projects planned for my A Girl for All Times....

Too many ideas rattling around in my head these days, guys. 

And no idea which one I should carry on with!

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Sew-Isolation: The Green Gown Remodel - Completed!

Well, this has been a week for completion! I took a few days on leave, and I’ve spent it tidying up my ‘Unfinished Projects’ - those sewing bits and bobs that are neeearly finished, but just need a few little things doing to them. 

The petticoat for the green robe anglaise gown has been waiting for a ruffle for some time - but I finally got round to it, and it feel super rewarding to have 100% finished this dress! I experimented a little with accessories on the mannequin, and the addition of a kerchief/fichu makes this gown look nice as a day dress, too - in addition to the ‘semi-formal look’ I was going for that you can see below:

The light is a little funky due to evening photography/ the fact that there is apparently NO light left in the UK at all until April now, but I’m making do with electric light and optimism. 

I am so much happier with this version than my original attempt. It fits better and looks so much nicer ( and it was excellent practice for the Elizabeth Swann peach gown, which is my next stop on my sew-isolation project!)

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The Green Gown Try-On!

More a ‘Hey, look how far I’ve come since my first try in 2018!’ post than anything else, but I took a bunch of pictures posing awkwardly in my bedroom and I’m going to dang well use them SOMEWHERE.  And this is my favourite gown to date that ISN’T an Elizabeth Swann recreation, so... here I am again inflicting my creations on you all!

 I have to say, I’m a LOT happier with the fit than when I first made this up. Granted, I was slanted more towards re-enactment then, so i had different goals in mind, but...I definitely needed time to develop my sewing skills before I could get it to the level I wanted. And having little accessories to make it look like its something I “wear”, like the fichu/neckerchief, cap and bodice ribbon really make it look SO much better. 

Self-reminder for myself: keep making things and keep improving! It pays off in the long run!

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T’is The Season to be Crafty! The “Crazy Amount of Plaid” Project(s)...

It’s another update from the mad costume-maker! And what better way to celebrate the holiday season than with ( as it turns out) an unreasonable amount of autumnal coloured plaid!

Right. Rewind back to the end of October, when I’d just finished the “Plum Pirate” gown from my Elizabeth Swann project. I decided I’d like a palate-cleansing project in between finishing that off, and I do like the 19th century and late 1870s princess dresses so... off I trot to invest in some lovely plaid cotton/wool mix on EBay. Enough (as I thought) for a restrained bustle gown to match a bonnet I’d bought...

HOOOO BOY.

I was either lucky/unlucky, depending on how much you like plaid. I’d blithely assumed that the fabric was regular width, about 48 inches.

Nope. It was double width. Meaning I got double the fabric. I used about 7 metres cutting out the bustle gown, and I STILL had a huge pile of autumnal plaid colour sitting there, staring reproachfully at me. Which I could have used for trimming/ a matching petticoat for the Victorian gown, but... well...

I’m a 1700s addict. I ended up coming back to the 18th century again, didn’t I?

(Pictured here pinned) It looks very ‘Outlander Christmas Special’, but it’s so delightfully warm - and for nice the pattern matching on the skirt and gown went really well considering! So, it may have been an... unexpected project, but I’m very pleased with how it’s turned out - and if I ever do an 18th century Christmas party, I have an almost “Mrs Clause level of jolly” gown to wear!