*cough*

cap-that.com/

Ummmm… something on my mind?

Ahem.

First, I ought to say – social media. Not really my thing. (No, blogs are NOT social media. :-p)) Heh. Mostly because it can become veddy veddy self-centered, etc etc.

But…

I’M ON TWITTER GUYS GUYS GUYS I’M FREAKING OUT EXCITED!!!!!

So follow me, if ya like, @PuritanObserver (which I may change to @MissElliot if the silly things will work. Ugh, technology. ;-)), and enjoy more random crazyness. It’ll mostly be C. S. Lewis quotes and verses, which will make things nicer than just me rambling. 🙂

Ummm… goodbye, m’dears.

Pride and Prejudice (The Play) at Oldham County Youth Theatre

Tags

acting, plays, Pride and Prejudice, Youth Theatre

As you may have guessed, I am rather obsessed wildly obsessed with Jane Austen. Of course, you can’t have guessed that. 😉

My sister and I had the pleasure of attending our local Youth Theatre’s production of Pride and Prejudice – it was actually a birthday present from my parents. We took the camera, of course, and I thought I’d share some of the pictures with…you! 🙂

We had a riotously fun time, and we saw several people we did not expect to see – including the teacher of an online literature class that I took last summer, which was super amazing and wonderful to meet her Live and In Person, and we saw the director of the first and only play we’ve ever been in, who we haven’t seen in two years. She and Amanda Abbington are the two best actresses and most fun people I’ve ever heard of, but of course I haven’t met Amanda Abbington. 🙂 (And, of course, that doesn’t mean I endorse everything she’s been in/said/blah de blah. :-p)

Okay, getting off track here. The play was absolutely swellisimus and lovely, and the actors were not bad at all, which was a HUGE bonus. :-p

And the costumes were actually REGENCY!!! More Regency than the 2005 movie. 🙂

First things first. Jane Austen (yes, Virginia, they DID have a Jane Austen/narrator) was delightful.

Look at the PARASOL.

Lizzy was soooo good. I’m not used to a blond, blue-eyed Lizzy, but this one made it totally work.

She was amazing, people.

(And I apologize for the quality of some of these – I think you can click to enlarge in better quality.)

Jane was … okay. With Youth Theatre I kinda feel bad criticizing but I’m going give in to my feelings and criticize away. “In vain have I struggled; it will not do. My feelings are not to be repressed…” 😉

Anyway, she was just a bit too stiff, and the British accent was too…American. But who’s complaining. She was sooo sweet and Jane-looking.

The Bennet family. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet were delightful. Lydia looked about ten years old, though (she probably was, haha) and that was a bit strange. But everyone else was perfect.

And here… *drumroll*

Darcy (on the right) and Bingley (on the left). Good actors, they were. Not a bit awkward with the accents or anything.

Mr. Collins was SUPERB. He was so funny and the proposal was HILARRRIOUS. He kept on telling her, “But still…” It was brilliant. (Lizzy was sort of sitting on the side of the couch for this picture.)

This picture cracks me up, just saying.

Here’s Charlotte, impossibly engaged to Mr. Collins. 🙂

Ooh, and here’s the big baddie…

Mr. Wickham was good, but he DIDN’T have an English accent. It was kind of weird, hearing all the Wickham lines in a completely American accent. Ha. But I didn’t really miss Rupert Freind’s ponytail, heehee.

Lady Catherine de Bourgh (or Lady Catherine de StinkBug as she is sometimes nicknamed at our house…yeah, we get weird) was good too, perfect, really.

We didn’t get good pictures of the Bingley sisters, but they were p’raps the best. Perfectly snooty and very elegant. Not that those things always go together…

AND THEY DANCED THEY REALLY DID DANCE MR. BEVRIDGE’S MAGGOT AND OTHER ENGLISH COUNTRY DANCES WHICH WAS A WONDERFUL DELIGHTFUL SURPRISE. Cap’s on, everyone. 🙂

Lizzy at Netherfield.

Wickham sharing his Tale of Woe. :-p Sorry about the head in the way.

Ha, this was a funny bit. Mr. Darcy and Mr. Collins, the Epic Showdown. 😉 (And this cracks me up.:-))

Proposal fail! BEEP BEEP BEEP. Try again next time. Heehee. It was soo good. A lot of talent on display here.

The Letter.

Wickham and Georgiana, acting out the letter.

At Pemberley. The lady in the middle is Aunt Gardiner.

The letter about Lydia. This scene was wonderfully done.

Sorry, Wickham. Lizzy knows all. 🙂

Squeal!!! The Other Proposal!! It was so well-done. The two of them are so sweet together.

And that’s it! I’m sorry – this is a rather rambling and disconnectedly squealy post. But Pride and Prejudice, y’know. 🙂 Have a lovely day!

Heehee, it looks like they’re in a musicalllll…. 🙂

Happy Mother’s Day!

Tags

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother’s Day to the best mother in the world!

Thank you, Mommy, for always being there and for everything. You are so wonderful and I could never thank you enough. I love you!

And happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there. Cheers, and have a lovely day!

(stole this from Naomi)

 

The Dress Finale and a Button

Tags

30-day Song Challenge, Romantic Era Dress Pattern, sewing

I am SUCH a bad blogger. Sorry everyone. I WILL do better over the summer, etc. etc. and so forth.

Speaking of the summer, remember the 30-Day Song Challenge I promised to do?

Here’s my button for it! I’d love it if you passed it around – but of course you don’t have to. (ImeanyesyoudobecauseSierraBorgessandmusiciswonderfulandall.)

My sister and I went to see the play version of Pride and Prejudice at our local Youth Theatre and it was quite adequate..oh wait.

SQUEEEEEE IT WAS SO GOOD AND LIZZY WAS GOOD AND IT WAS SWELLISIMUS. Post about that later.

And the royal baby is born!!! I’m sorry to any snarky Britishers but to an American girl who’s rather obsessed with Britain (because JANE AUSTEN AND SHERLOCK HOLMES AND BOOKS AND TEA AND PERIOD DRAMAS GALORE), little Charlotte Elizabeth Diana is top on *my* celebrity list. Right, wayyyy too many caps. 🙂

And yay!!! The dress is finished and has been for a month but I’m a lazy bum! And my mommy kindly took pictures for me and so voila. And sorry, you cannot see my face. Because, y’know, internet privacy and all. 🙂

Anyone want to get started?

Sorry about the bad quality – my mom’s camera is a good one but something happens when I upload the pictures.

I had my hair fixed a la Cynthia what’s her name (in Wives and Daughters) but you can’t see it. Sigh.

Pocketses!! 🙂

So yay! What do you think? Next I’m going to do a 1950’s style dress that I already have one of (is that grammatical??), but I’m going to make a copy in light sandy brown.

Have a lovely day!

 

 

Just a List of Random Questions Tag – Or, I’ve Been Tagged

Hellooo everyone! I have been jointly tagged by Evie and Naomi with the Just-a-List-of-Random-Questions Tag. Thank you both so much!!

{And yes, I know I’ve been scarce. I have been soooo busy (my goodness, ordering servants around DOES take up so much of one’s time. They never know what to do. Kidding…) and I’m sorry.}

SO. The tag rules:

~Paste the button onto your blog post.
~ Leave a new list of questions (or just pass on the question list you answered) and tag a few people of your random choice (and say why you tagged them, if you have time!) (Be original and nonsensical in your question-creativity – make the blogging world a cheerful place 🙂 And be disastrously random.)

Now for the fun…

~Write down three facts about you – one of them is WRONG. Let your commenters guess in the comments which one is wrong (and tell them in the comments after a while)
~Answer the questions of the person who tagged you – make it all super random and interesting 😀

The rules were written by Naomi, so I can’t take credit for the funny bits. 🙂

My three facts:

1) I hate pasta.

2) I have not seen Les Miserables.

3) I love thin crust pizza.

GUESS AWAY. THE GAME is ON. 🙂

My answers to the questions:

Are there flowers in your bedroom?

Yes, indeed! I have a (pretend) big pink rose in a vase on my bureau, and some of my little knick-knacks have flowers on them, but that’s it. I wish I had more flowers in my room.
Who was your first – really first – (fictional) crush?

Ummmm. Good question! It’s taking me a while to remember… but I’d have to say Laurie Laurence from Little Women. No, NOT the sacrilegious 1994 movie. The BOOK version, people. Oh, and John Brooke, of course.

Oh no, wait…

IT WAS GILBERT. GILBERT WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. OF COURSE. (And rest in peace, Jonathan Crombie. I really hope you had the eternal in mind before you died – and more specifically, the eternal hope of salvation through Jesus Christ alone.)

What is, in your opinion, the prettiest Little House Book cover?

I’m stealing Naomi’s answer here, but I AGREE. I just read this book last week. All in one day. I LOVE IT. 🙂

On pictures, do you smile with your teeth or without?

With. I have braces, and it’s quite hard to smile with your mouth closed if you have braces. IT’S PAINFUL, people.

In ‘Return to Cranford’ Miss Matty gets a turban. What do you think of her in a turban?

Not having seen ‘Return to Cranford’, I must look this up!

Hmmm. Nice. Yes, I like it, I like it. One of my favorite quotes about turbans is in Jane Eyre. Blanche Ingram’s mother is said to be “wagging her turban portentously” at Mr. Rochester when asked about the faults of governesses. Does Miss Matty wag her turban portentously? 🙂
Did you get fooled this year on April the 1st?

Nope! 🙂
Do you think it’s rude when girls re-do their whole hairstyle in public?

Ooh, good question! Well, I don’t like it all that much. Redoing a ponytail, maybe. But anything else, I think is a bit rude. That’s just me, though!

What’s your least favourite song in ‘The Sound of Music?’

‘Something Good’ has always annoyed me. But it wasn’t as annoying the last time I watched it, for some reason. Yes, I am definitely becoming a Sentimental Teenager. 🙂
Do you chew your inside cheeks when you’re thinking?

No. Back to the braces thing – it really hurts the poor inside of my mouth. All those wires and sharp things.
 Your how-many-ienth post is this?

My one hundred and twelfth. 112. Sink meh.
What’s your favourite Dickens movie?

Yep.
What should you be doing right now?

Eating my lunch. Ha! And getting ready for church and practising the piano.

Do it. 🙂

Very well. If you INSIST. 🙂

This was a-bushel-and-a-peck-and-a-hug-around-the-neck fun. Thank you so much, both of you.

And I tag: Sadie (because I love her new blog. She’s already done this tag.)

Jane Bennet (because I’m so excited she’s BACK!!! :-))

Cheerio, then! See you soon, hopefully! 😉

Today I am Fifteen…

 Hello all and sundry! Today is my fifteenth birthday (WHAT EVEN.) and it’s been a lovely day, in spite of the fact that we are sick AGAIN. (WHY ARE WE SICK ON MY BIRTHDAY. WHY. AND NO I’M NOT COMPLAINING I’M NOT I’M NOT.

…Anyway.)

(All these lovely pictures courtesy of Cap-that.com.)

For my birthday movie, I picked Sense and Sensibility 1995. Because lovely stuff, y’know. 🙂

I cannot believe that this past year has gone by so fast – it’s scary!! So is the fact that fifteen is just FIVE years away from TWENTY. I’m dashed.

It’s been amazing, the things God has shown me this year. And so much has happened!

(And the first thing I said to myself this morning was: “Squeeep! I’m Lydia’s age!”

Heehee.)

The lack of fifteen-year-olds in period dramas is rather surprising. I’ve hunted up a few, just for fun. Do comment and tell me any others you think of!

Of course, Lydia Bennet comes to mind first.

I do NOT intend to follow her example next year. I may learn to drive but I will not drive off to Gretna Green, London, or anywhere in that category. Nope, not even with Mr. Darcy. (What would Lady Catharine say??) Ahem.

Georgiana Darcy. She is, by the way, one of my favorite side characters in the Austen Canon. She’s so sweet and shy and a regular darling.

And I cannot think of a single other character! I hope you all have a lovely day!

Day Four (Romantic Era Dress Pattern) – February 1, 2015

Tags

Phantom of the Opera, Romantic Era Dress Pattern

Helloooo everyone. And yes, I know I haven’t blogged in ages. All I can say is, I’m sorry. I was busy – truly I was. We were sick twice in one month and the little time I DID spend on the computer was used reading people’s blogs and writing one of those composer biographies for PrivateLessonMatters. And I discovered this lovely blog – I can’t wait to see more posts!

Anyways, let’s jump right into Day Four! We’re coming down to the end here. (WHAT. Did I just hear a sigh of relief?? HOW CAN YOU BE SO CRUEL??

…Kidding.)

These are the pocket peices. I opted for pockets, which aren’t actually in the pattern. I just used the pattern peices from a different dress.

I had already sewn the skirt seams, so I ripped out about nine inches.

Here are the pockets pinned to the skirt pieces. Pockets are confusing, believe me. But worth it. 🙂

Sewing the pockets into the skirt…

…and yay, it’s sewed in!

Pinning the skirt to the bodice.

Pinning in the pleats. This is hard, but I think gathers are actually harder.

The skirt fully pinned to the bodice!

Sewing the bodice to the skirt! Big step!

The dress on the mannequin!!! Yay!! It’s coming together!

Here’s the back…

The front of the bodice…

Whipstitching the waistband lining. This takes patience, people.

See, nice and neatly whipstitched. 🙂

Sewing on the waistband bar for the hook and bar closure.

And that’s all for now! We’ll be back with more!

(And can anyone explain why Sierra Borgess says ‘silent anda resigned’? Most other people say, ‘silent AND resigned’. ;-))

 

 

 

 

 

Romantic Era Dress Pattern – Days 2 & 3

Tags

Romantic Era Dress Pattern, sewing

Annnnnd we’re back! (I think I use that wayyy too much at the beginning of posts….) Days 2 and 3 are shorter than Day 1, so I’m sticking them together.

Day 2: Monday, January 26, 2015

Here’s the sleeve with the sleeveband. It’s actually way bigger than it looks.

Sewing the sleeves to the bodice (with the lining pushed back)…

Whipstitching the sleeveband (by hand, of course)…

…and here’s the bodice with sleeves! I was very excited at this point. It was a school day, so I didn’t get anything else done.

Day 3: Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Sewing the side seams of the skirt pieces…

…ironing the sewed seams open…

Pinning the placket to the back opening. It’s hard because the opening is V-shaped and the placket is straight.

Sewing the placket. Seam allowance goes from 3’8 of an inch at the top sections of the V to the edge of the fabric. It’s very difficult and mine isn’t perfect!

The placket sewed to the skirt! *sigh of relief*

…and the other side of the placket.

The placket ironed as it should be. Prim and proper. 🙂

Miss Elliot trying to be all professional photographer. 🙂

Right then. Be back for the next installments!!

 

Day One (Romantic Era Dress) – Sunday, January 25, 2015

Tags

Romantic Era Dress Pattern, sewing

Annnnnd we’re back with Day One of the Romantic Era dress pattern! This was a dress pattern I recieved for my birthday from my grandma, and she did the hard work of cutting the pattern and material, and she did the fitting toile, bodice, and bodice lining! Thanks so much, Grandma dear! 🙂

As I’ve said before, the pattern is from Sense and Sensibility Patterns, which is p’raps THE best period drama (and other!) pattern company I’ve EVER run into. In other words, I LOVE IT. 🙂

So, let’s get started!!

(And sorry about the quality of these pictures – they get grainy when I upload them to the blog. I’ve no idea why.)

I opted for a waistband and elbow sleeves…

Here’s the bodice with the waistband pinned.

And the back of the same.

Here’s the bodice with the waistband sewed on. (And don’t my purple scissors look nice with the fabric? :-))

And here’s my room while working! 🙂 Told ya my room gets messy. Especially with the special sewing table set up.

When I recieved the bodice, it already had the neckline nicely sewed together with the lining. I decided I wanted a collar. I couldn’t follow the pattern since the neckline was already sewed together, so I had to kind of make things up as I went along. First, I thought I could just follow the pattern and sew the two collar pieces together, but after I sewed them together, I realized… ripping time.

The two pieces. Then thinking it actually had to be together…

Whipstitching it together…

…the realizing, oh, it actually IS supposed to be apart. So it ended up NOT sewn together. I give you permission to shake your head at me.

I had to rip up the neckline seam and then insert the collar in between the bodice and the bodice lining.

Here’s the bodice with collar. It doesn’t meet in the back – I’m not sure if it does in the original pattern.

The sleeve piece…

..and gathering it along the top and bottom…

As it turns out, I’d forgotten to switch my sewing machine to basting stitch. Heh. Out comes the seam ripper….

The two gathered sleeve pieces…

…and my sewing table at the end of Day One.

Day Two coming soon!

 

“SOMEBODY pinched it.”

(And my apologies;  that title has nothing to do with this post but we’ve been watching My Fair Lady and I think that’s the most quoted line around here. “And what *I* say is, them as pinched it DONE HER IN.” You have my permission to burrow beneath a pillow, as certain members of my family did while watching MFL last night. Or you can snigger. Or you can put your teacup on your head, but that could result in a Big Mess, so I wouldn’t. If you want a huge theraputic laugh related to MFL, go read this post of Miss Dashwood’s.)

ANYWAY. This is just a quick post to apologize for my absence around here of late. And to announce GREAT THINGS coming.

Okay, not THAT great. I’m doing a series of posts about my current dress-making endeavor.

{Yeah. In case you didn’t know, I do make clothes – mostly period drama clothes – but I’m not THAT good. (As in, I’ve made five Regency dresses and none of them fit the way I want them to.) }

Currently I’m working on a Romantic-style 1820’s dress with great big sleeves, a slim skirt, and a collar, from Sense & Sensibility Patterns. (By the way, S&S patterns deserves the biggest shout-out ever. If you’re a sew-er go check her out. Even if you’re not a sew-er go check her out – you can pressure your mom or sister to make a dress for you.)

via

The pattern was inspired by Molly’s dress from Wives and Daughters. I’ve had heaps of fun with it, and I decided to take pictures of the steps for me, you, and…whoever.

So. Hopefully that’ll be up within the next few months (guys, it’s the end of February. WUT.).

Go have a nice cuppa. (WHY do the Brits call it that?) And have fun. 🙂