An Electrician or A Priest?

I sitting (well, laying) on the couch watching my new Battlestar Galactica DVD when all of a sudden there was a poping noise. This popping noise was the light globe coming out of the socket in the roof, falling on the coffee table and then landing on the floor. I watched the whole thing in slo-mo.

Now, I have an old house. But it was re-wired only 4 years ago. Why was it re-wired four years ago you ask? Because one night as we were watching tv, the same light fitting did a similar thing in that the entire light socket, bulb included, fused off the bottom of the wire it was attched to. So we got the place completely re-wired, including double the number of fuses necessary for a house this size and a new fuse box.

So why would I get a similar problem in the same light fitting after everything was supposedly replaced?

Do I need an electrician or a priest?

While the priest would be cheaper, I am going to try an electrican first. But it will have to wait awhile, so I will be using a desk lamp for a while.

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What Do You Mean The File Size Is Too Big? Online Photo Editing

Bloody Microsoft. I did some scans for someone, and thinking I could do the image manipulation at work, after testing the printout quality, I didn't shrink the images at home. So when I tried to open them using the default Microsoft image editing stuff, it said the files were too big. Now, they were pretty huge, that's why I wanted to shrink them, but who knew that would be a problem?

So I went for a bit of a search and found a helpful little site called Online Image Resizing at http://www.resize2mail.com. This site allows you to upload an image, and resize it using standard preset sizes. This allowed me to shrink them enough to tinker with them in PhotoEditor.

There is also a site called Preloadr that works with Flickr, where you can upload your files, then do a whole heap of image manipulations on them, including getting rid of red-eye. I couldn't get it to work, but I think that was because the files were too big.

For the non-Flickr users, there was a site that did similar things called Pxn8, again I had problems, but that could be image size. Very easy to use.

All these sites might come in handy if you need to do a bit of image manipulation but don't have the software on the machine you are using.

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Wednesday Rooster Started

I started the Wednesday rooster last night while watching a show about the Bactrian Gold. I'd love to see it.

I lost the bidding war. It was for 31 Vogart patterns. I should've gone higher.

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Tuesday Rooster Finished

Finished the Tuesday rooster last night. It hasn't been ironed yet. I am bidding on a big batch of Vogart patterns, but I am in a bidding war. Hope I win.

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Flickr Help

I just created myself a Flickr account. Maybe I'm dumb, but how do you set the order for images to appear? I want them to appear in a certain order, and no matter what I do, they come up the reverse of how I want them. Can anyone help me?

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Tuesday Rooster

Trying a bit of no stress sewing, so I dug out my Rooster tea towel project. I did about an hour last night, worked on the tail.

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New WCOB Banner Piece - "Lochac"

As most readers would know, I'm in the SCA. And my Kingdoms embroidery guild is working on a banner. I have made a few bits for it so far, and I just got another one in the mail. It will be goldwork. And although it's hard to see, the pattern is a crown at the top with the word "Lochac" underneath. For details of the banner project, visit the guild website.

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Battlestar Galactica Season 2

Finally, my copy of Battlestar Galactica Season 2 arrived today. I thought it had gotten lost in the post. I was good and only watched four episodes and I made myself do the dishes first! I will have to ration the episodes or I will run out too quickly.

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I Baked

Today I went to the dark side and baked "cookies" from the Martha Stewart website. I made Sugar Cookies. I am pleased with how they turned out. I've never been a big biscuit maker. I did cakes, my sister did the bisuits. I saw the ad for this episode on Foxtel, and I just wanted to make them cause they looked so cute and pastel. They taste alright too. But next time, I might skip the icing cause I like them nice and crunchy.

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Doh Mah

Today my copy of Season 1 of Due South arrived. I am very happy. I love this show. As an Aussie, I get the obvious American jokes about Canadians but I also get the subtle Canadian jokes about Americans! Us Commonwealth people have to stick together. So I plan on watching a few episodes tonight. It will be fun.

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Stuff

Beth, I'm not expert! But I do try to be able to back everything up with some evidence!

Thanks to Sandy, Racaire and Beth for feedback on the sweetbag. I will add the leaves. Beasties etc are a good idea, but I think it would throw the balance off on this project. However, I am also working on a coif, which I plan to load up with bugs and other interesting things!! Including bees!

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How To Wear A Ruff?

This one is for Beth. I tried posting in her comments, but technology was against me.

I plan on wearing my ruff with both a normal square necked kirtle and with a doublet dress (which I will be making very soon, as I just got some teal wool off ebay, hope there is enough!).

I will tack the ruff to the collar of my blackwork shirt (part of the reason I made this with unruffled collar and cuffs). Same with the matching cuffs.

There are examples of the small ruffs like mine being worn with square necked kirtle (Bermondsey and Civitates Orbis Terrarum), either with high necked smock or with partlet. I prefer smocks, so that is the way I am going.

Or with the doublet dress (Bermondsey and Civitates Orbis Terrarum).

It is also worn with the fitted gowns (all of the above and Lucas de Heeres' Middle Class English women).

Also, shown worn both closed and open (Lucas de Heeres' Middle Class English women).

Just on the dress construction front, what do you use to give support/structure to say something like a doublet? I think I need a bit more body for my next project and I'm not sure what to use?

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Sweetbag - Some Progress

It was perfect sewing weather this weekend, raining on and off. So I cranked up the DVD player and got through just over half of the first season of Miami Vice. A good example of how dodgy memory could be. There were a couple of bits that I would've sworn on a Bible went one way, but which on re-watching were very different that what I remembered.

They've been playing the ad for the new Miami Vice movie. I have issues with Colin Farrell. On the pro side, Michael Mann is involved, so it should have the "feel" and I like the Linkin Park song they were also using, again, the right feel, on the con side, they're using a cover of "In the Air Tonight" instead of the original!! It would have been a very nice homage if they'd used the original.

I worked on the sweetbag. I wish I'd got this much done during my holidays. I must have needed the down time. So this is about 15 hours of work. New this session is the yellow flowers and I finished off all the leaves. I am thinking I might need two leaves, one in each of the bottom corners to balance the design, what do people think?

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E-text: Jacobean Embroidery

A new release from the fantastic Project Gutenberg: Jacobean Embroidery: Its Forms and Fillings Including Late Tudor by Ada Wentworth Fitzwilliam and A. F. Morris Hands. Published in 1912, lots of info and if you download the HTML version of the book, the illustrations are included (drawings, not photos).

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New Elizabethan Collar

My new Elizabethan collar arrived yesterday. The first one I ordered was too small, but this on is OK, would prefer another 1/2 inch, but this one will do. No picture, but you can see them on the Renaissance Tailor website. Mine is the plain linen variety.

I think I am going to have to make another outfit to go with the collar/ruff. I've got a good variety of middleclass Elizabethan outfits now that the coats are done. So I think something with a collar, say a doublet dress, would look really good with the ruff. I just got 4.8m of teal wool from eBay, hopefully this will be suitable.

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Motivated and Virtuous

I did a heap of housework when I got home from work last night. So I am feeling virtuous and somewhat motivated. To maintain the motivation, I brought some sewing with me to work today. I decided it's time I start bringing my lunch to work more. I am paying too much for food that isn't even that nice. I can make better stuff at home for cheaper. So I just need to be a bit more organised. And if I bring my lunch, it means I have more free time and can do sewing. Since I am not getting any done at home, I really need to get it done somewhere. So hopefully, tomorrow there will be progress pictures.

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