Highball Halloween Masquerade

This is so far my costume piece for the Halloween Highball.   It still has oodles of work and even since then it has changed quite a bit.   I had the fitting for this last week and had to make some adjustments on the skirt.  The top fit pretty well and of course the ruffles were a hit.  Last night I enlisted my Andy to help construct the bustle and today I plan to cover it and pad it for comfort of my model.   I also finally devised the perfect arm attachments to go with this.  Does this look Sea Anemone like to you, or just futuristic?   I hope as I finish it up it will turn over to the sea!

Here is the headpiece I have been working on for this costume also.

I can't believe it is less then 2 weeks for this to start!  I am so not ready for this right now, but I will be!

Catching up and on

This is how I wake up everyday. Why can't I just be paid to stay like this?

My cat is not really Huge. She is actually small only 8lbs but I am equally a small being of only 4'10" proportions weighing in around 105 lbs so I make her look big and ferocious.

Anyways onto reality! I've been accepted as one of the 3 finalists in the Substance Aspiring Designer contest that I applied for several weeks ago! Below is the acceptance Letter!

"Dear Esther,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected as one of the three finalists in our 2nd annual Aspiring Designer Contest."............... and it goes on from there with the myriad of details.

Along with that I also got a piece accepted into the OAL (Ohio Art League) 100 leagues under the C exhibit going on right now at the Metropolitan Library Downtown. We were to submit work based on the number 100. I choose to work with what I know best, knitwear and did 10 swatches of 100x100 stitches each and draped them and hand sew them together to make this top.

I was pretty please with how it turned out and am going to continue to try this method using larger swatches for one of my pieces in the upcoming High Ball. I think the way it all curls upon itself is very much the feeling I have looking at anemones. They are so fluid looking yet introvert to rest and protect themselves. I feel like that personally but I introvert to Video games and fantasy fiction books

To make matters all the more difficult to Blog my Camera is pretty much KAPOOT! It won't hold and charge and I have no extra bones to buy a new one. I am in this very bad in-between place right now.

All I want to do is teach. It makes me happy and I feel accomplished as an artist too because I am still working in my craft. I thought I would fake it and do this retail thing but honestly I hate it and it tears my soul up. I am going to look hardcore for new employment this week and talk to several yarn stores about setting up a class or two for them. I want to teach advanced knitting into pattern and Crochet. Things I also want to teach for CCAD and start up a fiber department/program as a part of Fashion.

Under the Sea

My current inspirations. All photos were taken by me at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.