Long run of mostly book review posts to finally be interrupted by a sewing related post!
Way back in January, I started making a coat, a project that has dragged out considerably based on numerous factors ranging from everything to time constraints, eye strain, weather (really don't want to sit with a full coat on my lap to hand-stitching when it's hot), and most importantly lack of the right colored thread.
Initially I thought I might have just enough purple thread to get through the project and managed to make it all the way to getting one side of the bias tape sewn to the hem before I was down to the last bit, which wouldn't have been a big deal if I didn't have more top stitching to do on the belt along with a few other minor details.
Easy enough to remedy, so I thought, requiring just a quick stop by my favorite tiny fabric store on my way home from work. The thread shelf, however, went directly from the thread number preceding my thread to the one following it making me wonder if the thread was no longer available as I hadn't found it online either. Feeling rather disappointed, I decided to browse while I was there and bought this fabric!
Once again, being in no hurry to work on this coat because even if I finished it it'd be too warm to wear it, I waited about a month and then tried Hobby Lobby, which is where I originally bought the thread. It's been a really long time since I've been there and they switched to their own brand of thread, so I bought two that I thought looked close to what I had (stupidly, I took the original spool out of my purse that morning and didn't put it back) and that really weren't. Also, since I was there, I bought some lace that I'm going to use to replace some sleeves on a shirt.
Finally, a few weeks later I tried Joann Fabrics. They had it! And they had a flamingo print fabric, so, of course, I bought some of that too as one can never have too much flamingo fabric!
So, overall, I ended up with about six yards of new fabric and some lace in my quest for thread. Have I done anything with the coat? No, but I did start making a new skirt. I've used sea foam green thread for the top stitching, though, so for now I just get to happily stare at my new spool of 'light vintage purple' thread and know that it's available for future use!
Stay tuned in coming weeks for an outfit post of my almost finished skirt!
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Title: Ink and Paint: The Women of Walt Disney's Animation
Author: Mindy Johnson
Genre: Non-Fiction, History, Art
About the Book...
Few names in animation history have had as much of an impact as that of Disney and a large part of this incredible history includes the ladies of the Ink and Paint department. Breaking it down by decade, Mindy Johnson explores the role that these woman had at the Disney Studios during each period, the shifts that occurred as the studio grew and changed with the times, and concludes each chapter with a section about other studios achievements or setbacks during that time and a section talking about Walt's family life.
What I Think...
This book was well written and clearly well-researched. Johnson doesn't try to impose her own opinions or asides as to why something happened, but presents the information in a very factual way and that includes quotations from those who worked in Ink and Paint. I really liked that at the end of each chapter Johnson included what was going on at other studios during the time, which offered a comparative look at where the industry was as a whole. Additionally, the end of each chapter included an update as to what was going on in the Disney family and
I did feel the book slowed by the time it reached the 1960's (although, in all fairness, that's about three-quarters of the way through) and became far less interesting, primarily due to the changes that occurred in technology.
It is coffee table size and has glossy pages, which is great for the multitude of images and photographs included, although this comes with the downside of it being too difficult to read in bed.
To Sum it All Up...
A very through look at the fascinating history of Disney's Ink and Paint Department from the start of the studio up to present. ♥️
Courtesy of stress and a lengthy cold, I took a mini blog vacation last month. Hopefully I'll have some sewing projects to share by the end of this month, along with a few other things.
Meanwhile, here's a photo of my Aztec lily, which is a shy bloomer in comparison to the other two plants that dominate the space where it's planted.
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Title: The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick
Author: Mallory O'Meara
Genre: Non-Fiction
About the Book...
Among the most recognizable of the classic movie monsters is the Creature from 1954's The Creature from the Black Lagoon, but what most people don't realize or choose to contest is that it's creator was a woman named Milicent Patrick. With little to start with, Mallory O'Meara set out on a personal journey to learn more about Patrick and the incredible part this largely forgotten woman played in Hollywood history.
What I Think...
This book is what I'd refer to as casual non-fiction, meaning that it's more like someone telling their friend about something with the book taking the reader on the journey of the research process and then sharing the discoveries. I tend not to care for this sort of book, though I get that in this case this style is in part due to the personal importance to O'Meara, who is a screenwriter and producer of monster movies, of Patrick's role in designing the Creature and overall the importance of Patrick being a woman in a male dominated career setting.
With that in mind, I did thoroughly enjoy the portions that were written in a more traditional sense and especially loved reading about the making of The Creature from the Black Lagoon and the tours Patrick went on to promote it. Not knowing much about the people behind the scenes, I also liked reading about what her job entailed and found learning about her personal life to be interesting, though sad.
While it's clear that O'Meara did her research and does present the reader with a great deal about Patrick, the primary downsides were all the personal asides. I found the tangents about present day sexism in Hollywood to be rather distracting from the overall text and along with most of the footnotes, which were almost entirely personal commentary.
To Sum it All Up...
An interesting look at Milicent Patrick's life and the heyday of Hollywood horror movies, but with a lot of additional commentary that I felt detracted from the overall focus on Milicent Patrick and O'Meara's quest to learn about who she was. ♥️
