Not a lot done....

OK... Tessie will NOT be styling my hair!!!

I would probably come out with a butch haircut.

So far she has pulled out more than she has styled!!!!

I decided to use the black hair that I had when I met Walter. It turned into red after a while and I think that would be confusing. Two redheads standing nose to nose, yelling wouldn't be good.

I remembered that Zar did Tessie's hair a few times.  He will be my stylist of choice.

I feel that I should tell you that this is not really me... I am here typing and taking photos. And I will probably do my own hair the first time.

I have hired a double! Lettice, the lady from the embroiderers cottage was sitting there looking extremely bored last night.  She sits on the steps of the cottage 24 hours a day. Seven days a week. 365 days a year,

I had a talk with her and told her that she could switch bodies with me when I wanted to be little.  She would get new clothes and anything that she wanted to eat when she was big.  That seemed to seal the deal...

She has been sitting there so long that anything would be a welcome change She jumped at the chance... I did show her how to use the camera.  I think that she can handle taking a few photos when I am small. We shall see.

I am putting her in levis and my usual T shirt.

She is very excited about the new job.  We shall see how long it takes her to tire of it.

I am going now to dress her.

I probably won't get a lot done tomorrow.  The Wednesday Witches are coming here. I have a lot of cooking and cleaning to do... I wonder if Lettice would like to switch bodies early? Probably not...

See you tomorrow.

Back to work. See you tomorrow.

Things Are Multiplying.....

When I left for Wednesday Witches this afternoon, the Terrible Two were sitting around relaxing...

I left, knowing that they would probably be making plans behind my back... I went anyway. I figured that there was nothing I could do about it...

When I got back, I started checking things. Same number of hangers lying around on the floor... but... There were a few new hats, purses and other items scattered around in the basket...

Tessie had added her favorite pointy hat and a few other items... Including a new pair of blue high button shoes.  A couple more aprons. And another hat... Not pointy. That was in the pile on the roof.

This is getting serious! She has also thrown in a few more hats and all of the shoes that she had in the closet in the townhouse. 

This is going too far.  She says that she needs a small refrigerator to store her bug beer, wicked wine and some fruit.

I think that it is about time for her to quit hunting.  She has enough gear for three people and a dog... Not to mention the alligator.

I am going to tell her to hold on until we get the things that she has already collected in the closet.  If there are any holes left on the shelves, she can search some more.  For now we have more than enough.  No annex on this closet! No way! No how! 

See you tomorrow!

I've Been Searchin' Every Which Way....

I went into the bedroom a while ago and this is what I found... Tessie found a way to get into the workroom... Now she's trying to help Zar to keep invaders out...

What's wrong with this picture? 

I don't think that he is yet aware of Tessie behind him, helping defend his territory... Just wait until he figures it out...

 Oops! I let the cat out of the bag. I went in and told them that I needed their help, sorting things in the workroom...

It was beneficial to both of them.  Tessie found her beloved "Witch's Handbook". Zar found his Mesmerizer.  Stand back.

Lets see which one is the quickest with their weapon of choice!

Tessie also found another apron and a nightgown that she has never worn.  She just likes to look at it and coo. "It's too pretty to wear. I don't want to mess it up..."

Between the three of us, we are getting close to the bottom of the laundry basket.  Hooray for us!

I also found what I was looking for.  The little whatchamacallits that are used to put in belt holes...

I needed them for Tessie's closet.  They will hold up the poles to hang the clothes on. 

I even looked at Walmart this morning.  They didn't have any.  I guess that they don't carry them anymore.

I came home and found them.  Much relieved.  Now I can hang the poles.

Back to work.  See you tomorrow. 

Why Cant I???

Tessie has been ignoring me all day.

She refuses to speak to me until I dress her in something "sensible"....

She found one of my old T-shirts. She cut the shape of a T-shirt out of it and insists that it would be much more in line with what she does than a dress,,,

She also found one of my old shirts that looks like a pair of levis in her size...

I do believe that we are at odds about how she should dress...

Maybe I can talk her into a dress made from the levis material. 

She is really trying to get into the 21st century.

I am trying to keep her where she belongs.

Sooner or later, one of us is going to have to give in.  Wish me luck!

If she gets her way, I will have to re-do her hair in pig tails.  She keeps talking about Pippi Longstockings...

Somebody help me!!!!

See you tomorrow.

Gimme a Head of Hair! Long beautiful Hair!!!!

That was Tessie this morning... She watched "Hair" the movie, not too long ago.  So when I went to do her hair she started singing and she sang all through the makeover.

I started with the main hair.  I twisted it to make a  part in the front.  In the back, I put the bun that I made yesterday and one of the pieces of braiding went around the bun.

Then I tried one of the curls in the back.

I ended up with three.  Kota barely tolerated her posing next to him.  I thought a couple of times that he was just going to bite her head off and be done with it...

He behaved himself, so I didn't have to scold him.

Then I went through my findings and cut one apart to make the top of a comb to stick into the top of the curls. 

I then added a bow and that was it.

She is very happy with the do.

Now all I have to do is get her to stand still long enough to dress her.  I don't think that will be hard.  She wants to start shouting orders in the worst way. 

But.... She won't until she is dressed.  She knows when to hold still and when to holler!

I see a couple of spots of glue in the hair.  I had better go see about removing that before she spots it.

Off to more dressing and work.

See you tomorrow.

Unsatisfactory On All Counts

 First of all, I shouldn't have messed with the chest! Tessie says that it gets in her way, because she's not used to it.

So.  I had to redo the top of the dress.

Then Zar came in and demanded that he should have new clothes too...

Get in line Zar!  There are a few other people that need to be dressed too.

 I found the other top that I made for the bolster on Zar's daybed, at Witches on Wednesday.  It has more tufting and I like it much better... Now the question is, do I rip the other one apart of do I do a second one and leave it in the room for him to put it where he wants it if he has guests.  I think that it the way to go.

Perhaps you noticed.  Tessie still has her old hair.  I am going to have to get on that today...

Right after making her a whole new outfit.  She positively hates this dress.  She complained that she will never get any work done, wearing this one... Work? What work?

I kind of liked the dress, but she definitely dislikes it a LOT.

So... I will be making her a more work like dress... That she can sit around all day and watch me work in.

Back to the drawing board.  I guess I should get started.

Right after I eat lunch.

See you tomorrow.

Still Working on It...

Kota is the only happy customer so far.  Every time I remove a box from its normal place, he takes said place over. 

He will keep guard so that nobody takes anything  else whilst I am working.

I am not happy with the shape of Tessie's outfit.  It makes her look short. I think that it's the length and shape of the vest and skirt.

She is actually three inches taller than she was(in one inch scale size).  She has gone from five feet three inches to five feet six... With basically the same hairdo as before.

The dress just makes her look dumpy.  I think that part of it is the fabric that she picked.  I tried to talk her out of it, but she said that it would make it so that, if she spilled anything, it wouldn't show.  Thus eliminating  the need for me to make more aprons...

Kind of her to think that way, but I am sure that this outfit is not going to last long. It just doesn't do anything for her.

Now about Zar... He found one of his old vests and wants another one like it.  It is to far gone to save...

See that scroll of paper in his hand... I am not going to even look at it until I talk Tessie out of that awful dress.

Sorry Zar, you are next in line. Just a little further down than before...

Back to work.  See you tomorrow.

Total Disaster...

Tessie's day of beauty went downhill fast.  Almost as soon as it started...

By a couple of hours in, I realized that she was just going around in circles.

New bones? Check.  New muscles? Check. 

Then she peeled off her old hair, all by herself... I knew that couldn't be good...

She then announced, "The bun has to go! I want something short and modern...

I tried to tell her that she wasn't going to like it when she got on her broom.

To that she announced, "Let me be the judge of that!"

So... I put on a new crop of hair and gave her a haircut.  It looked pretty cute, but I made the mistake of telling her to go try it on the broom.

She promptly pulled a pair of pantaloons over her arms and a skirt from an old dress on her lower half...

That didn't take long.  Five minutes later she was complaining to Zar what a mess I had made of her hair... As if the cut was my idea... Nope.  I don't take responsibility for her demanding a "bob".

By that time she had exchanged the bloomers for an old petticoat with her head stuck out the top and her arms at the bottom...

I called Zar out of the room and had a conference with him... He is pretty smart sometimes...

He suggested that he handle the situation.

He went back in and told Tessie that the flying just proved that witches should never wear their hair in a bob.  It gets in their eyes when they are flying. 

Then he told her to come in and apologize to me and humbly ask me to put her hair back in a bun, so that she could see when she was flying...

Darned if it didn't work.  She came back in, teary eyed and actually did what he suggested...

The only problem is... I will have to start all over tomorrow morning and do it all again. I didn't really want a do over...

I do believe that Zar is hoping that I get it done in a hurry.  He announced after she finished... "Oh.  By the way, I need a new pair of pants, a shirt, a new vest and a hair cut! And maybe you could get rid of the gray patches in my hair whilst you are at it.

I can't win.  See you tomorrow for another bout with fabric and hair.

A Slow Day....

I made Tessie another crown.  If she loses this one, she will be demoted and her royalty taken away. 

Maybe this time she will hold on to it... I am secretly hoping that she misplaces it soon.

She and Kota have had their heads together for the past hour.  I am not sure what they are planning, but I know it will not be good for me.

 I stopped at Goodwill this morning and found this little box. It had a very awkward purse handle attached to the two brackets on the front.

I am thinking that a chain would work better.  I think that I will turn it into a traveling workbox for beadwork. 

Tessie seems to think that it would be a better idea to line it with velvet and put a window in the side so that she would have a comfy place to travel... Not happening. 

This one is mine!

She rummaged through some of my fabrics this morning and announced that she is tired of wearing aprons and wants more regal clothing...

That should last about two days.  She is such a tomboy that "regal" just doesn't fit into her plans.

Once she has fancy clothes the complaining will start.  Too fancy.  Can't ride a bike of a broom.  And dragons will be out of the question.  They tend to singe silk...

It may take me a couple of hours, but I am going to talk her out of fancy stuff and get her back to her normal self... Wish me luck.  I am going to need a lot.

See you tomorrow with the old Tessie, if I can talk her into it.

Pinterest Gets Me Into Trouble...

But sometimes it is great fun! I waste far too much time there.

I kept running into scarves made from men's tee shirts. 

I had a bag of men's extra large that I was going to take to Goodwill...  It didn't happen.

They were in the back of my car...

I should say that not all of them got out of the bag, but several did... and I am liking what they turned into.

Here are four that I made in under two hours.  I am liking them a lot.

I will throw in the directions.  I don't know who started this fad, but whomever it was is a genius! No sewing involved.

I used one of my cutting mats that has a ruled grid on it, but that's not really necessary. 

First I cut from one side to the other just under the sleeves.  I simply folded down the top of the shirt, where I wanted the cut and with a sharp pair of scissors, cut across the two thicknesses at the fold.

Next I turned the bottom hem to the top... A lot of the ones that I saw didn't do this.  It makes for a neater neckline if you do. And no weird sewn hem on the bottom of the fringe.

Then I cut slits what was now the bottom.  I did measure the length, but not the width of the cuts.  I just made them about 3/4" wide and seven inches long. 

That was an arbitrary length.  I have seen some cut all the way to the top.  I liked the length that I made them.  It gives more scarf to manipulate when you put it on. Then I stretched the fringe by pulling... I used a pair of needle nosed pliers to do this.  It was easier to grab the very end with the pliers. Thus curling the fringe all the way to the end.

As you can see from this one, the scarf can be doubled if you like them that way. 

This one, I tied an overhand knot at the end of each fringe.

And yes, that was Tessie in the turquoise photo... She now wants one... I fear that would be pretty much impossible.  Don't tell her that!

I made this last one with a V shaped cut before I did the fringe part.  That gave me a more kerchief look at the center front and back.  The same seven inches on the fringe measurement.  I simply laid a ruler across the material at an angle, seven inches from the bottom and cut the fringes straight up to that.

Now I have to go deal with Tessie.  How do you tell a 5 1/2" person that you can't cut tee shirts up that small and have them still hold together?

This is not going to be fun.  If she wants one, everyone else will want them too! Wish me luck!  I'm going to need it!

See you tomorrow.

One Thing Leads to Another...

 OK.  When Tessie popped out of the sewing box this morning, she was looking a bit disheveled.

Doesn't she always?  Well at least most of the time...?

She announced that her dress was dirty from the last time she went out to garden with me. 


She beat her fists on the edge of the box and insisted, "I have lots of aprons, but none of them cover the dirt that you threw on me!".

That was an exaggeration.  I never threw dirt on her.  I splashed dirt on her when she got in the way of the hose.  Is it my fault that she didn't move when I told her to?  I think not!

Anyway, I was feeling generous so I re did her dress... Same style as always... I can't seem to talk her into anything but her usual white.  It goes with all of her aprons.  Those, she didn't need any new ones...

After she got the new clothes(New hairdo included)  She agreed to pose for a photo shoot..

As she sat down, a very messy Daisy plopped down beside her and said, "Me next!"

I had to ask what happened and she replied, "Lets just say that wormholes and time machines sometimes don't get along well together.  I am in need of new clothes.  Preferably something akin to Tessie's, so that I can stay home for a while.  Time machine repairs, you know." 

I guess that was a legitimate request.  I finally got her to agree that, if I made her new clothes, more like Tessie's, she would pitch in and help finish her cottage... On second thought, I am not so sure that it was a good idea... She's good at running around in a time machine... Not so good with a hammer.

As I looked for materials for her clothes, I peeked in to ask about color...

The line had grown longer by two.  I forgot about these two.  They were in one of the boxes I brought into the bedroom earlier...

They have to be at least 10 years old.  I bought them at the last mini show that I participated in..  Hey! I did get them in the bottom half of their underwear.  That's progress... That was also probably five years ago...

I tried to get away before they could catch me, but it didn't work out.  As soon as they saw me, they  started arguing about whom would be next in line...  I told them to hush.  Then I said, "Take a number and wait!" and slammed the door!

I came into the computer room and started writing...

About two minutes ago, I looked to the left... All chattering at once, there they were... The ladies that have been partying in the Tudor Trailer for about two weeks.

I patiently told them that maybe their day would come, but for the present, they are going to have to go back to the Tudor Trailer and party.

The thought of the party mollified them all. being witches, gypsies and court ladies, they all love a good party... Maybe by the time that that party runs down, they will have forgotten about new clothes... I do hope so, but I'm not holding my breath.. Wish me luck!  I may need it.  If one remembers, she will tell the others. Then I am almost back where I started...

See you tomorrow.

Problem Solving and Proof That It works!

As we got started this morning, Daisy made it clear what she wanted.  "They must be serviceable, no attracting unwanted attention and most of all, I have to be able to jump on a horse to get away at any given moment!"

Well... That about says it all.  After a few tries, I got what she wanted.  I am not sure about attracting unwanted attention, but the other two conditions have been met. 

Zar apologised for trying to peek and then offered the use of his best motorcycle to try out the new clothes.

Daisy is going down to see friends in 1890s Tombstone AZ tomorrow.  Riding horses is a must when you are paling around with Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp.

So off they went...  Tessie refused to be left out.  She grabbed the bike from in front of Spike's crypt.

The only problem was Tessie cutting them off. 

If you let her on a motorcycle, she thinks it's great fun to try to knock over other riders.  She is an excellent cyclist.  Probably about three notches above Zar.

Anyway, now you can see why there is a pleat at the center of Daisy's skirt. It's not a skirt.  It's pants.

Granted, it's not the  most feminine of outfits, but you can't ride a horse in ruffles!

When they finally got winded, and stopped trying to have accidents, the two ladies lost Zar and went their own way. 

They both looked at each other and shouted, "I want one of those!!!".

In Tessie's case, it was the split skirt.  She always has to lift her skirts to a most un-lady like height to ride.

For Daisy, it was the motorcycle... If she gets one, I imagine it will have to stay here and not go with her to Medieval England... It just would not be acceptable and she would be burned at the stake or beheaded post haste!

I have a feeling that Tessie is going to want to change her mind again about new clothes. 

I hope that Daisy doesn't start a fashion trend.  Everybody will want a split skirt.  I think that I will just send them out to buy culottes  and skorts.

That's it for today!

See you tomorrow.

It's Like Catnip....

I made Kota a new crocheted catnip mouse this morning...

He loved it...

This is what it did to him!  Then he went and ate most of the food in his bowl... Should we say marijuana for cats???

Well, the take a number and wait system was not exactly what I had in mind...

Zar got to the numbers first.  He insisted on first come, first served... I never said that he was a gentleman...

At least he insisted on gentlemanly clothes for meeting Daisy for the first time...Gray suede trousers, a yellow suede vest, silk cravat and a special shirt.  The shirt is made of a piece of fabric that is saved for special occasions. 

It is from a fine cotton lady's nightgown from 1840.  How do I know?  It was in tatters when I got it, but one piece had initials and the date 1840 embroidered in fine cross stitch! That dates it at 175 years old!  The fabric is still good, even if the nightgown was falling apart at the seams...

Anyway, Tessie was a little bit more polite.  She drew #2,  however, she opted to only have her hair done and a change of apron.

Poor Daisy!  She drew #3.  I managed to get the full body makeover, but she still has to be dressed.  So... She will stay wrapped in silk until after I get this written and posted.

I do believe that we shall have to have a talk with Zar.  Peeping Tom is not a nice title! I think that he likes the new lady in town.  He always does.

I am not too worried.  Tessie will punch him in the eye for his dastardly deeds, if he doesn't cut it out!

Daisy is hemming and hawing about her hair color.  That's the shade she wanted, now she is wondering if she should go back to her natural dark brown.

Maybe by tomorrow I can settle her down and get her to choose.  I kind of like the blond.  Maybe she will like it more, once I get it styled.

I should get back in there and see what is going on. The first thing I am going to do is kick Zar out!  He needs an etiquette lesson or two. 

Back to work.
See you tomorrow.