Life Suspended

Am I a bad patient? A bad parent? This feels awful. I have never been admitted to a hospital before, so I have no idea if this is all de rigueur or not.

Back!

I'm back from a year long of dropping the ball. Don't hate me! I totally didn't even come close to finishing The Hunger Games project. But I have a good excuse! I'm pregnant! And things have been a little crazy since finding out. Also family weddings, so many births (and all the trappings of both weddings and babies) have kept our house busy.

As for how the pregnancy is going. Well, this one has been the most textbook pregnancy you could imagine until a week ago. Billie and I fled to the hospital for possible complications. I'm still holding fast to the thought that they weren't very scary complications and am sure the hospital is making a big deal out of nothing. But when I think rationally about it, it is better to be safe than sorry and it's nice to be in a hospital that cares so much and blah blah.

I may sound a bit cranky, but that is just the cabin fever talking I guess. I've been on hospital bed rest for a week now and miss being outside. I'm missing out on the changing of the seasons, wearing boots and scarves, apple cider, Halloween decorations, and all the other little things I love about autumn. I miss seeing birds, feeling the sun and breeze. I miss privacy and sleeping in my own bed. And I had to stream my own baby shower. Needless to say I cried a lot that day.

The doctor says I probably won't leave without a baby in my arms. The thought is nice but the journey sounds rough. I just keep getting my hopes up that maybe the next day the doctor will be open to talking about releasing me.

It's hard on our little family, but not too hard. Bed rest is awesome for the first 6 hours. After that you just want to shower and run around and grab a vanilla steamer.

Soon.

Reaping Clothes

I've done it! I've drawn up the first three outfits from The Hunger Games! I know, I know--only three?? Well, it took a little more discipline than I first anticipated, but they're still done! So, here they are, the reaping clothes:

The Finished Shaped Hem

Isn't she just the cutest? I wanted to post a followup of the custom dress I mentioned earlier, but wanted to share pictures after her ceremony so it would be a surprise for her guests. And now that she's reassured me that her Facebook has pictures of the event, I'm in the clear! 

So here it is! The finished product. It's a sweet hourglass silhouette with two whole yards wrapped around her tiny waist. I'm in love with the armhole shape (they were her idea). And the deep v-neck back is my favorite part. It's accented with gold and white pearlescent buttons that matched so perfectly with her nude heels that we based the whole colorstory after. Speaking of which, the lavender works so well on her. I'm just enamored with this dress.

These photos were taken the day she picked the dress up, she gussied up her hair for the actual ceremony but i love her natural curly hair. So beachy. I'm jealous.

A New Project

I've jumped on The Hunger Games bandwagon of obsessed fans. I ate up the books and (like any good, true fan of anything) am skeptically awaiting the film.

What's fun about falling hard for a book is that everything is always better in your imagination--more detailed, more emotional, more magical. Not to mention how very differently everyone interprets tone and imagery. No matter what a movie does, it always seems to fall just shy of what you had imagined.


So! In order to document what is in my mind's eye before the film taints our collective imagination, I am going to design all the costumes mentioned in the trilogy and even sew some up. I gulped while typing that line, it's a lot of commitment. As anyone who read the books knows, there are scores of costumes mentioned. And sometimes in great detail. Like greatgreatgreat detail. Seriously. Greatly detailed. They play a big part in the storytelling and are an extension of a specific character.


I know that a certain magazine used an actress' portrayal of Katniss in costume recently for their cover. I'm not sure which magazine but I'm not going to look it up as I'm trying to avoid anything that could alter what I've pictured. That means no fan art, no production stills.


The photo above is of my husband's copies of the books, annotated for the costumes. I've noted 21 costumes in all, a bulk being in The Hunger Games. There are definitely more but these are the most detailed. And for those who are still reading them, or plan on reading them, or just hate reading and are waiting for the film, I will be sure to keep everything behind a jump.


Lots of words just to say: If you like The Hunger Games, check back for costumes.