Black Swan, 2011 suckage, and sewing advice

[bop_radar]

So far 2011 has consisted of a lot of low-grade annoyances. Apart from killing my laptop, I have also lost my mobile phone and may have killed my coffee maker (eeeeek!). A big job fell through when I really need money for travel. And now my landlords are thinking about selling, which is a BITCH because it means months of inspections and then a

Comments

[yamakasi]

I recently saw Black Swan, too, but the only things I knew about it were "ballet" and "lesbian sex scene". So the mental illness aspect was a nice twist for me -- for a lot of the film I thought that the things she was seeing was actually happening.

Anyway, I disagree with you re: Thomas. He forcefully kissed Nina, he ran his hands all over her ("that's me seducing you"), etc. He was a sleaze, period. I disliked him as much at the end as I did at the beginning.

I also think that Lily did try to undermine Nina, at least to some degree. The first thing that springs to mind is the scene where Thomas mentions Lily told him about Nina crying and Lily denies it. How else would Thomas know? And in the back of my mind I like to think that Nina and Lily did sleep together, although the "such a sweet girl" that Lily says at the end of the scene makes me think it was part of Nina's delusions (as that's what her mother keeps saying, and Lily couldn't have been mocking her because Nina's mother doesn't say that in Lily's presence

[yamakasi]

Also: I absolutely loved the opening scene and was hooked from that point. That scene and Nina's Black Swan dance were my absolute favourites. A+ for the movie just for those.

[bop_radar]

Oh, interesting--I really read it extremely differently. There were times in the movie when I thought was happening really was happening, but the ultimate reveals cast doubt on everything we'd previously seen. I think we can't know for sure what was happening and what wasn't because Nina's inner world was so distorted.

How else would Thomas know?I thought that was a really clever construction because it was clear Lily said something but I think it's far more likely that Thomas guessed or asked whether Nina was crying (he was already shitty with her and thought she was a whiner) than that Lily came right out with it. Lily just seemed such an open, warm person. We only have hearsay or Nina's visions to imply that she deliberately did anything. That said, I think there Lily was *thoughtless*. She said something or other to Thomas. I doubt she said it to deliberately hurt Nina, but nevertheless it did so, as she herself acknowledged later

[starrylizard]

Ooh I just came home after watching this and stumbled on your review. It's interesting hearing other pov's on it.

I agree with most of what your saying. With the mother and the paintings, I thought that the mother was somewhat schizophrenic too perhaps. The paintings reflecting the darker things she sees or imagines. Only at one point I'm sure she said something like "you see it too, don't you?" after Nina ripped down the paintings and the mother definitely seemed to understand when Nina was losing it. With such illnesses sometimes running in families, it is possible, but it could also be that Nina was projecting on her mother. I'm not sure.

[rose_griffes]

What kind of sewing do you want to do the most? Home decorating? Clothes? Dance clothing? Something else?

I have a whole lot of sewing weblinks bookmarked. I get lots of inspiration for clothing style ideas from the sewing blogs. (I have almost no interest in craft sewing, so I don't have much bookmarked for that area.)

Threads magazine has some of the best tutorials I've found anywhere: everything from basics to haute couture tips.

sew_hip has a huge range of stuff: crafts, clothes, etc. Most people are good about not posting more than one pic outside a cut, so it's easy to glean if it's a post of interest or not without making your reading list impossible. I don't get tons of ideas from it, but it's nice to have a bit of sewing available to read about on LJ from time to time.

Can't help with fabrics, since you're on the opposite side of the planet. :)

[bop_radar]

Ohh, thank you so much! Mainly clothes, I think. It will definitely come in useful for dance clothes, but I'd love to be able to make some other clothes as well. Thanks for the links! That looks awesome!

Yeah, with craft sewing I feel like maybe there are some nice things out there but wading through most of it is a drag... a lot of beginners sites recommended bags as a good starting project, but I feel like the world has enough bags, you know?! ;)

[rose_griffes]

That's how I feel about bags as well. Plus I generally like handbags of leather, and sewing leather sounds like a pain.

I want clothes that I can't find in the stores, or that fit me better than in the stores. As soon as I finish the red skirt I'm working on, I'll post pics! It's from a pattern (McCalls, if I remember correctly), and I didn't modify it except for the length, but it's red and in my size, so it makes me happy. (Just have to hem it and do one adjustment to the waistband to make better.)

Pattern Review is good if you want to find other people's takes on using commercial patterns*. They post pictures and so forth. They do have a paid membership level, but there's also a free one. (You can't see the individual reviews without being signed in

[bop_radar]

Ohh, cool! Yeah I definitely like the idea of being able to adjust clothes to fit me better. I have a few pieces in my wardrobe that once I'm a bit more confident I hope to be able to take in to fit me. Also, I have trouble getting pants to fit me well so I'd love to eventually make some.

I'm pretty sure they have pattern sales regularly here too. I'll keep an eye out! I'm checking out the Threads videos at the moment--they do seem really good!

[serenography]

I love my sewing machine. I rarely use it anymore, but whenever the need arises it's right there and I'm usually successful, for the most part. I don't really do large projects anymore. I used to make a lot of stuff for my kids - mostly costumes and alterations. I made some window treatments too that came out fairly well. I'm actually thinking about trying a small crafty project that recently caught my eye. We'll see if I follow through.

I still haven't seen Black Swan. It's just fallen lower and lower on my priority list. I do still want to though. The variety of opinions on it are pretty interesting.

[bop_radar]

A sewing machine does seem to be a most excellent thing to have! I think my boyfriend must have watched me try to hand-sew a sari one too many times now...!

Darren Aronofsky's a pretty divisive director... I've found his previous films very hit or miss with me--I either love them or hate them. So I can understand if there have been a lot of mixed opinions about Black Swan. For me, it was definitely one I loved, and I've mostly seen positive reactions, but it's definitely not the most comfortable viewing at times!

[myniamh]

Black Swan hadn't really appealed to me before but it seems interesting. :)

re sewing: simple things often aren't.
Try things like beanies or tote bags first, things you can unpick if you do something inside out. :)

I'm making a heap of microwaveable wheat bags for a friend soon, they are dead simple and you can get fiddly after you get the hang of them. Plus people (so I am told) like hand made gifts.

I like the remnant bins in most material shops, they are chock full of bit's and pieces. I made a bag out of Muppet pelt (Grover) from a remnant bin!

[bop_radar]

Yes, this plan of simple, small things seems good, except for one problem: I don't need any more tote bags and I look terrible in beanies! In fact, I'm finding it hard to find small projects that I actually want to make. Wheat bags maybe.... I hear you can also make them with rice.

[myniamh]

I still use Nana's ancient sewing machine, I drag it out mostly to make cosplay costumes. Just wait until you want something then, or there's a birthday coming up. I got a kobo so I've made a cover for myself and planning some for friends.

Rice would be handy, I have lots of that. My sister burns them all the time and they smell like burnt popcorn. :(

[bop_radar]

Yeah, I know that smell... my friend set her kitchen on fire recently with a wheat bag. :( Apparently rice doesn't burn so easily so I like the sound of that. :)

[random_serious]

my standard of living could take a sharp downturn.

Damn, that sucks. Have you started to shop around for a new place to live yet? What is it like out there? I hope you find something new that isn't too horrible.

Naturally I feel all these things are TOTALLY MY FAULT and KARMIC REVENGE for being a shit person, so my self-loathing is in overdrive

Oh, yes, this. The best advice I can give s to approach everything a thing at a time. Put on some blinders and go through things as they come up.

[bop_radar]

Nah, I haven't looked yet but the rental market here is notoriously difficult--we have a housing shortage thanks to Australians' fanatical desire to own their own homes and rising property prices.

You're right that blinkers help. I shall blinker up for the time being because ugh, I hate the idea of moving so so much--this place is so amazing, the best place I've ever lived.