sarahthecoat

Shrouds

2023-06-09T23:21:19Z

hmm, not sure about quite how specifically Identifying I want to be here, but I do want to post about something I've been making a lot of lately in my studio. Burial shrouds. For about seven years now I have been working with a wonderful person I'll call D, who is a celebrant, counselor, and now a teacher of Shrouding. I've learned that in some cultures, shrouding is the norm, while the conventions I grew up with were more to do with caskets and maybe cremation. The green burial movement has been changing the way many people think about What Happens Next.

It's been a journey, learning about shrouds, developing our company's product, and shifting gradually from all cotton to all organic cotton, to more and more upcycled fabrics. We've always offered the option of incorporating textiles from the customer's own closet, including so far quilts, tablecloths, sheets, saris, and bedspreads. Those are the most special. (we could also make a shroud out of Granddad's shirts, but I think so far the only ones I've actually done were the samples made from thrift store shirts)

During Covid, another friend of ours started a fabric thrift store, selling all donated material at a flat price (I think it was $4/yard to start and is now either $4 or $5). Very exciting for someone with an enormous stash, to feel secure knowing where it can all safely go when I am out of the picture! But also a fabulous source of much less expensive textiles for shrouds! and much more fun! Cotton damask home dec in place of boring tan canvas! (I'm hoping we can also shop at regular thrift stores for actually *used* textiles, this being an appropriate end-of-life use for fabric) D and I have begun thinking about how to engineer the transition to the next generation, when we are ready to retire, and how to set up a makers studio near the thrift shop, and how to train the next stitchers.

I'm happy to answer questions if folks have them.

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reading record

2023-05-12T22:30:51Z

recently I rediscovered a little blank book that I had been using to record books I'd read, along with some thoughts about them. I was at least ten years behind... probably because when I discovered fanfic on AO3 I more or less stopped reading physical books for several years, and I was not about to make multiple entries per day on each ficlet I had read and liked! But I do kind of wish I had at least made a note of some of the novel length fics I had read and enjoyed. I remember some of them because they made that deep an impression on me, but others were hard to look up later to rec, since I remembered what I liked about the story, but not necessarily the title or author!

Since I have actually read a few physical books, and also listened to some audiobooks, either from the library or Librivox, or BBC sounds, or... I did try to reconstruct at least parts of the record. At least now when someone asks for book recs (as opposed to fic recs, I will have some notion of what to say!

here are some of what I was able to recall, in no particular order:
Hidden Figures (audiobook). this caught my eye at the library, and I'm so glad I got it out! I had enjoyed the film adaptation, but there is SO MUCH MORE in the book, naturally, and it's all extremely engaging. If you liked the movie, you will love the book!

Braiding Sweetgrass (audiobook, read by the author, Robin Wall Kimmerer). This was for an informal local group self-educating about various topics related to diversity, and I'm so glad it was suggested. I loved every minute of it. When she talked about the time she spent out in nature as a child (and adult!) I was reminded of my own time out in the woods as a child and how comforting that was. Her drive to integrate science with indigenous knowledge is exactly what we need more of now.

The Sum Of Us (audiobook, read by the author, Heather McGee) also for the local learning group. totally mind blowing. wow. so glad I listened to this. Also it was my introduction to Libby, for listening to audiobooks without having to go get a physical box set of cds. there are plusses and minuses to each system, but it's good to have both.

The Lyrics, by Paul McCartney, two-volume slipcase hardcovers. I was the first person to check this out of the library! it was a huge treat! If I had unlimited shelf space and $$ I would not mind owning it but given that I don't, I'm so happy my librarian is a fellow Beatles fan and gets all the good stuff ASAP! :D He tells me there is another new book in now that I must go and check out soon.

I've also been getting out Discworld audiobooks, since coming to Terry Pratchett sort of sideways via Good Omens. Not in any particular order, just as I find them on the shelf or can get them through the regional system. Plus there is sometimes an audiobook or radio drama on BBC sounds, which I try to keep an eye out for.

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lurking on my own blog? more likely than you think!

2023-04-29T23:40:54Z

Since tumblr didn't implode with the porn ban, or any of the other things so far that have gone on... I created this account as a safe haven but haven't used it much. I do sometimes log in and look at my "reading" page though. Today I decided to see if there are other people I'd like to follow, maybe get in the habit of looking here at least once every week or two, so I poked around a little and found a few new people to follow that have updated less than 150 weeks ago (yikes, some were over 200 weeks ago! people I remember from the old days, who maybe have moved on... hopefully not PASSED on!)
Then it occurred to me to maybe update my own blog since it had been... uhh... more than a few weeks! :D

So what is up with me, let's see. Just watched opening night of Into the Woods which I helped stitch costumes for, wow, that was fun! I got a few people to come with me who also enjoyed it, and I have never seen that theater so packed! very exciting and gratifying. It's always fun to see the finished production after having my hands on a lot of separate costume items, and seeing others around the shop.
It will also be nice to catch up on things at home that have been neglected, like my own studio, the bolting weeds in the yard, etc. Maybe start another knitting project. And of course it's already SPRING which means kitting up and dancing out with my garland team.

Fandom-wise, I'm still into Sherlock Holmes, bbc, granada, acd, etc. Letters From Watson has been fun. I can't keep up with the reading but I enjoy reading what the other members of the group are commenting on the stories, and I remember them well enough for those to make sense. I'm looking forward to series 2 of Good Omens, although since I don't have any paid streaming services, I'm not sure when I'll get to actually see it. I had to wait months for the DVD of series 1, but it was worth it. It has also been a lot of fun even just on the sidelines of the Our Flag Means Death fandom. I haven't tried very hard to watch that, since I have a feeling some of the scenes might be a bit too intense for me. But the good stuff looks great and the discussion has been fantastic.

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For once, a tumblr un-woe

2019-12-17T17:48:32Z

I almost hesitate to say out loud, but it looks like tumblr has restored the readable-size typeface, whew! Now to convince them to restore the spellchecker and tag autocomplete.

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More tumblr woes

2019-11-01T23:12:28Z

I normally still spend a fair amount of time on tumblr, that still seems to be where the sherlock meta is mostly happening, in spite of the waves of tumblr's self sabotage over the past year. But this morning, they may have finally driven me away, at least off the app on my tablet. They have made the default typeface so small, i have trouble reading it even with my glasses. I might take a look on my laptop, and see whether i can see my usual notifications that way, but it's no longer a relaxing, let's see what's happening over lunch, kind of pastime.
Welp, maybe i will get caught up on ao3, or something else.
I am glad i have this dw already. It has been a huge treat reading ariane's transcripts of the good omens dvd commentaries.

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Still here!

2019-10-21T13:32:35Z

I realize I haven't posted much on here for quite a while, except for replies on other peoples' things, which doesn't show up to any one else the way reblogs do on tumblr. Which is still a very busy place for me, I guess the nsfw ban didn't affect my particular dash as much as it did other peoples'? anyway. There is still new meta happening, loads of fic and art, and I admit to being Tempted by Good Omens, in spite of not having any video streaming accounts at all. So I haven't watched it yet (will when I get the dvd of course) but have read the book and the script, and seen all the art and screen caps and am reading that fic too. It really is scrumptious.
I still have a reminder set in my calendar to do a meta roundup on Sunday evenings, which I think I only ever did once. SIGH, there just isn't enough time (or brain cells?) in a week.

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Black Music in Europe: A Hidden History

2019-04-01T00:08:19Z

Today I have been listening to this really interesting series on BBC:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09kg57l/episodes
Series 1 covered 1900-1930 in three half hour segments. Series 2 is going to take it into the 1940s. A lot of the recordings sampled in the program are from a collection that has never been made public before, and in a lot of cases probably is the only extant copy of the recording.

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Orlando Retelling (2)

2019-03-17T14:00:09Z

here is another link to the Orlando retelling, still 9 days left to listen. The clips below the main link are also very interesting!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002rxy

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Orlando retelling

2019-03-11T16:49:51Z

FUN retelling of Orlando, just three days left to listen, so glad I happened on it!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p071nwm2

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a podfic rec

2019-01-31T03:34:32Z

Tonight I listened again to this lovely podfic, which is an excellent bedtime story.
[Podfic] Entanglement (18 words) by consulting_smartass
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes & John Watson
Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Mrs. Hudson (Sherlock Holmes)
Additional Tags: Physics, Metaphors, string theory, Texting, Pining, Christmas, Mind Palace, Sickfic, Fluff, Humor, Confessions, Holidays, Podfic, Podfic & Podficced Works, Podfic Length: 20-30 Minutes
Summary:

On Christmas Eve, snow covers London, John visits Harry, and Sherlock and Mrs. Hudson untangle some knots.

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meta week in review

2019-01-14T00:18:01Z

Here's links to some of the meta I read and reblogged on tumblr this past week, also posted on the bbc sherlock community, but I want a copy on my own blog too:

Mirror, mirror in all sense, by mathildarunout
http://mathilderunout.tumblr.com/post/181738520020
(discussion in the notes as well)
in TLD, "Faith" is a Sherlock mirror as well as a John mirror.

The curious case of the governor and his wife, by catwillowtree
http://catwillowtree.tumblr.com/post/181948032036
in TFP, the governor of Sherrinford is a mirror for John & Sherlock's friendship.

John's wedding is a crime scene, part 3, by possiblyimbiassed
http://possiblyimbiassed.tumblr.com/post/181852871843
the "mayfly man" flat in TSOT stag night, is a mirror for 221b. Loads of discussion too.

Retirement's Mirror
http://raggedyblue.tumblr.com/post/181907441165
The Holmes parents we see in TEH and HLV are how Sherlock imagines he might retire with John. Loads of discussion in the notes.

And here's a discussion begun by raggedyblue a while back, revived by blissfully-johnlocked:
https://sarahthecoat.tumblr.com/post/181907048645/blissfully-johnlocked-ebaeschnbliah

And several branches of this discussion of the phone=heart metaphor (and other metaphors) in TSOT, which makes me wish this kind of meta was happening on dreamwidth where comments are nested and you know you are getting all the discussion, not just some of the branches:
https://sarahthecoat.tumblr.com/post/181728079505/johnlockunicorn-sarahthecoat
https://sarahthecoat.tumblr.com/post/181750292100/raggedyblue-possiblyimbiassed-may-shepard
https://sarahthecoat.tumblr.com/post/181791315120/possiblyimbiassed-sarahthecoat
https://sarahthecoat.tumblr.com/post/181906742585/impossibleleaf-tjlcisthenewsexy

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Fic rec: An Empty Station

2019-01-13T23:19:17Z

I just re read this dear favorite, which is from the s2 hiatus, it's Lestrade POV, and although nonlinear, feels so real and immediate.

An Empty Station (17151 words) by ivywatcher
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Greg Lestrade, Mycroft Holmes, Mike Stamford, Dimmock (Inspector), Sally Donovan, Mrs. Hudson, Molly Hooper, Leigh Hopkins (original), Henry Knight
Additional Tags: Spoilers for everything, nonlinear storytelling, Character Study
Summary:

In the wake of the Reichenbach Fall, Greg Lestrade confronts a life that is often complicated, never easy, and not even entirely in order. Here's the thing: Sherlock Holmes was no killer, but he always was a liar.

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Sherlock: The New Semester: sagestreet

2019-01-10T17:57:57Z

Apologies for falling behind on this! Today's featured meta writer is sagestreet
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1tIW9erck85PyXdT8TSgGXHQ37H4OdUc8NITyEpkE2eA
I want to especially recommend his "follow the dog" series, which explores the metaphorical use of dogs and dog barking sounds in the show.

Here again is the link to the whole folder
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BPvE82-zEvnccHYYeIc0V5QOnaI5evGr

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Three Patch Podcast episode 88

2019-01-09T18:43:41Z

Episode 88: League of Furies, fandom and activism.
https://threepatchpodcast.dreamwidth.org/1539.html
Just finished listening, another great podcast! This is the most inspiring fandom I've ever been in, though I know other fandoms do engage in activism and charity work, I don't recall it being as high profile a part of my awareness in other fandoms.

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Sherlock Holmes radio dramas on BBC online

2019-01-03T23:12:46Z

I just found this three hour collection of old Sherlock Holmes radio dramas on BBC:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00cm07d
Six stories, with a variety of Holmes & Watson actors.

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To the Professor!

2019-01-03T23:11:06Z

On the anniversary of JRR Tolkien's birth, To the Professor!

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Sherlock: The New Semester: 221bookworm

2019-01-03T19:06:36Z

Today's featured meta writer is 221bookworm, formerly known as 221bloodnun.
They have three list pages in the folder, for different themes:
Clothing meta: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pxKQvSqrPUrKthdAfbqRF8VQSdrhxOBcM0DD-XquuaA
Film, TV and Literature intertext: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1XUDVhgUB-HY0-320bwVL-bgr_f8V19PV-eMifLOMok0
meta collection: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jjhXmn1I6Vo0nQUuxy2YM8Kypm_4pugogYHP48M5NIA

and here again is a link to the whole folder:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BPvE82-zEvnccHYYeIc0V5QOnaI5evGr

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To the Professor!

2019-01-03T13:52:48Z

On the anniversary of JRR Tolkien's birth, To the Professor!

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Sherlock: The New Semester: garkgatiss

2018-12-30T23:40:17Z

Today's featured meta writer is garkgatiss (formerly blogging as toxicsemicolon). Along with other tumblr meta writers, they have written about sherlock and theater of the absurd, brecht, and five act structure. Here is a link to their page in The New Semester folder:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Sl2nMdTpmIuVz11BEQCIfqn5KwI0jZ5fMnpCd9v2gQI

Here again is the link to the whole folder:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BPvE82-zEvnccHYYeIc0V5QOnaI5evGr

I'm going to take this opportunity to also link to a couple of other earlier five act structure metas:
(ETA, these two are not strictly "five act", as garkgatiss' is, but they both deal with story structure, as used in the film industry, and find that the show does fit with the model. I find it interesting that different models of story structure arrive at such similar conclusions.)
http://www.meredithrosebooks.com/bbc-sherlock-meta-predictions/
A Study in Story: Deducing the future of BBC's Sherlock, by Meredith Rose
this one is from 2014, and I've just started reading it.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3265148/chapters/7120646
Mystery and Romance: the Four Arcs of Sherlock, by ArchipelagoArchaea
This one was posted to AO3 in 2015, but I have a feeling it was composed on tumblr earlier, and then archived on AO3 later. I remember reading it as a tumblr lurker during the S3 hiatus.

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Sherlock: The New Semester: possiblyimbiassed

2018-12-27T23:18:00Z

Today's featured meta writer is possiblyimbiassed, who has been writing a series about "What happened to Sherlock?" and many others, based on a metaphorical reading of the show, and also exploring the idea that Sherlock might be in a coma, running thought experiments in his mind-stage.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Xx_fweSc6EQcrEe6TKc4n4J_b1LAI06QcT6F-u9u5Tc/edit

Here again is the link to the folder:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BPvE82-zEvnccHYYeIc0V5QOnaI5evGr

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Sherlock: The New Semester: ebaeschnbliah

2018-12-26T20:54:24Z

Here's the next meta writer I'll feature here, ebaeschnbliah on tumblr, with this link to their 2018 meta list
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jr_wCIX16xywabhngHTQe5zhlW42HMCChY3YIwCRVuU/edit

And again, the link to the whole folder, which I am continuing to update.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BPvE82-zEvnccHYYeIc0V5QOnaI5evGr

If there is anyone on dreamwidth who is writing meta analysis of BBC Sherlock, or who used to, I'm interested!

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Fic rec: This is all I'm asking for

2018-12-26T04:34:51Z

Here's another, short one, that i loved tonight. Part of a bigger series.
This Is All I'm Asking For (4848 words) by cwb
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson
Additional Tags: Christmas, Christmas Tree, First Christmas, Chicago (City), Established Relationship, Insecure Sherlock Holmes, Snow, Oral Sex, Hand Jobs, Kissing, Boys Kissing, Boys In Love, College, University
Series: Part 4 of Just Like That
Summary:

Sherlock and John prepare for their first Christmas living together.

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Fic rec: a party on christmas eve

2018-12-26T04:30:16Z

Just finished reading a few fics, here's one of them:
A Party on Christmas Eve (15729 words) by PoppyAlexander
Chapters: 24/24
Fandom: Sherlock (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Christmas, Ficlet, Ficlet Collection
Summary:

A collection of ficlets for December, prompted by MissDavis in her 2018 Advent Ficlet Challenge.

John and Sherlock first meet when John moves into 221C Baker Street. Will romance bloom before a party on Christmas eve? (spoiler alert: Yes, it will. Of course it will.)

I'm going to try to cram in all our favourite holiday fic tropes here, too. Enjoy!

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Sherlock: The New Semester: devoursjohnlock

2018-12-25T16:13:14Z

Here's the first meta writer I'm going to feature, by virtue of having said Yes to being shared on DW: devoursjohnlock on tumblr

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1lN3zi_jI_k97oh6WR3ThaCR9M8H-594N_ynlZvb8q90

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Sherlock: The New Semester

2018-12-25T15:48:04Z

Back in 2017, I got nominated to find a way to collate the new meta being written after Sherlock S4 aired, and the meta writing community in fandom began analyzing the subtext, especially building on what we had learned about reading subtext during S3 hiatus and from TAB. (someday I want to collate those metas too, before more of them disappear!) Because I'm already familiar with google docs (yes, I know there are problems with google), my idea is this folder of pages, viewable by anyone with the link. It's just lists of links, so it does depend on the links continuing to be stable. (I don't have the wherewithal to run a wiki, or to moderate multiple editors, or deal with mischief) So I continue to urge meta writers to back up their writing in more than one place. (DW seems ideal for this kind of discussion!)

I’m a “both-and” meta reader, I enjoy the many different perspectives that various fans bring to the show. You may find writers in this folder whose views are different from yours, and I hope if that’s the case, you will exercise your good manners and use the back button rather than leaving rude comments. Also, this is not so much about "what really happened" (the surface reading), but about "what it means", what is the story ABOUT, WHY is it told this way?

I’d like to include LOTS more meta writers, one of the really exciting things for me about this hiatus, is how many new people are writing analysis! So if you have written even just a few pieces, please make a “master list” and tell me about it! I’d like to include you!

So, here is the link to the folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BPvE82-zEvnccHYYeIc0V5QOnaI5evGr?usp=sharing
I'm in the process of updating individual lists, since a lot has been written since the spring. I will make a post on my DW each day to link to the folder, and to an individual writer you might like to check out.

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