Ever since I was little, my mother and I have been practicing the same little charm at the beginning of the month. See, my mother told me that if you said �white rabbits, white rabbits, white rabbits� out loud as soon as you woke up on the first day of the month, before you talk to anyone else, you�d receive a present sometime during that month.

When you�re little, this is a very exciting thing. It�s almost like magic. You say secret words, and something wonderful happens within the next thirty or so days.

Needless to say, I tried very hard, and I�d remember eight times out of ten. Now that I�m grown up (or so they say), I still do it. I feel a bit foolish, whispering it in bed next to my oblivious husband in the wee small hours, but I still do it.

So, as a public service announcement, I wish to remind you all that it is the first of August tomorrow, and if you too wish to say �white rabbits, white rabbits, white rabbits�, be my guest. We can all use more presents.

Corset accomplished. And it’s nice and comfy, thank you very much. Not as much back support as I’d hoped, but better posture (particularly typing at a keyboard) which will, no doubt, help the stress along the spine. The only problem I discovered after the whole thing was together and hemmed and sealed up: the busks weren’t exactly even from each end and I must have flipped one around at some point while inserting them, so the right side of the corset is a quarter inch higher than the other. I doubt anyone will ever notice, as this is technically an undergarment, and if they’re beholding the undergarment then I sincerely hope they’re not in the right frame of mind to be critiquing my sewing skills. The whole thing could have done with being an inch or so smaller around the rib cage to allow for the proper amount of “spring”, or lacing tightness, but hey, it’s my first shot, and I’m pretty impressed with myself.

Which means, alas, I realise from my phrasing, that I expect to make another one at some point in time. Maybe a nice one, in a satin brocade or jacquard, instead of natural-coloured cotton sateen. Hmm. Blue, perhaps.

No. No, no, no. Not for a long time. Well, a while, anyway. Must start thinking Hallowe’en instead. I had a revelation the other day: I work hard on a costume in October, usually putting finishing touches on it all the way up to the evening of whatever party I’m scheduled to be at. Then I get there, and I’m still so production-focused that I don’t enjoy the party and want to leave right away. This year, I intend to create slowly and with time on my hands, so that I can hang the costume up and look forward to wearing it for a month or so, allowing myself to actually get excited about it instead of being tense.

Brilliant, no? I feel so smug for figuring a way around one of my little quirks.

No, I never found that missing piece of boning; I used plastic boning instead that I’d had left over from a Renaissance outfit I’d made. Not only has the corset been finished, while I was looking for the plastic boning I discovered a project I’d started a year and a half ago, and finished that as well. Two! Two projects finished by ten in the morning! And I haven’t even had tea or breakfast yet!

I discovered another eight pages of the Great Canadian Novel yesterday after I gave up on the sewing machine. I’m not going to question it; I’m just going to keep sitting down with the laptop and allowing myself to have fun. And now, if you’ll pardon me, I’m going to go make a fragrant pot of loose Lady Grey tea, and enjoy my corset for a while.