Belle Photo Reshoot

I've lost sixteen pounds since I made my Belle costume last year.  Because we had a gorgeous snowfall this week (and because I'm skinny now - yay!) I decided to do a new photo shoot.  The only problem is that the sleeves are all stretched out and wonky because I was much fatter than what I made the sleeves for, and I remember they were very tight last year.  They must have been stretched, and now that I'm a Skinny Lynnie, they just hang strangely.  Oh well!  I hated all the pictures that we took last year; I LOVE how these turned out!

Here are a few of my favorites:

Clockwork Droid Construction: Part 1

I've finally decided to go into some detail about my Clockwork Droid costume.  The reason I never did so before is because it was very complicated, it was almost all new for me (had to construct things I never had before), and because there is a LOT to it.  I'm not even really sure where to begin ...

I made this costume way back in 2009.  My husband wanted to be the Tenth Doctor for Halloween, and I couldn't figure out what character to be.  As you probably know by now, I like to do original costumes.  Also, my husband is terrified of clowns.  Of course, the answer was simple:  Clockwork Droid!  I wanted it to be a surprise, though, so I made the entire costume in secret.  My husband had no part of any of the original construction.

Today I think I'll just start with the start of the clothing construction.  For the vest and coat, I used a blue satin lining and a black stretch velvet for the outer layer.  The pants were only the velvet, no lining.  It should be wool or other heavy material, but I have a very high sensitivity to wool (we're talking a nasty rash), so I avoid wool at all costs.  The velvet actually has a nice weight to it, but if I were to make this again, I'd use something else.  It's too shiny!  Ah, well, live and learn!

The vest, coat, and pants were constructed using Butterick #3072.  I had to alter things quite a bit because it's a men's pattern, and also because the vest in the pattern was too long. 

Vest Lining

For the cuff of the coat, I used red velvet and two types of gold trim.  I believe that all of the gold trim came from JoAnn Fabrics.  Some of it came from the upholstery section.  The entire thing was then sewn together to make a cuff.

Both the vest and coat have buttons.  Gold buttons are insanely expensive, so I hiked over to my local craft store and purchased wooden half circles and some metallic Krylon spray paint.

 

The coat also has a TON of extra stuff.  There's trim all down the back, the back of the arms, and the pockets.  I did make pocket flaps, but no functioning pockets (there is a pocket sewn into the lining, but it makes the whole coat droop.  Boo.)

The sleeve has a funky patch on it, too.

For the shirt, I just bought a men's white shirt at the thrift store and added cuffs.  I made the cuffs out of white flowy material (I don't actually know what this material is, sorry - it's very light weight and kind of flutters in the breeze ... Ha.)  I believe what I did was serge the bottom and then gather the top.  I then sewed it to the underside of the shirt's cuff.

I apparently didn't take a ton of pictures during the midst of construction, so here are some more finished photos of the vest and coat.  If I could do it again (which I can't because I glued it down), I would use cording for the red trim on the coat instead of this red ribbon which I ended up using.  It's the one thing I hate about the coat, and if I could take the entire collar off and redo it, I would.  Unfortunately, I had to glue a lot of stuff to both the vest and the coat, otherwise, they wouldn't sit correctly.  Oy.  I did handstitch all of the trim on the back of the coat - it was a nightmare, and I've actually ripped it and restitched it a few times.  I've remade the vest twice now (it originally attached with hooks and eyes - it now zips up.  Also, it would kind of bubble out in the middle due to the long zipper, and I actually ended up stitching in two coffee stirrers while at Dragon*Con last year - it no longer bubbles.)  I've also made the pants three times, and even now they've got a safety pin in the back because they keep slipping down.

Vest

 

Vest Buttons/Trim

Coat Buttons/Trim

Coffee Stirrers to the Rescue!

Coat Back

Trim on Arms

Pants

Pants Trim - A plain satin ribbon

Keep checking back - I'll post more in a few days, including the many incarnations of the mask.

10,000 Hits!

As of this morning, this blog has received 10,000 hits!  Thanks to all of you who read.  I'll be posting some new stuff as soon as I start working on the Eowyn dress.

Unsupportive Cosplay Community?

In the past few months, I've been reading a ton of articles on negativity in the cosplay world.  Men attacking women.  Women attacking women.  Women telling other women not to attack women.  Women attacking men for attacking women.  I just don't know what to think.

I'm not a well-known cosplayer or anything, but I have a lot of costumes up at Cosplay.com.  I've been blogging for almost three years about my costumes.  I've made friends in the cosplay community, and I've sat on two cosplay panels.  I know that negativity is out there, because I've read first-hand accounts of girls getting ripped apart for their weight, their skills, or their looks.  To me, it does make sense that the famous cosplayers attract negative attention, just because they're so prevalent in the community.  Anyone who has such a big presence is always going to end up with at least a few trolls.

However, I've never experienced it.  Not once has someone make a negative comment to me about my costume, either in person or online.  The worst comment I've had is, "hey - V for Vendetta!"  Oh, and that time at Dragon*Con when the BritTrack Costume panel didn't know that I was a Doctor Who character.  I may have had a comment or two in passing someone at a con or something (there are always a few drunk assholes), but if that happened, I clearly don't remember it.  Everything that has been said to me has been overwhelmingly positive.  Sure, there have been some creepy encounters (like the guy who stuck his tongue all over my Clockwork mask) or rude encounters (like the people hitting the Fruity Oaty Bar Girls in the head), but nothing that was overtly sexual harassment, or aimed at me because of my gender.  In my experience, assholes are generally assholes to everyone.  Maybe it's because I'm not well known.  Maybe it's because I'm not drop-dead gorgeous.  Maybe it's because I don't put myself in a situation where I'd attract unwanted attention (I don't wear skin-tight costumes).  I do know it's not because my costumes are so amazing that they're above reproach - they're good, but the girls who seem to get these comments are essentially professionals.

So, my question to all of you is this:  Have you ever had someone criticize you or make negative comments about your costumes?

Nightgown

When I made the Merida Halloween costume for my friend's daughter, I used a gorgeous fabric for the underskirt.  It's stretchy, but just feels amazing.  I thought it would make a great nightgown.

I started working on it last night, so I don't have any photos yet (it's not finished), but I think this nightgown will be my embroidery practice.  I am leaning towards the blue Eowyn victory dress, which is heavily embroidered.  I'm already familiar with embroidery, as I've done quite a few bedspreads and a table cloth, and I've also counted cross-stitched dozens of birth announcements.  But I've never done my own pattern on a dress.  This will be very interesting ...

I should point out that even though I'm not doing the Eowyn armor, my husband is still making Eomer.  I'll probably update about his costume every now and then, as it should prove to be a learning experience.

Eowyn: Blargh

So, after a long time thinking about this, I've decided not to make the Eowyn Dernhelm costume.  At least, not this year.  I would like to concentrate on remaking my Susan corset with leather, and I'd like to wear it before I'm too old.  Therefore, Eowyn's armor will have to wait.  I know it is going to be extremely complicated, so Susan's corset will at least be practice.

However, I still want to make an Eowyn dress, so I'm thinking I may make the blue victory dress, since I've already made the robe.  And while I wouldn't wear the robe to a convention, I love the color.

Although, I'm also throwing around the idea of making the brown shieldmaiden dress, which she wears as she gets Merry suited up for battle.  I just don't know.  It will probably come down to how many people have made each dress.  I don't like to make costumes that a lot of people have made, or that have been made exceptionally well.  I think that those of you who have followed the blog for a while know that I like a challenge, and I like being unique.

As of now, my 2013 projects are as follows:

1)  Remake Susan.
2)  Remake Liesl.
3)  Make Eowyn Victory dress/Shieldmaiden dress.


Happy New Year!

Doctor Who Fan Orchestra #6

I've wanted to be part of the Doctor Who Fan Orchestra since I first heard of them, but I've never managed to sign up before due to Facebook being stupid and not showing me all of their posts.  Well, I finally found out about the Christmas Carol (Suite) submissions on time.  Of course, they said it was one of the harder pieces they've played.  That's how it always goes for me.

Although I have kept up my piano playing since high school, I've barely picked up my viola since then.  I definitely wanted to play the viola part, since I never played piano in orchestra.  I was so worried because I don't read music very well, and I was always last chair in high school because I didn't care enough to practice (it's one of my regrets - how things that change when we grow up!)

All I can say is thank god for the click track.

I practiced for hours.  I practiced until I thought this would happen.  In fact, I can say with a fair bit of confidence that I put in more practice on this piece than I ever did with all the pieces I played in high school.  Combined.  In fact, I did what I do with most piano pieces: I memorized the entire thing (playing to the soundtrack in my headphones - I don't think I could do it without the click track).

I even took my viola, which actually was my mom's (or my aunt's - there is quite some debate about this) to be tuned up.  They did all kinds of gluing and fixing and replacing, and when I got it back, I couldn't believe how rich and full it sounded.  I was just about ready to film and record when I got a stiff neck.  And I don't just mean my neck was stiff, I mean that if I moved it a millimeter from the strange position it had gotten stuck in (just picture me as if I were giving you THE LOOK), I was in blinding pain.  I couldn't play for two weeks.  I finally was able to hold the viola comfortably about three days before the recording was due, and the first time I recorded myself, I burst into tears.  I sounded AWFUL.  Now remember, I never was good, but geez.  After two months of practice, you think I'd have been better!

So I recorded it dozens of times, and, being the talented editor that I am, I pieced together all the best parts until I got something that seemed passable.

When I finally filmed it, I decided that because I had memorized the whole piece, I could get away with playing as the Clockwork Droid.  And you know what?  It worked.  I can't see words through the mask, so reading music was definitely out of the question.  Because I couldn't see well, it was also difficult to bow on the proper part of the strings.  Aside from two measures that I messed up (but it was okay, because I blocked my fingers with the music stand), I did quite well.

Here is the final product.  If you haven't watched the other pieces that the DWFO has recorded, take a half an hour to watch them.  They're not the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, but I think they're quite good for being a mish mosh of people from all over the world, playing without a conductor, playing without anyone else, with nothing more than a click track.  I absolutely love it, and I'm so glad that I was able to be a part of this "performance".  I am looking forward to participating the next piece, though I won't wear any costumes for that one.