Pictures!

So, I'm nearly done. The harness is complete, and I added a few more backings to the 'jewelry' to make it sit right on the bodice. I also found suitable straps (stolen from my voice amp for my biker scout, when I took those off) for the pregnancy pillow. I hate how that thing looks/feels, but it'll do it's job.

The only things left to be done are to attach snaps to the collar and the top of the bodice so that the collar sits right, since it's a separate piece, and then to finish the hair. That's it. Quite doable in a week :)

I finally took pictures too, although the ones of me in the costume are sketchy - my husband was sleeping, so I had to finagle the tripod, and, well - you'll see how that went ;P

All the photos can be found here, but here's a few to highlight:









It's the little details I'm really the most proud of. The doublestitching on the bodice, the details of the embroidery on the sleeve, the jewelry in general. I'm really pleased with this, and I might actually end up wearing this one much more than the Jocasta Nu one, despite all the work I put into it. We'll see ;)

Bodice Done, Sleeves done...

So I finished the bodice, and the collar for it as well. I still need to add snaps to the collar to keep it on, since I didn't do the magnets like the real one, because I just didn't really think that doing it that way would be all that different - or at least different enough to matter for my construction efforts.

I finished the sleeves too, and the embroidery just this morning. I will take pictures later, I didn't take a lot of construction photos, which is unusual, but I think it's because it really came together a lot faster than I thought it would.

I sewed the belt today too, and right now I'm in the middle of tube turning hell. This might actually take days. I realized that the jewelry sat much flatter than a pin would allow it to as well, so I got pin backings that were more similar to shiny pins, with the straight back. We'll see how that works.

The pants came in as well, and they'll work out pretty perfectly. I'm excited to have this on for the first time.

Bodice nearly complete!

So this weekend I got to work!

Using McCall's 3940 pattern as a guide, I cut out the pattern peices, transferred them to muslin to modify, and then used inexpensive scrap fabric to make a mock up of the bodice. When I made the first pattern transfer to the muslin, I cut up the front of the pattern into the six pieces needed to make it per the costume. One large panel for the 'belly' part, and then five (one middle, two midpeices and two side peices) for the top bodice. The first time the top was too big, and the neck opening was as well.

I ended up cutting and basting the mock up bodice together a few times before I got it "right". It's not as fitted as I wanted it, but it's fine for a first try, so I'm fine with that. The real challenge was in the fact that the top of the bodice is in those five different sections, which made it difficult to piece together AND get the fit I wanted.

I got the main bodice cut and sewed together on Sunday, and did the double stitching on the top seams with a large measure of success. The rest of it went together rather quickly, and I mocked up the collar by hand with no pattern, fitted and cut that too.

Tonight I did the hemming and ironing, and the only thing left for the bodice top is to add snaps for the collar insert. On doing this again, I see why now that the top of the bodice back and the center front panel are lined - no seams on the collar when it's hemmed. Since so much of the collar is hidden I didn't sweat this detail, as it would have been all but a pita to reassemble when I figured out that I missed this. Measure twice and cut once and all that.

So that's all but finished, and I made a pattern for the arms from scratch tonight. I need to rip the seams out of that and do some cutting for that one as well, but that can wait till Wednesday. After that, it's on to the embroidery, which I need stablizer for and I don't have. Another run to the fabric store for me!

Second Brooch Done, and Hair purchased

So feeling industrious the last few days, while I was taking a break from the forever sewing of the Jocasta Nu costume, I started work on the second, larger jewelry peice from this costume. Now, I know it'll never be 'perfect' (well, I suppose it could be more perfect, but may I may remake it later) but for this D*C it's just fine, IMHO:



and without the overpowering flash:



I baked it last night, and it's sturdy - I had been afraid it'd be too flimsy to actually use, but the sculpy surprises me again. Tonight I'll put some paint on it, and call that one done as well.

I bought the hair the other day, and finally got it out of the bags last night to figure out a plan for the hairpiece. I think I've got one, and I'll take pictures and talk more about that later, I think.

Boots are in!

They're a little darker than I'd have liked them, but other than that they're great. They fit fine, and with the zipper in the back it'll make it easy to get on and off.

I'm working on my Jocasta Nu next (as well as finishing the visor for my Scout) and then back to this costume. 50+ days... :)

Brooch done (mostly)

So I finished the top brooch, baked and painted it. It might need one more coat, plus a top clear coat, and then a metal pin backing to keep it on the tunic. That'll be done at that point, but it'll also give me a template to use for the bottom 'metalwork', since much of that is based off of the shapes in the brooch as well.

I think I did a pretty good job of it, although of course now I see all the little imperfections I could have fixed. When you compare it side by side with the real image, I think it stands up.

Now on to the bottom peice, although I've got other costumes to work on before this one really takes priority...

First post - where I am now

So I'd like to make this costume for Dragoncon 2006, and even though I'm working on other costumes right now, there's parts of it that allow me to work upstairs, where I've been spending time this week to care for my sicky dog.

To that end, I've gotten two things started:

Boots - Found them at Caboots

Jewelry - I started the top pin in clay (Premo! by Sculpey, fyi, in Gold #5303), and my plan is to paint and varnish it, and attach a back with epoxy. So far it's coming along splendedly. I'm nearly done with the scuplture part of the top brooch, and here's how I did it:

I found an image of the brooch (padawan's guide has excellent photos), made sure it was the size I wanted to make the brooch (from my estimations from the photos, the top brooch is approximately 2 inches across and an inch tall. I used this as a template to cut out the outline - a rough one, for certain.

I spent some time smoothing the edges, and fixing up the shape. Having a lot of tools for scuplting helped a good deal. After I got the base the right shape, I used a "Makins Clay" mold (Floral, #39005) that had not only flowers (sort of, if you used one part of a larger recess) but the inside of a rose that I could use as a base for the center shell. I modeled each piece separately and used the tools to press and secure them to the base, as well as smooth out the seam lines.

I'll be baking it tomorrow night hopefully, and I'll post before and after pictures then.

I've got an extra Makin's mold as well, feel free to email me if you want to get it from me for a (very) small fee :)