tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54316063811129118892024-03-13T00:23:34.513-04:00Among Bobbins and ThreadSiebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.comBlogger253125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-81234002295942767192017-03-22T13:41:00.000-04:002017-03-22T13:41:19.747-04:00Leia Rebel Scout - Star Wars IV - Poncho<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/blog%20layout/Leia/13220812_1196593667038859_3214725234728018410_n_zpselqjlk3t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/blog%20layout/Leia/13220812_1196593667038859_3214725234728018410_n_zpselqjlk3t.jpg" width="412" /></a></div>
The second part of my Leia costume--let's talk about the poncho! I think this poncho is probably what makes this costume somehow so cool and so dorky all at the same time. I really love the neat cowl neck hood and the free flowing back as design elements. This is perhaps the most underrated Leia costume there is.<br />
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I hope to do a photoshoot of this later this spring out in the woods somewhere. For now you will have to settle for crappy mirror pics, as I don't even have convention photos of this costume yet...<br />
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To see how I styled the wig, <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2016/11/leia-rebel-scout-star-wars-vi-wig.html">go here!</a><br />
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After patterning and mocking it up, I then cut out the pieces in the real fabric and laid them out. I used watered down fabric paints and splattered and sponged on some different tones in mixed greens and browns. I actually really like how the camo pattern turned out.<br />
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You can see below the difference between when it was wet and when it dried.<br />
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My one difficulty here was that my brown paint had expired and I was stuck in the middle of nowhere. The paint kept separating and actually added some extra unintentional texture.<br />
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Right you can see the hood pieces laid flat. The hood is made of 4 "C" shapes that make up the outer rim, 2 rectangles (not pictured) that form the centre top of the hood and that one super weird piece the forms the sides of the hood and wraps around the front of the collar. The goal was to not have a seam up the front of the hood because there isn't one in any of my reference pictures. I think I managed to recreate it pretty accurately.<br />
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After everything dried, I ironed it to set the fabric paint and then sewed it together. </div>
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The actual construction was super straight-forward--and unfortunately I didn't document it. </div>
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I faced the side edges of the poncho and hemmed the front and back. The hood was first pieced together and then attached to the poncho neck hole. </div>
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Some pictures of the finished poncho. </div>
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The last step was to add the holes for the belt. Which secures the poncho in the front only. I faced and reinforced the hole. The process was similar to starting a welt pocket. </div>
Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-65215726607274257332017-03-02T13:31:00.000-05:002017-03-02T13:31:25.144-05:00March Update - A Belated Blogiversary!Hey all! It's been a while. My 5th(?) blogiversary came and went last month and I didn't even notice. This is partly because I have been taking some time away from the blog to focus on 'adulting'.<br />
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The last few months have been really busy, and I am still trying to figure out how to balance work with my hobbies. And still have room to have a personal life and not become a reclusive hermit. Creating new content for the blog and documenting my most recent projects (Presea, Leia, and a handful of hats), has taken a backseat. Its tough when work is sewing and hobby is also sewing.<br />
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But I have some exciting news? I am moving out at the end of March! And I will be setting up my own studio space in the new apartment and saying goodbye to my parents' dining room table. I don't anticipate getting any costumes done during this time of packing and unpacking, but I may attempt some small DIY projects to decorate my new home?<br />
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Anyway, thanks for all the support! And hopefully I'll have something new up here soon?<br />
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Mischief Managed.<br />
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<br />Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-72458243141292395592017-01-11T15:00:00.000-05:002017-01-14T16:34:01.852-05:00Koi Fish Fascinator<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The first of my hat projects from my millinery course from this past fall--a straw fascinator! The goal was to take a straw capeline and freeform pin and block it into an abstract shape. I decided to make a fish?<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/14907033_1325887867442771_7857946407462992510_n_zpsghxmj7ff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/14907033_1325887867442771_7857946407462992510_n_zpsghxmj7ff.jpg" width="440" /></a>It's not the type of work I would normally do. I'm a person who tends to plan out what I'm doing in advance. So taking on a project where you had to make up what you were doing on the fly was a bit of a challenge for me.<br />
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The basics of blocking straw is: you take the straw capeline and wet it with a watered down gelatin mixture. This will make it easy to sculpt and pin. Then you let it dry in that shape. The gelatin acts as a stiffener.<br />
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I don't have any pictures of this part of the process because I didn't want to get gelatin on my phone. Haha<br />
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The challenge with mine is that I didn't want to do a large fascinator, and only wanted to use half of the capeline. But you can't just cut a straw capeline, otherwise the weave will quickly start to unravel. Before you cut it, you must first do a zig-zag stitch on either side of your cutting line--so the part you want to keep and the excess both don't unravel. I had to do this <i>before</i> I sprayed it with the gelatin mixture so I didn't get that on my sewing machine.<br />
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The "head" of the fish is half the crown of the capeline.<br />
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I just blocked it on a regular foam wig head. I used pins and bulldog clips to hold it in place as it dried.<br />
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Once it had dried overnight I carefully hand-stitched it to a plain black headband.<br />
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As an afterthought, I added little fins. These were made out of some of the excess material. They are hand stitched on.<br />
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Overall I think it was a neat exercise and a cool project, but I will probably never wear it.<br />
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<br />Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-36855871919156973022017-01-05T18:18:00.001-05:002017-01-05T18:18:44.087-05:00January Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey all! I guess it's been a while. Happy New Year!<br />
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2016 was not a very productive year on the cosplay front. That's primarily because I've been getting more work in my industry but also due to me taking some time to step back from my projects a bit. I have not been as active on this blog as I would like, but that's partially due to a lack of finished material to post about.<br />
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For me this has been a year of learning and career progress.<br />
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I finished 2 costumes this year from my ongoing projects list and completed several more smaller projects (mostly hats!).<br />
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The first was Presea. This one was in progress and then on hiatus for several years--with the bulk of the work having been completed more than 3 years ago. I'm glad I was able to finally complete the battle axe this year with my current skill-level in painting. :)<br />
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The second (and final) costume I completed was Princess Leia from Return of the Jedi--her Rebel Scout outfit. I've been a Star Wars fan since forever and Leia and Han were always my favourite characters. It was nice to finally cosplay from that series. And also to step-up my wig game.<br />
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I still need to get some finished shots of this costume--aiming for late spring to do a photoshoot in the park behind my house.<br />
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So, what does 2017 have in store for me?<br />
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On the cosplay front: Completing the last 4 costumes I have left on the go! Plus 2 new secret projects? Secret mostly means I haven't quite finalized the list yet, and I don't want you guys to hold me to any promised future costumes. Hoping to complete the top row in the first half of the year, and announce my 2 new costumes halfway through the year.<br />
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On the personal front: Well, I have some product ideas that I am taking off the backburner. I've been working on some designs for a while and need to finish prototyping. Looking at debuting some things to sell early spring.<br />
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On the blog front: I'll try to keep up! Haha</div>
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That's all for now folks! Looking forward to 2017 with a positive mind! Gotta get back in the groove!</div>
Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-26924964972957056542016-11-08T10:20:00.000-05:002016-11-08T10:20:29.731-05:00Leia Rebel Scout - Star Wars VI - Wig<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey guys! Lets take our first look at my Leia Rebel Scout costume! I won the "Best of Thursday" award at the FanExpo Cosplay Craftsmanship Contest 2016 with this costume.<br />
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I've wanted to do something Star Wars for a long time, but I was undecided what costume to do. I was interested in doing Leia, since I enjoy her character a lot (though not as much as my undying love for Han Solo). But as far as costumes go I thought her most iconic outfit is kind of bland and "slave Leia" is really <i>not</i> my kind of costume. I did however find the rebel uniforms pretty neat and really loved those bizarre ponchos they wear in the forest on Endor, so I thought I would do the most un-cosplayed Leia costume there is. Enter, Leia Rebel Scout!<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/blog%20layout/13906858_10157236643025357_133241504691319360_n_zpssin5z8tf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/blog%20layout/13906858_10157236643025357_133241504691319360_n_zpssin5z8tf.jpg" width="320" /></a>This wig was a bit a leap for me in terms of wig skills--I have never worked with a lace front before this. So I was worried it was going to turn out awfully. My fears were unfounded though! For my first lace-front I thought the application went pretty damn smoothly. Especially since my boyfriend Blayke was my assistant for the first trial run and we know how he likes to do cosplay (hint it involves using only staples).<br />
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But I got quite a few compliments on my wig! Most people were fooled into thinking it was my actual hair and praised my hair braiding wizard skills. If they were fooled, it must have worked? ;D<br />
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My base wig was from Arda Wigs--because they sell good quality lace-front wigs for cosplay. I got the <a href="https://ardawigscanada.ca/collections/classic-lacefront-wigs/products/matilda">Matilda</a> in warm light brown. I was a bit disappointed to discover that it looked more ginger than I wanted, so I actually toned down the colour with a brown sharpie before I started styling it. What this means is that I took individual fibers/small bundles and coloured them in, this gave it a more natural look of colour variation that helped to darken it a bit.<br />
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This style involved next to no cutting--it was primarily sectioning the hair and braiding it. I sheared off a few strands at the front to create the wisps of hair that hang down at the sides of her face and give a more worn look to the hairstyle--like she has in the Endor scenes.<br />
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This style involved next to no cutting--it was primarily sectioning the hair and braiding it. I sheared off a few strands at the front to create the wisps of hair that hang down at the sides of her face and give a more worn look to the hairstyle--like she has in the Endor scenes. I straightened these later because they were a little too curly.<br />
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The two braids that come up and over the head start one on each side. As they passed the halfway point hair from the front hairline was french braided in to extend the length. Then they were tucked in and pinned in place.<br />
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The bun at the back is made up of 6 sections. There are 2 braids that take most of the top section--these were held off to the side at first. I took the next two sections--which are fairly close together at the center back--and twisted them into two small buns. Then I took my next two smaller sections and braided them. </div>
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The first two braids were crossed below the buns and then coiled around the bases. They were pinned in place there. The smaller braids were then coiled around the two buns in a figure eight--turning the two separate buns into one larger bun.<br />
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I trimmed the excess lace at the front down to less than 1/4".<br />
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The application process went fairly smoothly but took a hell of a long time. The wig actually has a comb clip in the front, which I hooked onto my own hair (I french braid my bangs when I wear wigs) to keep it from sliding. This wig is fairly back heavy.<br />
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I started at the center of the hairline and made sure it was sitting in the correct place. Then I moved outwards from the center along the hairline down each side doing small sections and gluing them in place with spirit gum. I used a hairdryer to speed up the drying time (that was Blayke's job) while I held things in the correct place. Once it was done it looked pretty convincing!<br />
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Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-39231166907074669122016-11-06T12:51:00.001-05:002016-11-06T12:51:35.062-05:00November UpdateIt's November? This year is going way too fast for me...<br />
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<b>In other news I decided to stop being a caveman, catch up with the times and get a Tumblr account. </b>I'm going to use it very similarly to my facebook page--posting progress shots and links to my blog. Be sure to check it out! <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.tumblr.com/">Click here to go to the adventuresome wilds of the tumblr!</a><br />
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Rest assured, I will still continue posting my detailed blog posts and longer tutorials here. Because that's how I roll. (I'm clearly making myself sound ancient.)<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/blog%20layout/14956001_555137331355812_6622875202574280625_n_zpspg872u4t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/blog%20layout/14956001_555137331355812_6622875202574280625_n_zpspg872u4t.jpg" width="320" /></a>Halloween was pretty casual. But I did go out this year as the weather was actually not horrible. And in unexpected news I brought not one, but TWO costumes out of retirement for the event.<br />
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I am of course speaking of my <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2011/02/wip-ginny-weasley-hogwarts-robes.html">Gryffindor robes</a>--which I lent to Blayke--and my <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2011/06/crow-soldier-head.html">Crow Soldier mask</a>. If you want to take a trip down memory lane, follow those links all the way back to 2011. When times were simpler and I had no idea what I was doing.<br />
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Things are going pretty slowly, but my projects are coming along. Fingers crossed I can keep motivated and get it all done!<br />
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That's all for now folks!Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-80539674364619318142016-10-25T14:25:00.000-04:002016-11-01T23:29:42.841-04:00Taking Orders for Splatoon Commissions!<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/Splatoon/Elemental-0862_zpsppmqjtdp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/Splatoon/Elemental-0862_zpsppmqjtdp.jpg" width="425" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Taking orders for Splatoon hats and tentacles!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">- 30$ for full "boy" hats </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- 25$ for just the "girl" tentacles</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">All are made of spandex and hand painted. Team colour on request!</span><br />
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**Shipping is extra, determined by location<br />
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***All squid headgear must be sewn down to a wig in order to stay on (including boy hats). This is not included.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmongBobbinsAndThread/">Shoot me a facebook message if you're interested!</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;">Photo credit to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Elemental.Sight/?fref=ts">Elemental Photography</a>!</span><br />
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<br />Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-1681917572624398902016-10-21T22:48:00.002-04:002016-10-21T22:48:29.046-04:00The Thrifty Costume ChallengeSo, as those of you who follow me on facebook know, this past summer at my job we engaged in competition of sorts.<br />
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The rules were: Using only things you find at the thrift store, the dollar store, your closet, and as a last resort, Walmart, you must create a costume to fit the weekly theme. Try to keep your budget under 20$. The sub-goal is to google the costume and find the crappiest costume someone else on the internet has come up with and see if you can beat that--thats how you set the bar for your standards! >;D<br />
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I think it's fitting that I saved this post for October, because contrary to my normal costume-making projects, the goal of the costume challenge was to create costumes as cheap and quick as possible--perfect for Halloween! Terrible = Great!<br />
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Hope maybe some of you find some Halloween inspiration here! >:D Without further ado I present the results of the Weekly Wardrobe Dress-up Challenge!<br />
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<b>Week 1: Scooby Doo</b><br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/weeklydressup/13177244_10156887170485357_5608085887202005145_n_zpskp1mkmhn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/weeklydressup/13177244_10156887170485357_5608085887202005145_n_zpskp1mkmhn.jpg" width="300" /></a>Started off with a bang as the Mystery Gang! Pretty easy costumes to throw together for our first week, and a solid recognizable group. Winner for the cheapest costume goes to Sarah, who spent a total of 3$ on her Shaggy outfit! Talk about a ham sandwich! Points for outstanding accuracy go to Devon for her Velma! You beat all the "sexy Velmas" that came up in our google search. Seriously--why is that a thing? Points to Frances as Scooby for being the most popular with children!<br />
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Daphne<br />
Purple dress: 7$ (heavily altered)<br />
Purple skirt: 3$ (cut up to use as trim & headband)<br />
Green scarf: 1$<br />
Shoes: from closet<br />
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Total: 11$<br />
Sewing time: 3hrs<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/weeklydressup/13230167_10156913835440357_8352070734081982215_n_zpscinbbane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/weeklydressup/13230167_10156913835440357_8352070734081982215_n_zpscinbbane.jpg" width="400" /></a><b>Week 2: Grease</b><br />
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We cheated a little bit--one of our cast members owns a costume rental place and hooked us up with the Pink Ladies jackets for free. But the rest was all thanks to us and the trusty local thrift store. We made a night out of pin-curling our hair while watching the movie!<br />
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Cheapest costume award again goes to Sarah for her 2$ Frenchie costume. And the 2$ was spent on prop lollipops. Seriously, who owns a poodle skirt?? Creativity points to Melissa for turning a mens plaid shirt into a plaid skirt! Points to Devon for reusing her shoes from Velma.<br />
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Marty<br />
Jacket: FREE<br />
Navy skirt: 7$<br />
White shirt: 2$ (altered to fit)<br />
Blue shirt: 1.50$ (turned into neckerchief)<br />
Shoes: from closet<br />
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Total: 10.50$<br />
Sewing time: 30min<br />
Hair prep: 1hr<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/weeklydressup/13327517_10156938400375357_4015649686239269737_n_zpsxotp7w26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/weeklydressup/13327517_10156938400375357_4015649686239269737_n_zpsxotp7w26.jpg" width="400" /></a><b>Week 3: Powerful Women / Game of Thrones</b><br />
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The theme was powerful women, but several of us wanted to do Game of Thrones characters. Hence the bizarre theme name. Nothing is as surreal as being driven to work by Furiosa.<br />
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I think I got a little too over-ambitious that week... We all did. Creativity points the Game of Thrones gals for using duvets, bedsheets, table cloths and chair covers to recreate the stunning GoT costumes on a budget.<br />
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I actually don't know whose costume was the cheapest that week, but I have a feeling it was either Devon or Sarah. Extra bonus points for Frances for wearing every belt in existence and for her robot arm that was so shiny and chrome (despite being made primarily of cardboard).<br />
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Arya<br />
Beige fabric: 10$<br />
Gold chair cover: 5$<br />
Green circular tablecloth: 3$<br />
Shoes: from closet<br />
Total: 18$<br />
Sewing time: 12hrs<br />
Hair prep: 40min<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/weeklydressup/13339640_10156964034040357_6624045031511759002_n_zps7qhwcopd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/weeklydressup/13339640_10156964034040357_6624045031511759002_n_zps7qhwcopd.jpg" width="310" /></a><b>Week 4: Jurassic Park</b><br />
Jurassic park week--because really, we were in Drumheller. It would be silly to waste a perfect opportunity to take pictures with dinos. Probably the easiest costume I made for this whole thing, since our thrift store was predominantly 80s-90s clothes. <br />
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Special shoutout to Sarah for putting up with our teasing all day and us forcing her to wear the padding. She was actually the highlight of the group as Dennis Nedry. Points to Devon for stealing tacky amulets from the wardrobe to wear with her Jeff Goldblum costume.<br />
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Extra bonus points to Sarah for finding actual Barbasol brand shaving cream to use as a prop. And then tweeting them pics of her costume. And they tweeted back! Why do they have a twitter? I don't know.<br />
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Lex<br />
Elsa hat: 13$ (with attached blonde braid. Seriously wtf)<br />
Purple shirt: 2$<br />
90s jeans: 3$<br />
Purple paint: 1$<br />
Shoes: from closet<br />
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Total: 19$<br />
Sewing & painting time: 1hr<br />
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DOUBLE BONUS POINTS TO DEVON & SARAH FOR MY FAVOURITE PHOTO EVER.<br />
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<b>Week 5: Sound of Music</b><br />
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This was a stupid idea that I came up with. The original joke was that we needed to find terrible curtains at the thrift store and turn them into clothes for the Von Trapp kids like Maria does to the curtains in the movie. We ended up finding super cheap fabric on sale at Fabricland and got like 12m to split between the 6 of us. Everyone's a winner, we all spent the same amount! We managed to recruit 6/7 Von Trapps. Not bad! Not featured are the extra bandanas that were distributed to the other departments so everyone could match.<br />
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Friedrich<br />
Fabric: 5$<br />
Wig: courtesy of Sarah's closet<br />
Shirt: from closet<br />
Shoes: from closet<br />
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Total: 5$<br />
Sewing time: 3.5hrs<br />
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<b>Week 6: Cult Classics</b><br />
One of those weeks where we picked a broader theme and kind of all did our own thing. Featuring Melissa as John from the 80s classic The Breakfast Club, Sarah as Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Devon as Princess Aura from Flash Gordon, and myself as The Black Knight from Monty Python's The Holy Grail.<br />
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Creativity points to Sarah for using hockey tape to make striped pants!? My mind is still exploding over this. Effort points to Devon for that wicked jacket. Smart points go to Melissa for the most functional yet still recognizable costume in a workplace environment. I get points for being a paint wizard.<br />
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I had to buy a lot of stuff to make this that I wouldn't normally have if I lived at home where I have a stock of basic craft supplies--like paint.<br />
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The Black Knight:<br />
Black dress: 8$<br />
Black shirt: from closet<br />
Black leggings: from closet<br />
Shoes: from closet<br />
Bucket: 2$<br />
Bristol board: 1$ (for stencil)<br />
Red paint: 1$<br />
Black paint: 1$<br />
Silver paint: 1$<br />
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Gold paint: free<br />
Killer rabbit: 2$<br />
Holy hand grenade: 2$<br />
Gems: 1.50$<br />
Red fabric scraps: free (for fake bleeding stump arm)<br />
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Total: 19.50$<br />
Painting time: 2hrs<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/weeklydressup/13533354_10208147759904527_3877951828711429885_n_zps5udvfsrf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/weeklydressup/13533354_10208147759904527_3877951828711429885_n_zps5udvfsrf.jpg" width="356" /></a><b>Week 7: Star Wars</b><br />
Sarah and I blatantly cheated. I already had a Leia costume in the works and Sarah's obsession with Anakin fueled her to screw the budget and make the costume for real.<br />
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Double bonus points for creativity go to Frances. Her BB8 was on point! Take note of the neckpiece, which is the brim of a sunhat. And the orange electrical tape. Points to Devon for her amazing McGyvered staff. Made of a pole, a flashlight and solo cups... or are they HAN SOLO CUPS?<br />
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Also--bonus points to Devon who bought hair extensions from the dollar store and literally nobody noticed because they perfectly matched her hair. No one thought it was odd that she suddenly had 10 extra inches of hair.<br />
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Leia<br />
I'M A CHEATER.<br />
This was the first wear test for my Leia Rebel scout.<br />
The pieces of which were lying around in my workshop.<br />
For free.<br />
Totally.<br />
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Total: $$$<br />
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<b>Week 8: Gender-Bent Disney Princes (Men)</b><br />
<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/weeklydressup/13592351_10157082366490357_5280275441015429010_n_zps3uwy8epq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/weeklydressup/13592351_10157082366490357_5280275441015429010_n_zps3uwy8epq.jpg" width="283" /></a>Philip! I had been looking forward to this since we were deciding themes at the very beginning. Originally we were going to do this one earlier, but it ended up being at the end. The joke was that all I really wanted was to make Philip's hat and then wear it with every costume. Originally it was just supposed to be Disney princes, but Devon wanted to be Gaston.<br />
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Congrats to Melissa for being the most easily recognizable as Prince Eric and tying the group together nicely! Bonus points to Devon for continuing to freak people out with her hair extensions.<br />
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Philip<br />
Red felt: 10$ (made into hat, tons of leftover)<br />
Red sheets: 5$ (shared with the Red Woman from GoT week, made into cape)<br />
Off-white fabric: 5$ (made into dress)<br />
Belt: courtesy of Furiosa<br />
Black shirt: from closet<br />
Shoes: from closet<br />
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Total: 20$<br />
Sewing time: 8hrs<br />
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ARE YOU INSPIRED YET? There's still over a week until Halloween--you've got time! Make something super awesome with 20$ and whatever's lying around!Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-75605800968466762622016-10-19T08:07:00.000-04:002016-10-19T08:07:14.247-04:00October Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/blog%20layout/14117676_1272759786088913_7519677083675759269_n_zpscoqoemag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/blog%20layout/14117676_1272759786088913_7519677083675759269_n_zpscoqoemag.jpg" width="285" /></a><a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/Elemental-6948_zpsu7o7lrgy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/Elemental-6948_zpsu7o7lrgy.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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October is here! The spookiest of all months! And we passed 100,000 views! WOW DUDES!<br />
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I'm back in school again--I'm taking the 2nd part of the millinery course. Look forward to more cool hat projects! Also learning how do use Adobe Illustrator.<br />
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Fanexpo Cosplay Workmanship Competition results: I won the Best of Thursday award for my Leia costume. It was nice to compete in something for the first time in 2 years. I'm hoping to compete in more things this coming year, but we'll see.<br />
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Working on finishing up my posts on Presea. The last one left is on that battle axe...<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/Goat%20Warrior/14731239_1311776235520601_4233706400833851320_n_zpsaxuiugqf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/Goat%20Warrior/14731239_1311776235520601_4233706400833851320_n_zpsaxuiugqf.jpg" width="275" /></a>I've been on a bit of a hiatus lately, I've felt a bit creatively drained. Looking to be inspired again... Got to start working on my hat projects soon though, so hopefully that will give me some motivation--at the very least to meet my project deadlines. Started working on my 1st hat project. It's going to be pretty epic.<br />
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It's going to be a pretty crazy month or two!<br />
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Later dudes! >:DSiebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-22220080476012566692016-10-13T17:52:00.002-04:002016-10-13T17:52:16.067-04:00Presea - Accessories - Tales of Symphonia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome to Presea Part 4: Accessories! Feel free to venture back and check out the <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2016/09/presea-boots-gloves-armour-tales-of.html">Gloves & Boots</a>, <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2013/10/presea-dress-tales-of-symphonia.html">Dress</a>, and <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2013/10/presea-wig-tales-of-symphonia.html">Wig</a>. Many thanks to the ever fabulous <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Elemental.Sight/?fref=ts">Elemental </a>for the amazing photos! We braved the cold and pulled it off!<br />
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This costume had a lot of smaller pieces involved. This post covers the belt, pouch, dagger, and Exsphere (necklace). <br />
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For this project I actually bought a piece of real leather to work with. I used the suede-like side as the outside (as opposed to the shiny side), because I thought it was more true to the character. <br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8167_zps2cf0f984.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8167_zps2cf0f984.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8102_zpsb74ab2af.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8102_zpsb74ab2af.jpg" width="267" /></a>The first piece I cut was the long strip for the belt. Later I went back and reinforced this strip by sewing a second layer to it. I used scissors and carefully cut out the holes. The buckle was found in an store on Queen street after much searching.<br />
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Then I patterned the pouch.<br />
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The pouch consists of one curvy strip of leather that folds over on itself to be the front, bottom, back and flap of the pouch. <br />
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Then there are the 2 panels that form the two orange curved sides of the bag.<br />
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These were stitched together, then all the edges were finished. <br />
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These were then marked and very carefully hand stitched to the leather. At this time I was unsure if my sewing machine could handle leather, so I hand stitched all the leather on this costume. Turns out it can, with the right needle, which I found 1 year later when I returned to finish the project. Unfortunately I finished all the leather work before then...<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8169_zpscbd84978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8169_zpscbd84978.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8177_zps0295a706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8177_zps0295a706.jpg" width="400" /></a>I made a matching bias tape and stitched that on as well. The last step was to cut 2 slits in the back so the belt could be fed through the pouch.<br />
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I had intended for this bag to be functional, but unfortunately it was too floppy to hold it's shape with anything inside...<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8182_zps06485b93.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8182_zps06485b93.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8253_zpsc059d719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8253_zpsc059d719.jpg" width="267" /></a>Next up is the dagger! The dagger is also attached to the belt, but the character never uses it, it seems purely part of the design. <br />
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I made the dagger out of wood, cutting it out with a jigsaw.<br />
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I had my friend Ian dremel out the blade edges because at the time the sanding bit on my dremel was not working. When I received it back I hand sanded it even smoother.<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_1125_zps4bfeeb52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_1125_zps4bfeeb52.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6425_zpsc197ef9b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6425_zpsc197ef9b.jpg" width="400" /></a>I created a sheath and loop to attach to the belt. The loop was on an angle so the dagger would be angled like it is on the character.<br />
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I started the paint treatment with grey primer, then silver and finally a light blue acrylic for the face of the blade.<br />
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The last detail was the Exsphere. I started by drawing out the piece full scale, then making a wire frame for it. I bought a large red bead for the gem in the center. I sculpted the piece with apoxie sculpt, which is great for this kind of thing as it dries super solid. Later I went back and broke the two side arms and bent them further back to better contour the neck. I filled in any divots with more apoxie sculpt and sanded it smooth.<br />
<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8162_zps6b93871f.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8162_zps6b93871f.jpg" width="267" /></a><a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8231_zpsf16385d5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8231_zpsf16385d5.jpg" width="267" /></a><br />
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I masked off the gem with painter's tape and then sprayed the piece a matte black. Then I painted over that with a gold acrylic paint. Lastly I created a short chain so it could be worn. The actual character has this gold piece built around the gem, which is fused into her skin, I didn't think that was necessary for me! Hahaha I just had to be careful not to look down suddenly, otherwise I would be jabbed in the neck.<br />
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<br />Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-21863098761892155442016-09-19T18:47:00.003-04:002016-09-19T18:48:26.308-04:00Presea - Boots, Gloves & Armour - Tales of Symphonia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Salutations! After years on the shelf, I would like to continue to take a look at how I made my Presea costume! Look here for a blast from the past: how I made the <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2013/10/presea-dress-tales-of-symphonia.html">Dress</a> and <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2013/10/presea-wig-tales-of-symphonia.html">Wig</a>! Seriously, I was posting about this in 2013 what-the-heckaroonie.<br />
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Getting this costume photoshoot worthy and documented is one of my 2016 goals and I'm pleased to say that with the costume and photoshoot done I can now finish documenting how I made it. From the depths of my computer hard-drive I have salvaged ye ancient progress photos.<br />
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Possibly the most challenging part of this costume and the main reason I put this costume on hiatus for a whole year (the other reason being my dog ate the tip off my battleaxe). This was my first time making boots, gloves and armour, and to be honest I had no idea what I was doing! I didn't get very far before I gave up. When I came back to this project a year later it was after I had <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2013/08/asuna-kagurazaka-knight-armour-heat.html">done the armour for my Asuna costume</a> and had much more sewing/patterning experience.<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8144_zpsc6d0b7e2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8144_zpsc6d0b7e2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8150_zps59c55cf7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8150_zps59c55cf7.jpg" width="267" /></a>I started by buying and deconstructing a pair of well fitting costume gloves, from this I was able to make my own glove pattern. I made it go extra wide further up the arm so that it would be loose at the cuff.<br />
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My main problem was that the character's gloves are above the elbow, but loose fitting, meaning they essentially float there defying the laws of physics. My trouble was making them stay up without any seriously visible rigging...<br />
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It took hours of hand stitching to assemble those gloves. Above is the separate thumb piece which was slotted into the glove.<br />
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Left is my first attempt at making the boot covers, as you can see the cuff looks kind of wonky... Partially due to my inexperience working with stretch fabrics. This is where I stopped working on them for a year. <br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8294_zps4c112eb9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_8294_zps4c112eb9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6019_zps5022e6bc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6019_zps5022e6bc.jpg" width="265" /></a>I patterned my boots to cover a cheap pair of canvas shoes I picked up at Ardenes. Above is the toe cover, left is the 2nd attempt at the boot cover. (from the inside)<br />
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I opted this time to do a fold-over cuff, which looked much cleaner, even though it isn't as accurate to the original design.<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6027_zpscd2ae883.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6027_zpscd2ae883.jpg" width="400" /></a>I replicated the cuffs on the gloves.<br />
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I marked where the shoe cover would be sewn to the shoes, then I hand stitched the two together. It took a while, but the result was a nice clean finished edge.<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6032_zps226db63e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6032_zps226db63e.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6036_zps2dae1e1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6036_zps2dae1e1a.jpg" width="400" /></a>Then I sewed elastics to the inside so that the loose gloves and boots would stay up. These had to be far enough away from the edge so that they would be hidden inside. How I made the cuffs stay up was I sewed some short pieces of wire into the boot cover where it attached to the cuff.<br />
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At one point I had attempted to wire the whole boot, but I found it a) really uncomfortable, b) hard to keep it secure and c) it would be harder to pack into a suitcase, because the boots would have to remain upright. That and every time the wire got dented they were even more uncomfortable to wear... With the short wires only at the cuffs with fabric casings they were easy to fold up, and didn't cause any discomfort.<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6162_zps1b10033e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6162_zps1b10033e.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6170_zps1cac056a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6170_zps1cac056a.jpg" width="400" /></a>Next I got to work on the small bits of armour, following the same method as I did for <a href="http://www.amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2013/08/asuna-kagurazaka-knight-armour-heat.html">Asuna</a>. I used the leftover styrene from that costume to construct the toe and hand guards.<br />
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First I made paper patterns of the shapes I wanted, then traced them and cut them out. There were 8 pieces total. Compared to Asuna's this armour was total cakewalk. <br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6393_zps26a7c85b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6393_zps26a7c85b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6407_zps7a1b8541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6407_zps7a1b8541.jpg" width="400" /></a>I then made the raised bits out of craft foam, and hot glued them on.<br />
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I used the same spray paint treatment as Asuna's: primer, matte black, then silver.<br />
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I weathered with sandpaper, glued all the pieces together, then aged them with black dry-brushing. <br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6408_zpsc1168a9b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6408_zpsc1168a9b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6413_zps0ca1d450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/presea/DSC_6413_zps0ca1d450.jpg" width="265" /></a>Lastly, the shoe armour was hot glued to the boots (while I was wearing them, so the armour placement would be correct). Then I rigged the hand guards with some elastic so they would be easy to take on and off. I painted the elastic grey so it would match the gloves.<br />
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Overall this project really benefitted from me not rushing to finish it the first year and instead applying another years' worth of experience to finish the job.<br />
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<br />Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-42987308080300065252016-08-19T17:50:00.000-04:002016-08-19T17:50:37.622-04:00Brown Cloche Hat With Feathers<div class="" style="clear: both;">
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/13010643_1173595479338678_6855998460576529078_n_zpsszaloayb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/13010643_1173595479338678_6855998460576529078_n_zpsszaloayb.jpg" width="515" /></a>Let's take a look at my final millinery project: a blocked felt hat! I decided to do a simple cloche hat decorated with feathers. </div>
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To make a blocked felt hat, you buy a "hood" or "capeline" which is 100% wool. (Or you can buy an 100% wool hat that has already been shaped and reshape it. You can get them at H&M.) </div>
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You heat up a tea kettle that doesn't have an automatic shut off (so it will keep boiling--just make sure it doesn't run out of water, because you need the steam and to not set anything on fire). You place the hood/capeline over the steam spout and let it steam. It should have condensation on the outside and it will be really hot when it is ready for shaping. <i>Use tongs</i> to take the hood/capeline off the steam and place it over your desired block. I used a round crown top. Then you stretch it over the block, tie it tight and pin it in place. Let it dry for 24 hours. </div>
<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/13012714_1173094512722108_6417093670923805751_n_zpsmcdvg76u.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/13012714_1173094512722108_6417093670923805751_n_zpsmcdvg76u.jpg" width="260" /></a><a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/13076657_1173094359388790_4396557534913856270_n_zpst29vvaac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/13076657_1173094359388790_4396557534913856270_n_zpst29vvaac.jpg" width="250" /></a><br />
For my cloche, the crown and brim are all one piece. I was pressed for time with moving and was going to miss the last class, so doing a one piece hat was necessary--but also, I really like this style anyway.<br />
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If I were to do a separate blocked brim, at this point I would have carefully cut off the brim with an exacto-knife and blocked it on a brim block. For a one piece hat, I applied more steam and shaped the brim while the crown was still tied down on the block. I used rolled up pieces of fabric to shape around and let it sit while it dried. During this time I trimmed off some of the excess felt from the brim to get it closer to the finished shape that I wanted.<br />
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When it was dry, I removed it from the block and set about finishing the edge of the brim. I decided to do a simple folded edge finish. I marked my finished edge and carefully trimmed the brim, leaving a 1/2" fold allowance. I folded it over, using bulldog clips to hold it in place so I could baste it. Then I carefully ironed it before stitching it as invisibly as possible. I ironed it again after stitching. This helped to give it a crisper edge.<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/12990954_1173595609338665_6272196180292658047_n_zpseiudcsel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/12990954_1173595609338665_6272196180292658047_n_zpseiudcsel.jpg" width="333" /></a>Next I added the decorations and headband to the inside. I also gave it a label. I decided to accent it with more of that green silk I bought for the <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2016/08/edwardian-hat-with-kanzashi.html">previous hat </a>and feathers left over from my <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2014/08/forest-guardian-wig-mask-bow-arrows.html">Forest Guardian</a> costume. The goal is to stitch decorations on securely without making them look heavily stitched on,<br />
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I'm not too impressed with how the decorations turned out--specifically the feathers. I may replace them later. But I really love this shape--simple, yet elegant!<br />
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I've signed up for Millinery Part 2! So look forward to more hats, coming this fall! :D<br />
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Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-87995056578487460862016-08-11T10:49:00.000-04:002016-08-17T22:11:41.582-04:00Edwardian Hat With Kanzashi<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/12963419_1170978339600392_1806846704645538305_n_zpsgypib46h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="492" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/12963419_1170978339600392_1806846704645538305_n_zpsgypib46h.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Let's talk about hat project #3: blocked buckram! We had to create a blocked buckram hat with crown & brim. I decided to design an Edwardian style hat. This process requires a lot of patience, as the entirety of it was painstakingly hand stitched.<br />
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I don't have photo documentation of the blocking process, but you essentially take the buckram, wet it and then stretch it over the block until there are no bumps/bubbles. Then you pin it in place and let it dry. I blocked the brim and the tip of the crown for this hat, the sloped side of the crown I flat patterned.<br />
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Once the pieces were dry I marked and cut them down to the desired size/shape. <br />
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The crown and brim are covered and assembled separately, then sewn together. I used a layer of lambswool between the buckram and silk covering to give it a softer finish. All of the edges are finished on each buckram piece (excluding the head opening on the brim) before they are covered in the fashion fabric.<br />
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Bulldog clips are exceptionally helpful in holding your fabric in place. Also much of the finishing stitches were done with a curved needle on this project.<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/12924434_1165710353460524_8520834032736899438_n_zpsj3qnzn52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="323" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/12924434_1165710353460524_8520834032736899438_n_zpsj3qnzn52.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I first created my lining. It is a rectangle that I sewed into a loop that equaled the circumference of the brim. One edge was tacked down to the outer edge of the brim, and the other was carefully pleated into the center in a radial pattern. I made it as even as possible. I basted this down along the head size opening.<br />
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Next I draped the outer fabric layer over the top of the brim. I pulled it into place and tried to have as little rippling along the brim edge as possible. I folded the raw edge and turned it under. After basting it, I then slip stitched the edge down as invisibly as possible. The curved needle was really handy here.<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/12963348_1168764773155082_692802156869255993_n_zpsx5kdxhe6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/12963348_1168764773155082_692802156869255993_n_zpsx5kdxhe6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/12928312_1165710576793835_6208023227363807786_n_zpsdpjyvamw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/12928312_1165710576793835_6208023227363807786_n_zpsdpjyvamw.jpg" width="400" /></a>To finish the crown, first I sewed down the circular pice to cover the tip. I notched the edges before folding them over the edge for a smoother finish. Then I draped the curved side band over the side. I folded over the raw top edge of the fabric aligning it just shy of the edge of the cylinder. I pinned it in place and then slip stitched the edges down. I left the center back seam open at this time. The bottom edge is simply folded up, but not attached. This meant I could still access the inside to attach the crown and brim.<br />
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I cut my head size opening hole in the brim, leaving 1/2" seam allowance. I cut notches into the seam allowance so the "tabs" could be folded up. The crown has no seam allowance--the brim seam allowance slots inside the crown, and they are stab stitched together along the brim seam allowance.<br />
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I ran into a few problems here--I didn't cut my head size opening large enough, so it didn't fit snugly inside the crown. It made sewing them together super difficult. And as a result the hat doesn't fit very well since its a touch small. But this is a learning process, so I just kind of rolled with it...<br />
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I then finished up the back seam of the crown cover. And I tacked down the lower edge in a few places.<br />
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Next was to finish the lining. I sewed the outer edge of the gros grain ribbon in along the edge of the opening. Then I carefully laid the crown lining inside. I sewed the inner edge of the ribbon to the crown lining, finishing the inside super cleanly.<br />
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You may notice I silk screened my new label into the lining! I'm getting so professional. ;D<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/12993436_1170977739600452_1678121836693919455_n_zps4swqlg9c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="500" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/12993436_1170977739600452_1678121836693919455_n_zps4swqlg9c.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/12987101_1170978472933712_7919693408235072082_n_zpsuuzsq93r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/12987101_1170978472933712_7919693408235072082_n_zpsuuzsq93r.jpg" width="400" /></a>Then I created a whole bunch of kanzashi flowers to decorate it with. Some were made of a really beautiful plum silk shot with blue. I also used more of the cream silk to match the lining. And accented with green silk "leaves".<br />
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I like the hat, but if I were to wear it (for a costume) I would probably need to fix up the size issue...<br />
<br />Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-84041062724331786862016-08-09T14:37:00.002-04:002016-08-09T14:37:53.861-04:00Otakuthon 2016<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/blog%20layout/13872804_10157236643995357_1631735215079346496_n_zps2xcab4my.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/blog%20layout/13872804_10157236643995357_1631735215079346496_n_zps2xcab4my.jpg" width="300" /></a>Salutations! This past weekend was Otakuthon: which is my second and last con of the summer! So sad! D: I wish I could have made it out for more events this year...<br />
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Overall a pretty relaxing con compared to last year--particularly Saturday. But a lot of early mornings. I was already exhausted going into this weekend though, so I needed some recovery time afterwards.<br />
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<i>Friday</i>: Our bus got in around 3:30 and we checked into the hotel. I got changed into Toph and we headed to pick up our badges. We did most of dealers'/artist alley before the con closed. Then we went for a dinner date in old Montréal.<br />
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<i>Saturday</i>: I started the day by meeting a friend from school for a delicious breakfast at Fabergé. Chocolate waffles--sooooo good. Then I attended the con in the afternoon/evening, debuting my Leia costume. Admittedly not Leia's most iconic outfit, nor a particularly sci-fi savvy event. So I went largely unnoticed, which was expected. But I also forgot to take any pictures of the costume, besides the one silly selfie, so I am kicking myself a bit. The lace front wig went really well for my first time applying one! However it took almost an hour to get it off! Eek! (Note Blayke's "Storm Derper" costume, he spent a whole hour making it.)<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/blog%20layout/13932820_10157236644005357_6400653739642750611_n_zpsxnutbqws.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/blog%20layout/13932820_10157236644005357_6400653739642750611_n_zpsxnutbqws.jpg" width="300" /></a><i>Sunday</i>: 9am photoshoot with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DonDolcePhotography/?fref=ts">Don Dolce Photography</a> in Old Montréal. I decided to shoot my Toph costume rather than Leia because the timing was going to be too tight with taking off the wig AND checking out of the hotel. I wish I could have gone to watch World Cosplay Summit this year, but my 4pm bus back to Toronto made the timing too tight to go--I would have had to leave halfway through. I only got a little bit of con plague.<br />
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Overall it was a good con, though I am sad none of my friends attended this year. I think we might stay until the monday next year so that we can have a more relaxing sunday.<br />
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Hard to believe the con season is over for me? Hopefully I can make it to more events next year. For now, back to making costumes and updating the blog. And job hunting...<br />
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Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-58330911936683070642016-07-06T00:15:00.001-04:002016-07-06T00:15:08.581-04:00July UpdateHello all! It's hard to believe 2016 is already halfway done?? I have just under a month left of my contract in Alberta before I move back to Toronto. And by that extension I have about 1 month left to Otakuthon. Costume progress is coming along pretty well, considering I have also done 7 "Costume Saturday Challenges" and helped create over 300 costumes for the show I am working on--all in the last 2 months.<br />
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<br />Since we're halfway through 2016, I have updated my costume progress collage. Again the percentages are just arbitrary numbers I assigned based on how I feel how much I have left to do.<br />
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<b>Presea</b>: Finally complete! Huzzah! It's been years in the making~!<br />
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<b>Jack Frost</b>: That sweater took forever. I am not looking forward to "frosting" the pants. Still need a staff.<br />
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<b>Phoenix</b>: Probably won't make any progress on this until the fall.<br />
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<b>Sakura</b>: I hate my fabric choice, a lot. Considering starting the dress over with new fabric that isn't awful satin. But I have a buckram base hat and the bodysuit constructed at least?<br />
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<b>Leia</b>: Pushing it for Otakuthon! Costume needs some tweaks to fit better, wig needs styling, and accessories still to do.<br />
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<b>Link</b>: Fabric things have been patterned and cut. I should probably sew them.<br />
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I think that's all for now. I need to work on those blog posts...Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-70598126043003281412016-06-28T16:00:00.000-04:002016-06-28T16:00:47.700-04:00Make Up Cases<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just a quick post showcasing some custom make-up cases I made for my sisters this past Christmas.<br />
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Both have elastic loops to keep brushes/pencils organized. The front flap on the teal one was a little tricky, as I am not used to sewing zippers in on such a sharp curve. <br />
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I thought it was a pretty fun way to use some of the print fabrics my sister got me in Japan. :) <br />
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<br />Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-29207499740192614962016-06-23T16:00:00.000-04:002016-06-23T16:00:54.011-04:00June Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a while! I'm being kept very busy with work, and have been neglecting writing more posts. Between my full time job and weekly dress up challenge, it feels like I'm running a marathon. We're about 2 weeks to opening, so it will only get crazier. <br />
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I will do a more in-depth post on my dress-up challenges, but for now you can enjoy the group of us dressed as the Pink Ladies from Grease! The challenge is to make a costume to fit the theme using only things you have or can find at Dollarama or the local thrift store. 6 weeks done, only 2 left to go... I don't think I've ever been to the thrift store so much in my entire life. <br />
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I got my photos from the photo shoot of my Presea costume I did with<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Elemental.Sight?fref=photo"> Elemental Photography</a> back in April. They look fabulous and I am super happy! :) I'm excited to finish posting about that costume--it's only been like 3 years...<br />
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Making leaps and bounds in my progress on Leia! I'm in good shape to have it ready for Otakuthon. Wig arrived this week, so I can finally get started on that part as well. <br />
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Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-29887948067203846272016-05-18T14:48:00.000-04:002016-05-18T14:48:14.569-04:00White Rabbit - Wire Frame Mini Tophat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The second project from my millinery class--my White Rabbit top hat!<br />
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So the project outline was really open-ended: you had to make a wire frame hat, cover it with sheer fabric and decorate it to represent a theme/character. We were given the option of doing a mini top hat or boater that she had patterns for, or we could design our own hat shape. I picked the mini top hat because I didn't have time to pattern a new shape.<br />
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After going fabric shopping to get ideas, I found this really cool sheer blue-grey fabric. It had almost a paper-like quality to it. I thought it might make an interesting take on the White Rabbit. Since I have learned from theatre--stage lights wash out fabrics and make them look whiter, perhaps I could design a white rabbit while hardly using any white?<br />
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Here's a picture of the finished hat frame on top of the fabric. It shifts from blue to grey depending on lighting and instagram filters. Haha<br />
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I won't go into too much detail on how the frame was constructed. All the pieces of wire were carefully cut to length and bent into shape. I used quilting thread to tightly wrap the joints and then strengthened the bond with a mixture of white glue and water. <br />
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The brim and crown were not attached until after I covered it. It makes covering the pieces <i>way</i> easier. <br />
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I covered the crown and brim using 2 layers of my fabric. It was fairly sheer with just a single layer and I was worried it would rip. I like that with the double layer you get a ghost of the leaf pattern coming through.<br />
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For the crown I cut 2 circles overlayed, I draped these over the top holding them in place with pins. Then I pleated the fabric along the bottom edge to conform it to the shape of the crown. I basted this in place, attaching it to the frame. I cut off some of the excess fabric, but the rest would be tucked into the inside.<br />
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The brim was done in a similar way. I cut 2 long rectangles that measured the same as the outer circumference of the brim. These were each sewn into a long loop and folded in half over the edge. Then I pleated and basted them to the frame. <br />
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Next I created my ear shape. As you can see here, both ears are made out of one piece of wire. It would sit between the crown and brim and make them much stronger overall. I covered them with a white silk leftover from the painting and dye class I took last summer. <br />
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All of my cool accent pieces--laser cut clock, clock hands--were picked up from Michael's art store. It has a great selection of weird crafting bits. I got the clock hands in the DIY clock section, for example.<br />
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The gold fabric I used to make a hat band was leftover from my <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2014/06/steampunk-corset.html">Steampunk Corset </a>(<i>I really did buy way too much fabric for that</i>). <br />
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I sewed the ears to the brim base, then sewed my brim to the crown. Then I carefully tacked the side of the ears to the top of the top hat--I sewed the wire frame to the wire frame, not just the fabrics.<br />
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Next was the hat band and decoration. I sewed the hat band on, the sewed the decorations on. Before attaching the clock hands I sponged on some gold acrylic paint and sprayed them with a gloss finish sealer. This was to help them match the costume better. <br />
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Lastly, I sewed a felt circle to the bottom to cover the hole and seal it shut. Then I sewed a headband to it (which I also painted gold). I think later I will swap out the headband for alligator clips, but for now (and for handing it it) it was fine. <br />
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I'm really happy with how the hat turned out and I am in the process of completing a full design for the costume. I'm thinking I would really like to complete the outfit in the future...<br />
<br />Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-88430397909600910522016-05-12T17:00:00.000-04:002016-05-12T17:00:02.451-04:00May UpdateSalutations! In case you did know, I moved across the country for a temporary contract job in Alberta. Yay for work in my field! But downsizing my life to fit in suitcases is difficult. <br />
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I've been so busy with packing and moving that I haven't done much posting this past month or so, but I did manage to do a major overhaul of the blog and fix tons of broken image links before I left home. I've got a few more small things lined up for the next few months (my hats and some small DIY projects), but nothing super major, as I have caught up on most of my major cosplay projects at this point.<br />
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Still settling in here. As of yesterday, I now finally have an internet connection! In the process of setting up my little work space in my apartment so I can work on stuff for Otakuthon--waiting on my serger to arrive and still working on getting a sewing machine. Specifically working on Leia. Be excited. ;D<br />
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Still a little sad I am missing AN this year... sigh. :( I will live. Being a productive member of society sometimes has to take priority. Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-1365492221786003042016-05-05T16:00:00.000-04:002016-05-05T16:00:21.023-04:00Fox Embroidered Beret<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/DSC_0856_zps0g3u709r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/DSC_0856_zps0g3u709r.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a><a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/DSC_0851_zpsfdwmkvrw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/DSC_0851_zpsfdwmkvrw.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
My first project for my millinery class--the project outline gave us a choice of a number of styles of sewn hats. I chose to do a side sloped beret. And since decorating was required and beret tops have such a nice flat surface area I decided to turn this into an embroidery project.<br />
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I patterned the hat from scratch. And mocked it up to ensure I liked the style and fit. Then I sketched out my design for the top. Once I was satisfied with that, I moved on to the real hat.<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/DSC_0827_zpspwv4laeo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/DSC_0827_zpspwv4laeo.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a>I first cut out all my pieces. I picked a beautiful green wool for the fashion fabric and the lining is leftover silk from my <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2014/06/steampunk-corset.html">Steampunk Corset</a>.<br />
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Then I embroidered the top. I had to finish my embroidery completely before moving on, so that the back of the embroidery stitching could be protected by the lining and interfacing layers. That is the part that obviously took the longest.<br />
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I sewed the center back seam on my sidebands--lining and fashion layer.<br />
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I constructed the hat in the "pancake" method. The tip (top) of the hat has 3 layers: the outer layer, horse hair canvas interfacing, and the silk lining. I basted the 3 layers together.<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/DSC_0830_zpsm1ihtv1j.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/DSC_0830_zpsm1ihtv1j.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a>Next I made some piping trim. This was stitched onto the top layer, piping to the inside, and seam allowance to the outside of the stitch line.<br />
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Then I basted on my outer layer of the side band. This was basted to the top, on top of the piping trim, following the same stitch line. Then I flipped it over and sewed the lining sideband to the bottom side, through all the layers.<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/DSC_0833_zpsi2rvlqwb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/DSC_0833_zpsi2rvlqwb.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a>The next step was to properly grade and notch my seam allowances to cut down on the bulk. Then I flipped the outside sideband over to the bottom. I carefully pressed it--without crushing the piping trim. Now the top of the hat was completely constructed and lined, and I could move on to the final part--the headband.<br />
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I basted my sideband layers together along the bottom seam allowance. Then I sewed one edge of the headband to the outside. I graded and notched my seam allowances before ironing and folding over the headband to the inside. This was pinned and then carefully slip-stitched in place by hand.<br />
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Presto! A fabulous beret!<br />
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<br />Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-74867243081704142932016-04-10T20:20:00.000-04:002016-04-10T20:20:58.499-04:00April UpdateYou may be thinking: Is this the blog I'm looking for? Why yes it is! We've had a huge makeover! It's been a few years, so I thought it was about time. We have a new logo, courtesy of my fab sister Alex! Check out her cool art stuff at <a href="http://alexboake.com/">Alex Boake Illustration</a>! >;D And using my newfound knowledge I also made a silkscreen version of my new logo to label stuff with! Badass!<br />
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Wow, this is a crazy month! The first big news item is that I'm moving to Alberta for 3 months. I got a job in Drumheller. So I get to hang out with dinosaurs.<br />
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This means I will be missing Anime North for the first time in 11 years... I'm a little sad. But I will be back in time for Otakuthon, so I am looking forward to that. I <i>may</i> also attend AdAstra here in Toronto at the end of the month, but since it's 2 days before I move and I don't have a ride there yet... it may not happen.<br />
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I have a lot to get in order before I leave. I still have yet to officially decide what sewing projects to bring with me when I go, but I will most likely be taking some of my Link and Leia costume sewing to work on while I'm away. I have LOTS of packing and prep to do this month, so there may not be much in the way of blog content in the next few weeks while I get my life in order...<br />
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In other news Presea is finished! After 3 years! Excitement! :D I did a photoshoot last month with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Elemental.Sight?fref=ts">Elemental Photography</a>. So I will have actual photos as proof that that costume exists. Aw yeah.<br />
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In other other news, I got pictures back from Kevin Chan Photography for our Sakura and Tomoyo shoot! :D They look great! So pretty! I will be going back and adding them to their respective costume posts.<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/12924434_1165710353460524_8520834032736899438_n_zpsj3qnzn52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/hats/12924434_1165710353460524_8520834032736899438_n_zpsj3qnzn52.jpg" height="323" width="400" /></a>Madly working on my hat projects for my millinery class. Progress shots are on facebook. Since I will miss the final class I have 1 less week to do all my projects. Yikes.<br />
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Lots to do before I leave and running out of time to get it all done! I'd say posts are coming soon, but probably not until later this month...<br />
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Mischief managed... for now.Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-22042754822093041992016-03-15T18:44:00.002-04:002016-03-18T18:32:46.661-04:00March Update<i>---Edit: Due to work reasons, I will be switching to attending Toronto ComiCon on Sunday March 20th, instead of the friday.---</i> <br />
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Salutations! It's already March!? <br />
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I'm officially announcing my first convention appearance of the year: Toronto ComiCon. I'll be there on the friday night only (March 18th)--fingers crossed something doesn't come up with work. I haven't been to Toronto ComiCon since the days when it was still called MTAC. I have a photoshoot planned with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Elemental.Sight/photos/ms.c.eJw9zckNBEEIA8CMVs1pyD~_x0XI9S8bGWJnJTSWNgn82pucUmmeAw8jGoPLLc~;Xha~_7~_7qH3cUb7neteMI5XuZ~_lrWv~_~;9eMNdqyztpjO3dO4~;Tas3P3Qz4DgTa9.bps.a.524221634395184.1073741836.204929436324407/524221654395182/?type=1&theater">Elemental Photography</a> that I am excited for. Currently the plan is to wear my new lolita outfit or Presea. My original plan was Jack Frost, but that was decidedly too much work to finish on top of my current schedule. The costume is getting much closer to finished, but the high
temperatures and lack of snow is really uninspiring. At this point I may
get it as done as I can this year, but I will probably shoot it next winter.<br />
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In other con news... I haven't booked any yet except Anime North. Currently I am waiting to hear back on some job opportunities out of province, which would mean I would be missing most of the cons I normally attend (including Anime North). I obviously don't want to drop money on cons I may not be able to go to, so until I know for sure, I won't be booking anything. I am, however thinking of attending AdAstra for the first time in April this year, as it doesn't conflict with any of those job opportunities. <br />
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In blog news: all my posts on<a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2015/12/vaporeon-gijinka-bolero-jacket-pokemon.html"> Vaporeon</a> are finally up! Be sure to check those out. That write-up took ages. Splitting it into 6 parts just made it way more manageable to write. And with that completed, I am officially caught up on documenting costumes I made in spring/summer 2015. Coming up next are a few random projects that I haven't got around to posting yet--including my newest hat I made and some DIY projects.<br />
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There has been some progress since I announced my costumes for this year. Jack Frost as you know has had some serious work done on it. And I have also made the base structure for Sakura's hat. Presea has been pulled out of storage and I am currently fixing it up.<br />
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I have also taken on a few commission pieces over the last two months that have been pretty fun. Nice to finally get some paid work again. I can't share too much about them but I got to make a coat and a hat.<br />
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I have also been working on some product samples, as I plan to start up an Etsy store. More to come on that really soon!<br />
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That's all for now guys!</div>
Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-15272068590171093762016-03-08T13:58:00.000-05:002016-03-08T13:58:27.860-05:00Vaporeon Gijinka - Sandals & Accessories - Pokémon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The 6th and final instalment of my Vaporeon building quest: Sandals & Accessories! This costume was all about the details and finishing touches. Beading, painting, trimming, gems, accessories, props--all elements that helped give this costume the extra wow-factor. It's not often I break a costume down into 6 posts, but this one is certainly worthy of that.<br />
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Links to <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2015/12/vaporeon-gijinka-bolero-jacket-pokemon.html">Part 1: Bolero</a>, <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2016/01/vaporeon-gijinka-under-layers-pokemon.html">Part 2: Under Layers</a>, <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2016/01/vaporeon-gijinka-wrap-skirt-tail-pokemon.html">Part 3: Wrap Skirt Tail</a>, <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2016/02/vaporeon-gijinka-wig-hairpieces-pokemon.html">Part 4: Wig & Hairpieces</a>, and <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2016/02/vaporeon-gijinka-wraps-bracers-gloves.html">Part 5: Wraps & Bracers</a>!<br />
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Thanks to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Elemental.Sight?fref=ts">Elemental Photography</a> for the fantastical photoshoot! Credit for the original costume design goes to <a href="https://cowslip.imgur.com/">Cowslip</a>!<br />
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Firstly I would like to thank my friend Harriet for lending me her fan! She does Chinese fan dancing and allowed me to borrow hers for this shoot. Thanks muchly!<br />
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For the sandals I started by buying a plain pair of cheapo flip flops from Ardene's. Which is a great place to buy shoes you don't care about.<br />
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I patterned my base cover shape out of paper, then cut out my pieces (making sure they were mirror images) in leather. Using acrylic paint, I painted these leather pieces navy blue to match the costume.<br />
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These pieces would wrap under the bottom of the shoe, with a single seam in the top. The long tails would be used to make a buckle strap around the back of the heel.<br />
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Once I was happy with the fit, I machine stitched that top seam.<br />
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Next step was to create ruffle bit. Using leftover navy fabric from the bracers I created the two pieces. Each is made of two layers, sewn right sides together along the outer edge, then flipped inside out and top stitched. </div>
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These were then gathered and stitched onto the top of the leather part of the sandal. I also tacked them down with a hand stitch in a few places on the outer edge, because the fabric was super stiff and didn't want to lie flat. </div>
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/Vaporeon/DSC_0916_zpsxc40ox2s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/Vaporeon/DSC_0916_zpsxc40ox2s.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a>Next I sewed a buckle into the back of each and punched holes to finish the closure. </div>
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The last step was to glue the leather piece to the sole of the shoe to keep it in place/stop it from rotating. I used e6000 to glue it and it worked quite well. </div>
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Another step in the detailing process for this costume was creating the gems for the center front and the edge of each bracer. </div>
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I sculpted them using apoxie sculpt and then I painted them using a few different shades of nail polish. I did a splotchy application of my dark blue and light teal. And then went over that with a translucent shimmery blue, before finishing it off with a coat of clear gloss.<br />
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I applied the same paint to my toenails later! Details are important!</div>
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All of the gems were glued onto the costume with e6000. </div>
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My last accessory was a brooch I created for the front of the costume. It was based on the very faint squiggle in the illustration. I got to interpret it how I wanted and this was the result. (I think I sewed beads to the center later?)<br />
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Overall I am very satisfied with how this project turned out, and look forward to starting my next complicated fancy project.<br />
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Once again thanks for all your support! Now that this is done I can move on with my life! Hooray!<br />
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<br />Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-89172071232369216712016-02-23T10:00:00.000-05:002016-02-23T10:01:21.546-05:00Vaporeon Gijinka - Wraps, Bracers & Gloves - Pokémon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Part 5 of the Vaporeon saga! Let's talk about wraps, bracers and gloves! This was probably the most time consuming and difficult part of the entire costume to construct. Lots of hand painting and hand stitching was involved. The end result ended up looking even better than I had envisioned! >:D<br />
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Links to <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2015/12/vaporeon-gijinka-bolero-jacket-pokemon.html">Part 1: Bolero</a>, <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2016/01/vaporeon-gijinka-under-layers-pokemon.html">Part 2: Under Layers</a>, <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2016/01/vaporeon-gijinka-wrap-skirt-tail-pokemon.html">Part 3: Wrap Skirt Tail</a>, and <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2016/02/vaporeon-gijinka-wig-hairpieces-pokemon.html">Part 4: Wig and Hairpieces</a>!<br />
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Thanks to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Elemental.Sight?fref=ts">Elemental Photography</a> for the wonderful photoshoot! Credit for the original costume design goes to <a href="https://cowslip.imgur.com/">Cowslip</a>!<br />
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The way I started drafting the pattern for these was super scientific! Not really. I literally traced my leg onto paper. This is so I could figure out the relational distance between my ankle, knee and thigh. This was purely to use to get the proportional <i>heights</i> of the bracers and wraps correct.<br />
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From there I was able to mark how tall I wanted the bracers and wraps to be. Then I drafted the pattern for the wraps and bracers separately. I also drafted the arm wraps and bracers at this time.<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/Vaporeon/DSC_0166_zpsgrf48voy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/Vaporeon/DSC_0166_zpsgrf48voy.jpg" height="265" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a>I'll start with the bracers first, since I finished the construction on those first.<br />
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I cut out my pieces in the various fabrics. I had an under layer in a shiny synthetic navy blue fabric and an over layer in a light aqua cotton (which was leftover from the <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2013/09/kero-suppi-wigs-ears-cardcaptor-sakura.html">Suppi</a> costume).<br />
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I nearly cut out the wrong amount of pieces when I was laying out my pattern. Every piece has a backing because I needed that to properly finish the scalloped edges on the top and bottom. This meant every piece was doubled. The navy under layer was backed with the same navy cotton as the bolero lining because I ran out of my other navy fabric.<br />
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I assembled each of the fronts and backings separately, sewing them along the side seams. I ironed the seams open flat.<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/Vaporeon/DSC_0182_zpskmssmqzy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/Vaporeon/DSC_0182_zpskmssmqzy.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a>At this point I took the front over layer pieces of the bracers and painted on my scale pattern. I lightly drew this out in pencil and then traced over my lines with navy blue fabric paint. It sounds simple, but it took a really long time. I ironed them to set the paint before moving on.<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/Vaporeon/DSC_0191_zpsz73hibib.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/Vaporeon/DSC_0191_zpsz73hibib.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a>Next I pinned each piece to its backing right sides together. I sewed them together along the top and bottom edges, leaving both sides open to turn them right way out. Before turning them out, I trimmed the excess seam allowance on the inside. I top stitched along the edges to neatly finish them.<br />
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I also added in my top stitching detail on the tops of the under layer at this time.<br />
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I aligned my side edges, zig zagged stitched over the raw edge of the fabric and then turned that to the inside and top stitched it down.<br />
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Then I used a punch to punch out the holes to put the grommets in for the laces. At this point I still had access to the grommet press at school, which I made good use of.<br />
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This was the point where I laid the project to rest for a year, because one of the main hurdles was the leg wraps, which I was positively stumped on. I didn't know how to rig them, I didn't know how to do the detailing and I didn't want to rush them and do a crappy job of it.<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/Vaporeon/DSC_0888_zpslckt7cxx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/Vaporeon/DSC_0888_zpslckt7cxx.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a>When I returned to the project, along with replacing the wig to fix the colour matching issue I also found another thing that was bothering me. The bracers were too teal for the rest of the costume, especially now that I had replaced the wig.<br />
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After re-evaluating, I decided to upgrade the paint job on the bracers, and in the process change the colour of them to be bluer. I added in depth to the scales, but also dry brushed over the whole thing to tint it. You can really see the difference it made in this progress shot.<br />
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The gloves I bought in Kensington market. I made gloves for an earlier project and decided it was by far the most horribly tedious thing to do ever. So I decided to buy and alter a pair. I cut out the hole that encompassed the index and middle finger on each glove, then zig zagged stitched the edges to finish them so they wouldn't fray all over the place.<br />
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The gloves were painted in the same style, except instead of laying them flat, I had to wear them each on my left hand in turn to paint them.<br />
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By doing the scale pattern and adding the depth to both the gloves and bracers it helped to meld them together visually and also give the false impression that they are even remotely the same shade of blue. Because they really weren't.<br />
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Now let's travel back to the beginning of the project when I traced my leg and started patterning. For the wraps I was venturing into an area I didn't have much experience with at the time--stretch fabric. In this project I can freely admit that I had no idea what I was doing and problems I encountered in the construction of these wraps are one of the main reasons I stopped working on the project for a while.<br />
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I will start with my first mistake: I bought fabric that was one-way stretch. Somehow it was more unpredictable than stretch fabric. I don't know, I just didn't like working with it.<br />
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I patterned out my pieces, figuring out the overlap at the top. In this picture you can see the two pieces for a leg wrap on the left and the two pieces for an arm wrap on the right.<br />
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/Vaporeon/DSC_0250_zpssppcn4k7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/Vaporeon/DSC_0250_zpssppcn4k7.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a>I took them to school to assemble them with the serger, because this fabric frayed like crazy. I ended up making them slightly uncomfortably snug, but since I had serged off the seam allowance I couldn't let them out, and I used up all my fabric so I couldn't remake them.<br />
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I used the silver silk bias tape I had made for the bolero to finish the top edges.<br />
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At this point, I had no idea how to rig them. They were super snug, but not enough to stay up without slipping. This is when I threw in the towel on the project.<br />
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Zoom forward to one year. I am one year wiser. And I have ideas about how to finish this project.<br />
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First I decided to actually add the floral pattern to the fabric, which I had originally decided to not bother with (because of time constraints).<br />
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I decided to make stamps to create my design, rather than hand painting on the floral design. This is much quicker and easier if you are making repeating patterns/patterns with repeating elements. Based on the barely visible details in the reference image I sketched out some suitable flower and leaf designs, then traced those onto craft foam and cut them out. I glued the pieces onto a foam backing creating my stamps.<br />
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I laid out my wraps and began stamping. Using a blue fabric paint, I used a brush to apply the paint to the stamps and then pressed the stamp into a spot of my choosing on the wraps. I made the paint application purposely patchy. I didn't want the flowers to be solid. </div>
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I wanted the flowers to be random and sporadic. There is no science to the design. I just made sure not to have too many of the same stamp to close to each other. </div>
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I had to wait for them to dry before flipping them over and doing the sides and back. When everything was painted and dry I heat set the paint with an iron.</div>
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Next I decided to finish the overlaps differently. My original plan was to make the overlaps a functional closure. But it wasn't working--it pulled the fabric on a weird diagonal, and looked super bad. So I decided to sew it shut and just fake it. I sewed the frogs on top as decoration.<br />
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Next I used bias tape and hand stitched on all the fancy loops and detailing on each of the wraps. This took forever.<br />
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Lastly I had to rig them so they would stay up. As I mentioned in my wrap skirt section, the rigging for the wraps was attached to the inside of the skirt's waistband. At the back there is an elastic strap that attaches to each wrap using garter hooks. They are stretched to be pretty tight, but not so much that I can't bend or sit. Then I have a second backup strap made of webbing that doesn't put as much tension on it. This is for the sake of redundancy--if the first strap fails, the second will keep it up. You can see a bit of the rigging system in the picture below. I tried to keep it as invisible as possible.<br />
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The arm wraps are attached to the bolero with simple buttons and loops. Unfortunately they tend to pull the bolero sleeves down oddly. I plan to remedy this in the near future by stuffing the bolero sleeves.<br />
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<br />Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5431606381112911889.post-43533604110300620132016-02-12T21:37:00.001-05:002016-02-12T21:37:17.924-05:00February Update - 5th Blogiversary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/Splatoon/Elemental-0806_zpsvjjtxass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q539/amongbobbinsandthread/Splatoon/Elemental-0806_zpsvjjtxass.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a>Today marks my 5th Blogiversary! 5 years of blogging, this must be some kind of milestone? Wow! :,D When I started this blog, I didn't know how long I would stick with it. It was a huge undertaking to start documenting all my costume making progress and some of those write-ups take me practically forever, but over the last 5 years I've had such wonderful support from my fans. Whether there are 10 people or 200 who follow regularly, you guys are my motivation to continue sharing what I learn on every costume journey. I believe that knowledge is for sharing, and so as long as there are those who want to learn, I will do my best to keep writing for you guys.<br />
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Some highlights of this year include: finishing my university degree (with honours!), presenting design work at Prague Quadrennial, having a piece of mine in a museum exhibit, building my own website, and <i>finally </i>completing my Vaporeon costume!<br />
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I didn't finish nearly so many major costumes this year--and I started a whole bunch more. Costumes I completed this year include: <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2015/12/vaporeon-gijinka-bolero-jacket-pokemon.html">Vaporeon</a>, <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2015/09/inkling-outfit-accessories-splatoon.html">Inkling</a>, <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2015/08/toph-fire-nation-disguise-wig-avatar.html">Toph</a>, <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2015/08/tomoyo-wig-accessories-card-captor.html">Tomoyo</a>, and <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2015/10/sakura-dress-blouse-petticoat.html">Sakura</a>. Considering how busy I was, I'm pretty amazed I was able to even finish 5 costumes--though only one of those was a notably ambitious project.<br />
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As I mentioned in my <a href="http://amongbobbinsandthread.blogspot.ca/2016/01/january-update.html">January update</a>, this year's goal is to finish the 6 costumes I have in various states of completion. Another goal for this year is to go back through 200 blog posts and fix all the broken images, and re-vamp the blog. I think it's time to change up the layout a bit. Wish me luck with that... Because it will take AGES. But considering my lack of employment, I should really work on that while I have the free time.<br />
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Upcoming posts include the conclusion of the Vaporeon posts and some small DIY projects I did. Hoping to finish my Jack Frost costume before all the snow disappears so I can do a photoshoot, but considering the lack of snow we've been having here, that may not happen. Fingers crossed! Facebook followers have been seeing all the progress pics of the paint job on that sweater. Holy crap it's taking forever!<br />
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In other news, I'm back in school again. Well, night school anyway. I'm taking a millinery class! Hat-making ahoy! >:D (I'm starting to feel like by the time someone hires me for a job I will be extremely over-qualified, what with all this schooling...)<br />
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I have more exciting news coming in another post near the end of the month... stay tuned for that and more great stuff this year!Siebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14393429898188353956noreply@blogger.com0