costume Archives • Jessica Smith Creates

May 14, 2018August 22, 2022

Long Tania Culottes

Why hello there!

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You were lured in by my first couple posts in a while (plausible), or perhaps by the lovely pics of the culottes in the pictures (perhaps less plausible), or because you did a double take when you realized that I wasn’t in fact going to be talking about my Ariel costume, but about a piece of clothing… Don’t worry. I’ll talk about the rest of the costume at the end!

My 2016 Ariel costume involved a floor length deep blue skirt that was maybe a quarter circle skirt out of some lovely but incredibly flimsy rayon. So I made an Onyx shirt out of it a couple months afterward.

So when I decided to attend DragonCon again in 2017 I wanted to update my Ariel costume, and that meant making a new skirt.

But Ariel is all about getting legs! Why does she get legs, and then suddenly start wearing a tube that she could’ve worn with a tail anyway!

So my theory is that she would be much happier wearing culottes. Still loose and flowy without being a single tube. Two tubes for the win!

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Okay, that’s enough now…

I had recently downloaded the update to Megan Nielsen’s Tania Culotte pattern, and had pieces together the knee length version (I think) of the full circle culotte pattern, as opposed to the tapered version.

So I took some of the rayon lawn that I used with my 2017 Birthday Dress and cut pieces a little larger than the pattern pieces would require, and then I dyed them using either Procion Royal Blue or Moody Blue (Moody Blue was a specialty color that doesn’t look like its still available), which came out the perfect sky blue (perhaps because I didn’t use enough dye, as I’m looking at the instructions). I think I used glauber’s salt in the mixture, which is suggested for evening out the color. And urea, now that I think about it. I was dyeing a couple things that night, so I’m not sure..

The fabric dyeing went well, but then I laid the pieces over the rungs of my drying rack, and that left lines in the fabric… Oh well!

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Then I took the fabric pieces, ironed them heavily and cut out the Tania culottes pattern for real this time. Sewing together was pretty simple, as I’ve made it many a time before (I mean, at least twice). I did have to make really big darts in the waistband, and I put in pockets… They were messy. The waistband was something I over-interfaced, because I knew it had to hold up (literally) when the rest of the garment was so flowy.

This is the time to remind/let you know that this rayon lawn is not meant for real garments. I was just silly to have tried it. I seem to have a habit of trying to force thin rayon into skirt like jobs… Hmm…

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Once finished, I wore them to work… Which worked okay. The problem arose that they are so flowy that they got caught in my bike wheels. As in grind me to a halt stuck between the brakes and the wheel.

Every time I got in a car I was at risk of tearing the fabric. Especially around the back seam area. Not the seam itself, but the area next to the seam. I had already repaired that area once before DragonCon, and by the time I got to the Marriott apparently the hole had reappeared… Oops? Thanks lady on the escalator for letting me know so carefully!

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So this was retired about a month after DragonCon, though it was my ultimate favorite swishy swishy make. Fabric eater, I think this had over 3.5 yards in it. But I will be looking into making this again soon, out of a more durable fabric. Maybe I’ll make the tapered version, but I really like the deceptive nature of the circle skirt variation. I had to prove to a number of people (not at the con but in life) that it was in fact “pants”).

So details on the rest of the Ariel costume… Same corset as 2016, but I made a new shirt. I altered the Onyx top pattern to lengthen and widen the sleeves and I embroidered these adorable waves along the neckline. I also made a Flounder plushie who is my new favorite (don’t tell my fox-squirrel), especially because he looks so terrified. I carried him around in a basket, and when one young boy was nervous to come up and touch him, I told him that Flounder was scared being out of the ocean… I’m not good at coming up with things on the spot, so my new and improved quick thinking came in handy. Hopefully it sticks around…

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This year I plan to also make a Sebastian plushie. I had all the fabrics ready with the Flounder stuff, but I just didn’t have the time to make it!

August 8, 2016August 22, 2022

Compression Coil

My backup costume is pretty much done!

Woot!

I figured I’d get the backup costume done as quickly as I could, but realistically this has been mulling around in my brain for awhile.

The flightsuit/jumpsuit got to me in April, I think. Maybe March, but a long time ago. I actually went to my local surplus/costume/knick-knack store, and the owner sized me up and said that I would probably fit well in the child’s extra large. Which worked out nearly perfectly!

Realistically though, when I found the adult flightsuits at the back of the store they were as tall as I was. So the child’s size made sense.

It’s a lightweight poly-cotton, and straight from the package it fit well in the shoulders, and the chest, etc. Even the length from the crotch to the hem was good. The problem was the four inches of extra torso length. Four inches!

It did take me three or four months to actually fix this. And to be perfectly honest, I might have gone a little too far, but it looks great when I’m standing. And I can deal with it pulling a bit when sitting. There aren’t sleeves to deal with after all.

The patches are wonderful! I got them from Ebay, and here’s the teddy bear, and the heart/flower combo. You can get the combo of all three here…

I sewed them on using a normal back stitch, but around the teddy bear I also added some fake blanket stitching. Then I took a normal marker to draw on some Chinese characters. Luck and love, if I remember correctly…

I made the top using the Nettie pattern from Closet Case Files, like I do all my t-shirts, and this weird stretchy fabric. It’s rather plastic-y even for polyester… But it is very Kaylee!

The sandals are not nearly the same as Kaylee’s but I did make them! There will be more on those later this week though.

Add in some pigtail buns and my parasol, and it makes a pretty smashing Kaylee!

July 26, 2016August 19, 2018

TARDIS Television (Purse)

Here we have a brief return of TARDIS Tuesday, where I would update you on my progress on my TARDIS costume.

And now I’ve got one of the my favorite ideas (and perhaps most clever part, though I should probably not be the judge of that) of the costume to share.

I was looking at the console one day, and thought, Hmm, I’m going to need a purse thing… Why not make it look a bit like the TV?

So when I was working on the costume for Halloween (not last year, but the year before), I brought out the remainder of the pillowcases that I used for the “vest” or bolero thing, and worked with that.

The original version had pretty much no extra support, with just the thin fabric from the pillowcase flatlined to the same canvas like fabric I used to make my knapsack.

It did it’s job well the one time I used it like that, for the actual Halloween it was intended for, but it wasn’t structured enough for my plans. And it was unlined.

So I took it apart last weekend, and added stiff interfacing and a lining. The lining is from the taffeta I used on the skirt, so it’s a little stiff and won’t tolerate any stains. That I know from experience. But it’ll be nice to open it and feel pretty good about how the inside looks! Excepting the bridge portion… Don’t look at the bridge portion…

The purse itself has two hooks, which hook into the Meccano ladder piece, and that ties onto the leather corset belt. I don’t have a finished pic of the interfaced version with the corset belt, but it’ll pop up soon!

Oh, and I glued a dial on the side for a handle, and to sell the TV angle a little more. I thought about how to make it spin, but gluing in place just seemed so much easier. And it was!

May 24, 2016October 14, 2018

Claudia Vest, Mark 2

There’s no snazzy quote associated with this post, since I’ve used a lot of the ear and eye catching ones already…

Plus I’m writing this before bedtime to post in the morning, so searching or listening to episodes from more is not exactly going to happen… Because of that bedtime thing…

So just imagine some Claudia Donovan sass, if you will!

The first trial of this vest was made three years ago out of a lab coat that I bought when I was abroad, perhaps the cheesiest and flimsiest lab coat around. When I pulled it out again recently, I realized that there were large obvious pit stains. And it didn’t fit. And it had a normal zipper, not a separating one, since that was always something I wanted to change but forgot to.

So I decided it was time to start over.

This version is based off of the old one, out of linen this time with some redrafting since I know how to make a collar and facing now. It’s fully interfaced, since the linen was a bit shifty. When I tried it on, it was still really big, despite my redrafting efforts, so I took it in on the fly, with pinning while I was wearing it, because separating zippers are magical!

It’s now a bit snug, but I like the way it fits, and I’m planning on actually doing that exercise thing, now that the semester and most of the craziness that goes with it are complete. So it might be a little less snug by the end of the summer, and that’ll be good too!

I took the old lining since I adore the fabric, and I think Claudia would too, and slapped it onto the new version. I had to fish out my scraps to add some length to the top and bottom, but I had saved all of them for this exact purpose. I whipstitched the lining on carefully, hiding the ends under the facing for a clean line.

This new version makes me really happy, since I was so sure this costume was already finished barring pictures, but since I’ve remade the vest, not only am I feeling better about the costume as a whole, but I’m now actually pushing to make the next pair or two of Ginger jeans, since they’re potentially going to round off the costume.

In the next week or two, I’m going to be announcing an exciting costume/fangirl/crazy thing I’m doing, so stay tuned for that!

May 3, 2016August 19, 2018

TARDIS Hair and Makeup

When I was doing my makeup for my first TARDIS photoshoot in March, I was walking back and forth between my friend’s small bathroom with very little counter space and her living room with all the natural light, so I didn’t try hard to do anything too complicated.

Even this doesn’t look too crazy, I guess.

I love the original photoshoot’s results, which you’ll see in a few weeks, but I think I can go more over the top. It is the TARDIS after all, and there’s nothing more over the top than Eleven’s.

So this time, I did my best to replicate the hair (though I will use second day hair from now on, since I had washed it in the morning, and it was not easy to work with even by afternoon).

Basically, I twist the right side (which is nearer to my part), all the way around my head, and take half of the hair on the back on my head and combine these parts into a bun at the nape of my neck on the right side of my head. Then I twist the left side, careful to catch my bangs and secure them in the process, and twist again all the way around my head. This time, though, I wind the twist above the right side bun and turn it back, catching the ends between the bun twists. Then hair spray and add bobby pins until its relatively secure.

But I went crazier on the makeup this time, and I like it very much!

In case you’re wondering about the products, I’ll list them out here. If not, hope you’re having a lovely Tuesday!

Face: Ponds Luminous Finish BB+ Cream; Neutrogena 3-in-1 Concealer; Benefit Watt’s Up Highlighter; trestique Baby Blush Stick in Bora Bora Coral; NYC Translucent Pressed Powder; Mellow Bronzer

Eyes: Jesse’s Girl Eye Shadow Primer; ipsy’s NYX gold palette; Covergirl Golden Sunset palette; Mica Beauty Cream Eyeshadow in Bronze; Coastal Scents Eye Shadow in Mimosa and Deep Cantaloupe; Pixi by Petra Shades of Brow; an auburn eyebrow pencil, probably WetnWild; Benefit They’re Real Mascara; Starlooks Longwear Eye Pencil in Jet; theBalm Mr. Write (Now) in Jac; Sephora Jumbo Waterproof liner in Peacock Blue Shimmer

Lips: Ofra Lipliner in Wine; NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien

Brushes: Knockoff Beauty Blender, Royal and Langnickel Medium Eyeshader, Studio Basic’s Angled Eyeliner, Coastal Scent’s Travel Blush Brush; Real Techniques buffing brush; Coastal Scent’s BR-C-540; Coastal Scent’s BR-B-S03

April 19, 2016August 19, 2018

TARDIS Blouse

The final new piece of my TARDIS puzzle, the blouse, was a rush job.

I’m talking the day before I left on a trip that I’d be also using for my first photoshoot of the costume, when I realized that the shirt I had planned on using looks crappy with the jacket. And I can’t really change the jacket, since it’s lined and I love it.

It also occurred to me that because I’m not necessarily stuck in a summer con that I can wear long sleeves. So I did, and I think it helps balance out some of the elements.

I used the pattern I made for my Peggy costume, which is quickly becoming my favorite close fitting button up pattern (also known as my only close fitting button up pattern).

The back needed to be redrafted so it was a single piece with no gathering, and I removed some of the curve that is meant to help with swayback, since this would be worn over a corset and was short enough not to really effect it.

The front was redrafted for a shawl collar, which would start its separation above I also decided that long diagonal darts would be neat for a change to the front. I wasn’t feeling the tucks this time, and they would be completely hidden by the outer corset anyway.

The fabric that I showed in this post three years ago that I thought I’d use for a bustle was originally going to be used for this shirt. I got all the way through making it, and was ready to cut the facings when I decided to try it on. And the fabric next to the side seam tore about three inches. Worst feeling ever.

Granted, the fabric was old and holey, and I think it’s silk, so I should have expected some mishaps. I ended up going to dinner with a friend, and once I got back I assessed my options. I looked at the pile of fabrics that I earmarked for this project, and I found this very neat, and very stiff home decor fabric. It would work for the body of the shirt, and I could use the same fabric from the apron for the sleeves. I was able to reuse the broken silk version for the facings, so that is could still be involved.

The body fabric doesn’t press very well, which may have to do with the fact that it essentially feels like lightweight bendable plastic, so the seams and the darts aren’t flat, but most of that is hidden by the outer corset.

There is a slight stain on the gold fabric I used for facing, but that also means I have an excuse to use my Eleventh Doctor’s sonic screwdriver pin. I felt it was fitting.

Now that I’ve worn it once, it’s not quite as fitted as I’d like, so I’m considering taking in the side seams, and maybe adding another dart, a smaller one, to help with some accidental saggy boob look, from being too loose at the bust with a tight corset underneath.

But regardless the shirt does it’s job, and once I bind the inside seams to keep fraying at bay, it’ll serve its purpose for as long as I need it to.

That wraps it up for the new construction. I’ve got some more posts, like updates on older pieces, and I don’t think I ever showed you the TV purse, and also hair and makeup… But I might save that for next week! See you later!

April 14, 2016August 19, 2018

Bustle and Apron

In case you’ve missed the last few posts, I’m giving notes on my most recent costume, and anthropomorphic version of the inside of the 11th Doctor’s first TARDIS. I’ve posted about the bum pad, the petticoat, and the console skirt.

When I picked up the gold taffeta that starred in the skirt, I also picked up this dark gold taffeta. Originally it was planned to be a part of the skirt, so it would have been aqua: bright gold: dark gold: bright gold: aqua, etc. But I thought that might be a bit too busy, and it definitely would have complicated the “I made the skirt way too big” conundrum. Then when it came to the bustle, I decided it would be the best option.

Three years ago, when I started this concept, I had gotten this decaying silk (I’m pretty sure) gold fabric from a costume store in Cardiff. I thought it would be fitting, since we had just been to the Doctor Who Experience, and having something in the costume from Cardiff would make it even more special. That fabric would have been much too light for the bustle, I know now, so it will make an appearance later.

The taffeta has enough body all on its own to hold up to bustling. I gathered it to the back of a waistband and attached it. Granted, I probably should’ve waited until I had the apron sorted as well, but I was not thinking clearly on day 4 of a marathon costume journey.

Then I decided to work on the apron, since that would determine how long down the sides the bustle could go. The apron is entirely made up of curtain fabric that I got from a grab bag. And I’ve got plenty more if I need it. Because this stuff will shrink down to nothing, so I got to stuff the bag really full. It has two layers, or technically three. The outer orange-y iridescent layer, the lattice layer, and then the orange layer on the inside again (though this one is folded from the first layer. Come to think of it, the lattice one might be a double layer as well. I wanted the apron to be soft, but hefty enough to allow for the nice folded texture.

I learned from this video that I should pleat upwards, which I used for both the apron and the bustle. I can attest that it really does give so much body to the garments that makes them so much better! And I got the idea to combine the apron and the bustle on the same waistband from this tutorial.

I fiddled around for awhile until I got the apron the way I like it, and then I pinned it to a ribbon hanging off the waistband on either side.

The bustle was equally as fiddly. I pleated the sides, and then I just fiddled until it looked less like a mushroom and more like a poufy cream puff. I attached these to more ribbons hanging down the back with some tacks.

The waistband closes on one side with a whole row of hooks and eyes. I’m planning on adding some buttons to add to the design, but buttonholes would never work with all this fabric, so the hook and eyes are there to stay. The other side has the bustle and the apron sewn together, for ease of putting the contraption on.

So that’s it for the skirts! We’re nearing the end of our journey. Next week I’ll tell you about the blouse I cobbled together, and perhaps either the TV purse, or the accessories. Or maybe just the blouse. It’ll depend on how busy I get, and whether I remember to prepare… I do have a field trip this weekend, so we’ll see how much I remember to do!

April 12, 2016August 19, 2018

TARDIS Console Skirt

Now we’ve made it to the real meat of the costume. Last week, or rather two weeks go now that I’ve checked, you saw the petticoat, and the bum pad before that. This week we’re onto the skirts.

This gold polyester taffeta has been sitting in my stash for two years now. And this week I learned that even if I sneeze in its general direction, it will collect water stains. Also, its super easy to accidentally melt.

But back to the costume. In order to model it off of the console, I wanted 6 sections of gold divided by sections of light aqua.

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Super scientifically I measured the base of the skirt (on the ground…with my flat tape) and divided it into six sections. Now, this ended up being too big, but we’ll get to that. I then decided I wanted the aqua sections to be about 3 inches wide, and divvied up the fabric.

When I saw how woodgie the aqua fabric was, I knew that I needed to not only back it with something, but back it with something solid, so I used the same taffeta for that as well. I cut the aqua 5 inches wide, and then gathered it every 10 inches or so, and basted it to the taffeta. I was using half inch seam allowances throughout, mostly so it would be easy to calculate the exact widths. I then realized that the skirt could use some extra texture, so I made wide pleats up three of the six panels, and centered one of them in the back.

Once the entire skirt was sewn up, it was a panel too wide, but I was determined to keep all six, so I left the back pleated one (which I had accidentally melted the bottom of anyway), and cut off 4 inches of each other panel.

It still ended up a bit wide, but it was easily handled by pleating, and the apron and bustle covered up most of the top of the skirt anyway!

I attached a waistband made out of the same taffeta (sense a theme?), and used a zipper to close it. It’s not a long zipper, so it’s still a smidge difficult to get on, but it works nicely. And it’s covered by the bustle anyways. If I knew it would be seen, I’d think of using a different closure, but it’s fine for this one!

Now, by this point I had spent nearly two days working on this skirt, when it was only supposed to take me one, and I hadn’t even touched the pleats on the bottom yet. I took a break to drape the apron and bustle and make the shirt. But it’s probably better that I did.

The break gave me time to buy some poster board, which I used to make a pleating board. It took nearly three hours to pleat enough to go all the way around the skirt. And I only almost melted the taffeta once.

There is always time to add extra trim, which is what I’ll be doing for the next month or so, since my daily life will be too busy to facilitate the extracurriculars. So tedious hand sewing could keep me on track! But that’s the skirt as it stood for the pictures that I’ve taken of the whole costume.

I’ll be back on Thursday to show you the bustle. Till then!

March 31, 2016August 19, 2018

Tales of a Bright Blue Petticoat

On Tuesday I told you about my new bum pad, Fluffybutt, for my TARDIS costume.

Because this wasn’t a lobstertail, with some built in petticoat tendencies, I knew that I’d need to change my plans and make an actual petticoat. I didn’t want to go out and buy fabric, partially because of my fabric ban and partially because I didn’t want to lose steam. So I picked up this turquoise poly-crepe that I originally intended for curtains, and used that! It was a bit over 2 yards if I remember correctly.

I first started by “draping” the fabric over my dress form, lining up the selvedge with the hem, and pleating over the bum pad. I tried to follow this tutorial, but I didn’t quite have enough fabric, so it was modified quite a bit. I made as many ruffles as I had fabric for, and tried to overlap them, but it didn’t always quite make it.

The back piece, with the ruffles, I did cut down to a trapezoid shape. The front was pinned to my dressform, and I may have forgotten to cut it down. I had already pleated it so it would fit, and I was using ties as a closure instead of a zipper or buttons, so it didn’t really matter if it fit perfectly there.

The main piece of advice that I utilized from the tutorial was not sewing up the entire seam of the petticoat, which would theoretically allow me to step with a wider gait. It would work if my skirt also didn’t impede on that problem. I’m pleased with the result, though. It hangs nicely, is lightweight and strangely comfortable. And it provides a nice swish…

And the most important part – the overskirt hangs wonderfully! More on that next week.

March 29, 2016August 19, 2018

Fluffybutt

Welcome to the reboot of TARDIS Tuesday! And Thursday, at least until all the pieces have been blogged!

I might have mentioned that I am insane and planning to make a ballgown, but that means that I need to clean out some of my lingering costume projects to make mental, and actual room for said insanity.

So it was off to the TARDIS races. Especially because a weekend with my study abroad musketeers was fast approaching, which would be the best time to get some pictures of this.

For nearly three years I was procrastinating on choosing a type of bustle for the skirts of the TARDIS, but I was waffling. I wanted to make a fishtail bustle. but I also thought a bum pad would be nice. I wanted Natural Form, and also the big poufy bustle look.

But for time’s sake, I went with a bum pad.

I measured my back waist, subtracted an inch, and then drew a half circle that looked large enough, which also had a radius a bit shorter than half the back waist, since I didn’t really want a full half circle.

The fabric reminds me of couch cushion fabric that my family had when I was growing up, but realistically it’s an upholstery weight loosely woven floral. It’s probably cotton, and it presses rather well.

The ruffles were all the same length of fabric, and were just gathered to the different necessary widths. I used the rest of the width of the fabric to get the ruffles, after cutting out the two semicircles.

I sewed on the hemmed ruffles, and then sewed up the circumference, but left the top open. I used a bright blue grosgrain ribbon for a waistband, so I sewed the top of the bum pad to the ribbon before stuffing it.

There’s been a pound of stuffing in my belongings for over 4 years now. Every time I use it I feel like I’m putting a dent into it, but it’s always there patiently waiting. By now, I still have 2/3 left… And this is the second thing resembling a pillow.

When trying it on with the stuffing, I made sure that it stuck out parallel to the floor, knowing that it would flatten a bit with the weight of skirts. Then I whipstitched the opening of the pad closed.

The pad sits nicely on top of my butt, which unfortunately does not given me extra padding when sitting, but is a lovely way to increase my butt-profile.

Also, as an explanation for the title… My neighbor has many cats, most of which are outside cats, since we have tiny apartments, and there’s only so many cats you can keep indoors. One has taken a liking to sitting on my windowsill. He (or she… I have no clue) is a long haired black cat with a white belly. And he’ll sit on my windowsill for hours. So I affectionately call him Fluffybutt. And I named my bum pad after him. That makes sense, right?

Stay tuned for the petticoat post on Thursday!