costume Archives • Page 3 of 6 • Jessica Smith Creates

November 5, 2014April 11, 2019

Quiver – Part 2

My unfinished quiver sat around for over a month between the first part and todays, but it was mostly because I was trying to determine the best way to sew it up.

I thought I could maybe butt up the two sides so they would form a solid point… My leather was just a bit too floppy for this.

I thought maybe I could fold under and sew it up like a seam. My leather had just too much structure.

And then it became the lace versus waxed thread debate. And where would I even attach the belt?

So I waffled.

But I knew that my TARDIS belt was going to be made of leather, and I have a policy for leather goods and myself, that I am not allowed to cut into leather if I’m still working on a different piece. So I had to finish the quiver.

Using my trusty awl, I punched holes every 1/4 inch both up the seam line and around the bottom, since I knew I’d be attaching a cap to the bottom.

Waxed thread was my “weapon of choice” in the end. I used a whip stitch, I guess, to sew up the seam, which seemed to hold it very stably.

I had intentions of attaching the belt by running it through the quiver itself, but that didn’t pan out. For one, I only had as long as a partially used cow belly, which was not as long as I was expecting. Threading it through like that also made it really blocky and uncomfortable. Comfort is key in the costume game, especially since I’d already be wearing a corset, which is enough comfort-restraint.

So I ended up running a few loops of waxed threads to serve as attachments for the belt. It works well for now, but I’ll probably need to adjust it in the future.

Then I actually needed to make the belt.

I wanted it to be something I could potentially wear, since I love the buckle so much. Isn’t it just the cutest shield ever? But I also knew the belt had to be long in order to cross my body like a messenger bag. So I made it as long as I could, and punched holes in various places, so I could wear it at my natural waist, or through jeans, or through the quiver. I cut a simple design using my swivel knife, just diagonal lines, and I tooled a few sections for some visual interest. It doesn’t show through the paint though, so I ended up painting a very subtle alteration between cream and ivory, based on my ability to mix paints well, which ended up with a more ivory batch right at the end of the painting cycle.

So that’s it for my quiver! Isn’t it purdy?

October 22, 2014April 11, 2019

Quiver – Part 1

Even though Susan doesn’t actually wear her quiver with her final gown, it was still a must have prop for me.

Though it is very likely that the cosplay I see is not a full indication of people’s geeky interests, I’ve always thought that Narnia fans, of the movies more specifically, are more subdued (aka they don’t cosplay). There have been a few wonderful ones, but altogether the cosplay quantity is rather low.

So the likelihood that I would be easily recognized from the costume alone (and with my hair, not a wig) is slim. I’m already risking the Lucy vs. Susan issue, with the red hair, but anything to make the costume more recognizable is good.

Plus I’ve always wanted a quiver for all the imaginary arrows I have.

The problem with Susan’s quiver is that it is likely meant to be ivory, or rather it was carved in one piece. There have been some good reproductions made with PVC pipe, but I didn’t have the requisite skill set. So I decided to use leather, something I do know a bit about.

I took pictures like this was a real tutorial, at least for this first half… and then I let it sit for two months before I finished it. But that’s another story.

I started with posterboard, knowing that I had a limited amount of leather big enough to create this quiver. I drew a pattern, dragged a belt from the closet to “try it on” and fiddled with the pattern until it felt right. It slimmed down a bunch, and shortened as well, so that it would feel proportionally right on me.

Then came time to cut into the leather. I managed to find a big enough piece, and I used my rotary cutter to cut clean lines through… Leather is like fabric, right?

I had previously drawn designs for the top of the quiver, but they didn’t precisely fit, so after some tweaking I got a useable pattern and traced it on. I cut into it with my swivel knife, and began tooling.

And here it is with the design finalized!

The real quiver has a picture of Aslan carved in the bottom, but I didn’t want to take this that far.

So I began painting. I had both white and cream acrylic paint, neither of which was perfect, so I mixed the two and diluted with some water.

The first coat turned out streaky, and it ended up taking 4 coats before I was satisfied. In the tool-work, there’s still some areas of low paint, but I’m learning to give it up.

I then painted the initials with a grey and gold mix of paint (though technically it was a mix of cream, white, black, and gold), with the gold added in for a bit of sparkle… Not that its really visible, but it can be seen in real life.

Look out (hopefully) next week for part 2 of my quiver fun!

July 7, 2014August 19, 2018

Embellishment

Now presenting my Belle necklace!

In fairness, I actually finished it awhile ago. Still not on time for my self imposed deadline, but I think I’m doing alright considering I don’t have a firm costume deadline anymore. I even photographed it the day after I made it, which is even more of an accomplishment.

However I’ve been procrastinating on posting it. I’m not entirely sure why. Perhaps its because I know that if I wanted to go to my place of choice for photographing the entire costume, makeup would melt off my face and my hair would flatten. It’s quite hot. Even in the evening.

I think I might have to remove the collar from my dress, anyway. Too much of the necklace would be covered if I left the collar on, so I’m thinking of leaving the collar stand, but removing the collar.

In other news I’m going to start a new project, as though I don’t have enough started. Have you noticed that I tend to start knitting or crochet projects, and then the entire thing disappears? I don’t like finishing these projects. Like the sleeve of this sweater I’m knitting. I’ve got one nearly complete, or at least I’m almost done with yarn ball on that side, but the other side needs to advance about five inches to keep up.

So I recently bought myself sock yarn with the intention of actually making socks. I even have a pattern, from a book called Sock Innovation. I’m going to make the Kai-mei socks, since they’re gorgeous, but the catch is that the library book is due in a week. I know I can renew it, but that spoils the fun. So in the next week I endeavor to make at least a sock and a half… and by that I mean the cuff and turning the heel on the second sock.

There will hopefully be daily progress reports in order to keep myself on track. And today is all about gauge.

June 25, 2014August 19, 2018

What I did last night…

I’m thinking this could be a regular thing.

Or not.

I remember what happened to Design Donnerstag… Maybe I should resurrect that too…

But at least for this post, I did makeup tests for three of my cosplays.

One was overdue, one was right on time, and the next was premature.

I should insert the caveat that I have no idea what I’m doing, though I find that trolling through picture tutorials have helped. I’m not one for makeup Youtube videos, and my general lack of interest in wearing makeup day to day, have really hindered my makeup skills. So bear with me, and half of the stuff I used came as parts of beginner makeup kits from…. when I was in eighth grade… I’m going to hang my head in shame.

But I learned some stuff! Some stuff that I will share with you right now:

First up: Claudia

A bit overdue, considering the entire costume was finished last fall…

So the major bits of importance: A nice pink lipstick (though can I bring up memories of that weird one she wore for an episode? I think it was the Civil War reenactment episode…shudder), mascara, heavy eyeliner and dark eyeshadow… Oh, and brow pencil. Not that you can tell about any of the last three.

Lessons learned: I need some eyeliners with heavier pigment content. I’m personally thinking gel liners because pencils are too thick and less controlled (and the sharpeners are irritating), and the liquid liners I’ve tried are tricky and therefore irritating. I need to use a darker eyeshadow as well, which I might have but I really wanted to use this one. Maybe I could combine them? I also used my brow pencil, to make my eyebrows a bit more auburn, mostly cause Claudia sports a lot of very filled in dark eyebrows. However I haven’t plucked or in any way shaped my eyebrows in months, or longer, so my efforts at filling in were thwarted slightly.

I like the lipstick though! And I think the foundation layers are going to work, unless I find the need to buy different stuff. I’ve always been interested in mineral makeup, and have some samples, but I’ll need to try them out… Perhaps that’s going for my next test!

Second: Belle

This is actually the first one I did, which may explain the natural light coming in the window as opposed to the lightbulb light in the other two pics. I’m terribly proud of this one though, even if most of what I’m proud of can’t be seen in this pic.

Important bits: Magenta pink lipstick, gold eyeshadow in multitudes, grey and brown eyeliners, though I bet you can’t tell, mascara and my rather new trusty eyelash curler.

Don’t eyelash curlers look like torture traps? I was surprised the first time I used one how comfortable it was… I mean, not comfy but not painful. It is quite effective though.

Lessons learned: My gold palette of eyeshadows is really not pigmented. After three separate brushings of the gold, I still could not tell I was wearing anything. When I used a sample of mineral eyeshadow, though, it looked very nice. I think I’m going to need a new gold palette. I also am going to make use of the gel liners, whenever I get those. And eyebrow plucking. I never think I’m going to care about it, since I like my semi-bushy eyebrows, but they have a shape of their own that I’d like to preserve. Also, I’m planning on adding a little more of a bow to my upper lip, just a smidgeon. I don’t have that much of a natural one, so I like to add one when wearing lipstick (which never happens), but I often think it looks a bit overdone. Work to do!

Finally: Susan

A bit early, considering I’m not really halfway done with the costume, but I was on a roll!

Important to note: Pink lipstick (look it matches!!) Eyeliner on the top lashes only, a little light colored shadow. There will be mascara, but I don’t particularly like the brush on it, so I’m going to need to buy some new ones. I did also try to add some freckles, but they didn’t exactly show up in the photos. At least not any more than my skin looks kinda freckled.

Lessons learned: The same base makeup that looked fine for the previous two looks is a bit too tan for Susan, who is quite fair and pinkish on top of fair, but not tan. Next time I’ll use a lighter foundation. Gel liner will be helpful, as well as better mascara and some pluckage… The light colored shadow I used was a part of the gold palette, so I’ll probably need another one of these as well.

The TARDIS costume needs to be at least a bit more made before I’m even going to attempt a makeup trial. Make that it needs to be actually started…

How are your costuming makeup ideas working for you? Or do you have any makeup tips for me? I’m all ears!

June 20, 2014August 19, 2018

Phyllis

The farther I get into making my Susan costume, the more I realize that there are not many easy titles for blog posts… I almost named this one Gastrovascular. Then I realized that was creepy.

It has been a while since I’ve worked on this, but I realized it was high time. Now the undergarments are finished, and I’ll be getting to work on the overdress!

So the fabric is quilting cotton, a white on white floral pattern. I had three yards of fabric, supposedly. In reality it looked more like two yards, and maybe a quarter more. I also have a very bad idea of distances, so it could just be me.

First I cut off the pieces for the waistband and the “sleeves.”

The sleeves I basically just winged, hemming the sides, and then folding over until it felt right. I cut the full length of the fabric in half, so its about 22 in for each side. I know that when I wear it for real, I’m going to have to Topstick or otherwise adhere the sleeves to a proper point on my arm, which I’ll figure out later, when the overdress is finished.

The skirt then used up the rest of the fabric in pleats, though I ran out of pleating room towards the back. I used a technique I learned for stage costuming for the closure. AKA if it’s never gonna be seen, don’t bother with a zipper.

back

So I just made a simple opening, with a skirt hook and eye. That does cause that gappage in the back, though its never gonna be seen, and I’ll be wearing a slip, just like I am here (in case you were wondering…).

Look at that pleating job! But I will have to re-iron all of it. Humph.

So that’s it I guess for Susan’s undergarments!

But I shall leave you with the motifs for Belle’s necklace! So one of these days (meaning hopefully today or tomorrow) I’ll finish that up and soon after will have a blog post on it! Yay for costumey things!

May 14, 2014August 19, 2018

First Time in Forever

So I volunteered at the movie theater on campus, and a few weeks ago we showed Frozen.

May I start by saying that I love the movie? There are many flaws, I know, but the songs are so catchy!

And when I saw it I really was looking at the outfits. I think I finally hit the point where I not only admire the costumes of movies and shows and stuff, but that I want to make and have all of it. I’m not 100% sure that’s a bad thing, but I know its not necessarily good either…

For our showing of Frozen, though, I definitely thought it would be fun to subtly cosplay Anna.

I knew I wanted a circle skirt that wasn’t already attached to a dress, specifically one that wasn’t black. I’ve got a flowy RTW black skirt, that honestly I don’t wear often (perhaps due to the fact that I stick out enough on campus that it isn’t worth the weird looks), so my plans for the upcoming black skirt will lead to a shorter and less flowy skirt, more A-line.

But I really like the freedom and comfort of a circle skirt. And now that its been warm, I appreciate the flow and minimum fabric involved.

The fabric for the skirt is a blue crepe. It’s kinda heavy but surprisingly cool, and though I don’t know the fabric content at this point I don’t entirely care. It’s comfy, especially for around the house when I don’t have to care if people see the bike shorts I’m wearing underneath. I do think I need to angle the waistband a bit, but that will happen later, and I need to finish my skinny hem, but I’m thinking embroidery and it’s a long hem. And I needed something to wear yesterday.

On another topic I started on my drapey cardigan objective! Knowing I wanted to do this subtle cosplay gave me a great direction, and a reason to get started. This is a super lightweight rayon fabric that squishes into the size of about a child’s shoe, when given opportunity. Its really so soft and squishy, and comfy.

I’m not done with it though. It will gain sleeves at some point, but I didn’t feel like drafting them at the time, so that will be for after I’m done moving for the summer. Give me a month or so… and then maybe some.

But for now I’ll be frolicking through the summer heat in my Anna subtle cosplay!

March 6, 2014September 6, 2018

Design Donnerstag – Costume Planning

So it’s been a while since I’ve managed to get to this…
I feel bad for starting a weekly post then forgetting and not having time to keep it going.

But life got in the way. You know how it is.

So here is the latest set of designs!

I can’t lie to you… I drew these all in the last hour. But I did need these for planning my weekend.
And if you want to see how my Chip hair slide worked out, you can see it here!

March 4, 2014August 19, 2018

Teacup!

My friend gave me a lovely compliment today after seeing my new hair accessory.

She told me that if I was to be any Disney character, she would place me as Chip!

Chip is one of my favorite characters from Beauty and the Beast, maybe because of his insatiable curiosity.

He genuinely wants to know everything about what is going on at any point of the movie, so much that he sneaks into Belle’s bag to see the world outside the castle and saves Belle and Maurice.

Curious and smart!

So I made my hair slide out of leather, as I mentioned on Sunday.

It took me about two and a half hours in total, plus waiting time.

I cut and tooled the leather, added a coat of white acrylic paint for a base, then colored the rest of him.

Added a coat of varnish and he was good to go!

I currently have a double pointed knitting needles as the stick, but I’ll be cutting a dowel soon.

And here is a picture explaining how awkward taking pictures of the back of your own head can be… Do you see how contortionisty my arm is? Straight back and twisted… Painful.

February 17, 2014August 19, 2018

Overbust for Wearing Under

After this moment, this corset is not seeing sunlight…

It’s not that theres’s anything particularly… wrong with it.

It does give me a bit of a flat chest, which is an interesting sensation.

It also does no “lift and separate” favors, which I’ve heard about for overbust corsets.

Perhaps that’s because its a modified version of Butterick’s 5797 corset top pattern. I wouldn’t put it past the patternmaking company to completely disregard such a notion.

I had to take this in at many of the seams. The rounded side panels were fine, but the side seams needed to be less drastically curved and taken in. The bust ended up being much too big, so I had to reduce those seams, as well as reduce the dramatic cup that had been formed. I also took in the seams around the back panel.

Choosing this pattern was more of an endeavor to understand construction of such a garment rather than wanting to make up the pattern. But I did need an overbust corset, for my Susan costume, so I thought I’d take the plunge.

What I’ve decided for Susan, now that it’s been brought up, is that my undergarments will be separates, a petticoat with a pleated front panel, and a removable collar piece which will attach to the corset that I’ve made. By making the corset boned, and not the overdress, it allows me to use the corset in future endeavors.

For the fabric I chose to use two layers of duck cloth, which I had purchased at Walmart last year, and a nice separating zipper. I also had some grosgrain ribbon, which I used for binding the upper and lower edges, and I used heavy duty cable ties for the boning.

So it is zipped in the back. More for ease than anything else. I don’t enjoy wearing things that I can’t remove myself, and because the overdress will have hooks and eyes at the front, I didn’t want to put lacing, busk, or a zipper there, so I would need a back closure. At that point, a zipper would be perfect!

I do get a bit of reduction at the waist nevertheless, which is both a nice feeling and a bad one at first.

The real reason why I’m a bit embarrassed about this is that I basically used up all of my bobbins on this corset when I was tacking down seam allowances and boning channels. So when you get close it’s quite colorful and messy. But I love it anyway.

Second corset completed!

One day I’ll tell you about the first.

February Project #1

Stashbusting Stats: 7 fabrics used

January 24, 2014August 19, 2018

Sultan of Suckwad

So I finished my Claudia necklace over break!

Isn’t it purrrrrdy?

The back of the necklace is chainmaille. I only had one size of ring, so I was slightly limited by this in design options.

I don’t know if I made this pattern up, but I can say that I wasn’t inspired by anything I found online. There’s plenty of inspiring things to be found, but my fingers were itching to create, so my googling was shortened.

Then once I had the back formed, I decided that I wanted to integrate the clasp into the pattern in the front.

And then I just started stringing, kind of organically. I had bought this golden snitch pendant thing on Etsy, which I deconstructed and maneuvered into my design, because I always loved Claudia’s wing necklace. I would link to it, but it looks like the seller has taken down their shop.

So the completion of this necklace marks the completion of my Claudia costume. Now I’ve got to figure out the makeup and hair, and then I’ll be finished with my first costume for July!