TARDIS Archives • Jessica Smith Creates

September 20, 2016August 22, 2022

My First DragonCon Recap

Why hello there, all you lovely readers!

It’s been a month since we last talked because… well…

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First there was last minute DragonCon prep. And then DragonCon itself. And then the firm unwillingness to let it go.

But the time has come. Here is the overly detailed tale of my adventure with my two friends Ollie and Jo!

Wednesday:

I had everything packed ahead of time, except for the last minute stuff and snacks. That does not mean that I actually got out of my house on time, but that’s something I’m working on. The drive down was dull, but reasonably short, excepting the hour of traffic I had waiting to drive through Atlanta on the highway. 17 miles away from the airport for half an hour, and then another half hour to drive those 17 miles. But I finally got there and picked up my friends and we settled into our AirBnB outside the city.

Thursday:

We got up kinda late and did a bit of work on last minute costuming finishes, and then went downtown to pick up our passes. We had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and then took one of the DragonCon Newbie tours, which was awesome and a lovely help, since we realized that getting off the MARTA would not necessarily require heading out to the street before the hotel. The walkthroughs were fantastic! Then we headed back to the house to finish most of the costume stuff we hadn’t done before. Oh, and we got arepas from this awesome local place called Arepa Mia which were fantastic and I’d definitely suggest going if you’re in the area.

Friday:

This was our Disney day. My friend Ollie went as Belle, since she had a costume from a few years ago Halloween that she wanted to reuse. Jo went as Meg from Hercules, and I went as Ariel from the Little Mermaid. I’ll go into detail on my costumes later, and unfortunately we didn’t get any group photos on any of the days, except for this selfie that I forced us to take to prove that we were in fact there together. And for posterity, etc. (If any pop up online, I’ll show them). Both Ollie and Jo got a lot of shout outs and photos, and I met an Ursula (and I totally had no idea what was going on when she came over… Definitely a running theme of my weekend). Also I definitely had someone ask if I was Anna from Frozen. May I mention that Anna does not have the monopoly on black bodices and blue skirts?

This was at the end of the day, so we were overwhelmed, tired, and so so happy!

The first panel that we saw that weekend was the Legends of Tomorrow panel with Falk Hentschel and Casper Crump who were adorable. No lines for this one, we just walked right in. We tried to catch another DC television panel, but the line was huge, so we skipped it. We went to the first room of exhibitors which was overwhelming and exhausting… Outside of it, though, I got to meet my favorite blogger Jen of EPBOT and her husband, which was quite exciting. We went home, shed our hair extensions, heels (for two of us) and makeup, and we went out for pizza. Yummy yummy pizza!

Saturday:

I termed this our British media day. I wore my TARDIS outfit, newly revamped for the summer con, Ollie went as Clara Oswald, and Jo went as a Gryffindor headgirl (or maybe Lily Potter… It oscillated). So this was my second day in heels, but we were determined to see as much as we could. We got in a long line for the Flash/Arrow panel. It was nice to be in the shade of a building, mostly, but it was still nearly an hour of waiting… I got a lot of oohs and ahs from across walkways and the like of my costume, but few people got it until I turned around… I’m thinking of adding in a fascinator with the top lantern to help the effect.

I saw one of the cosplayers I admire, who I originally found through Peggy Carter cosplay research, KatarinaCosplay in her Captain Carter outfit (which is apparently from this game called Marvel Puzzle Quest, which I’m avoiding at all cost for fear of getting addicted…) and said hi briefly, but it was in the middle of the Marriott floor, so I didn’t stick around… And we were already late getting Ollie to the photo ops. The thing that was personally most squee-worthy for me on Saturday was going to the Walk of Fame and Allison Scagliotti’s line was almost completely empty, so I jumped in and got my Warehouse 13 Farnsworth signed… I’ve learned so much since I made it, but it’s still one of my first props and I would have always kept in a special place in my heart, but now even more!

Right outside an Osgood found me (which I totally didn’t realize she was Osgood, because I’m silly), and we took a couple of pictures! We had dinner at the food court, then headed home to change before going back to Atlanta for the Heroes and Villains Ball. At this point my feet really hated me, so I changed into my Kaylee. I think we were all glad we went and tried it out, but it wasn’t something that any of us really needed to stay too long at so we about-faced and headed back home.

Sunday:

This was my third day in heels and also our most panel-intensive day. Jo went as a casual Barbara “Babs” Gordon, Ollie went as Arya from Game of Thrones, and I wore my Susan Pevensie costume. We started our day at the Torchwood panel where we sat next to this awesome steampunk Ood. It was entertaining to look to the side and see an Ood nearly bending in half laughing. Because we all spent nearly the entire time laughing! Then we got in line for the Pond Family Reunion panel, which had already wrapped nearly all the way around the building before we even got there almost an hour and a half early. This time we were on the sunny side of the building, which was not the most fun, but the panel was worth it! Jo split off before the PFR panel to go to a Welcome to Night Vale panel, and after our panel Ollie and I headed to the Warehouse 13 panel which was hilarious!

During the course of the day, Ollie found a lovely Sansa to have a “reunion” with, and all of the GoT group she was with loved Ollie’s costume. I saw both a White Witch in full battle regalia from the Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe, and a Susan in her green dress from the same movie. It was great seeing the Narnia family representing! After the Warehouse panel I was feeling a bit panic-attacky and all of us were getting tired, so we headed home. One of my favorite moments, though, was on the MARTA platform, when I was in the middle of removing as much as I could without losing things or revealing anything untoward, a young girl that was part of a non-DragonCon-attending family taking the same train as us told me that she really liked my dress. It’s one thing to get compliments from other costumers and cosplayers and fans of the fandom, but another to get them from a young girl who might one day group up to be a fan of the same thing, or her own favorite things and perhaps get dressed up herself. Oh, and we got pizza again. Because it was fantastic. I’d definitely recomment Fellini’s Pizza in Decateur GA.

Monday:

Last day of the con, and very few people were dressed up, so we stuck out even more. Which was nice. We did our Miyazaki group cosplay that day. I went as a summer-ish appropriate Nausicaa (with Teto!), Jo as Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle, and Ollie as Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service. Jo and Ollie were both instantly recognized by almost everyone, and they got lots of pictures. One of the first people we met that day recognized me and that made my day, since I was happy to be in sandals instead of heels and not corseted, so I had made up my mind early in my designing process that I wouldn’t even care if I was recognized. I was going to be comfy. A lot of people asked for pictures in all sorts of configurations of the three of us, which was cool.

Jo and I attended the Everyday Steampunk panel, which was full of great ideas, then caught up with Ollie for the final Legends of Tomorrow Panel of the weekend. No lines for either and we even sat in the first row of the Legends panel, because the lady in charge of seating liked our costumes. We then toured the exhibitor’s hall again, and I picked up a wooden sword and a lovely prop dagger with a lion on the hilt.

We parted with Hollyn who headed to the airport, and then drove back to my place.

All in all, it was a fantastic first convention, and definitely one that I’d like to attend again. In fact, I’ve been debating whether to buy next year’s ticket now…

I’ll start posts soon on the costume elements that I haven’t shown you yet, and soon I should be working on Cinderella and some non-costume sewing!

But I will leave you, in the meantime, with a derpy picture of me in my Ariel costume… Because that’s how I roll!

August 17, 2016

Work Space Wednesday – #3

New grommets on an old (beat-up) corset!

watch repaint — Old watch, new paint job!

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!

July 13, 2016

Work Space Wednesday – 1

Hey there!

I’m starting a new “series” here, all about progress shots. AKA I don’t really instagram, so why not post them on my actual blog? So on some/hopefully most Wednesdays I’ll be posting what’s in my work space!

These posts will probably have minimal words, just enough to explain what I’m doing (if necessary)!

kaylee nettie — Nettie for my Kaylee costume

woodwork — Woodworking: Claudia’s Mini Tesla, and a lobby thing that may become a “strawberry” for Kaylee

Cotton linen blend destined to be a wrap skirt

July 11, 2016August 25, 2022

Big Dragon Shaped News!

I teased this a few weeks, maybe months, ago, that I have very big news to share! It’s grown, and I’ve got some additional news as well!

So let’s start with the newest of news, and then work backwards, since I want to keep building up to the biggest stuff!

About a week ago, I found out that I won an Indie Pattern Month prize on The Monthly Stitch for the Hack It competition! I was able to pick a few lovely patterns, which I’ll be sharing with you when they get to me! (Although realistically I probably will forget to share and you’ll find out once I make the actual garments). Congrats to all the other winners for all the challenges!

A few weeks before that I signed up for a sewing dare from Gillian at Crafting A Rainbow… I’m telling you guys this so I stay accountable. Since I’m pretty sure I haven’t yet made anything toward this dare yet. Soon though. Next week I’ll get back from my last summer trip and will have plenty of time to “to sew a head-to-toe Closet Case Files outfit!” Realistically I’m going to make a Nettie top and a Ginger bottom, but which of my planned Ginger’s (flared and a boot/skinny version), and sleeveless or sleeved Nettie? Decisions, decisions.

Okay, have we had enough build up yet?

Cool.

Because guys, I’m going to DragonCon!!!

To those who follow my blog for the sewing, not costumes, this may be the biggest comic/fantasy/TV/movie/[insert geeky thing here] convention on the East Coast of the US. And I’m going with the same friends that I was planning on going to San Diego Comic Con with two years ago. That’s right, it’s been two years and we’ve finally got our schedules correct and we’re all on the right side of the country!

We’ve got two group costumes planned out, and then we’ll be doing our own thing the other two days (costumes-wise at least!).

My costumes going with me that are already (mostly) complete are Susan from Prince Caspian, and the TARDIS. I say mostly because I’ve been adding trim to the skirt of the TARDIS, and I’m considering an alternate top because it’ll be Georgia in the summer. And therefore hot. And now that I’m thinking about it, I might have a Clara Oswald to go with the TARDIS. Wrong TARDIS, but hey, that’s okay!

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One of the costumes I have to make in the next month and a half are Nausicaä from Miyazaki’s Nausicaä in the Valley of the Wind for a Miyazaki group. I haven’t decided if I’m going to do her early outfit or her end of movie outfit. Both of them are blue, so I’ve started gathering fabric, but I need to design soon!

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For a Disney group, I’m also going to be making a Little Mermaid Ariel Day Dress. I’ll either be making a normal skirt, for which I’d need to get fabric, or culottes, in which case I might have some. I’ve got two options for the top as well, based on how well my corset patterning for my insane Cinderella project goes. I can either make a corset and wovenblouse to go with it, or I can make my Nettie hack corset top. Because easiness and knit are great things, and corsets and potentially driving home don’t really appeal to me. But the one I made before is from a lovely drapey knit. That has also been inconveniently becoming more translucent with every wash.

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I’m also making a Kaylee costume as a backup for if it’s two wet or mucky for the TARDIS or Susan. I’ve had the jumpsuit for a few months now. I didn’t realize how comfy they were, but they’re great. I just need to alter it a smidge, and then find and add patches and make a Kaylee shirt. So a little more direction and a little less wiggle room. Because I really need it as backup. And maybe I’ll make a purse out of some cheap turquoise brocade. To pull it all together.

So that’s my news! I’ll be updating soon, once I get my sewjo back in swing. Last week was a hard week with all the tragedies around the US, and after a long 4th of July weekend spent with my friends sewing, I got a bit burnt. So hopefully writing this post will kick my butt into high gear!

Because I’m going to an insanely awesome con with my two bestest friends, and it’s going to be lovely, and awesome, and I’m going to stop before I ramble for another paragraph.

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.