TARDIS Archives • Page 3 of 3 • Jessica Smith Creates

July 8, 2013August 25, 2022

Off the wrist of a handsome Time Agent

So… I made a kind of vortex manipulator.

At least it feels like I made a vortex manipulator… perhaps a steampunk time manipulator would be a better term.

As in, “you forgot to wear me, so I’m giving you the wrong time” manipulation.

I bought this awesome self winding mechanical watch from Ebay, and had already been considering working with leather, because its just so cool, so I made myself a watch-band/cuff.

That vaguely looks like a vortex manipulator.

**And I would like to say in advance that all the leather I have bought so far have been remnants from companies, so I’m using what would have been thrown in the trash and discarded to source my minor projects, not whole skins. I know about the ethical dilemmas surrounding leather, and I have not yet finalized my opinions.

Many fun attempts with the leather came first, punching and cutting and drawing, and all sorts of amusing and loud means. I needed to get a feel for how the leather would work before starting in on the project.

I found out that the leather I had bought previously was not the right type of leather for tooling – the term for creating designs on leather by cutting and punching.

Then I bought more leather, the right kind of leather.

I cut out my cuff base out of dark brown leather, and roughly cut off my pieces for my designs out of the tooling leather.

I dutifully wet the leather, then I drew out my design. I have been doing pretty well just drawing free hand with a pencil, which won’t transfer the graphite on the wet surface.

Then I used my swivel knife to cut out the design

I used my newly acquired old leather tools to make my pretty patterns on them. One side is inspired by the TARDIS explosion painting, which I adore, and the other has some circular Gallifreyan components, inspired by these fan grammars.

Because my wrist is really tiny, I knew I was going to have a lot of bulk around the top of the wrist, where the watch itself would lay. In order to reduce this, even just slightly, I thinned out the leather on both sides of the tabs at the top of the tooling leather. The tooling leather attaches around the watch with an itsy bitsy rivet. Ain’t it cute?

The hole punch came out and I punched a bunch of carefully placed holes for my rivets and snaps, cut down some of the leather at the end of each strip, and put it all together!

It doesn’t lie flat very well, because the tooling leather takes a little more depth to make it around my wrist, so its a bit more three dimensional.

It looks awesome on my wrist though! I’m very happy with it!

Now I just need to train it to give the correct time…

Linked to Steam Ingenious’s July Link-up

June 30, 2013

Whooshes and Swooshes

It’s been a month or two since I updated you on my TARDIS necklace.

It’s not quite my fault. Moving out of a dorm in another country to head home, then leaving nearly immediately to go to an internship practically just as far away. Things get away from you. I’m just happy I managed to remember to pack beading supplies for this leg of my travels.

But, I remembered to pack white thread this time, so I won’t be using clear beads and black thread. It was definitely on my list of things to not forget, in my whirl of packing and unpacking.

I’ve started again, this time with clear beads and white thread, and I’ve covered one faux pearl already. The faux pearls are how I am keeping the shape of the time rotor. I happen to have both silver and gold pearls on hand, but because the costume is mostly gold/warm toned, I’m sticking with the gold ones.

But the title of the post is whooshes and swooshes. We’ve gotten the whoosh, the sound that the TARDIS’s time rotor makes.

Now for the swoosh.

I’m working on part of my Belle necklace, a kind of beading muslin, much like the first time rotor necklace I made.

I already had some 15/0 seed beads on hand, which was my part of the original plan (in my head at least).

I began to work on the pattern I had created, but I realize now in hind sight that perhaps I should have started the planning on paper designed for peyote stitch designs. Because my hand drawings are not even or turning out very swoosh shaped…

I almost feel like I’m making a Pacman block.

I’m planning on printing out a sheet or two of peyote stitch paper, using this handy print out.

I’ll be working on these for the next few days, at least until I receive the thread for my serger! Then I’ll get to work on some of my other costuming and other sewing plans!

May 12, 2013August 25, 2022

Inspiration has struck!

I have decided to make a somewhat major change in my costuming plans in regards to my TARDIS.

My costume was originally supposed to have a golden underbust corset with a seafoam blouse and a copper bolero. There is one problem.

That assumes that I already have a working underbust corset, but even though I haven’t quite finished the one I left at home, I am 97.4% sure that said corset will not be up to my standards to be included in this costume, even if it happens to fit. It’s my first one after all, and though I may call myself at least an intermediate quilter I am certainly not an advanced costumer. This adventure will undoubtedly contain many odd and instantaneous changes, as I find out what I can and can’t do and I will work on my skills as I go.

So I’ll be working on a new corset for this costume, to gain experience and to make a better costume.

screenshot from Warehouse 13 Season 3 Episode 11/12

I’m inspired by the outfits that HG Wells wears in Warehouse 13, when she is at work.

Particularly this one (and apologies for the blurriness):

screenshot from Warehouse 13 Season 3 Episode 11/12

This led me to find a nice pattern, as the vest laces up in the back, which makes it not quite a typical vest. I then found a wonderful corset tutorial.

link

I already have a suiting fabric that I’ll be making a working muslin with, in preparation for a golden colored corset vest. It’s possible in making the muslin I’ll decide to skip the corset in favor of a vest, but that will be seen when I start work on it.

Because I’m changing the corset, I’ve decided to look for a blouse that is a little closer on the neck, one a little closer in nature to the Victorian time period. Unless I make one. That’s still an option.

I’ve also decided to scrap the bolero, to save space in what will end up as my suitcase, to save time, and to save a minor amount of heat sweltering. Instead of wearing the bolero with the cape on top, I’m planning to make a cape like this one:

link (ETA link no longer works)

The police box banner will then run along the hood, with the instructions on the back of the cape. The cape will be held on the shoulders of the corset vest by a miniature broach-like apparatus I’ll be creating, using the drop earrings and possibly some suspender closures. We’ll see how it goes when I get that far!

I’m also planning on learning a bit about leatherwork, and creating some wristbands to supplement my costumes, and for me to wear in real life. Always a handy idea.

I’m specifically thinking about doing this because I really enjoy large faced watches, but my wrist is quite tiny, which means that not only can I not wear a men’s watch because it’s too big, but also because it’s really really too big. The clasp on my dad’s watch is nearly as long as the flat of my wrist. By making my own watchband, in a TARDIS friendly steampunk design, not only can I learn new skills, but I can solve a problem for myself.

In other news, I have bought fabric to use for my Belle capelet, and it should be arriving at home in the next few days. When I return in a few weeks I will take a picture to show you!

May 5, 2013

Spring cleaning… and packing.

I’ve been cleaning up my room, and deciding well in advance what stuff is going to be making the return trip with me, when I return to the US after my semester abroad.
It’s also given me a chance to figure out what I’ve bought here that I’m planning to use in my costumes.

I already let you know that I got fantastic brown t-strap heels, which I’m planning on using for my Belle get-up. They might also be repurposed into my TARDIS outfit.

I’ve also mentioned about my fabric that I bought, which will likely be part of my TARDIS dress, and sadly has already been packed while escaping without a new photograph.

I also am planning on taking a hoodie with me, for me to take apart and use for my Claudia outfit. I bought the hoodie for another comfy layer to wear in my dorms, because I didn’t pack enough warm comfy clothing for just hanging out. Because of the obnoxiously bright white zipper down the front, I’m unwilling to go anywhere in it, and will continue to feel that way. I also have sweatshirts that I prefer sitting for me at home, I just didn’t bring them with me. So this hoodie is for destroying!

This is definitely coming home, hopefully in a more finished capacity.

This will also be taking the return trip, also in hopefully more finished capacities.Sadly, these boots will not be making the trip. They would have been perfect for my TARDIS costume, but because they’ve died a few times over, needed some glueing to be worn, and because I’ve added some extra layers of glue these boots likely wouldn’t make it through another season of wear. So they are staying.

And these will not be returning. I just wanted to see if you guys were still reading. As much as I loved my one euro IKEA slippers, they are a little too grungy to be part of my pack.

I’ve been wearing these adorable knockoff high tops, with a brown faux leather material. I find them fantastically comfortable, and mighty handy in the rain. Perhaps they will be my shoes for Claudia!

And this pair of skinny black trousers are probably going to be my bottoms for my Claudia outfit. They aren’t jeans, but thin-ish cotton, so it’ll be much better in the San Diego heat, and also much more in character with Claudia!

I have purchased many things here which shall definitely be returning. I’ve nearly overhauled my wardrobe. Still have a lot of black though… I guess that’s the issue with working in a theater. Black attracts me like dust to a figurine. But I stopped buying black clothing halfway through the semester! Baby steps.

This is my third attempt at repacking, and I still didn’t fit everything yet…

Here’s to carrying a heavy suitcase home.

May 3, 2013

Yummies! Pancakes!

I’m taking exams for the next two weeks.

There is nothing like finals to make me hungry. I mean, I’m pretty sure I’m hungry all the time, anyway. But I feel that making delicious food is the best way to procrastinate on studying.

My first exam isn’t until Tuesday. Whyever should I start studying now! That’s four days early? Because I should, but… well, I’m not. At least not so far.

Last night I cooked up some chicken. My friends and I have been ordering large quantities of groceries, and predominately freezing the meat so we can use it later, so I have a freezer drawer filled with chicken and casserole steaks. So I used some of the chicken, but because I was defrosting it, I first immersed it in a soy sauce and brown sugar mixture, then filled the rest of the bowl up with water around the chicken. Maybe not the best way of marinading, but I was trying to avoid freezer burn! Because the living space I’m in doesn’t have an oven, just a hob/stove, I “fryed” the chicken, but it was just a frying pan with a lid. I forgot to flip the chicken, and it still cooked through deliciously! I ate it too fast to get a picture.

This morning I made couscous. I’ve never done so before, and I can’t imagine why I haven’t! If all I have to do is pour boiling water over the stuff and some butter and salt, why don’t I do so all the time? I can’t imagine. I have certainly been a couscous lover forever, but if I knew it was this easy to make, I would have started to make it when I was seven and first introduced.

And now I’m cooking that wonderful breakfast, or really every meal food, pancakes!

Because I’m running on low supplies, finishing up my last weeks studying abroad, I’m out of eggs, butter, and I’m almost out of milk. But that doesn’t stop me from my pancakes!

I’m tweaking a recipe I found through a Google search. Because Google is awesome!

My eggless pancake recipe, tweaked for the ingredients I have on hand!

Here’s the original: courtesy of Rak’s Kitchen

1 cup of flour

Dash of brown sugar, but definitely less than a tablespoon, because I’m a bad guesstimator

Dash of salt, about half a teaspoon

About one third of a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, because I don’t have baking soda

1 cup of milk – I had just enough!

About 1 tablespoon of oil.

(I also included some leftover loose tea I had. More on that later.)

Because I know how to follow a recipe, but choose to ignore it, I started with the milk. I then added the tea. It was apple flavored, and gave the milk a wonderful smell!

Then I added all of the dry ingredients, and finally the oil.

I let it rest for about ten minutes, as instructed. I used this time to whip up another batch of the dry mix, without the tea, for the next time I need pancakes, which may or may not be in a few hours. Hopefully tomorrow, but the convenience store around the corner is kinda open until midnight. Because I’ll need more milk.

Then I heated up the frypan with the most non-stick coating still present, and the least amount of metal scores, and then added some oil. Honestly too much oil, so temper yourself newbies. In fact, I really don’t like to oil my pancake pan, but because there is no real nonstick coating in this kitchen (it runs away with its coating tail between its legs in fear), I can’t do anything without it.

I cooked ’em up like normal pancakes, and then enjoyed them with my warm chocolate drink!

My first few didn’t come out all that good looking, but they still tasted good!

I say warm chocolate drink, because honestly, its not chocolatey or milky enough to be hot chocolate, and its not cold or chocolatey enough to be chocolate milk, so I have decided on warm chocolate drink.

And in regards to tea. I love tea. I tend to have more tea than other drinks. But sometimes a tea just doesn’t end up getting drunk. Or I’m in a non-loose tea friendly environment. The last time I used a reusable tea bag for my loose tea, my roommate threw it out. And that was mostly the end of my loose tea escapades this semester. I’m trying to use up some of my tea that isn’t my favorite. I’ve been trying to use up as much tea as possible before buying more, but that doesn’t always work out…

In hindsight, my tea idea was good, but I should hydrate the tea first, so I’m not trying to bite down on an overly dried apple chunk. Beware

And now I’m going to enjoy my pancakes and hopefully study!

Oh, and my obligatory costume update. These used to be dangles from some earrings my grandmother had given me, and they are going to end up on the shoulders of my miniature jacket for my TARDIS costume, as inspired by last week’s episode of Doctor Who. The machine making contraption… thing.

Anyway… Bye!

April 28, 2013

Good ol’ shopping!

Who doesn’t love shopping! Well, kinda me, but when I get goodies, especially lovely and gorgeous goodies, it all works out for the best!

So, I got lots of fun stuff, but I’ll be showing you the highlights.

Isn’t this button cool! It reminded me of Gallifreyan, and so I had to buy it, even though it was the last button in stock! If there had been more, who knows how many I would have gotten!

These are three throw pillow covers in a brilliant copper, with a suede pattern on the front of the pillows. It was so Tardis-y that I couldn’t stand it! Charity shops are fantastic!!

So I haven’t shown you this project yet, but it will become UFO number 2, upon return to the states, when I can get my hands on it to take some pictures! This is a stretchy lace shirt that I picked up to save some time and effort in finding the perfect lace and making a shirt top.

March 21, 2013

Lookee here!

I’ve gotten some work done on some of my costumes already!

Aren’t you so proud of me!

I managed to pick up some fabric from a fancy dress shop, and it is just the right color fabric for the TARDIS bustled overskirt, and maybe could also be used as a bow for my Belle dress. It’s a deep golden color shiny material, and though it has some holes in it, it is gorgeous.

I also got fantastic t-strap heels, in a lovely brown, which would be fantastic with my planned Belle dress, as the Belle in OUAT’s Storybrooke has a vintage fashion sense, and I do too.

March 14, 2013

“It’s smaller on the outside!”

By now, I assume you know about my Doctor Who obsession. Its just a small one…

I always loved the beautiful colors of the Eleventh Doctor’s TARDIS.

link

And yes, I do realize that he has a new TARDIS layout. But its much less pretty.

Doctor Who link

See?

Not really pretty.

Many people when cosplaying the TARDIS go for the gorgeous and timeless blue box design for the whole of their costume. Some have ventured into an inside design, but normally in way that still incorporates much of the blue box idea.

My plan is to make a Victorian styled Steampunk TARDIS costume, based on the inside of the TARDIS. So coppers and golds with a hint of the aqua and teal, with some steampunk flair.

This is actually a potentially ufo stashbusting exercise, as I have a mostly finished corset in the right color scheme and a bolero that is just a little too big for me. I haven’t yet checked the fit of the corset, but I still have the pattern, if it doesn’t fit right.

Please ignore the unintelligible scrawl. And the sketches in general, especially the left one. I couldn’t find a manageable eraser to bring the skirt down. Its no longer the plan.

So here is the plan:

Bolero – I have already made it, but its just a little too big for me, and has sleeves that would not match in color. I’ll be taking the Bolero in, and changing the sleeve color. It currently is a brown and pink combo, so it will end up being brown and aqua.

Corset – Also made previously. I haven’t checked the fit, and it was my first corset ever, so I’ll be forgiving if it doesn’t fit. Its a deep gold, with a raised floral pattern. I made it from an upholstery fabric sample and a thin canvas. Its a simple underbust corset from a pattern I drafted myself. I haven’t inserted the grommets yet. and have yet to find lacing. I’ll probably start with shoelaces.

Shirt – Because the corset is an underbust one, I’ll obviously need to wear a shirt underneath, for going out in public. I’m planning on using the same fabric as the sleeves for the Bolero.

IF the corset does not fit, and the pattern is way off, its possible that I’ll just construct a boned bodice instead.

Bustle Pad – I’ll need to make a small one. Don’t know how yet, as I don’t want to buy a pattern for one costume, but I’ll figure it out

Petticoat – If you watch enough of the Doctor’s TARDIS, you can see that the area below the console platform is covered by wells of a black liquid, and the console platform is a light blue, so I’ve decided to make a petticoat out of black and light blue fabric. Or I’ll find some way to stiffen the skirt otherwise. It gets hot in San Diego.

Skirt – 6 paneled skirt to imitate the 6 paneled console, and it will have an inch and a half of fabric between the panels. The front of the skirt will be framed by panels, not divided by two. The panels themselves will be a coppery gold, and the fabric divisions will be an aqua color. I want it to be a fairly full skirt, but not a majorly massive skirt, like a ballgown. The bottom hem of this skirt will be decorated with gears and sequins, to imitate some of the small features of the TARDIS.

link

My favorite style years base on this diagram are 1847, 1877, and 1897, and my skirt will reflect one of these.

Bustled Overskirt – I love the shape of a draped overskirt, at least in the back, and so will be adding a bustled back overskirt… because I can. I’m planning to use this tutorial for the most part. Without the bat wings.

Gloves – I’m planning on buying or making evening gloves that reach to the elbows, in a warm copper color.

link

Hair – Luckily, I already have red hair, which fits into the colorway I’m working with, and I’ll be styling it into a modified hairdo based on one of Madame de Pompadour’s hairstyles in her episode of Doctor Who. You can see a peek of it in the gifs above!

Shoes – While I’ve been here abroad, I’ve bought a pair of boots that would work perfectly for this outfit, but as they were inexpensive and on sale, I’m not sure they will make it long enough to wear for Comic Con. If they don’t I always will have my TARDIS shoes to fall back on, and it will require less packing if I use the TARDIS shoes.

Necklace – Because I am a bead artist, there is a need to wear a necklace whenever possible, especially when I get dressed up. My necklace here will be based on what I think is the coolest part of this TARDIS. The time rotor. The time rotor is the whooshy thing that moves up and down, and this time rotor is made up of what look like stacked glass bubbles. Its lovely, and deseves to shine in a necklace format.

Props – I’m definitely planning to make a sonic screwdriver pen, based on this lovely tutorial. Look at the awesome pictures she has of hers! Who wouldn’t love to have one of those? I’m also planning on a project to take an old book and put in a swimming pool. After all, “There’s a swimming pool in the library!”

link

Cape – I’m also planning to give homage to the traditional TARDIS blue box, in the form of a cape. It will be another elbow – waist length cape, much like the one for my Belle outfit, and will feature the sign on the right side of the cape, and the Police Public Call Box on a ribbon around the hood.

So that’s that!

Got any suggestions or helpful hints? I’m all ears? Or eyes, cause I’ll be reading them… Whatever.

March 4, 2013August 25, 2022

I’m totally not being… hypocritical.

Not at all.

But I had to tell you about my fantastically big project, that can’t even really happen until I return home from my time abroad. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t (completely) planned out this massive project. Well, I guess its kinda four projects in one.

I’m going to Comic Con, or at least planning to. But not this year. No, that would require much more extensive planning, as it would only allow me to have one month of actual sewing machine and fabric time before the Con. I’m going to Comic Con 2014, as it will be both a celebration of graduating and becoming what society believes is an adult (of which I am never quite sure of), and it will be a reunion with some of the friends I’ve met while abroad.

But really, let’s face it, that’s not the exciting part. Going to Comic Con means that I have a reason to make extravagant and unnecessary costumes. So I’m making extravagant and unnecessary costumes. Because I can!

Drumroll please! (dzdzdzdzdzddzdzdzdzdz)

My first, and most elaborate, costume will be a Victorian Steampunk dress that recreates the inside of the Eleventh Doctor’s TARDIS.

(link) (ETA – this link is now broken)

Ain’t it purdy? I love the magnificent color scheme and how it all works together to bring up the fun and free spirit that exists as the Eleventh Doctor.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, watch Doctor Who. You have approximately fifty years worth of episodes to watch, but I’d definitely watch the newer stuff if you are a newbie. Its not only more colorful, but it has better special effects and monsters.

I won’t burden you with a sketch, at least not today, if ever. But its going to be awesome

My second project will be a recreation of the dress Susan wears at the end of the Prince Caspian movie in The Chronicle of Narnia series. Typically its called her Farewell Dress, as she says farewell to the land of Narnia.

(link)

Its a two part outfit, with the white underdress and the blue boned overdress.

I’d also suggest watching Narnia, if you haven’t seen any of the three movies. They have amazing landscapes and effects.

My third costume will be a fall/spring dress inspired by the Belle of ABC’s show Once Upon A Time.

(link)

In the fairy tale land, she is the Belle we know from legend and the Disney movie, but is a little more, well, kick ass. Her Beast is Rumplestilskin, which I find great, and she goes on adventures and saves lives.

(link)

In our world, she is just finding herself, and tends to gravitate towards cute, though rather bookish and vintage – inspired outfits.

So my dress will combine the two, so I have a pretty dress that I can wear without it being a costume.

My final project is to make an outfit inspired by the fantastic Claudia of Warehouse 13

(link)

This will be the only project that will require the least amount of sewing, but in theory could also involve the least cost involved, if I hunt for good deals on accessories.

For each of these, I’ll be posting about in its own post. First, though I promise I’m going to be working on a post about one of the ufos I have with me. Now I just need to charge my camera…

So in conclusion, I’m insane. This will be a set of stashbusting projects, but it still isn’t quite planned to include ufos to finish it.

Also, watch all of the above. They are all great shows, which is why I watch them of course!

March 4, 2013August 22, 2022

Why, hello there!

Hiya!

I’m here to admit that I have a bit of a problem. Well, maybe its grown to be more than a bit.

I craft too much.

I’m just naturally a craft-oriented person, and love trying new things. Which has led me to do many fun and new things.

But I have this tiny itsy bitsy issue. I have a problem actually finishing crafts before starting new ones. Needless to say, I have a lot of ufos lying around.

I have realized that the only way for me to work on this issue is to air these projects to the public, and work to finish them.

Of course, I’ll still be working on new projects, because I really don’t think that is going to stop. I have accepted that.

I’m currently studying abroad, away from my stash of ufos at home. This is probably a good thing. However, I’ve also been planning a big, massive, and incredibly not-ufo-stash busting project. This is most definitely not a good thing, at least for my ufos. I’ll let you in on that project later.

I did… I maybe… I kinda did, though… bringafewofmyufoswithme. You’ll get to meet those soon.

By the way! You may have noticed that my blog has the name Annabelle on it. Annabelle would be my alter ego, if I truly had an alter ego. Annabelle would finish all the projects that she started before beginning another one.

In parting, I thought I’d leave you with some of my recent finished projects. Mostly just to make me feel better about, well, unfinished projects.

I’m a big Doctor Who fan, which you will likely hear more about in the future. To be fair, I’ve only really seen the new Who, but I’m working up to watching the classic stuff. But the new stuff is absolutely fantastic. So I made TARDIS shoes.

I’ve been making quilts for over eight years now, but I have only made a few for myself. The ones above I’ve made specifically for myself. I have made a number of quilts, though, for an amazing organization called Quilts For Kids.

Glossary – AKA In case you didn’t know, or in case I’ve made up a word, which happens quite often.

ufo – unfinished object

TARDIS – time and relative dimension in space – and/or go watch Doctor Who.

Give me a shout out if you come visit this post!