5 posts tagged “aprile”
The Shadowloo Group came together splendidly this year at Anime Expo 2007. Unfortunately, two of our Dolls that were carpooling to the LBCC got stuck in massive traffic after work and were unable to make it in time to the shoot. Ah well, we still had the majority of the Dolls and I am glad I was able to be a part of it. :) At any rate, I present to you: Aprile of The Shadowloo Dolls!
Remaining Tasks
Sadly, my room mate left the digital camera in the men's bathroom of Downtown Disney so there will not be any suitable picture updates for a little while. :( As much as this makes me one sad panda, it is not enough to stop my rampage of progress! This weekend I progressed on three costumes!
On Saturday I went to the Los Angles Fashion District (which I have been making a habit of going to every weekend for the past month) and collected the necessary supplies to begin constructing my Rose Bernstein costume. My first purchase was a farthingale, which sent me into a fit of giggles because I have always found them rather cool and have wanted one for quite some time. A farthingale, for those of you that are unfamiliar, is a conic skirt worn underneath your visible skirt in order to give it that super poofy look that is otherwise very difficult (if not impossible) to attain. Luckily for me, farthingales are "collapsible" so it's fairly easy to store.
Next we browsed around for both the red and black fabrics needed, which we found with relative ease. However, locating suitable piping that matched the color of the red fabric proved slightly more difficult. In the end, I found some beautiful corded piping that was just the right thickness and color at the back of one of the last fabric stores that we popped into before the district started closing up shop. I'm going to deviate from the chronological order of events for a minute so I can discuss the progression of items as they come up. I think it should be easier to follow that way. ; )
Later that night, I created my muslin mock-up for the waist cincher and subsequently cut the fabric for it. This was my first time working with boning (the name at which my friends incessantly displayed their mirth when I declared that I had run out and "needed more boning") and I found it to be far less intimidating than I had initially thought. I decided to sew the boning to the interfacing rather than to the fabric so I could hide the seam lines and work on a more solid foundation. It worked. : ) In my haste to complete the waist cincher, however, I finished the edges on the lower portion when I had meant to do so to the top. Needless to say, that lead to seam-ripping goodness. : P Tonight I plan on attaching the outer skirt to the waist cincher and finishing up the eyelets and piping. But I digress.
Now back to the day at hand! Finding a suitable base for the tiara was far more difficult than I would have imagined. There was an over abundance of Quinceañera tiaras displaying their shimmering "15" smack dab in the middle. I would have preferred to have gotten one without a "15" emblazoned on the front, but if all else failed, I always had my power tools handy. :D Luckily, we ducked into one final shop before heading out and found what we were looking for! I brought it home and spray painted it the correct color. Now all I have to do is replace the old cubic zirconium with the correct red color as the entire tiara had initially been entirely white/silver. The search for the tiara was mighty frustrating because I swear that vendors in the LAFD act more like car salesmen than they do shop owners. Ugh!
Remaining Tasks
Following our exhaunt of the Fashion District, we headed over to an army surplus store where I bought an old ammunition box and medical rucksack to convert for my Aprile cosplay. I got some nicely textured, matte spray paint to give it more of a grungy feel rather than having it gleam with fresh paint. All that is left to do on that is the detailing! For the rucksack I went through four bottles of So-Soft Fabric Paint and have still yet to complete the painting! I anticipate getting that all wrapped up tonight though. :) Which means that the only thing remaining for my Aprile cosplay are the gauntlets (which will also be used for both my Delta and Alpha Cammy) and the shortening/thinning of the tie. Can't wait until completion!!!
The last cosplay that I vigorously pursued last weekend was one of my few "secret projects". Shhhhh!
>_>
<_<
I focused primarily on the dying for that project, after three separate dying sessions came out utterly fabulous! This Secret Side Project of mine is now completed and ready for shooting, which is scheduled to happen this weekend. All that is left is picking up some blonde hair extensions and I'm good to go! This project is never likely to appear at any con; it was more something that I did because I found it too humorous to pass up. Besides, I think Stefan will get a huge kick out of it, too.
COMPLETE PHOTO SET SCHEDULED TO BE UPLOADED MARCH 19, 2007
- Underskirt
- Overskirt (10% complete)
- Waist Cincher (50% complete)
- Tiara (80% complete)
- Bow
- Wig
Sadly, my room mate left the digital camera in the men's bathroom of Downtown Disney so there will not be any suitable picture updates for a little while. :( As much as this makes me one sad panda, it is not enough to stop my rampage of progress! This weekend I progressed on three costumes!
Next we browsed around for both the red and black fabrics needed, which we found with relative ease. However, locating suitable piping that matched the color of the red fabric proved slightly more difficult. In the end, I found some beautiful corded piping that was just the right thickness and color at the back of one of the last fabric stores that we popped into before the district started closing up shop. I'm going to deviate from the chronological order of events for a minute so I can discuss the progression of items as they come up. I think it should be easier to follow that way. ; )
Later that night, I created my muslin mock-up for the waist cincher and subsequently cut the fabric for it. This was my first time working with boning (the name at which my friends incessantly displayed their mirth when I declared that I had run out and "needed more boning") and I found it to be far less intimidating than I had initially thought. I decided to sew the boning to the interfacing rather than to the fabric so I could hide the seam lines and work on a more solid foundation. It worked. : ) In my haste to complete the waist cincher, however, I finished the edges on the lower portion when I had meant to do so to the top. Needless to say, that lead to seam-ripping goodness. : P Tonight I plan on attaching the outer skirt to the waist cincher and finishing up the eyelets and piping. But I digress.
Now back to the day at hand! Finding a suitable base for the tiara was far more difficult than I would have imagined. There was an over abundance of Quinceañera tiaras displaying their shimmering "15" smack dab in the middle. I would have preferred to have gotten one without a "15" emblazoned on the front, but if all else failed, I always had my power tools handy. :D Luckily, we ducked into one final shop before heading out and found what we were looking for! I brought it home and spray painted it the correct color. Now all I have to do is replace the old cubic zirconium with the correct red color as the entire tiara had initially been entirely white/silver. The search for the tiara was mighty frustrating because I swear that vendors in the LAFD act more like car salesmen than they do shop owners. Ugh!
Remaining Tasks
- Gloves (attach gauntlets)
- Tie (prototype complete)
Following our exhaunt of the Fashion District, we headed over to an army surplus store where I bought an old ammunition box and medical rucksack to convert for my Aprile cosplay. I got some nicely textured, matte spray paint to give it more of a grungy feel rather than having it gleam with fresh paint. All that is left to do on that is the detailing! For the rucksack I went through four bottles of So-Soft Fabric Paint and have still yet to complete the painting! I anticipate getting that all wrapped up tonight though. :) Which means that the only thing remaining for my Aprile cosplay are the gauntlets (which will also be used for both my Delta and Alpha Cammy) and the shortening/thinning of the tie. Can't wait until completion!!!
The last cosplay that I vigorously pursued last weekend was one of my few "secret projects". Shhhhh!
>_>
<_<
I focused primarily on the dying for that project, after three separate dying sessions came out utterly fabulous! This Secret Side Project of mine is now completed and ready for shooting, which is scheduled to happen this weekend. All that is left is picking up some blonde hair extensions and I'm good to go! This project is never likely to appear at any con; it was more something that I did because I found it too humorous to pass up. Besides, I think Stefan will get a huge kick out of it, too.
COMPLETE PHOTO SET SCHEDULED TO BE UPLOADED MARCH 19, 2007
Remaining Tasks
- Hat (prototype complete)
- Gloves (attach gauntlets)
- Tie (prototype complete)
- Armband (80% complete)
- Medic Box
- Medic Bag
I finally got my wig stands in so I was able to begin styling my wigs. Sweet. :) Looking at this picture again, I see some things that I will need to touch up the day of the con. For example, the back is looking a bit flat and there are a few unruly wisps around the crown of the head.
Styling Aprile's wig took no time at all. I'd say a maximum of 15 minutes. All I had to do was section off where I wanted the curls to fall and then work some hair putty in with my hands. I only used a slight dab because I didn't want it to appear caked on and gross, which I have seen done all too often with wig styling. I made sure to curl upwards while applying the hair product so I wouldn't have to apply and then style. I found combining the two saves an extra step.
Next, I sectioned off a piece of the bangs and cut it to come to a tip. Applied a bit of hair product and when I was at last satisfied, I added a final coat of hairspray to keep everything extra snug in place.
I like how in the front view you can see those few extra sprigs of hair so it doesn't look flattened and too round. The extra dimension makes it look more realistic and less "wigish". That night we also braided Ivy's Decapre wig. I learned that braiding wigs that extend all the way down to the calf of the leg is quite the feat! I had some trouble with it and didn't want it to knot up so Angela came in and finished the braids. She did a miraculous job I must say and the braids came out looking very splendid! I would post a picture, but it is not my work or cosplay and thusly not my place to do so. Credit where credit is due and no more, ya know?
At any rate, I am going to Sally's Beauty Supply tonight to pick up some more extensions and the like. Muze's K.O.F. K' wig came in and was sort of disappointing; the hair was thinning so badly that you could see not only the wig structure underneath, but Muze's real hair as well. Obviously this will not do. :/ So tonight is sort of our effort to fix that. That and Jo Ann's Fabrics is right next door. :D
Styling Aprile's wig took no time at all. I'd say a maximum of 15 minutes. All I had to do was section off where I wanted the curls to fall and then work some hair putty in with my hands. I only used a slight dab because I didn't want it to appear caked on and gross, which I have seen done all too often with wig styling. I made sure to curl upwards while applying the hair product so I wouldn't have to apply and then style. I found combining the two saves an extra step.
I like how in the front view you can see those few extra sprigs of hair so it doesn't look flattened and too round. The extra dimension makes it look more realistic and less "wigish". That night we also braided Ivy's Decapre wig. I learned that braiding wigs that extend all the way down to the calf of the leg is quite the feat! I had some trouble with it and didn't want it to knot up so Angela came in and finished the braids. She did a miraculous job I must say and the braids came out looking very splendid! I would post a picture, but it is not my work or cosplay and thusly not my place to do so. Credit where credit is due and no more, ya know?
At any rate, I am going to Sally's Beauty Supply tonight to pick up some more extensions and the like. Muze's K.O.F. K' wig came in and was sort of disappointing; the hair was thinning so badly that you could see not only the wig structure underneath, but Muze's real hair as well. Obviously this will not do. :/ So tonight is sort of our effort to fix that. That and Jo Ann's Fabrics is right next door. :D
Remaining Tasks
Last weekend Ivy and her pregger-belly came over to work on our Shadowloo Dolls cosplay. We got quite a bit accomplished, including securing two more dolls: Santum (Cheri Dozier) and Juli (Serina Reitz). I think the two were very well casted and am very pleased that two of my non-cosplay friends are now being sucked into my merry little world of addiction. :)
But I digress...
We cut the keyholes out of the backs of two more bodysuits, which takes about an hour each because you have to measure, cut, and hem the bodysuit while it is being worn by another individual. Much Kids in the Hall was watched during this time. Hee hee hee.
We also accomplished drafting a pattern from a military hat that was disassembled and then resized to be dainty rather than, you know, jainormous. The pattern was drafted out of muslin so it could be reused for all twelve hats that need to be made (as well as Cammy White's in an alternate color) and then put into effect. We got a sort of assembly line going between the two of us as she cut out the interfacing and I focused on cutting out the fabric itself. We cut them in pairs of two in order to save time. The rotary cutter and mat helped speed this along.
The hats were then basted to the interfacing to prevent any mishapping from occurring and meticulously pinned together and subsequently stitched. Being as the hat made was just a prototype, I plan on making the next batch with a few minor adjustments. They are:
My set of gloves were also resized to better fit my hand, but it took all of two seconds to do. I simply cut directly below the seam line and re-stitched the 2-inch band on top of the base for the glove. Simple (although not pictured).
I'll likely be keeping updates on the progress of both Santum and Juli as well, seeing as I am making and storing these costumes for them to wear for the con. Neither of them sew, but were gracious enough to fill the spots for the characters anyways. They are both willing to stick around and essentially apprentice for me, which is great. All in all, progress on this is occurring swiftly and with little to no setbacks.
- Hat (prototype completed)
- Gloves (attach gauntlets)
- Tie (thinning and shortening)
- Armband (40% complete)
- Medical Kit (paint)
- Backpack (bleach and paint)
Last weekend Ivy and her pregger-belly came over to work on our Shadowloo Dolls cosplay. We got quite a bit accomplished, including securing two more dolls: Santum (Cheri Dozier) and Juli (Serina Reitz). I think the two were very well casted and am very pleased that two of my non-cosplay friends are now being sucked into my merry little world of addiction. :)
But I digress...
We cut the keyholes out of the backs of two more bodysuits, which takes about an hour each because you have to measure, cut, and hem the bodysuit while it is being worn by another individual. Much Kids in the Hall was watched during this time. Hee hee hee.
We also accomplished drafting a pattern from a military hat that was disassembled and then resized to be dainty rather than, you know, jainormous. The pattern was drafted out of muslin so it could be reused for all twelve hats that need to be made (as well as Cammy White's in an alternate color) and then put into effect. We got a sort of assembly line going between the two of us as she cut out the interfacing and I focused on cutting out the fabric itself. We cut them in pairs of two in order to save time. The rotary cutter and mat helped speed this along.
The armbands were only worked on in a minor way. We took the measurements for all of the girls that were available and cut out the vinyl in the appropriate sizes. It seems that there will be a tad more time spent on these than I initially assumed. The reason being because of the thickness and stickiness of the fabric. My feed-dogs are having a hard time pulling the fabric through, which I hadn't anticipated, even with the stitch length at the maximum length available. I have my stitch length setting at 5 and the stitches more closely resemble a setting of 1. So I have to be extra cautious to not make crooked hems while pulling the fabric through.
- Resizing the top
- Adding piping along the flap
- Adding loops to the lower-inner hem
- Hemming the bottom as one hem instead of two
- Leather inner lining for further stability
- Hand stitching in certain trouble spots
My set of gloves were also resized to better fit my hand, but it took all of two seconds to do. I simply cut directly below the seam line and re-stitched the 2-inch band on top of the base for the glove. Simple (although not pictured).
I'll likely be keeping updates on the progress of both Santum and Juli as well, seeing as I am making and storing these costumes for them to wear for the con. Neither of them sew, but were gracious enough to fill the spots for the characters anyways. They are both willing to stick around and essentially apprentice for me, which is great. All in all, progress on this is occurring swiftly and with little to no setbacks.
Remaining Tasks
- Hat
- Gloves
- Armband
- Medical Kit
- Backpack
I have just ordered the wig for my Aprile costume. It should arrive in a few days. Once it arrives to me, I will be taking a progress picture. I'd update more in depth, but I am mega sick today. My body feels like it is trying to turn itself inside out. No good. :(
Boo to failing health.
