A very good day

Today was actually quite magnificent really.

Found another big pink storage container- slowly getting a few as my bucket system is great for trims etc but most projects atm are BIG!

So after that I picked up two pairs of shoes from savemart as well as a sofa cover in faux suede, but the satinbacked stuff so is really  a peachskin. Frays like heck but sits so nicely. So that will be for Ahsoka

The shoes are for my elsa shoe makeover 🙂 Three pairs made into one perfect pair 🙂

I also decided to turn another three sets of shoes into two.

I also got Ahsoka’s montral cast. And they should cure overnight as opposed to a month for Shaak Ti 🙂 So if this works I may be able to help out some others by at least have an assemble your own kit.

But on top of this all…

Yesterday I managed the first walk I have been able to in over 6 months. I haven’t really spoken much about that as it really was just too hard to think about.

But today? I jogged. Not far, in short bursts. But I did it.

I hurt a bit. But most of that is muscular from not really moving much and some is still inflammation. The infusions are the best chance I have but they are still limited by my immune system just being so determined that it is right!

 

Photos of shoes and Ahsoka tomorrow as I am not really up to fighting WP media uploads right now!

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found them

Supplements from Der Bazar! I have a stack to go through and make a good proper post about, possibly a plage. I have terrible tagging habits so a page may be best.

Also I’m going to switch up blog settings to share “medium” sized thumbnails as the thumbnails seem to be smaller. I love this theme but it is now possible to put images inline now as well.

Anyway.

So the current list of things wot to make is ridic.

Mon Mothma -my current one has shrunk so if anyone 5’3″ and shorter is interested… I’d really like to have a slip on costume as I’ve got so many complicated layered costumes as it is.

Yes. That’s Genevieve. I was so looking forward to seeing her in Revenge of the Sith 🙂 So perfect casting in Rogue One is more perfect and established than many realise 😉

Leia Senatorial

(My apologies to the gif maker, but LOOK AT HOW BIG HER BUNS ARE!!!! Higher than her hairline and over the top of her collar. Onto her cheeks and extends past the back of her head.

I wore her to the Rogue One premier, it’s actually really pretty but the belt is real leather and has stretched so it sits on my hips which is wrong and incidentally makes it look like my waist is huge. I need to make the boots, in fact they are the sole (get it??) reason for wanting to finish. But I’m also happy passing her once I have Mothma! But the wig I made uses two price lacefronts

Senya Tirall.

Oh my goodness. In SWTOR my relationship with her has been tough but I’m so glad I made the decisions I did.  Just realised I have stretch twill in off white and grey that is perfect. I knew I had enough plastic but woo! fabric!

Please do watch, the expansion does pack a wallop too. There were only a few moments I felt locked players into having to do something- and they were intended to add variety- for my hands they were only doable after my infusion which had a lovely pre-med prednisone infusion and other help.

Just got some email in game from characters, they are pretty expressive too.

SPOILERS! But you can watch the opening cinematic and crawl to at least understand why I love playing so much! BTW I tend to play Empire but light side. I’m such a Granny Weatherwax! And I usually play from level 1.

Ahsoka Tano, Rebels era

Speaking of feels… Ahsoka grew up with the audience who followed her in TCW. Her leaving TCW was incredible. The story group respected her so much that her story was not predictable. Her last TCW story was familiar in real life. Who hasn’t had to deal with the accusation of “where there’s smoke….” So I may have related a little too well!

Anyway. I’m not 14 so grown up Ahsoka is a little more me! So far all the leather has been tooled and shaped. The sabers are being worked in Sketchup.

My montral are curing right now, I’m trying to do them in two parts to really control the latex thickness. More latex is on the courier truck right now. As of typing.

 

Right, it’s time to make, so my post is really about my current SW costumes. I also have a Padme Light Blue to remake. Need threads…

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Cards on table: current costume obsessions

I’ve been looking through my stash of fabrics with a calculating eye and have finally settled on a few absolutely desperate to make right now projects. Most of which use my stash in some way or another 🙂 This is all locked in and I have plans for what occasion each will be for 🙂

freya2 freya3 norma_shearer_-26

Freya from Hunstman: Winter’s War (robes and armour) & Norma Shearer from Upstage

The armour can be from my stash (so lucky!) so can Norma’s gown. It’s the robes that is currently making my brain itch because I need to calculate and create my patterns precisely.

But that slinky velvet. Obsessed. There is a preview that has survived and it’s at the NZ film archive! The skirt front of the gown isn’t so exciting but the rest is. And I have many options to adapt the front of the skirt. And a lot of research as slinky gowns abound in the 1920s.

mantuamol 76c655368e1abea996bf521c24afb1a3 kjole

An early mantua. 

These are illustrative only, I am trying to debate between my stash options of black ribbed silk or a shot pale blue polyester. 9m of each!

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Sheer 1870s

I have about 12m of cotton net. Now that I have my fluffy Robe de Style in lace I can put it all towards a fashion style that has had a dedicated folder for over a decade!

 

These are “new” projects. I am still working on my wall of things but these are mostly stash busting so really just a shifting around in my workroom 🙂

 

 

To finish:

Marie Antoinette: thought I’d forgeotten? AHAHAHAHAH! All my trims are here so time to start patterning and washing sizing out of trims 🙂

Cleves red velvet: this is long term hand sewing. And fiddly. But everything is put aside.

Valois: the skirt needs hemming and I am worried I have been rushing the stitches. Also the silk is insanely difficult to work with. I have scrap silk that is less difficult to try!

Silver Spanish: it’s lining, so much lining. I also took out some extra weight from the skirt to make it wearable.

Princess de Cleves: You’d think a doublet would be easy. Nope. But I figure I can couch some braid over the existing braid for some extra texture!

 

Hannibal gown: reassembly!

Phantom wedding gown: in storage with the Hannibal gear, no rush, but it is silly to leave it this long!

Mina: I have to make the lining absolutely perfect as the silk has zero stretch and all my bodices have had some stretch. I now have the same ripstop cotton as for the bustle so it will be done!!! For my birthday? Maybe…

Worth Sunburst: on hold, I did just find my 9m length of pale aqua silk chiffon so I may wind up with my own interpretation of the gown seeing as there are two extant versions already. Also I have glass pearls set aside and that is more of the Kyoto style than Met style 🙂

 

Ahsoka: lost a bit of steam on this. Still want to finish her 🙂

Mothma: my dress shrank :/ I’m thinking of passing on the fabric parts to just reset.

Darth Talon: New bikini is fantastic! ANd I do need new lekku. My 2nd set are just too heavy 🙂

Ashara: potentially be remade into my own SWTOR jedi knight Neimhaille 🙂

Nyreen: With Andromeda coming out and more female turians running around I dug out my robes for her that were about to be thrown out. So resizing them 🙂

Leia: my senatorial robes have just gone into the wash, I got new photos for my tutorial, and finally found a pair of soles that work! SHe has no heel, her shoes are made with that really gummy rubber and there are so many cool seams in her boots anyway.

Draenei: slightly on the back burner again. I have a habit of wanting to figure out how then figuring it out and then not really wanting to finish 😉

 

So at the heart of it I love patterning, and figuring stuff out, not so much the final stages. Ah well 😉

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scaling part 2

Whoops, I miscalculated yesterday. The figure is actually 135mm from heel to crown. And the saber definitely is shorter than inside elbow to knuckles.

So

x/168=23/135

x= 28.622

30492887806_b8d8f53d6d_o ahsokascalere2 ahsokascalere

So that actually works. I know this is shorter than in the show, and is shorter if I go by the same calculation of the concept art. That is by all the means possible- comparing the length of forearm or hip to knee or straight up measurement from crown to heel.

So I think if I go for 12″ or 30cm (probably 30cm as I can more easily work out wall thickness based on current 3D printer specs) I’ll have something that is as close to perfect as possible.

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Scaling funtimes

I’ve taken the concept art of Ahsoka and scaled her to my height- so 168cm from heel to top of head- so I cropped the montral off and the heels of the boots.

And I have checked head height is accurate, height from waist to should is right..

Her “big” lightsaber hilt winds up 34cm long! And yeah in the concept you can see it goes from about hip crease to above the knee.

It just feels very weird!

I’m going to check the scale on the figure because I don’t think they follow that proportion. The figure is about 125mm from heel to crown.

X/168= 21/125

X= 28.224

Hmmm. I wonder if I should just say 30cm/12″? I know one person has gone for 12″ and it does seem to be the middle ground.

I grabbed these images as screencaps, her arm and saber are approximately on the same angle, mirrored, and then in line:

ahsokascalere ahsokascalere2

I used a line tool for the length of the light saber then copied to a new layer and altered the angle to follow the arm.

In both cases they line up.

And that is as close to 30cm on me as can be fairly judged.

To note, the saber is curved, quite definitely so, but I have printed out and used my ruler to compare length from top to bottom along the surface and at right angle to the top. It’s very similar.

So, now that I have a dimension I am happy with I can actually start work in Sketchup!

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busy!

The next few months have many opportunities! As always there are the Special Children’s Christmas parties, then there is a couple of Steampunk shoots, also the Bal d’Argent, and the big Santa Parade (yep, you’ll see me there XD) and also there are some opportunities for next year that I’m just insanely excited for 🙂 Also of course Rogue One and N7 day 🙂

I have been watching my Ahsoka mold like a hawk, it is finally starting to dry! It’s still very fragile but it is drying out. It’s just past the point of being able to be trimmed!

I didn’t manage to check what leather I have, so I’ll do that again tonight.

I also am incredibly inspired for my Marie Antoinette and for a vintage gown I really would like to break out for the Very Vintage Day Out next year. I also know I will not, I repeat *not* ever wear that sunblock again as it just ruined my make up and hair and thus all the photos. It was supposed to be “oil free” and how that can possibly be allowed I do not know as the carrier is an oil. I think it was a silicone oil though. SO I guess technically… anyway, my skin and oil is just not good. Never has been, it basically burns my skin, doesn’t matter what kind. Maybe almond oil woild be okay. But even Argan oil can be a bit.. aggressive.

Right, so I’m going to go look at my mold, check for what letaher I have and also get the pvc pipe out ready to put my Ahsoka templates on 🙂 Going to make the armour from stuff I know I can heat shape and that won’t melt! Basically if it’s good enough for building structures meant to last for decades that’s when I’ll use it for armour 😉

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website and costume updates

I have been reuploading older content to my site 🙂 So now if you o to the menu above you’ll find costume genres rather than a full list of all costumes. This just makes it tidier.

In order to get those pages up I had to take my full sized photos and edit them all over again for modern devices. In the past I had to have small files for storage and bandwidth issues, but also for simply image editing! I don’t like using PS on my costumes but I have been able to rescue many unused photos by playing with image temp and saturation and new editing options mean that goes a lot faster!

The exceptions so far have been costumes from before my first digital camera.! I need to get those photos and digitise them 🙂

 

As far as costume progress is concerned I have demolded my Draenei horns!

The molds are a little brittle. This is fine, and what I can do is use them twice to get a working latex pair and then a pair of urethane semi rigid horns I can then back fill and tidy ready for 3D scanning and also better mold making 🙂 I also found a small pocket of air but luckily I know exactly how to fix that 🙂

I also found exactly what I was looking for in regard to hoofy base options. It comes under things like using AA paint on the body or contact lenses- I’m waiting until I can test their safety before talking about them!

Duty of care and all that!

 

I have to admit I am really wearing out physically to be making complex curved molds any more.

But I have Maleficent and Ahsoka molds to go.

So today I’ll clean the last of the clay out of the molds, get Maleficent properly sewn up and my Cleves gown.

And write up a few workshop proposals tonight 🙂

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Multiple horn making

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Currently working in three fandoms. While each set of horns is being made in clay I am using slightly different techniques to support them. I’m also hoping to find some way to scan these, though scanning is very expensive as there are very few people with them as opposed to printers!

The weather has continued to be very chilly, which is perfect for sculpting in oil based clay. Well for me 🙂 I much prefer carving so pressing clay, I find I have much better density control if I can carve.

Oil based clay melts in direct heat, softens in indirect and then sets solid when chilled.

When working with chilled clay I need to quickly wave a heat gun across the cold surface- our environment is very damp so a fine film of water can form which blocks the clay from sticking. When heated the surface gains a little traction and winds up bonding to the new clay much more firmly.

I heat my clay in a crock pot (dedicated!) and use a heat gun for spot melting. As this warms up and melts I can brush it on, as it cools down I can form hand molded shapes to press.

But the warm clay softens the cold so there is a limit to how long you can work before the bulk of the clay moves too far.

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