Well here it is, Monday again. 3 weeks and some change until Dragoncon.
In the realm of things that are annoying me currently — I realized about 2 weeks ago that I only put in for Thurs & Friday of dragoncon to be off, somehow I missed the Wednesday. Not a big deal, I went in and added it… but still has yet to be approved. I’m going to give it a few more days and then i guess email my boss and give him a nudge.
Anyway. Last week I put the finishing touches on this beast:
My biggest beef with it at the moment is that the trim on each of the points looks too soft and rounded, but that’s the best I could do with that metal trim.
I added a felt backer to it last week which is what made it really feel finished.
My plan was to spend Sunday finishing up the sewing parts of Padme – putting a hook and eye on the skirt, sewing the hook and eye closures on the vest and getting the beaded piece attached. I didn’t do any of that, but we’ll get to it.
I ended up spending most of this last week working on Jessica.
Got both of the sleeves finished up (except for the beading)
And I realized I misinterpreted the netting on the head/upper body – I thought it was 2 parts, a part attached to the headpiece that hung down onto the shoulders, and then the sort-of crop top with the attached sleeves. So that’s the way I started making it. Then I was looking at pics again and realized the head and upper body thing are all one piece, so I scrapped the upper body part you see above. I had 30 more yards of the trim coming so I just needed to wait on it.
It’s amazing how much of this trim this project has eaten up. I started out with 40 yards which I thought would be PLENTY but all that 40 went into the sleeves and the (scrapped but unfinished – it was only the front) shoulder piece. I had to order another 40 to finish this (the last 10 is delivering today and it’s just going to be back-up). I used 30 of the second shipment on the new head-piece alone – there’s maybe 2-3 yards left I’ll easily use up on the face portion when I get to that.
I also finally finished up the dress — got the zipper installed, closed up the shoulder seams on the inside and hemmed the whole thing.
It took me 2 days to hem this – but I kept doing it in about 15 minute segments to keep my back from killing me. (I like to hem things like this while they’re on the form) So I’d do 15 minutes then go do something else. Then another 15 of hemming.
I did add 2 wrist loops to this – one at the very back of the train and one on the side seam. I am thinking about experimenting with a magnetic bustle. Just making a tiny pocket for a magnet that I can sew into the seam allowance of the dress right under the zipper – so there wouldn’t be any stitches showing on the outside – and then another at the end of the train on the seam allowance. then I could magnet the train up when walking – if anybody still steps on it it’ll just come undone without ripping anything and easily put back up.
Also been thinking about ways to bustle or hold up the trains while moving but need to get the headgear finished first.
Started painting the shoes but the suede is just soaking up the paint. Took 4 coats on the one that’s finished – was only able to get 1 coat for the other shoe out of the bottle I had so I have to go get another bottle of this paint.
The dress with the shoes, I AM TALL. The shoes make me 5 inches taller which isn’t really accurate but I LOVE BEING TALL.
I am going to take a backup pair of shoes in case these end up being too hard for me. I have a pair of wedge boots I’d cut off at the ankle for Johanna and ended up not using – think Im just going to spray paint them gold and take them as a backup.
I finally found the energy to get the dragoncon bin out. We tested it in the new car yesterday to make sure it fit ok and still have room for Ash. All good. If we have to leave something behind it’ll be the mini fridge.
Cutie
Oh I did do something else on Padme, I forgot. I decided to hand-sew some leftover bias tape over the raw edges on the inside of the vest. From what I can tell the original has the raw edges out but I just didn’t like it so I started doing that. Got about 75% done so just need to finish it.
Saturday Chase did a headshot workshop at the theater he shoots at pretty frequently. I had to go along to assist. We were up at 7am, got down there at 8:30, huge load-in of backdrops, lights, power cords, etc. It took us a good hour and a half to set up. Then he had folks showing up every half hour or so for photos – from 10:30 to 4:30.
I wasn’t really needed during the shooting so I dragged my dressform with it and hid in the corner and worked on beading the sleeves most of the day.
That night we were so exhausted we both fell asleep on the couch after dinner.
But I got myself up to at least get a few things done – the last 30 yards of my trim showed up so I got that dyed so it could be ready for the next day, then started working on a base for the Jessica head netting thingie.
Doing this one the same way that I did the sleeves, though much more difficult than a sleeve shape —
Flying nun!
Made the base out of some tearaway stabilizer. I got it this far Saturday night then started again on it Sunday.
Didn’t expect to spend ALL DAY on it Sunday but here we are. (Which is why I didn’t get anything done on Padme)
i got the shape dialed in a little more Sunday morning, then drew some guide lines on with a sharpie.
Even though I was machine-sewing this, it took HOURS. Literally I was working on adding the trim from about 11AM to 3PM, with a break for lunch.
looks like a medieval torture device
Then I got to spend another 3 hours removing the tearaway stabilizer. THAT absolutely killed my back and neck.
Freed of the stabilizer.
Now I have to clean up all the ends – I got the lower front done last night, will keep working around the lower edge today and then clean up around the face and top of the head.
Then I get to bead this too. So much beading in my future over the next 3 weeks.
I did also get a start on the base of the headgear. But I was having some technical difficulties (namely why does worbla heat up only in the center and not on the ends??) so Chase is going to bring his heat-gun up to my sewing room to help me because he thinks that will work better than my hair dryer LOL.
Anyway let’s update the to-do list:
Padme:
attach panel to vest
Closures on the vest
do whatever I’m gonna do to the shoes
paint headpieces
assemble headpieces on headband
make hairpieces
paint armbands
(shoes are going as-is. added armbands because I forgot it on previous lists)
Jessica:
Put zipper in dress
paint shoes
hem dress
assemble crop top beaded thing
bead that thing. I need a name for it
make frame for face jewelry
bead that thing too
Luke:
Closures on poncho
Hem tunic
Closures on tunic
make wraps for shoes
assemble jacket
Leto:
Figure out the jumpsuit
Not bad. Just gotta keep pressing on.
Oh and I guess I have to drag out my mask-making stuff again. I was really hoping we were past that but alas. I really only need to make one – everything I’m taking already has a mask that will go with it. Jessica is the only one that doesn’t, I can use the grey one I made for Raddus bridge to go with Padme packing gown. I think I’m just going to make a nude one to go with Jessica.
Also it never fails, right before dragoncon EVERY YEAR I get a hankering to play the sims. This year it is 100% because of the new high school expansion pack and I WANT IT! I told Chase to get it for me for my bday please.
And also speaking of things I plan to do after dragoncon… about 2 weeks ago (maybe closer to 3?) I did buy fabric for a costume I was hooooooping to squeeze in for dragoncon but yeah that’s not happening. (There’s something that happens between the end of July and August 1 – at the end of july I’m always like “I got plenty of time” and then I hit August 1st and it’s like “nope, no I do not”) But the fabric is coming from China so it’s still not here yet, but it will be soon so I can jump into after dragoncon.
I’m not as stressed out as I was last summer. Last summer I was a mess because of the Padme Liberty Dies debacle and I really burnt myself out. I think this year will be better – so I think I will still feel like sewing stuff right after dragoncon and not needed a 3 month break LOL.