Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Almost there

It's been a very busy and stressful few weeks. This year's halloween costumes are almost finished. Here's the breakdown with reference pictures, and progress shots if I have them:
Harley Quinn: 100% complete
Shoe covers, over a pair of pointy ballet flats



Joker: Still needs to be hemmed, but it won't be worn this year :(


Robin: 100% complete

Ivy: about 80% complete. The second layer of leaves needs to be sewn to the corset, and a few leaves sewn to the bodysuit
Corset, most leaves sewn



American McGee's Alice London dress: 100% complete, sent off to new owner

Vampire Princess Miyu: 100% complete, sent off to new owner


Generic Musketeer: about 80% complete. Puffy shirt needs to be made, and a closure sewn to the cape.






For those curious about what patterns I used:
Harley Quinn: pattern from Holly Messinger on etsy (HIGHLY recommended. She also makes the costumes if you aren't handy with a machine). I tweaked the sizing to better fit me (more room in the bust, and longer legs), and for the booties I traced the sole of a pair of ballet flats and made shoe covers instead of slippers. Gloves/mask/BANG gun were purchased.
Joker: Shirt and Vest were McCalls 2447, no major changes (sleeves lengthened), good patterns. Tailcoat was McCalls 6143. This will take major alterations to make it acceptable. The sleeves and midsection will need to be lengthened. I made the lapels wider, changed the bottom front edge to be slightly pointed, and reshaped the tails. The pattern doesn't include a lining (basic costume coat) so one will need to be added. I also added interior zip pockets. Trousers were McCalls 4745, overall good pattern, uses a button fly instead of a zipper. I had to take in the waist A LOT (he's super skinny) and lengthen the legs. I also added side seam pockets and back welt pockets, and lined them fully.
Robin: The green shirt was made using Kwik Sew 3029, just had to lengthen it, very simple. The trunks (briefs) were Butterick 6377, an out of print Batman pattern. I was originally going to make the shirt and trunks a bodysuit, but realized separate pieces would make bathroom breaks easier. The red tunic was drafted using a tutorial I can no longer find (sadkitty) for drafting renaissance doublets. Pretty much they have you put the dressform or human into an old button up shirt and pin it all over until it fits like you want. Then cut off the excess and make a pattern from it. I'll update this if I can find the link later. The cape was also Butterick 6377 but with the points cut off and the from pieces cut twice to create a facing. I also made a collar from McCalls 2447 for the neck of the cape. The belt was just a long strip of fabric cut to the right length, closed with velcro. I painted craft foam (the 8x12" sheets) with gold paint for the buckle and details, then just sewed them on by hand.
Ivy: The bodysuit is Kwik Sew 3445. The sleeves are solid beige rather than having the glove look. Corset was Laughing Moon 101. This is an excellent corset pattern. No changes were needed, but I used a zipper down the front for easier dressing. For the gloves I used Butterick 5370 view D (left off the extensions).
Alice: Shirt was Butterick 5525 view D. I folded out some of the fullness of the sleeves on the pattern, then added a couple inches of length so they'd be just below elbow. I ended up lining the bodice of the shirt because my fabric was a bit sheer. The skirt was Butterick 3134 view B. I used the waist yoke from New Look 6873 and added a pocket on the right seam (the zipper was on the left). A basic petticoat was made by gathering rectangles of fabric together. Example: The first rectangle is on the top, 2x as long as the waist measurement (say 29" x 2 = 58" long), the rectangle below it is 2x that length (58x2=116"), and the third/bottom rectangle is 2x that length (116x2=232"). Add an elastic waistband and you've got a petticoat! The apron was drafted by hand, just sketching out the basic front shape until it looked right and adding the long ties and the front 'skirt' piece.
Miyu: The only pattern used for this was Simplicity 4080. I cut the length of the kimono body down to about 40". On the side that would be infront, I extended the neck band to the hem to match the character. The sleeves were shortened, and elastic added to the edge to be just above elbow length. A separate neckband was sewn to the inside to simulate the red under kimono Miyu wears. I left out the boning for the obi (and only used the obi piece, none of the support or bow or drape) and instead interlined it with fleece for some stability. The bow was hand drawn, and loosely made following this tutorial to get it to stay upright. I used two layers of craft interfacing basted to the inside back of the bow, and sewed four snaps to hold it to the obi.
Musketeer: My younger brother decided last minute that he wanted this costume. Thankfully it's a quick one. I'm completely using Simplicity 2334. He chose fabrics to match the one with the red cape, except his shirt will be white, and the cross gold. It's a decent pattern for a quick cape/tunic/puffy shirt. If you can grab it on 99cent special I would. He bought a hat and sword. The only changes I made were to leave off the trim on the cape and tunic, and the lace on the shirt. And to add four inches total to the width of the tunic. My top stitching and hemming were done with gold thread on the tunic for a little contrast.

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