I've done a few craft projects in the past couple years (See the bottom of this page) but mostly I've been busy with work, life and other such trifles. Plus, since 2012, we've lived in a beautiful place, so I want to go outside all the time.
However, this year I created a costume for Erin to wear to Emerald City Comic-Con.
Here's the final product:
And here's the run-down:
The costume is based on a one-shot holiday special, see an excerpt here: http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/1317677.html
Everything but the gloves was created more-or-less from scratch. The gloves we bought at Burlington Coat Factory, and just pulled out the fleece lining so they wouldn't be so warm.Most of the suit is based on this pattern:
The pants I basically just followed the pattern:
The red fabric is a nice rich color that doesn't come through in this photo. I chose a microsuede to give it a little soft texture while keeping the weight light and comfortable.
I altered the coat pattern to close up the back instead of the front, and added a fur collar (the pattern calls for a standing collar in red).
More details:
The bat-symbol was of course the hardest part of the coat, and the most important to get right. I traced it onto pattern tissue paper from a Batman T-Shirt, and very carefully transferred the design to the back of the fur.
I did a bunch of tests of different ways to attach the symbol:
And the straightforward tight zig-zag stitch acting as an applique won out.
The boots are just boot-tops made out of a black fake leather, probably the least successful part of the costume. I just altered the McCall's pattern to come to two points in the front instead of having a fur trim.
The mask/cowl presented a problem. We went through a bunch of ideas and a few trial runs before Erin said the magic words: "Attach the bat-ears to the hat." And then everything fell into place.
The ears themselves are thick craft foam, doubled over and glued, then tacked into the hat. The hat is just built off the McCall's pattern. The pom-pom has some weight to it, I filled it with stray fluff from cutting up the rest of the fake fur!
Erin doubted me when I bought crushed panne velvet for the cowl, but it was just the right color, and I just used the shiny side as the inside.
This design I just free-handed by pinning it to Erin's head inside-out. The panne is so stretchy that it works fine.
The mask was the last piece to be finished. It's a separate piece, not attached to the cowl.
I bought a full-face mask and trimmed off the bottom section - it was the only way to get the line I wanted. I think I also enlarged the eyeholes a little. Unfortunately, the costume shop only had full masks in white, so I also painted it. The 'nose' is craft foam.
I am particularly pleased with the utility belt.
Originally we were going to buy something, but that fell through, and this is a better piece than we would have gotten anyway. I found the perfect color in a duck canvas, and the rest was a bit of trial and error to get the best size and shape for the pouches and weight for the belt.
The snaps are the kind that come with a tool and you attach them with a hammer, not needle and thread.
I added these channels on the back so that the pouches are free to move along the belt, and the buckle is just a heavy-duty buckle from JoAnns.
For some of the time, Erin wore a Santa beard, but it was really uncomfortable, and he looks great without it.
Maybe next year I'll be better at scheduling and make myself a costume too!
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