Quickie update, state of the Elsa, Maleficent and me.

Quickie update, state of the Elsa, Maleficent and me.

I need to leave soon to get the final of a three step vaccine. And next week have to go to hospital for a blood test (to make sure my body has not gone a bit skewy with the old cortisol and not producing any) which will take an hour and a half. Gah. But then I get to go to another lab and get tested for adrenal antibodies and then another for TB testing. Again! really!!!!!!!

So yes, my disease is nasty enough that we use hard core front line stuff that makes medical practitioners freak. Like this is seriously the sixth time I’ve had a test for TB of some sort (chest xrays, and the blood test before each request for these medications and then again once approval has been gained.)

I cannot have the skin test, again. We had them when I was 13 and with no follow up even though I presented with a rash for.. oh… a year after. So no. No we will not be doing that again. Mess with my immune system in some ways but not in ways I know will trigger an uncontrollable reaction.

Anyway so I’m possibly feeling the Mabthera slowing down/RA catching up as I have hot joints symmetrically across my body. So I’m slowing down even computer work.

So that gets me back to Elsa.

I have stalled her for a few reasons. First is above, second is all the Maleficent Feelz (I love me some flawed IPs I know, will post about it as there was a tumblr post that touched on it) and third is it is a hugely popular costume and I feel a bit worried about it all.

I don’t do popular costumes. I just don’t. So finding myself ranking high in google searches has made me pull back a bit as I haven’t even got anything cut yet. Well my tests yes.

But it’s also popular here. And with my moderate position of “power” I hesitate to do something in case a contestant is put off or thinks I’m going to be thinking “that’s not how I’ve done it” because that is not how the judging process works. And not how I work. I love seeing how people tackle engineering issues and come up with different methods :)

I also feel guilty because at each show this year people have been asking when I’ll wear Elsa and so again the Olde Guilty “I’m taking focus” thing comes in. But then I’m also excited when I see other people doing things I love so….

Anyway, I have just fired up photoshop and will also fire up the Scan n Cut website to see how I can get the snowflakes laid up and also how to vectorise them (I may need to reinstall Illustrator though I am just not good at all with it…) so that I can get them in to all sorts of portable files. And I need to see how small the knife will go so as to see if I can get sewing holes in my sequins 🙂 And I will hunt out some sample from other stores after all and see how they work 🙂 I’m more worried about the shipping and customs of 25kg of sequin film than anything.

 

Anyway, I now also have a partial head cast- for making a perfectly fitted set of horns and cheek prosthetics. I soloed it, which is possible but so not safe! I only did because I know the product (how hot it gets and heavy and how far I can push proportions) and my own levels of panic and how to do things in stages so there was no risk of being encased in plaster. So what I have are perfect ear molds, a nearly great back of head (it fits perfectly just has big gaps) and what is essentially the mother for a face mold. It’s too big (did upper and lower in two stages) and so I’ll have to fill it with something that will take fine detail and not stick to my face. Or be something I’m allergic to. I also learnt that my ears are seriously defined and not very squishy.

So salt dough/play dough is my current option. It’s also biodegradable 🙂 But I’ll have to make, press and cast from it in one day so that may be a day where I have people around to get some help (hold my mold while I strap it together! Smash my ears!

Anyway so massive mess has been sorted and that was after a day of social times where people cae

2 Responses to “Quickie update, state of the Elsa, Maleficent and me.”

  1. Meilin / 25 Jun 2014 3:34pm #I hear ya on Elsa popularity. But… If you love it and have invested so much effort so far (hello, sequins?) then just make the fricking costume already.

    TB test, gah. Even with a seriously compromised immune system I have trouble figuring out where you would pick that up. Better safe than sorry I guess.

    Reply

    • admin / 26 Jun 2014 12:13am #Unfortunately I do live in a high risk area- an area with a lot of migration and people with low vaccination rates etc.

      The effort invested so far is not so much that I couldn’t just pass the costume elements on and not be too far out of pocket (the experimenting has been a bit hit and miss.) I think it’s the specific way I want to do this and being burned out on corsetry having done so much historic stuff. But I have to remind myself this is more like testing out the 7 of 9 undergarment than yet another hourglass corset. 🙂 Yay spanks with a bra! Essentially. I want that effect of her dress being a floating layer- or two floating layers and the only way to do that is have the support completely separate from the gown and make the gown just barely skim. Difficult normally but extra difficult with a ridiculous wide lower rib, narrow waist and wide upper hip. There is so little room for vertical movement.

      Reply

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