I was not sure that I would actually restart my blog, however with fixing my phone so it can take photos, and all that has happened in the last month I think it is now time 🙂
I will stick to health and costume updates alone.
This shows the newly secured vinyl floor in place (just boot weight until I can get hold of firmer) and the old floor (that is all resin splash over or paint on the floor! Not worth getting it cleaned but it may be worth replacing the flooring anyway as the fibres are brittle.
Back left corner is now tidier!
Maleficent is back on my to finish this season pile 🙂 I got excited about finally finding products I want to make the wings and then I realised I need to bring this project back from the UFO pile 🙂
Made all of that from 8.5m of fabric! In two pieces at that!
Both of these are remake projects- the red gown with black borders a remake of my CLeves gown 🙂 I have the wool and linen dresses in good condition so really wanted the fancy dress to match 🙂
The construction and shaping are both so very different that I am enjoying the challenge of going from one to the other, and is even inspiring me to work on a project I had also left alone for many years 🙂
 Sigh, the gown is closed up the front, but the stress folds do look like there is a facing on each side of the seam.
Nice view of the very molded and defined shape at the back of the headpiece. Very twilek in shape of the back of the head, curves up to an adze shape at the crown almost.
There is a very defined flare as a separate piece in CB. Also, I adore Aurora’s Ophelia gown. So I left her in this grab. I’m sad few people are wanting to do this costume as it is so beautiful. I’m not 15 so… Mal is more me 🙂
The train may be about a foot too long. But I’m not sure how to take that in without seriously affecting the rest of the gown.. though…. possibly by unpicking the seams I will be able to angle in and stretch the pieces to shape. I think everything else is fine as it is. The sleeves are a little big as well. Basically I left a hem a good 10cm too long so it threw everything off scale 🙂
Meanwhile I am wearing stretchy jeans and am actually happy with them 🙂 Had to lower the seat so I could hitch the waistband over my hips (I hate feeling like they are falling off.)
Photos are processing. Horns worked this time but there is a bump that won’t come out. Even with heating so I will have to wedge a solid shape in there. Pity I hacked apart some styrofoam that would have been great.
I had suspected but a few images put together really do reveal this quite clearly.
If you watch the Awkward Situation clip you can see how the train skims the ground without folding or dragging. If you watch the edge of the train as she goes up the steps it even catches and springs just like a hooped skirt. If you have ever worn hoops or a cage crinoline with flat steels/plastic it wibbles a bit like a jellyfish.
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Note how the front edge of the train stops, it doesn’t just pull like fabric under tension it moves like there is a wired edge. And in movement the edge then springs forward once released from that first step.
Here the train is caught on the last step but this is mainly to show the front of the gown is not also stifened. It does have a fairly deep hem which does has some sort of facing but it still flows. It also looks like Angelina is wearing platforms to add to her height- note how the toes push the fabric out above hem line.
You can also see the wired edge also extends in to the seam where the train is sewn to the gown. This makes sense to help support the full train. Having now made mine it is very heavy indeed.
This then explains why that seam appear to be top stitched or otherwise additionally reinforced in other images.
So I had a look at stills again and they do also support the idea of a supported train. In the still below (screengrab) you can see how the train edge is under a lot of tension, but also there is a mystery “bump” near the join between the leather and shell fabric- it does not correspond with the step or any fabric componant of the gown. This is most likely due to a support underneath lifting off the ground- as she is turning this makes sense.
And in this still you can see a ridge that follows the main curve of the leather. And even where the layers are caught to the support hoop in the 2nd to left panel.
So a U shaped hoop on the bottom of the train and two gently flared strips inside the front edge of the train. Imagine a curvy scoop. To make mine I’ll be making a tube of fabric to tack to the underside of my train. And a wrapped facing on the front edge. Then wrap three layers of plumbers coil with sports tape to insert just before putting the entire piece on. I will have to use temporary fastenings to hold the ends in place so as to be able to remove them for convention safety!
I have also just overdyed a huge metal zip (possibly for a sleeping bag) so I will have a super mega firm fastening that will survive the pull and drag of this train. Then I can cover it with a spine.
And even more, scroll backwards for images from the meet and greet.
So from the recreation:
The gown is less full but is made from a knit mounted over a more stable fabric. The sleeves have extra details to reflect the original gown (deep wedges/notches at the hem of the front of the sleeves.
The headdress appears all in one and has more sculptural lines on the leather parts.
The collar sits wider, possibly not hooked to the choker, which is what I suspect may be needed.
The choker has a centre front seam.
The fabric is not purple but the lighting was used to make it so- another nod to the original.
The hem of the gown and the train is not as large as the original. Makes sense having just tried to wrangle the back alone….
There are skirt gores and they are similar to the ones in the Game of Thrones Westeros gowns. But narrower! There is a sculpted detail like a tail that covers the top of the gores and appears to go through in the recreation, it appears flatter in the original so may just be butted.
The back has a spine of some sort. Probably to cover a zipper- a good quality metal zipper as per the burlesque corset reblogged the other day 🙂 I’ll attempt a sculpted urethane piece.
