2011 in Review

Clothing

Leopard Jacket

The first completed piece of 2011. This jacket was inspired by RTBU (still one of my favourite ebay shops). Considering that I'd only ever completed a single costume and a few smaller pieces before, this jacket turned out very well. I lined it with fleece for warmth, added a secret pocket on the inside, and failed to comb the fur out of the seams as Threadbanger had advised (though I have combed the fur to restore the jacket to its former fluffiness)

St Patrick's Hoodie

A very hastily made project. I took it in far too much, and I should have put ribbing on the hem. Still, it was a fun little number, and will probably be resurrected as a cat beanie.

The T-skirt

Inspired by a tutorial on Threadbanger. Very simple piece and fun to make.

Star Dress

Yay for Burdastyle patterns. Easy to follow, and fits well. the only thing I would change for next time is to make the skirt longer, maybe add some details like pleats or pintucks.

Costumes

March Hare

A quick costume prepared for an art party. The trousers and waistcoat are my favourite parts. The shirt is a little disappointing: it remained rigid, and doesn't look half as nice as I hoped it would. transfer paper would probably have given me better results. I made two pairs of ears, and sold both at conventions. They were popular, so I think I will have to make some more.

Babydoll . 1

This costume was a lesson in Murphy's law. The top was the wrong colour, the material for the skirt wasall wrong, and the headband was a mess. As was the wig. Not to mention the scabbard and holster. We live and we learn.

Lady Gaga: Red Leotard

The leotard. It was easier than I thought it would be. Or perhaps jersey is a very forgiving fabric. Anyhow, this costume was a blast to wear, and a lot of people called our skit the best one there.

Babydoll .2

Much more accurate. The skirt was made using Secret Life of a Bionerd's tutorial: the best explanation of box pleating that I've ever come across. Sadly I subsequently shortened the skirt too much (the remnants of the skirt saw life as the infrastrcture of my green velvet corset) and the costume had to be scrapped.

Sailor Mars

I thought this costume would be a nightmare but it wasn't half bad. I think the main nightmare was sweating over whether to order leotards or not. In the end we went with cotton t-shirts, which I think was very successful, and we finished sewing most of our costumes over a day's sewing. we saved a lot of time by making dirndls rather than pleated skirts.

Rei (Mars school uniform)

I don't think I've ever posted this one. This is Rei's school uniform. Quite simple to make. I already had the grey top, so I sewed on some buttons. The skirt is a length of jersey, loosely pleated and sewn to a waistband. The Sailor Collar is jersey and felt with a red stripe painted on.

Babydoll .3

So far the most succesful version of this costume. Using cotton drill gave it the exact effect that I wanted. Shame I sewed the sleeves on upside down.

I also cosplayed Jessie from Pokemon, but I have no photos of it.



Steampunk In Green

This was made by altering a shirt and a skirt. The only thing made from scratch is the corset. I'm quite proud of the corset, though it turned out very different from what I had originally envision. I used plastic boning, but it laces quite tightly, and is very comfortable to wear.

 This corset is for sale if anyone is interested.

Sweet Pea

I'm so proud of this costume. This was my second time working with leather/pleather, and this time I was successful. What took the longest was the muslin (I made half a dress from an an sheet and cut it until I got the right shape) and hammering in all the eyelets. Why do I love eyelets so?

Sally

The final costume of 2011 (very Christmassy). Sadly I missed the local cosplay photoshoot, and with exams looming I'm unlikely to be getting good pictures of this for a while.

Accessories

Steampunk jewels

Based on a superb tutorial that I found on deviantart. I changed them from the original so as not to be a copy cat (no gears, for example)

Ramona Flowers' bag

I've always liked this bag, and this colour combination: very weird, considering how little I like pink. Since I recently ruined a white hoodie, I might create a Ramona Flowers cosplay (I'll need to re-do the skirt: the one I made from old jeans was too tights and too short)