Potential Projects for 2015

Definitely Making:

Asuka Langley Soryu (Neon Genesis Evangelion): Cos' it's 2015 and Third impact is due, so why not? I like Asuka. She's awful, but so much more relatable to me than Shinji. This costume will be difficult to make. I've never worked with this much spandex, but hopefully things will work out.

Female Titan (Attack on Titan): Actually did most of the work in 2014, but the legs are much too pink. I need to repaint them :( Also, I need some proper facepaint for this one.

Sakizou's Juliette: I was fortunate enough to find affordable velvet (albeit stretch velvet), so no excuses, I'm making it. I'm going to adapt a Regency costume pattern for this one.

Natsuki (Summer Wars): Hopefully I'll be going to Eurofurrence. I don't really want to wear a fursuit, so this seems like a good compromise. I also like Natsuki's character, and the striking design of her Oz Avatar

Maybe
Astrid from (How to Train Your Dragon 2): Astrid is fantastic, and one of my favourite characters. I love the design, and I have a weakness for fur.

Captain Amelia (Treasure Planet): Love that coat. Yes, I'm that shallow. Though Amelia is a great character.
Xena from (Xena Warrior Princess): Xena's another fantastic character. She's only on the maybe list because I'm not sure if I can make the armour.

Summary of 2014 Projects

Better late than never, eh?

Non-costume Projects: I think black and grey was a theme this year
Aristocrat Dress: Kind of a disappointment. It's too long, and not very flattering. It would look better on someone taller for sure. The skirt sure if ruffly, though
Hooded Dress: Very pleased with this one. I had to take it in over and over again, but it fits snugly. This dress is now for sale: https://www.etsy.com/listing/161668088/grey-patterned-hoodie-dress?ref=shop_home_active_2 

Black Gothic dress: urgh, I should have put a side zip in, and made the waist smaller. Also, the grommets all split. 

House Stark Bag: Made this for a private client on etsy who still hasn't got back to me. If anyone wants it, let me know. 

"Historical"

Two Twenties inspired dresses (now sold). The beaded dress was a labour of love. I spent at least 24 hours in total beading the darn thing. The satin dress on the right was also a challenge. The material frays easily, and slips all over the place.

Bring on the costumes

Daenerys "Khaleesi": Simple to make. I followed Threadbanger's tutorial. I used a sack-cloth type material for the top, loin-cloth, and overskirt, a thin suede-like material for the belt, and made the belts from craft foam and card. I think if I made another Daenerys costume I will tint this wig blonde: it's just too white. Sold.

Retro Catwoman: Didn't actually wear this costume because it's was too revealing. Sold.

Bombshell Harley Quinn: I altered a lot of pieces for this, and used up all the jersey in my scrap box. It's a cute costume and I love it.

Fionna the Human: Another costume where I bought and altered the clothes. I made the bag (gave to a friend), hat, and socks (a bit loose on me)

Rat Queen: I am so proud of this one. i made just about everything. I've never made a corset with a busk, and this was mostly successful. The busk is a bit tricky to close because the cloth on the knob side is a bit too thick.
Sailor Mars: Remade this costume because the Sailor Moon voice cast visited Malta Expo. Very popular costume. It was interesting working with lycra. I would love a serger though, because it's difficult to move knit material through the sewing machine. I had to sandwich the pieces between lengths of tissue paper to get it through the machine. Sold.

 Madame Vastra: Another costume where I made most of the pieces. Won a prize with this one :) Now for sale in my etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/listing/208400395/madame-vastra-costume-and-prosthetic?ref=listing-shop-header-2

Lady Loki: Walkthrough

The main reasons I made this costume:

1. I love Loki

2. There's a bunch of fabric that I needed to use up. Below is a picture o this green silk that I have. It's a bit stained, but I think that works for Lady Loki. I also had some whitish fur scraps and gold satin.

The first and simplest step was making the fur collar. i made a paper template and fiddled with it until it look right, then cut out the fur pieces and sewed them together. I made a mistake when cutting the fur by using a rotary cutter. It sliced through the hairs and now the back of the collar looks very choppy. I need to try evening it up.

Next came the bustier. This is a Burda style pattern. The lining is gabardine, and I used an old tablecloth to add structure to the bust. The bones are plastic. The outer layer is green silk.

For extra glamour, i added gold bias tape and laced the bustier closed with gold eyelets and cord. The fur collar is attached to the bustier with hooks and eyes. I forgot to take pictures, but there's also a loin cloth with this costume, also made of green silk and gold satin. I need to alter it so that it's adjustable.

 Finally, the armour. I kept it simple: just a helm and bracers. The helm is foam, wire, cloth, paper mache, and a bit of polymer clay on the horns. There's a wire structure in the craft foam to help it fit my face. There's also wire and foam in the horns.

There's also wire in the bracers. I thought they would be able to hold their own shape, but I was worried that they would fall off. I added eyelets and ribbon to help hold them on.

This costume was also meant to include a cape, but I got lazy.