Part of the iconic Cruella deVil costume is her fur purse:
For the last month, I've been haunting thrift shops and yard sales, hoping to stumble across a white fur purse, or some fox tails. No such luck. I was starting to worry that Diana would just have to do without a purse for her costume, when I ran across this little cutie at a local flea market.
It's a "FurReal Friends GoGo My Walking Pet." If you flip a switch on its underside, it barks, wags its tail, and comes to you when you call it.
"But wait," you may be thinking, "That's not a purse!" Very true. But I saw the lovely, long white fur and thought that maybe, just maybe, I could make a purse out of it.
(My apologies to all you dog lovers out there... but hey, it's a toy!!!)
Luckily, the fur was not glued onto the frame; it was held down by plastic flanges and cable ties. About a zillion itty bitty screws later, it came off in pretty much four pieces: the body, the head, and the two front legs.
And what was left after the fur was removed? This extremely creepy looking thing. We call it "Zombie Dog."
Now that I had the "fabric" for the purse, it was time to figure out how to make it all work. Diana and I figured it would be best to really make it obvious this used to be a dog: I kept the tail on, and added the two ears on top. The lining is some leftover silk dupioni, and I added a zippered pocket and a divider (as requested by Diana). For the strap, I was lucky enough to find a single long, white strip of leather in my stash. Once I had all the pieces in place, it actually went together quite quickly.
Looks like a puppy, right? I figured the ribbons on the ears was the finishing touch.
Here's the inside:
It's held closed with two magnets.
Diana has pronounced it "PERFECT!!!"
No, I didn't use a pattern... I was pretty much limited by the shape of the body as it came off the frame. The back side is a piece of shorter-nap fake fur as the dog didn't yield enough fur for both sides. But it actually helps the purse lay flatter against her body. I just free-handed the outline of the back and the insides; after all, this is for a costume and only has to last a few days.
So, one more aspect of the Otakon costumes is done. Next up on the list is finishing Jafar's headpiece. I'm hoping to make progress on it today!
For the last month, I've been haunting thrift shops and yard sales, hoping to stumble across a white fur purse, or some fox tails. No such luck. I was starting to worry that Diana would just have to do without a purse for her costume, when I ran across this little cutie at a local flea market.
"But wait," you may be thinking, "That's not a purse!" Very true. But I saw the lovely, long white fur and thought that maybe, just maybe, I could make a purse out of it.
(My apologies to all you dog lovers out there... but hey, it's a toy!!!)
Luckily, the fur was not glued onto the frame; it was held down by plastic flanges and cable ties. About a zillion itty bitty screws later, it came off in pretty much four pieces: the body, the head, and the two front legs.
And what was left after the fur was removed? This extremely creepy looking thing. We call it "Zombie Dog."
Now that I had the "fabric" for the purse, it was time to figure out how to make it all work. Diana and I figured it would be best to really make it obvious this used to be a dog: I kept the tail on, and added the two ears on top. The lining is some leftover silk dupioni, and I added a zippered pocket and a divider (as requested by Diana). For the strap, I was lucky enough to find a single long, white strip of leather in my stash. Once I had all the pieces in place, it actually went together quite quickly.
Looks like a puppy, right? I figured the ribbons on the ears was the finishing touch.
Here's the inside:
Diana has pronounced it "PERFECT!!!"
No, I didn't use a pattern... I was pretty much limited by the shape of the body as it came off the frame. The back side is a piece of shorter-nap fake fur as the dog didn't yield enough fur for both sides. But it actually helps the purse lay flatter against her body. I just free-handed the outline of the back and the insides; after all, this is for a costume and only has to last a few days.
So, one more aspect of the Otakon costumes is done. Next up on the list is finishing Jafar's headpiece. I'm hoping to make progress on it today!
I am completely torn between admiration for your cleverness and horror at your ghoulishness! Did the lining have to be blood red?
ReplyDeleteSeriously, though, great job!