Diana's Otakon costume is done! She elected to go as the Queen of Hearts from "Alice in Wonderland" (the original Disney version, not the Tim Burton remake). The costume has three parts: a knit undershirt, fitted bodice, and color-blocked skirt, all drafted with PatternMaster. Her accessories include a crown, a flamingo croquet mallet, and a small hedgehog.
The most difficult part of this whole project was keeping track of which side of the costume I was working on, as the colors keep switching back and forth.
Back view:
The bodice isn't boned; just closely fitted and interfaced with Decor Bond to help hold its shape.
Diana created her "croquet mallet" all by herself, by modifying a standard lawn flamingo. She added a dowel for the legs and painted the whole thing to look as goofy as the ones in the animated version. Our neighbor lent us a little toy hedgehog to use as the croquet ball!
The crown started out as a cardboard cone from Michaels; she cut it down and painted it, and it is held in place with a headband.
If she gets tired of holding on to the flamingo, here's how she can carry it:
The only thing left to do on her costume is add a skirt hook to the waistband of her skirt.
Our "dress rehearsal" will be tomorrow morning, and then we head to Baltimore to pick up our badges (it has to be done in person). Then we'll head back home, get a good night's rest, and be up at some inhumane hour Friday to get into our costumes and head for the convention!
The most difficult part of this whole project was keeping track of which side of the costume I was working on, as the colors keep switching back and forth.
Back view:
The crown started out as a cardboard cone from Michaels; she cut it down and painted it, and it is held in place with a headband.
If she gets tired of holding on to the flamingo, here's how she can carry it:
Down to the wire
I've still got a few little details to attend to for the costumes, but it's a short list... just six things. However, one of those things ended up consuming the entire day as I had to rip the thing apart about six times because I just kept getting the orientation wrong. But the end product is worth it, and I'll take pictures tomorrow.Our "dress rehearsal" will be tomorrow morning, and then we head to Baltimore to pick up our badges (it has to be done in person). Then we'll head back home, get a good night's rest, and be up at some inhumane hour Friday to get into our costumes and head for the convention!
Wonderful outfit. And I just noted that the Queen's dress has some elements of the MD state flag. Hope you both have fun.
ReplyDeletePerfect, just perfect. Diana looks terrific, and the accessories complete the costume. You're all going to be a big hit at the convention. Have lots of fun.
ReplyDeleteDo you sell your patterns? Love the Queen of hearts!
ReplyDeleteKimberly, thanks for the kind words! I use PatternMaster Boutique to generate all my patterns, and I'm not permitted to sell or give away the patterns I make with the program. Sorry!
DeleteHow does that program work...does it have basic pieces you mesh together or do you do all of the drafting?
ReplyDeleteYou enter your measurements and choose the design elements of whatever it is you're trying to make (bodice style, sleeve type, collar, etc.). It then prints the pattern out (on regular paper), you tape it together, and make the item. If you go to http://www.wildginger.com, you can download a demo that will let you play with all the features; it just won't let you save or print. But you'll discover just how versatile the program is!! And the customer support is awesome. No, I don't work for them... Just a very, very happy customer!
DeleteHow did you make the flamingo croquet mallet? Would love a list of what you used and instructions!
ReplyDeleteDiana started with a standard lawn flamingo. She removed the metal legs, then made a hole by the tail area and inserted a wooden dowel. She used an air-dry modeling clay (the lightweight stuff from Crayola, meant for kids) to make the knobby knees. The whole thing was then painted pink, with beak and eye accents along with black to outline the wing details. Pink craft foam was used to make the feet, which were simply nailed into the end of the dowel. Hope this helps!
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