Finished Costume

I love how my costume turned out. I am very happy with it. The components were: the sweater, lab coat, scarf, green pants, red converse, and glasses. Also the pens in the pocket, ID, and her ponytail. If I were to do this project again I would make functional buttons on the sweater instead of using velcro. It was stiff and would have looked better if I had buttoned it up. I also didn't like how long it was, but I was glad I had the perfect color. Because it was a size XXL it fit me weird around the shoulders, but you couldn't tell with the lab coat.
The lab coat was great. It had a breast pocket for pens and a lower pocket to attach the ID to. I would have wanted it clipped instead of attached with bobby pins, but I made it work. I think that it wouldn't have made much of a difference if I wore a collared shirt under the cardigan, but it would have been really hot to wear all those layers, so I am glad I didn't add that.
I also wish my shoes were more red than maroon, but I chose to go with my personal preference for the shoes I will be wearing on a regular basis. I also wish I knew someone with an inhaler that I could have used.
I don't know how much time I spent. There was the class field trip and making the cardigan in class. The scarf I worked on in class and at random times during the day, but it was the longest part. I shopped online for the shoes, printed the ID, and finally dressed for (and participated in) the fashion show. The money I spent was close to $70 ($30 on loom/knitting kit; $20 for yarn; $5 on the cardigan; $15 shoes).
The challenges I faced were minimum. I wasn't very pressed for time. I needed a lot of help from Sister Dooley with making my cardigan. I also was frustrated with my scarf when it started to curl. I had already started making it with a shorter width, but the curl made it 1/3 of the width. I also didn't put tassels on the scarf, which I would have done if I had more time.
I am proud that I finished this costume and put it all together, but I am most proud of my scarf. It was the second thing I ever knit on the loom, but the first that I actually finished. Now that I have a kit, I am going to use it a lot and experiment with it. I also learned how important the little things matter. They add up to complete the costume's final look. It pays to go the extra mile.
I am going to miss this class and challenging myself and coming closer to Sister Dooley and my classmates.

Costume Progress

I am finished with my sweater and I noticed that there is a bit of a purple stain, but it isn't very noticeable. I am happy the costume department had the kind of buttons I was looking for and that they were all matching. I wish I had made the buttons functional instead of using velcro, but I'm glad I learned how to do that. It was hard sewing the buttons on over the velcro.

I am getting the hang of knitting my scarf, but I still have a long way to go. I have to be very mindful of when to switch colors, because they aren't all the same length.

I am not going to wear a collared shirt under my cardigan or make/find a bow tie.

Starting Costume Project

I am following the outfit Osgood wears in the first episode she is in, which gives the best impression of who she is as a character (at least at that point in the plot). To start, I have glasses and green pants for my Osgood costume. I also ordered dark red, converse-style shoes (which were about $15, but I also didn't buy them solely for my costume)
I plan on using a white lab coat from the costume shop. I'll put pens in the pocket and clip on an id that I can print out really quick and easy.





















I already started making the scarf, which is fun. The loom/knitting kit was just over $30 and 6 different colored balls of yarn was around $20. I didn't buy the beige color, so I just ignore it and lengthen the colors around it to compensate. I use one or two different pictures as a reference of what color and length to use, but I don't know how long it will turn out to be. I want to wrap it around twice, but because I made it with a shorter width I will probably make it long enough to wrap three times, like in the picture, to give it a more full look.
I bought a shirt at Goodwill to turn into her cardigan. I already cut right through the front of it and sewed along it. I plan to use Velcro and then sew on buttons.
Because I work on the scarf at different times of the day, it shouldn't take me long to finish. The cardigan will take hardly any time left.
One thing I would like to make to add to my costume would be a bow tie, either red or a black, but that would require a collared shirt, which she wears under her cardigan anyway, but I thought I could get away without having one because the scarf could cover it up. So it will probably just depend on the time I have and the availability of a collared shirt.
I am so excited to see the finished look!

Nearly sick of Aurora

I'm never amused when I'm picking seams...

 Saturday was a rough day. The neckline didn't lay quite as I had envisioned, and so there was an attempt to drop the neckline. What seemed like a quick hour project, turned into lots of seem ripping and too much time wasted. The lame wasn't very forgiving in the way it layed, and so it created a lot of puckering. I decided to keep the neckline as it was, and will hopefully go back at a later time and work on it.

Gathering the skirt was a tangled mess. 

Though there isn't yet a zipper, the dress just didn't appear as form fitted as I had anticipated. I felt like a gold blob. 

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures after Monday night. 

But on Tuesday, Sister Dooley and I were able to quickly construct some sleeves, I serged the lame lining as well as all the inside seams. To save on time, instead of whip stictching down the lining of bodice, I sewed it into the seam of the skirt gathering and then just finished all edges on the serger. 

It was amazing to me how many short cuts manifest when time is running out. Though I wasn't able to complete the dress, it was able to be worn for the fashion show. Success?

To still be completed: Hemming the entire dress.

Taking the bodice in a few inches.

Sewing in a zipper.

Dropping the neckline.

I'm super grateful to have worked on a project like this. I've learned so much about different materials, and now recognize that it isn't practical to begin sewing a gown with only a few days left until show time. 

Aurora Inspiration continues

I had no idea that this project would take as much time as it did. Going into it, I knew that I didn't have a lot of experience with the materials chosen, but I figured it couldn't be that different from cotton...hahaha...
And since I thought it would be just a simple gown, I also had the brilliant idea that creating a custom pattern and sloper would be far more original and exciting. I am so grateful I did, however creating the sloper took more time than I anticipated, and ultimately hurt the amount of time I had to sew and complete the project.

After creating the sloper and drafting it out on fabric, I was feeling pretty confident that the final outcome would fit really well. My biggest concern was the bodice due to how finicky I knew the lame would be. As for the skirt, it seemed easy enough with just having to cut big rectangles and then gather them in. 

But again, I underestimated it ALL. The bodice was tricky. The lame really loved to snag. And as for the skirt, it wasn't difficult, but in order to create a continuous effect on the material, the outside layer with the sequins was larger than the bottom two layers. Which resulted in having to gather them separately. Which then made it difficult to fit it to the bodice. 

At this point, it was still on fun and games....

Up next: What did I get myself in to?!

Costume Project: Aurora Inspired

While on my mission, I was shopping at Walmart on a Pday, and noticed in the Halloween section this sweet costume from the movie Maleficent. What caught my eye originally was her gold head piece, but upon returning home from the mission, and actually seeing the movie, I loved Elle Fanning's gold dress at the close of the film. I decided to make my own version, and quickly began scouring online fabric stores for similar materials. I ordered a variety of swatches and settled on a sequin overlay, gold lame, and a bemberg viscose liner. I originally thought the bodice would be entirely sequins, but after playing around with the swatches, Sister Dooley and I both agreed it appeared too flashy. 

Next step: creating a sloper!

Costume Project

 I have decided to change the wings for my hoodie, instead of doing tiny wings I will be doing bigger ones that come from the torso to the arms.

Just like with the tail I drew the pattern and then enlarged it for seam allowance. I finished the wings and then attached them to the hoodie. I had to redo one of the wings though because I sew it with the seams backwards, but afterwards everything turned out alright.

I made the spikes and ears for the top, but they didnt look  quite as I expected so I decided to keep them out of the final design.