Prototype: Harley's Harness

I don't know what else to call the convolution of leather straps Harley wears in Arkham Knight, so I'm going to call it the harness, because that's what it feels like.

Instead of jumping right in and cutting up all my (expensive) leather, I thought it would be a good idea to make a prototype to make sure all my measuring was correct and that everything looked right when it was attached where it was supposed to be.

I am SO GLAD I did that, because I realized (1) one of the pieces needed to be eight inches longer because I should attach it to the underbust strap for stability, and (2) I need TWO overarm straps, or the back pieces have nothing to attach to on one side. So this was a very valuable exercise and I should always do it when working with expensive-to-replace materials.

So this is part of my prototype, which I made out of the same packaging foam that I used to cover the lights for Iron Man. (That stuff came in VERY handy this past week!) I labelled everything with a Sharpie so I'd know where each piece went and how long I cut it (and if I needed to add notes like "add two inches" or something, I could write it right on there). Then I taped everything together, including the (not yet spray-painted) O-rings where needed. I made marks on the tape where I'd be adding snaps or elastic or Velcro so I'd know what I could and couldn't un-tape to get out of it. (I would be the person who makes an absolutely perfect piece and then realizes she can't put it on or take it off.) And from doing the prototype, I discovered that there's one less place I need to add a fastener (it will slip over my head after I undo the collar piece), which is awesome, because I expect that to be quite a pain.

I've cut the leather now (and I have ONE spare belt blank in case I need to re-cut something) and painted the edges red, so everybody cross your fingers and hope that it all fits together the way it did in my prototype!

Tulle Time

For the underskirt poof for Harley, I decided to make a no-sew tulle skirt; it seemed like the easiest route. This means I need lots and lots and lots of 2"-ish wide strips of tulle. Fun facts about tulle: it likes to grab onto itself, the slightest breeze or hint or static electricity sends it flying across the room, and white tulle is kind of hard to see in the poor lighting I have in my craft area for now. So I came up with a solution.

Since I had a cold a couple weeks ago, we only had like two tissues left in this box. So I pulled them out and stuffed all the tulle strips inside, so I can pull them out one at a time as I tie them onto the elastic for the skirt, without having to fight back a pile of them or knocking some of them to the ground to taunt the cat. And here it is in action:

I also labelled it on the side so Birk doesn't accidentally throw it away in an attempt to be helpful and clean up. The label includes the length in case I forget before I buy more tulle (I need about four times what I started with) or misplace my notebook with all the measurement notes in it.

Cosplay: The Reason You Had to Take Geometry

Yes, kids, I'm sorry, but the reason we all had to take geometry in high school was because some of us were going to use it later in life, and, not knowing which of us would become engineers and architects and designers and cosplayers, they made us all learn it.

What's that? You think cosplaying doesn't use math to the extent that architecture does?

Pictured below: My afternoon.

How many pleather straps do I have to make? How long are they?
Make sure they're all the same width, and don't forget the seam allowance.
Oh, and how did you measure them? Because that makes a HUGE difference.

I'm not great at 3-D geometry... Birk had to get involved to show me how to
make all the straps attach to each other. Drawings were badly needed.

This would have been the first of at least a few attempts at the red bracer if
Birk hadn't reminded me of some basic geometrical concepts.

You can see the failed attempt at geometry on the bottom of the page.

It turned out right... so far. There's still a lot of math,
sewing, grommeting, lacing, etc. to go...
and that's just for one forearm of this costume.
Just wait until we put the whole top together.

Scarlet Witch Bracers

I'm pretty proud of these. I thought they'd be easier than they were, then once I got started, I thought they'd be impossible, and then I finished them. Chronicled here is the saga of making the left bracer (I didn't take pictures of making the right one, but it did turn out better because I had the practice of making lefty under my belt).

This is the biggest difference between lefty and righty:
On the right one, I sewed down the edge where it was going to
meet the zipper. I kind of forgot that this fabric does actually fray.

All pinned down and fitted. Time to sew!

The zipper foot is my new best friend. Changing presser feet wasn't nearly as hard as I expected.
(I had never done that before. And it took me a few minutes to figure out which was the zipper foot.)

Fabric is sewn to the zipper, just have to hem the top and bottom now.

Bracers make me feel like a bad-ass. Because I am.

Clearer shot of the finished product. The other difference between
the left one and right one is that lefty is a little looser (because of the fact
that I folded under the edges of the right one before sewing to the zipper).

Modeling with the jacket (cardigan) I'll be using for this costume's first public appearance.
(The leather jacket is a bit too warm for June. I'm committed, but I'm not stupid.)

Dr. Horrible (Evil League of Evil)

What a non-starter. I got everything together for my Dr. Horrible in time for AwesomeCon, but it was 90 degrees in DC, and I just couldn't subject myself to that kind of torture. Call me undedicated if you wish, but at least you can't call me hyperthermic.

At any rate, I have everything I need for a closet-cosplay of Dr. Horrible (post-acceptance to the Evil League of Evil). And I have plans to adjust the pieces to make them more accurate for later attempts (in cooler weather). I'll make the goggles fit into a piece made from chemistry goggles (so I can still remove them and use them for Ramona Flowers or other characters), I'll change the lab coat to cross the chest and fasten at the shoulder, and I'll add an embroidered red Caduceus to the lab coat, too. Plus, I want to make the arm-mounted gun (?) he has at the bank heist during the instrumental of "Everything You Ever."

But for now, this is what I've got:

Me...

...Neil Patrick Harris.

Me...

...Neil Patrick Harris.

Just me.

Edit to add:

I almost forgot to mention it, but this is my first crossplay!