Chell: Long-Fall Boots Weekend

I rewrote my to-do list for Tidewater Comicon this weekend, because I have a better idea of how I'm actually going to do most of the things. Here's the new list:

Some of the things have already been done now, at time of posting.

So I worked on the long-fall boots this weekend. They're one of the tricky parts of the Chell costume, and one that I really need to get right, or I'll sprain my ankles and fall on my face and get a concussion and who knows what else.

I nailed it at the thrift store. These boots were just about as perfect as I was going to find. Ten bucks and they fit like a dream:

First things first, I had to remove the studded/buckled straps from them:

Voila.

Then we took them to the house and used a Sawzall (okay, Birk's dad did, because he's helpful and knowledgeable like that) to take off the heels:

Some advice, if you want to try this.

(1) We started with a fine blade (which got through the metal rod/screw/nail/whatever runs up through the entire heel) then switched to a coarse blade (which got through the rest). It kind of melted the plastic of the heel a little, and it was pretty tough to get through.

(2) Don't wear flip-flops. You won't want plastic/metal shavings in your feet. Just trust me.

(3) Be INSANELY CAREFUL. The shoes were jumping around, and like I said before, the plastic melting makes it a little hard to saw through. One person holding the shoes down, another doing the sawing, and COMMUNICATE. Otherwise, someone is losing a finger and you'll have blood everywhere.

(4) Put something under the shoe while you saw. The vibrations rubbed the side of the shoe on the table, and you can kind of see the result on the shoe on the right in the picture. The other one turned out worse. I figure it's okay, because we're going to paint or Plasti Dip or something these things, but still, there was a genuine possibility that we were going to go right through the shoe and leave a hole in the side.

We didn't go any closer to the sole because we didn't really have to, and it was hard to be especially accurate, since - as I mentioned - the shoe and saw were bouncing all over the place. But I'm going to use a little Bondo to smooth everything out and make it look nice, so accuracy wasn't really essential.

I also used some packing foam to create a prototype/template for the foam part that will go around the boots:

I thought I was going to build boots from scratch.
After I got this far, I decided to go to the thrift store.

The finished template, with notes in case I don't get
back to it for a little while. I'll have to remeasure now
that I'm using the thrift store boots but it should be
close enough.

The current plan is to make those out of stiffer packing foam (not the EVA foam mat pieces), but only if Plasti Dip or Bondo will adhere to it, so I can get the shiny white look I need.

I also managed to finally hem the legs of the jumpsuit:

Still a little big, but taking them in will be a different day.

Harley's Bat

I was wandering through Wal-Mart this morning, trying to pick up some barcodes for Shopkick (we'll see how long I stick to doing that) and I found myself near the toy area. And I thought... "Bat." Nowhere near the "shopping list" part of my brain, but constantly poking at the ever-active cosplay part of my brain, I've been thinking I need to find a cheap wiffle ball bat or Nerf bat before the summer's over and they get harder to find.

To make this, of course.

So I found this at Wal-Mart, on sale for $4, and I think it's just perfect. It's a little kid bat, so it's shorter (and therefore less likely to bump into people at a con or get too heavy after several hours on my back) and it's made of that dense foam stuff so (1) it's not a weapon, and (2) it should soak up the paint really well.

Since it came with the ball, if I have the extra time and effort left, I might try to turn the ball into this:

(In her right hand.)

Truth be told, I think I'm more excited about working on the bat than on the outfit, because there's no sewing or patterning or measuring or mathing involved. Just look at a picture for reference, and paint.

Lights!

Okay, Beth is actually doing all the work on this one, but I'm still really excited that I just ordered these lights:

From here

Major bonus points to whoever knows what they're for!

Scarlet Witch: Rings

You wouldn't believe how hard it was to find silver stacking rings. Actually, I never really did find them, but I did find a great assortment of silver rings to wear as Scarlet Witch. They aren't exact matches; I'm just going for the general feel/look of her rings. I'm even keeping my wedding ring on, because it matches the theme.

That's 16 rings (including my wedding ring) and I actually have one more that I want to put above the knuckle on my right ring finger, but I didn't think to get it before I took the photos last night.

After many fruitless searches on Amazon, Google, and specific stores' websites, I finally just stopped at the mall on my way home from work. One very quick stop at Limited ($4) and another stop at Claire's ($20) and I had about twice as many rings as you see in the photos, so there was plenty to mix-and-match with. I'm also certain that some of them will come in handy in future costumes.

Scarlet Witch Jacket

The cosplayer inside me took over while I was watching Avengers: Age of Ultron. At least whenever Wanda Maximoff was on the screen. I want that jacket. I really want that jacket. And everything else she's wearing, but really, that jacket.

Turns out, there are lots of websites selling her exact jacket (if they can be trusted, and some look kind of sketchy) between $140 and $180. No thanks, I'll just make one.

But I can't do that in the next two weeks, so I need something in the meantime. The good news is, both of the things I bought this morning are things I'll wear all the time (like the boots I got for my Ramona Flowers costume... they were literally the only shoes I wore this January and February, plus I'll be using them for the Scarlet Witch, and Dr. Horrible, and probably lots of other costumes until they fall apart and I have to replace them).

Here on Amazon

This one is $30 (plus $11 shipping... I hate falling in love with things that aren't on Prime) and will probably be my new go-to jacket for fall. It's the closest I could come to the real thing without breaking the bank (and still being able to get it within a week or so). It might be a little warm for wearing on June 24th in Virginia Beach, though, so I also got...

Here on Amazon

The lighter cardigan ($21 and free shipping) should be more appropriate for warm-weather events. Not as canon, but since this one is just a "dress up for fun and a blood drive!" event, I'm not going to be too nit-picky. When I get the smoke mechanism working, I'll need to get everything right. (Which means sewing and dyeing my own leather jacket).

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!