new Wonder Woman wip; more bags

Since I have unfortunately gained 15 lbs since the last Wonder Woman Day, my super suit is rather snug. When wearing it to NYCC, I busted some seams and one of the clear straps. I actually found a decent commercial pattern for a corset that wasn't too far off what I could use for a new suit so I picked it up (New Look 6480). I figured I had better try a new design for this year's event (end of October!).

I'll never understand math. Just let me say that off that bat. When I take a measurement with a ruler or measuring tape, look up said measurement on a chart, shouldn't the size match? I think I'm Measurement Deficient because even if it's something not sewing related, I could measure twice, cut, and still come up with the wrong size whatever it is. Now that my distaste for math has been explained, it should be no surprise that commercial pattern charts and I are not friends. I measure myself, look up the size on the chart, cut pattern to that size and inevitably, it isn't correct. So this new corset has some extra darts in it where I had to take it in and it's good enough for now. When my new shipment of spandex comes in, I'll actually remake it again which means I should be better and understanding the damn instructions too. Plus, spandex stretches. Oh, and the zipper! I bought a 12" zipper per the instructions and it's a good 3" too long.

When I make the final piece, I'll get a smaller zipper for one thing and cut to a smaller size. I really REALLY hate strapless looks for myself. My boobs hang down to my belly button even when properly "propped." That's actually what I did like about my old Wonder Woman suit - I used a body shaper with clear straps. I'll be making a completely different kind of chest logo too. I won't be appliqueing a piece on. Instead, I'm going to try and mold some plastic sheeting and have it attach with velcro. I'll be going for the newer WW logo instead of the golden eagle. The belt may be a challenge too.

This is a look at the new WW corset.


I also ordered Holly Messinger's pattern for Harley Quinn. I take a lot of pride in making my own designs but her suit looks incredible. I had to talk myself into buying her design. I had to make myself understand that buying from a top costumer like her shouldn't feel any different than buying McCalls or Simplicity. And in fact, the quality will probably be a lot better. I'm going to a test run with other spandex that I bought at a clearance sale just to get comfortable with the instructions and the pattern. So I'll probably have a pastel colored court jester costume for sale by September!

My allergies have been a real bitch and a half this summer. I actually had asthma attacks over the weekend (and here I thought I was misdiagnosed) so I didn't get much done. I did finally finish my Kitty Pryde/X-Men bags. In fact, after the first one, I played around with my software and redesigned the X logo. It came out so much better! I was so happy. Now I have unmatching Kitty Pryde bags (*headdesk*). Oh well. I simply won't display them on the table at the same time. I gave one a yellow lining and one a black lining anyway.

Dr. Horrible / Captain Hammer


With the interwebs exploding and crashing due to the heavy traffic of the Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, costumers & cosplayers around the country are scampering to be the first to appear as Captain Hammer, Dr. Horrible, Penny and even the Groupies for SDCC and Dragon*Con. The questions are buzzing about where to get the gear to make a decent representation of the characters. As I discover suppliers & designers, I'll just keep editing this post.

Dr. Horrible
Lab Coat - other than having one custom designed you can get away with something that's pretty close. Check out this dental supplier. Their T001 and A001 styles are your best bet. Apparently the lab coat worn by Neil Patrick Harris is actually a recycled costume from a Firefly episode; it was later dyed red for Act III.

Goggles - a friend of mine clued me into the fact that Horrible's accessories are welding supplies. I had no idea! And luckily, they are not expensive. Look for flip-up goggles with dark lenses. To help with your search look up keywords like "cutting & brazing." Here are a couple of choices from Global Sources:
Pan Taiwan
Doris Industrial & (http://doris-ind.com/02-SafetyGoggles.htm)
Amazon - these seem to have the best shading of the lenses but are currently unavailable.
Grobet seems to have another set.
These Sellstrom goggles are rather cheap and have a #5 shade to them as well. The green part would need some distressing to look worn and darker.

Up for debate is the color of the goggles so if you believe they are not green with shaded lenses and prefer to be in the silver with green lenses camp, then check out these at Morton Safety. I took a couple screen caps from Act I and they do look silver with green lenses.

Gloves - these are also welding supplies; for most of the show, he wears white but in Act III changes to black gloves and boots which are very easy to find. The white ones are harder so here are some links:
They are Tillman brand gloves with the logo on the cuff which is what makes perfect replicas harder to find.
These Black Stallion ones are close too; I would recommend using some white paint to cover up the logo enough so that it doesn't stand out as much but you can still see it.

Boots
(White)
Dr. Horrible wears your basic white rain boot or "wellies" as they say across the pond. You can find inexpensive commercial grade white rain boots on Amazon for around $23.
Another tall pair at QC goes for close to $20. They have two different pairs in white for steel toe or standard.
ACE Hardware also carries a pair.

(Black)
For a huge selection of black men's rubber boots, try QC.

Captain Hammer
Jinx.com has the T-shirt worn by Captain Hammer; some people are willing to go the extra mile and make their own with fabric paint or craft foamie cutouts for the logo. The cargo pants are easy enough to find at places like Old Navy. The black gloves can be simply black pirate gloves from your local Party City/Halloween store or even Darth Vader ones if you have them lying around. I firmly believe in interchanging costume parts so that you cut down on how much you need to spend.

Groupies
Jinx.com sells the T-Shirts worn by the groupies but apparently they sold out immediately; unfortunately it's the only place I know that carries them. For the cool green & black tights wore by the one groupie girl, check out We Love Colors' black striped thigh highs.

Penny - her wardrobe is pretty normal and casual. The key is to get the hair right and then I would suggest a floral dress with bloody shrapnel.

Bags: "The Magician" and "Blue Spider"


I'm not happy with the way this Blue Spider bag came out so it's another one for the "Display" pile. I added a flap to it which came out nice. I'm quite surprised that's not the part I messed up.

The Magician (aka Zatanna inspired) one came out nice. The disappearing ink is still visible but I wanted to crack off a couple of photos before I head for the kitchen.

I also added some beautiful colorful ribbons to The Ivy bag and it looks even better. I have another Harlequinn done as well so at least that's three of those although one is claimed already.

I'm dealing with bunch of technical issues with the computer this week. We just had a power surge. My allergies are bugging me and it's 94 degrees. Basically I'm so cranky right now that I am not posting a lot of details.

T-shirt redesign



Originally just a regular XL t-shirt. Now this...

Bags: Word Balloon Favorites


I bought this fabric a long time ago and Fabricland hasn't carried it since. I love it and get compliments on the little shoulder bag I used it for along with the comic book panels fabric that I wish they still carried. This Word Balloon design has great comic book expletives like "POW" and "BAM" splattered all around with smaller word balloons that say, "To be continued..."

I cranked out two smaller totes in this Word Balloon fabric. Nothing fancy in these beauties; no inside pocket or zipper. I will probably add snap closures but that's one of those "once everything else is completed" tasks. I want to have at least a dozen bags for the Super Show in September (Scranton, PA) which means I have to get my butt in gear. I'll be taking another fabric shopping trip this weekend with my mum to wonderful ol' Joann's Fabrics in Ledgewood but not until I've recovered from my July 4th Independence Day Celebration at New Moon Comics in Little Falls for the Little Falls Street Fair! I'll be appearing in my Award-Winning Power Girl costume! (That's right - I actually won the Good vs. Evil contest on Myspace.)

Simple totes like this will be around $20-25 depending on the fabric. This fabric happens to be more expensive even though it is just cotton. Sometimes novelty fabrics have novelty prices.