Wig Trial (Posted 11th October 2011)

Just a quick update to note how the first trial with the wig went, now that I've completely sewn in the foam core and all that's missing is the general re-style, bronze band and the final self-made weft.
I have to say, I'm impressing myself so far. Yeah, it's not polished yet and you can still see wig cap through the gap where the foam core is attached (will be fine once the hair is styled better and extra weft is in), but it's already a vast improvement.
You can see that the ponytail is much higher and more angular. It has also accidentally meant that all the layers are falling in the right place to give the right shape and length to the hair fall. It does look a little frankenstein's bride-esque in places but I don't think that's a terrible shame for Meg, considering how rediculous her hair actually is.
Not to mention the fact that it is a million times more comfortable and light to wear than the last time I did this costume - I was even running up and down stairs to find my camera and not a twinge of discomfort. Odly enough it's actually more comfortable than some of my simpler wigs coughNaNacough.

Wig Progress (Posted 10th October 2011)

Been working on the re-style for the wig, so today I chiselled the final shape for the foam core, covered it with viscose fabric the same colour as the hair and began to sew wefts across the top.
To fit the foam core in place, I've cut the wefts out of the wig where it should sit and will sew the foam core into the gap created. Both the base wig with the gap cut out and the ponytail can be seen in the journal image.
The reason I've decided to do it this way is to make the enormous ponytail a lot easier to wear, since the foam core is lighter than a huge mass of backcombed hair, and the way I've carved it should also mean that most of the weight is on top of my head, rather than at the back. Hopefully this adjustment will mean that my scalp doesn't bleed like it did last time I wore this wig and will generally be a lot more comfortable.
Other Meg progress I have made this week: Started to add a layer of clay around the Herculade cup so that I can carve the details into it and get that pottery asthetic. Also working on a way to cover up the innevitable florescent wristband which tends to look a little less Ancient Greek than the rest of the costume, using self made clay plates connected with elastic. It's a theory.
Waiting for my haberdashery order to finish off the dress, then I can get going on Tinkerbell.

Hand sewing (Posted 5th October 2011)

So much of this project has to be done by hand it's frustrating, but I hope it'll be worth it by the time I'm done. The entire bodice section has now been completed, along with the new sash (check out that georgious satin compared to the previous incarnation).
The sash is going to have an in-built purse and mobile phone holder so I can be mostly handsfree and will double as padding to make it jut out in the right way from my none existant hips. The Herculade cup too now has an actual plastic lidded cup inside so that I can actually use it to remain hydrated.
So all that's left to be done on the dress is the neckline and straps (currently pinned in place with solid satin lining for suppport), the back fastening, and hems. A few little peices could do with a good press and some invisible stitching here and there, but that won't take long.
The biggist problem I'm having right now with this is that, as you can see from the journal image, my mannequin doesn't have as tiny or flexible a waist as I do, so the dress doesn't fit properly, making it impossible to tell how the dress is looking without actually putting it on. This is making adjustments difficult.
Next thing to tackle, and what's really going to take time, is the wig. Fingers crosses.

yay sewing (Posted 6th September 2011)

Finally got started sewing everything together today, one day behind schedule, and the dress is definately having a anastasia moment before the pleats are all sewn in.
Shown in the photo is the current state of the top, bodice support and underskirt, with the new satin band and badges. Quite a lot really so i'll break it down a little. Bodice is without interfacing currently so it looks less smooth than i would like, and of course the mannequin is not quite the same shape as i am (and a lot less fleshy) so it doesn't quite show the final product. Underskirt is a basic chiffon that i'm using to act as a shift while also hopefully adding more body to my tiny boy hips. With any luck the triple-layer bodice and underskirt should make the costume slightly less than freezing in October.
New badges are all finished now, though i may bronze them a little more before October as they are looking a little too gold atm. Much smaller and neater than the old badges, which should make them a little more accurate.
Ok, type-farted this journal enough for now.

Next gen (Posted 31st August 2011)

Haven't done much that isn't for this costume over the last week, although I still have to wait till monday before I can even get my sewing machine back out and knock it all together (promised my parents they could have a dining room for at least a few weeks).
It seems I really wasn't kidding about re-making everything. My Herculade cup is now onto Mark 2, building the base out of craft foam and PVA glue so that it's more accurate and solid. I'm then going to sculpt the details onto it with air-dry clay to give it the vase-look texture I want. It is huge, so I'm hoping I can mount a proper lidded cup inside and use it for actual hydration (yay!).
Just finished cutting a new sash out of super high quality heavy-weight satin, which hopefully should look way better in photos than the previous incarnation as it'll hold it's shape better and shouldn't be as annoyingly shiny (we all know how aweful cheap satin looks in photos). It only cost me £9 for more than what I needed so I don't mind the expense too much. I will post a comparison photo of the 2 sashes once the basic sewing has been done.
Also in the last few days I've picked up some strong cotton that's the same colour to make a boned bodice to incorporate into the dress so that it will keep the right shape (what's the point in having a tiny waist if the dress doesn't fit, for meg especially). Once I find some interfacing to strengthen the panels I'll start to hand sew the boning into them.
So yeah, apparently I'm quite mad.

Starting again (Posted 27th August 2011)

So yeah... this was meant to be a quick fix up and polish but it's ended up being a complete re-make. There are far too many things I saw as being wrong with the costume that all needs re-making, but I don't mind so much as the original costume was just for a fancy dress party.
I've already started sculpting a block of foam to shape the wig onto, which hopefully should make the overall weight much less likely to tear my scalp again, and also should help the bizarre shape of her ponytail stand out. I'm going to be a lot less careful in keeping the wig for future uses, so will probably stick the thing solid, unlike my last attempt.
The new dress is all cut out now, so it's only the underskirt and the boning left to add into it. I went with viscose on this one as opposed to the poly-cotton I built my last meg dress from, basically because the drape is really pretty and it moves a little better, while also keeping the natural looking fibre content. My main aim for the dress was to have a more accomodating bust and to have the accurate slit seen during the date scene with hercules, so having a fabric that would stretch and fall nicely was essential.
So I have quite a lot done, but really a very long way off, and while making several other Disney costumes for the giant group in October. woot!