Progress pictures (Posted 3rd November 2011)

An amalgamation of progress images moved from my gallery.

Wing making (Posted 15th October 2011)

So me and RohanFox finally got around to making our wings today! They aren't as big as we originally intended them to be but as we could only get a few feathers we just had to make do!

I'm actually really happy with how they're coming out at this stage, they've actually turned out just the right and size and cutting of the feathers has certainly give them their own 'personality' :)

Almost there! Wing failure and armor. (Posted 9th October 2011)

I haven't updated my journal in such a long time, but with most of the larger pieces out of the way, I've just been working a way at tiny bits.
At the moment my main concern is the wings. Having being unable to acquire the feathers for the wings I originally planned, it was back to the drawing board several times.

I tried to actually make more steampunk looking wings but unfortunately on such a limited budget they didn't go well. Whilst I was happy with the base (which could actually pivot), I didn't like how the feathers came out in craft foam and after I bit of an accident with wood glue they were scrapped. Sadly the wings are quite important to me as I see them being as so vital to the birds in terms of design. Hopefully RohanFox shall be visiting me the coming weekend with some feathers bought from Hobby Craft so we can quickly knock up some small scale ones. Wish us luck!

The bracers are just a small added detail I felt we needed so we looked a little more, combat ready. To say Zapdos is the 'Electric Warfare Officer' of the group she looks ridiculous feminine at the moment so I thought the bracers would make her look a little more serious :')
I'm actually rather pleased with how they've come out, especially to say they're my first attempt at craft foam armour. They just need one more coat of PVA and they will then be painted and weathered!

Earning our wings (Posted 3rd September 2011)

Since we first came up with the idea, me and Rohan have been adamant that we have little airship badges.

I was initially going to just order wing charms but that turned out a lot more difficult than I imagined and making them has also given me the chance to personalise the wings.
This photo was taken pretty much after their first coat of PVA so there's still a long way to go. They still need some major neatening up but this at least gives an impression of what they'll look like.

Admittedly, I've never made anything out of craft foam so this is definitely an experience and some well needed practice before I start to tackle the arm bracers.

Cameos! (Posted 3rd September 2011)

To take a break from the sewing bits of both my costumes for London I decided to finally finish my cameo's. I've had the parts for them for quite a while now I just haven't got round to it. I decided to make my own cameo's as I really couldn't find any that had the colouration I wanted. I did manage to find some yellow cameo's but the shade just wasn't right and it turned out a whole lot cheaper constructing them myself. That and I'm actually rather happy with the outcome.

The other cameo I have will be made in to a hair clip/fascinator for the wig for a bit more of a victorian twist. At the moment I'm just waiting on my black feathers and my yellow guinea fowl feathers to arrive :)

Tea Dying Experiment 1 (Posted 25th August 2011)

So with my shorts finished and tights arriving today I decided to try my hand at tea dying.
I love the shades you can achieve with tea dying so I'm really hoping this works out.

I do however have a feeling it wont. I have the sneaking suspicion that the elastic in the tights will prevent them from absorbing the dye but we'll see how I go. Worst comes to worse I'll buy a new pair and draw the pattern myself.

Shorts! (Posted 23rd August 2011)

After much pain and headache with the corset I'm giving that a break so I can come back to it a little more positively. I have however found the most perfect trim for it so things are looking up.

Moving on to the shorts I found the most perfect pattern and it's definitely lifted my mood about this costume! The pattern I'm using is a Simplicity 2367 and it's a perfect match to my original artwork which is an absolute bonus. I decided to go with grey suit fabric to imitate the grey leg tufts on the original Zapdos artwork seen in Red and Blue. That and I wanted to break up all the yellow and black. I'm going to plow a head with this today and hopefully by tonight I should have some more progress!

Slowly Getting There (Posted 20th August 2011)

So since my last journal entry I've made a moderate amount of progress. The jacket is almost finished and just needs the last few finishing touches and then the detailing adding. At the minute I'm toying with the idea of adding applique to the lapels, similar to how I did with Gakupo, as at the moment it's looking at a bit bare.

I'm hoping to purchase my second wig next week as my first didn't really look right. I'm going more for a sharply cut, sleek, look with a heavy fringe and possibly a pony tail. I do however have my black extensions sorted.

And the corset, well, let's just say that's a sore subject. I've already put about 15 hours in to it and the moment I just feel like I'm in the dark with it. Having never made a corset I'm struggling considerably, and it certainly doesn't help that the pattern I chose is a historically accurate R&G corset. Fingers crossed it should turn out how I want it but we'll just have to wait and see :)

Progress Begins (Posted 31st May 2011)

So this thing officially got started today.
I've had the fabric hanging around for a while. It's actually curtain fabric and was bought from a small upholstery fabric shop in Keswick so I'm praying I don't run out.

The design itself was practically re-done yesterday and is now in its 3rd revision. I'll have detailed sketch up soonish but so far it's definitely the design I've been most happy with. At the moment I'm just taking it slow, not getting too stressed and leaving the work free for any changes.

That and I still need to get my head around making killer jodhpurs :')