The Strange Stitchery

Been Busy

2011-11-29T14:38:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately not with things to show here, but with this:

Yay! Two friends talked me into it and I'm so glad they did. I got going on the last of the Melancholia stories again. Even though I realized there's more to be told I pushed myself past a very difficult point in the story and now feel like I'm free to move forward and really finish the sisters' stories (which can be read hereMelancholia & Her Sisters).

Now, into winter with thoughts of editing, new dances and new costumes.

Costume Test Run

2011-10-25T22:30:00.001-07:00

The mask is almost done!!!

A little touch up on the paint and then putting in the one eye and that's it!

And we did a test run of Igor's evil gnome.

All he needs is a few adjustments and he'll be perfect!

The Zombie Gnome Plague is Upon Us!

2011-10-25T15:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, been so busy it's been hard to write a post so this will be photo heavy and word light!

First some daytime shots

The mailbox gnome is one of my favorites

The porch lit up at night (very hard to see stuff in these nighttime photos, but you get the idea)

Some of our little creatures at night

Here's my little guy again

There was only one minor mishap during setup when Igor put a staple in his finger

Mmmm, tasty.

And finally, the pumpkins we carved

Happy almost Halloween!!!

Halloween is in the Air

2011-10-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

And another fine, productive weekend! This time with pictures.

The biggest accomplishment of the weekend was getting the two largest pieces of our Halloween yard display up: the tree and the boarded-up window. While the tree isn't completely done, the hardest parts are up and the rest will be to easy finish.

Igor pretty much made the entire window dressing himself. He's definitely the top of my list for people I want on my team come the apocalypse. As you can see he's very handy with a drill.

I think it took less than an hour for him to get it all together and for us to put it up.

While he was doing that I took the drapes I'd cut up the night before

(so therapeutic) and tea stained them. I used earl grey and it made the house smell amazing.

Then we put up the boards and (after staining the drapes again with old coffee grounds, since the earl grey didn't make them quite dark enough) I hung the drapes up to dry.

The tree turned out amazing. We used chicken wire as the frame and then just stretched a curtain over that. I actually sewed the curtain onto the wire and then Igor painted the face. All I had to say to Igor was, 'Do you think you can paint it with an evil tree face?' and he knew exactly what I meant. Seriously, top of the list.

All boarded up and ready for the zombie gnome plague.

The tree still needs some branches and leaves added, but we got about 80% of the work done.

Sunday I worked more on the gnomes and various forest creatures.

My mini zombie factory.

I arranged some brambles to make a secure little gnome patch and placed the first two zombie gnomes.

The idea is that the dolls will be kinda hidden until nighttime when we turn on led lights that will show them off in an appropriately creepy way.

These two are my favorite

The white, bleeding eyes were Igor's idea.

And that's it for now! Time to sit back, relax, and enjoy this week's seasonal movie: The Monster Squad.

After that I think I'll move onto something a little more sophisticated

A Glorious First Fall Weekend!

2011-09-28T12:31:00.000-07:00

And productive!

So it was sunny and hot on Saturday, so what? Igor and I went shopping for the last bits we needed for dressing up the house on the 1st. I measured the porch to see how everything is going to fit and then we figured out just how we're going to do the tree trunk which will be one of the main features of the Disenchanted Forest. Yes, that's what I've started calling it. It's less cumbersome than saying 'the once enchanted now zombified forest'. Maybe Zombie Woods might be better (and, no, we're not calling it just Zombie Wood for the obvious reasons) - I don't know, we're still working on it. We've also been doing some late night pillaging of wooden planks and yard debris bins from around the neighborhood as well as gathering other supplies. Igor's porch looks like a scrap yard, but it'll all come together next weekend! I also promise there will be pictures in the next post.

We also went to an insanely overpriced Halloween store. We wandered around and got some ideas, but the only thing we bought was a rabbit nose for Isabella's costume (yup, she's going to a be a zombie rabbit).

Then came Sunday. A wonderfully blustery, cloudy and then sunny and then pouring down rain day. In the morning I cleared out some of the blackberry brambles next to the porch (we want to scare trick-or-treaters, not scar them when they become entangled in the underbrush), but didn't throw out the tendrils because I have plans to use them as part of the yard dressing. I finished making gnome hats for our zombified gnomes, covered paper mache skulls in gesso and got another layer done on the zombie squirrel mask.

Oh, and Friday! How could I forget Friday! A couple friends came over and we watched Dead Snow. Why do Nazi zombies make me laugh so much?

First Day of Fall Tomorrow!!!

2011-09-22T21:15:00.000-07:00

Well, it should be, but it hasn't felt like fall yet this week. This week the temperature's been in the 80s with nothing but sun sun sun. Ah, but last week, last week was gorgeous with rain and clouds and a little nip in the air. Sigh, and yet *this* week Summer is trying to rear it's ugly, sweaty head again. Give up Summer, tomorrow it's the 23rd and officially Fall! Laugh your last, hot fetid breath if you can - soon all will be as Autumn wills it!!!

Yeah, I'm done with summer.

As I wait for my favorite season to truly begin I've been working on Halloween plans. Not only getting costumes together, but working on pieces for the house. Igor and I have decided to go all out on the house this year and keep our costumes simple (i.e. no face makeup).

Way back on the 3rd I had a Birthday Zombie Making BBQ. Friends and family came over to eat grilled things and make zombies out of discarded children's toys.

Some were gorier than others

(that's a twig though the squirrel's nose)

Some were more disturbing

But all the zombies were kid tested and mother approved.

There was also a good deal of eating and drinking and sitting around

(And Igor wore my favorite t-shirt of his, the red Christopher Walken 'I got a fever' shirt. More Cowbell!)

Speaking of Igor, last week he finished the clay sculpting for my squirrel mask and I molded the mouth.

Then I put on the first layer of newspaper, covering it with a shiny layer of Elmer's glue to keep it all together.

Here are what my fingers looked like when I was done

I was very proud of them.

I'm following this guy's methods since he's not only a talented mask maker, but specifically a talented squirrel mask maker: Branden Byers.

Holy moly, I'm downright giddy it's so close to October!!! I'm already watching old horror movies and listening to my favorite seasonal music - well, I do those things year round, but it just feels more special this time of year.

This week's featured movie: Curse of The Crimson Altar (or The Crimson Cult according to Netflix). Staring Christopher Lee, Michael Gough, and Boris Karloff it's a cheezy little romp though the pastoral, witch filled, English countryside.

And it has some awesome costumes in just the first few moments of the film.

New Top for August

2011-07-27T16:17:00.000-07:00

A quick picture of the new top I'm almost finished with. I'm going to wear it in my performance next month and am working on the pants and belt to go with it.

Pretty happy with it so far - I just need to get it done! Now, the real question is why the hell did I think it was a good idea to make an *entirely* new costume for a performance during one of the busiest summers in my life? Sometimes I mystify myself.

Low Productivity - and yet I leave on vacation next week!!!

2011-07-07T19:19:00.000-07:00

I've done nothing to further my projects and yet I leave next Monday on a week long caravaning extravaganza!!!

Unfortunately/luckily the class I wanted to go to tonight is canceled and I can finish up packing, organize the projects I need to bring with me, and finish up my ebook reader cover.

So this is the packing progress I've made so far

but I'm hoping it will look like this by Sunday evening!

Now, in lieu of project pictures here's some of how I picture our trip will be like.

Ha! Not really, I know it'll feel more like this

and I'll love it!

Although I'd also love it if we dressed up like this when we drink coffee at the campsite in the morning

Now, back to packing!

Productive Days Are Here Again!

2011-06-27T18:58:00.000-07:00

Considering Saturday was spent going to see The Full Cirque's Dark Side of Knight, my good friend perform with The Sprockettes, and then going to watch a Timber's game, I'm surprised I managed to get so much done last weekend.

Exhibit A: Great progress on my new dance pants! Using some existing pants as a pattern I cut out pieces of my fancy new striped fabric. Now they're all sewn together and I've semi-pinned them to the tops that I'm going to attach them to.

Exhibit B: A cellphone bag for my mom's birthday. Last weekend mom showed me her new phone, and the sock she carries it around it. Nothing wrong with using a sock as a carrying case - sometimes it's the best thing for the job. But when she showed it to me it was mentioned she wanted a real case for it. Her birthday is tomorrow so I thought it'd be perfect to whip up a little pouch for the phone. Voila!

And here it is wrapped up all purdy

This was really simple and only took me about one episode of Twin Peaks to make. Yes, I'm still obsessed with re-watching Twin Peaks. That show is unbelievably good, weird and surprising - and it doesn't hurt that Kyle McLaughlin is an idiosyncratic cutie in it.

The weekend is almost upon me again and already it's full of wonderful, exciting things - which I will report on in my next post.

Now I leave you with a pick from the Labyrinth Masquerade Ball that Krista and I attended the weekend before last.

Costuming in the Great Outdoors

2011-06-23T22:51:00.000-07:00

Since it was so nice out on Monday evening I decided to take my wire and fake fur outside and make some progress on the tail.

Success!

So right now it just looks like a furry ironing board, but wait 'til I get it bent into shape.

In the mean time I need to start working on the costume for my next dance performance and Dark Alice. For the latter I've decided to go as the Dormouse and I really want some ears like this:

They'll be pretty easy to make and I can tailor the veil exactly how I want it. Might even go crazy and make them with blonde lace so when I pin my hair up on the ears they will show up better - oh, that is brilliant. Why, thank you!

Alright, simmer down. This week has got me feeling a little loopy so I'm off to get ready for bed and try to get some decent sleep tonight!

Squirrel and Bone

2011-05-29T14:39:00.000-07:00

The Squirrel shirt is done! At least all the stitching is, all that's left is to zombie it up.

Stitching detail (might need to go over again to make the stitching move noticeable)

Igor now has all the supplies he needs to start the mask

Hoping to have the paper-mache done on the thing by the end of the month, but it all depends on how fast Igor's little fingers get to work.

I've put together a simple little dancing outfit for Saturday and am working on more complicated ones for future performances - including getting started on another belt (no I haven't finished the lace one, but I'm ignoring that for now).

Don't know what I'm going to back it with yet, but probably some kind of lace (it's becoming a thing for me, lace and bone) and there should be more danglies I think.

Now the productivity continues while I watch more weirdness! Yesterday it was a Twin Peaks marathon, today Barton Fink and Dr. Who! Yay!!!

Holy Moley, Sensory Overload 2011!!!

2011-05-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

Just got back from Tribal Fest last night and my head is still spinning. The workshops! The vendors! The performances!!! It's gonna take just a wee bit to sort everything out that I saw and did on the trip, but until then, here are some pieces for new costumes I acquired and a couple other random photos from the trip.

A lovely hip wrap

The perfect metal piece for my next headdress

This amazingly sparkly scarf that I think I'm going to make into skirt panels

But the best thing I got, my new pride and joy, is this:

So beautiful, I can hardly believe it's mine and I get to wear it whenever I want!

And now for some silly trip pictures!

Andria pointed this out, I think she was hoping Ash was inside

This is the first day of performances and I think I was a little over excited to have my wrist stamped to get in and see some amazing dancers.

We went out Saturday night to a bad, bad bar that was very dark and kinda skeezy - but I had fun.

So dark! Who are these ridiculous people?

The only good thing about the place was a random old dentist's chair - it might've been a barber chair, but I'd like to think it used to belong to some cranky old dentist. It does look like it made me a little uncomfortable (might also have been the flash)

but Krista was very comfortable in it

Yeah, I'm pretty horrible when it comes to taking trip photos - I'm kinda lucky I remembered to take any at all.

Final thought of the night before I go to sleep, enjoy!

What a frakkin' crazy weekend!

2011-05-09T21:19:00.000-07:00

Performing on Friday, helping supervise and herd nearly twelve tweens for a sleep over on Saturday, very little sleep both that night and last night, mother's day (which was actually relaxing just hanging out with the moms and puttering around the yard when the sun decided to come out for a few minutes), a little secondhand store shopping. I certainly didn't get to do everything I wanted to this weekend, and on Sunday I made the hard decision of choosing much needed alone time instead of hanging out with awesome people - but sometimes I just need time to be a hermit!

On the bright side, I found this at the Goodwill near my parents' house (the one on 52nd, just off Woodstock in SE):

Which will probably be incorporated into the next headdress.

I also started the shirt for my squirrel costume

P.S. I totally looked up frakking to make sure it should be spelled with two 'k's and not one. Yeah . . .

Plan B!

2011-05-08T20:20:00.000-07:00

So, neither the bra nor the belt I was planning to wear on Friday were what I actually wore. The bra is structurally dangerous and the belt is still in its proto-planning stage.

Good news is that plan b was in full effect! Here's some action shots of what I actually wore:

Dancy dance!

Oh and here's the headdress that one of my teachers made, so beautiful (I won it in a class raffle).

More detailed shots to come of the individual pieces!

Starting today it's full steam ahead for Halloween costuming - especially since I *just* fully comprehended that I will be a bit preoccupied the week before Halloween since that's the week that Arkham City comes out. (Thank you Andria and Krista for having no faith whatsoever in my ability to resist playing it until after Halloween.) Yeah, so everything needs to be set up and ready for October 31st by October 18th because this is what I'll be emerging myself in:

(Yeah, that's the old teaser trailer, but it's still my favorite. If you're interested in the latest: Batman: Arkham City - Official Gameplay Trailer)

Trying to concentrate on things other than Halloween

2011-04-09T18:48:00.000-07:00

So, I've started my next dancing bra - nope it's not the one I showed last time. Instead, it's a basic striped covering I'll be able to build on and make more interesting in the future, but for now it's just something I can wear under a vest that goes with the next costume.

So it begins:

In non-bellydance, not even Halloween, related news, I'm making a new cropped hoodie for myself. I found a button up cardigan-type shirt at Goodwill that I liked the buttons and unfinished hem on, but the cut was all wrong. So, I took off the bottom of the thing and am making it into a hood.

Hope this will be a quick project so I can start to wear it as the weather turns more and more Spring-like (alright, maybe I'm getting a little bit excited about it).

While I work tonight, Igor and I are watching a classic: Leon, The Professional. Jean Reno, one of Natalie Portman's good roles, and a drug crazed Gary Oldman - yes, please! My only question is: why do they make such crappy trailers for such awesome movies?

Already? Really?

2011-04-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

The last couple days I've felt a little wistful for Fall. For those who worship the sunnier seasons, this probably sounds crazy. Maybe it's all the costuming I've been doing the last few weeks, maybe it's because I've been doing some Halloween 2011 planning and purchasing . . but I kinda wish it was the beginning of Autumn instead of Spring. I know, I know, winter's just ended and here I want crisp winds and decaying leaves already. I'm sure I'll change my mind on the first truly glorious day we have, but for now I'll dream of Fall.

Speaking of which, Halloween costume stuff!

This mask will become part of Igor's evil gnome face once it's painted up right.

This is the fur I just purchased to make my take and ears

It's almost mangy enough, maybe if I rub it around in the dirt a bit . . .

Bra

Skirt

Belt

Headdress

Underneath I wore these nice subtlety sparkly pants and the vest I wore is currently undergoing modifications for another costume. Speaking of which, I have to finish the next dance costume by May 5th because I perform again on the 6th! Woohoo? What happened to my promise to myself to not perform again until August? Oh well.

Holy Costume Supplies, Batman!

2011-03-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

So, until I sat down today and started to lay out all my supplies to see what might go with what for which costumes, I had *no* idea how much I'd collected over the last six months. So much fabric! So many baubles! Trim! And danglies! And sparklies - oh, frackin' my!

Metal!

Fabric!

Stuffs galore!

And that's just a taste of some of the more recently acquired stuffs! As overwhelmed as I am with the possibilities, there are the three things I'm going to (try to) focus on for my next dance costume.

The bra (note the pins)

The belt (still in its proto stage)

The headdress (just a bunch o'bits)

I want the three main metal crescents to stand up and I think I can do that with some wire in the back and some hot glue. I think.

What does it all equal? I . . . don't really know. Last costume had a kinda barbarian circus feel (and I will be posting more photos of that one soon), but I have no idea the theme behind this one.

In Halloween costume news, I've got all the clothes for my costume together, big gnome pants for Igor, and a good creepy mask to build his evil gnome face on. My plan is to have Igor's costume done by the end of next month and my tail done by the end of June, then all that's left is my mask and getting all the stuff to decorate the house with - which I had a little epiphany about a couple days ago. For my birthday I'll have an evil gnome and zombie forest animal making party. No need for gifts, I'll just ask people to bring a baby doll or stuffed animal to zombify and - viola - we're well on our way to our own haunted forest!

It's been a while - but I have a good excuse!

2011-02-20T12:53:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I've been MIA for how long now? Yeah, but I do have a really good excuse and I have been busy. In addition to starting to draw up solid plans for Halloween, I've recovered an entire bra, half re-covered another, completed the rest of an entire dancing costume, headdress and all - *and* danced in it!!!

Ta-da!

Better lit and more detailed pictures to come.

I already have a pretty good idea of what I'm going to do for a second dance costume, but still have to gather all the materials. I'm thinking lots of silvery, shininess. Oooooo-ahhhh!

Now, onto Halloween. I've made a list of everything I need for the costumes and hope to make an initial run to the secondhand stores to see what I can get. Both costumes will be pretty simple except for two parts: my mask and my tail. Have NO idea how to do the tail, but for the mask it'll most likely be paper mache and fake fur using good ol' balloon based construction.

I'm thinking something like this:

crossed with this for the mask

but using fake fur to make it into a full head mask.

Zombie squirrel here I come!

The posting here may be intermittent, but I am bursting with productivity like a salt baked slug in the summer sun!

Post holiday funk . . . nope!

2010-11-05T19:13:00.000-07:00

Sometimes after Halloween it takes me a bit to get the ol' creative juices flowing again, but not this year! Igor and I are already planning for next Hallowmas and hot damn if they aren't some awesome plans. I think we already have our costumes thought out *and* a whole lawn/house decorating scheme. Now, I wonder if there's any place to buy lawn gnomes in bulk . . .

More than just for next year, our post-Halloween discussions have opened up other creative vista thingys. For the first time in who knows how long I've written (and absolutely completed) a short story! Igor has sketched some ideas for paintings he wants to complete this winter and he will be providing illustrations for my story.

Also, this weekend I get going on my next belly dance costume. I have no idea what I'm going to do about a headdress, but the rest is going to be a piece of cake.

Along the lines of dancing costumes, I want to try and recover a few of my old bras to make some nice dancing tops. I can't find any tutorials on recovering bras, but I wouldn't mind achieving something like these two:

Found here

Found here

These next two bras give me all kinds of crazy ideas

And, of course, I love this one:

From here

But, if ever I become skilled enough, I'd love to attempt a version of this last bra

Until Next Year . . .

2010-11-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful Halloween weekend as I hope everyone did! There was lots o' dancing and drinking and free cupcakes, giant babies and long-lost friends found, sugar-crazed children and general revelry.

This Halloween also made me realize how every day I should consider myself putting on a costume: my going to work costumes, my going out to play costumes, costumes for bike rides and rainy days and snowy days and adventure walks, even my I'm-a-gamer-who-isn't-even-going-outside-once-today costume (this consists of a bathrobe with a hood and the comfiest sweatpants known to humankind).

Anyway, as the Halloween dust settles I'll post more pics, but here's the first of us in full costume:

Best after Halloween movie ever? The Nightmare Before Christmas of course!

A short list of what I hope to work on this winter:
- Fancy framed felt flowers
- Books, books, books
- Swirly, shiny, kick-ass belly dance costuming
- Soup for all occasions!
- Gruesome gnome stories

More guts - this time they're edible!

2010-10-21T12:33:00.000-07:00

I attended a potluck birthday party that was also a screening of The Shining. For the potluck portion of the evening the only guideline for food was that it had to be gross.

So, I made baked intestines.

I found the recipe for these Faux Stuffed Intestines at 365Halloween. I almost made bloody jello worms, but as the birthday girl is vegetarian, I thought this vegan dish was the better option. The guts were quickly devoured at the party and they're so good I think I'll make a version of them throughout the winter! Mmmm, healthy vegan intestines.

Now back to putting the finishing touches on costumes and watching Hammer Horror movies. Tonight, one of my all time favorites, Horror Express!

We've Decorated!

2010-10-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

Not that we don't have Halloween stuff up most of the year, we do, but weekend before last we added a little extra seasonal charm: cobwebs, tombstones and giant pumpkins!

I've also already had some carving fun. My friends built a nice fire in their backyard and we sat around disemboweling pumpkins.

Success!

Mine is the disgruntled, drool-eyed pumpkin on the left.

Pumpkin guts for all
(this Halloween seems to be guts themed)

And here's a little something to watch. Yeah, yeah, I know they did something similar on So You Think You Can Dance, but there's something so charming about this small Halloween gathering version that I love:

Guts: A How-To

2010-10-13T11:13:00.000-07:00

Materials needed:
- Used bike tire inner tubes (make sure they're tubes for thicker tires and not skinny racing bike tires)

(I got these for free from a bike shop)
- Paint (red, blue, white, black, green), acrylic or tempera
- Batting (I just got a couple of not-too-thick sheets of the stuff)
- Needle and *strong* Thread
- Elmer's Glue (or some kind of generic white glue that will dry clear and not too hard)
- Backing fabric (thin canvas or cotton works well, fleshy colored fabric if you can get it)

Step 1.
Cut off the valves of the tire inner tubes so that they tubes are cut in half.

Step 2.
Cut a couple lengths of batting all the same width so you have uniform strips.

Roll the first strip lengthwise and secure with safety pins.

Next roughly secure the roll with stitching - doesn't have to be pretty, just has to keep the batting in it's rolled state.

Since the tube will probably be longer than the length of the rolled batting, connect two or three rolls together.

Step 3.
Cut a length of thread that is almost three times the length of the tube. Thread needle and knot. At one end of the batting roll, stitch and wrap the thread so it is securely attached to the end of the roll.

Put the needle into the tube and feed it through until the needle comes out the other end of the tube. Stuff as much of the batting roll into the tube as possible,

(I used a chopstick to force more into the tube, no need to be gentle), then grab the needle and thread coming out the opposite end of the tube and pull. You'll want to pull as steadily as possible and not yank. It's hard to start the batting sliding through the tube, but gets easier as you go along.

Step 4.
Now comes the fun part: Painting! I first painted the intestines (which is what I'll call them from now on) a grayish blue and let them dry.

Step 5.
Arrange the intestines how you want by using a piece of backing fabric and then superglue into place. I just used the vest that Igor will be wearing. Once everything is securely glued, stitch the guts to the fabric in a few places to make sure they stay put.

Step 6.
Next brush on some green and brown to give the intestines that special "I move the body's waste" look they should have. Also, if you used tempera paint and forgot to spray on a sealant before arranging the guts (like I did) this last painting can be used to touch up any bits of the intestines where paint has flaked off.

Mmmm, still gooey looking.

Step 7.
This step is really called "glue-blood" because that's what it's all about. I mixed about two-parts red paint with a little less than one-part brown paint, and one-part glue to make this mixture. By adding the glue I can let the blood dry and it still looks a bit shiny and slick like it's fresh. This is important because although my big bad wolf is tough, he hates having a cold, wet stomach. (I found this out on the first zombie walk we went on together and he complained that his guts were making his tummy cold - ha!). It also means you can have a pre-made, ready to use stash of guts that are easy to store and won't get moldy as when nylons and wet paper towels are used.

Below is kinda my blood and guts pallet. The darker glue-blood sample is from mixing black and red paint together, but I like the one that's a bit lighter mixed from brown and red because it looks a bit fresher.

Step 8.
Coat guts with the glue-blood and let dry (this can take up to 24-hours depending on how thick you pour the glue-blood). If you're using tempera and blood coat on the intestines dries with a bit of a chalky look, just go back in and re-coat the intestines with glue so they have a shinier finish.

Because I attached the guts directly to the vest, I didn't included a step where they are attached to some sort of other mounting material (a long strip of cloth or a thin belt) so they can easily be positioned around the waist. Still, that's the way to go if you really want ready-to-wear guts for all occasions.

Finally: Right before stepping out with your new guts, drip some fresh fake blood over them for that just eviscerated look. En voila!!!

With slashed vest

I don't think the guts are perfect - this is the first time I've made them - but I like 'em and hope to improve on the design in the future.

P.S. I learned everything I needed to know about fake guts from this film

So funny, so good!

Dress, Hood, Hatchet, Teeth, Guts - Action!

2010-10-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

I've conquered the sleeves, tamed the zippers and answered the eternal question: just what the hell can I use to make realistic looking guts? I'll come to that in a minute, but first the dress:

And here's a detail of the arm (I didn't have enough of the red fabric so I improvised)

I've also revamped the cheap prop hatchet I got and it has been transformed from this:

to this:

Igor has had his teeth fitted:

(I think he really likes them)

And (essential to my costume) my hood is done!

Now, as to guts. I was fully prepared to work with pig intestine casings to make realistic looking guts for Igor. Fortunately for my budget, my vegetarian friends and perhaps those who will have to smell Igor on Halloween, I've found an alternative: old bike tire tubes. These should be thin and flexible enough to mold into the configurations I need, while being more durable and (let's face it) won't rot. Perfect!

Next up on The Strange Stitchery: How to make the best fake guts ever!

PANTS!!!

2010-09-06T17:16:00.000-07:00

They are done!

Well, except for needing buttons by which to attach the suspenders, and they do need to be ironed, and maybe taken in a smidge at the waist (I might just add a nifty little cinching buckle in the back like on vests) - but other than that: DONE! Rejoice!

Now on to those damn sleeves for my dress . . .

Progress! Kinda . . .

2010-08-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

So, I am getting there on the dress for my Halloween costume, Igor's pants just need the zippers (that's right, plural) and I have almost everything else I need except for the gory effects. Still, progress has been slow. I do have a good excuse though: I'm belly dancing! I made my first performance costume and actually danced in public (scary and awesome!). Also, my best friend had to go and get married and I decided the best thing to do was to make her something for her wedding night. So it's not like I've been lazy, just distracted from finishing the Halloween costumes.

First, a few picture of the headdress I made for dancin'. It's mostly lace and a flayed bracelet with two beaded appliques (not made by me) all set securely on a headband.

Here are a couple shots of the headdress (and me!) in action.

I also made myself some *huge* and quite comfy harem pants. They will get a lot of use in the future! As soon as I get a good pic of them I'll post it.

For my hitched friend, I made her what I've since dubbed a "bedroom bustle". This is a fluffy, frilly, frothy bit of silliness that is meant to be worn over something, under something or without anything else at all.

I'm not usually a frilly person, so this was hilarious to make. Yes, it's hard to sew in a straight line when you're giggling.

It can also be worn as a wrap!

With all that done, and it being nearly mid-August(!), it's time to return to the Halloween costumes. My plan is to have the garments done by the end of this month and then spend September perfecting makeup and prosthetics (which may involve working with real pig intestine casings, we'll see as I'm still looking for an alternative for Igor's guts).

Today it seems easy to start thinking about Halloween as it feels like fall. The air is brisk, the sky is a mesmerizing molted gray and I can almost smell the woodsmoke and falling leaves. This summer's been wonderful, and I'm learning to appreciate the sunny season, but I'm getting giddy for autumn to return.

P.S. Finally saw Zombieland - love!

The Scrumptious Smell of Fungus

2010-08-12T00:24:00.000-07:00

So, in my next post I'll show pics of my recent productivity, but first I must rave about the new "perfume" I just bought. I put perfume in quotes because I have never been a perfume person, to me perfume was something that old ladies and high maintenance types wore - but all that has changed. There are an amazing array of natural scents out there these days, hand mixed by artisans and all made without animal testing or chemicals. And I've fallen in love with one of them.

Before I go on, let me make this clear: I love the smell of figs. Fresh figs, fig dishes, and especially fig essences (here imagine me rubbing my hands together and saying 'essences' like that creepy mad scientist Skesis from the Dark Crystal). Up until a few months ago it was almost impossible to find a good fig lotion or soap like I had years ago when I first discovered my obsession. Then I started finding fig products everywhere. I got soap and candles and body wash, but still could not find a good fig lotion I liked. Then I searched on Etsy (which is a whole different obsession). When I searched the word fig a shop called The Morbid The Merrier was one of the first that came up, selling a fig perfume and even though I wasn't looking for a perfume the name of the shop and the look of the bottle made me click through. TMTM sells perfumes with names like Saucy Jack, Barnum, Harlot and Lizzie. She also has a black fig concoction called Athelia. I know what you're thinking: Ooo, that sounds beautiful - wait, isn't that the name of a fungus and a rare congenital disease? Right on all three accounts, which is what makes it so awesome!

I just received my little Morbid package this morning and the scent does not disappoint. It is layered and rich and very figgy without being too heavy or sweet.

Now that I know Morbid mixes a mean scent I am fairly giddy for the next line she is coming out with which will include perfumes inspired by The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (my favorite short story of all time!), including a Horseman scent that sounds swoon worthy!

So, having shamelessly promoted this artist, go check out her wares on Etsy here, or at her new shop site The Morbid The Merrier.

Fabric & Frock Coats, Gashes & Gore

2010-04-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

I got the fabric for Igor's pants and man is it stipey! I've also collected all the fabric I need for my dress and am ready to start cutting and sewing.

The pants are already about half done - easiest things ever! At least so far, but I still have to fit them and put in the zipper.

For his frock coat I'm combining a blazer that Igor wore a couple years ago with another second-hand blazer to get the correct length. I have a pattern to go off, but it's just going to be easier to put it together without the patter (plus the coats already have finished hems I can use - plus I just don't have enough fabric to cut out the pattern pieces).

Now, if I could only figure out how to get started on my dress because that is one involved pattern.

On the makeup front I've been purusing wolf looks and gash options. I came across the video below and might actually spring for the sculpt gel she uses because it makes some amazing looking wounds.

I wish . . .

2010-03-17T17:31:00.000-07:00

that I needed this top for my LLR costume. An actual victorian era blouse that's in my size and I could (potentially) afford. Sigh, but I just couldn't justify the purchase - especially since I've been spending so much money on other bits for costumes - so instead I memorialize it here.

This blouse needed love and a home - and I just couldn't give it to it.

The Costuming - Halloween 2010

2010-03-07T13:10:00.000-08:00

I've already started my and Igor's costumes for Halloween this year, partially because I want to try and make as much of them as possible, and partially because I don't want to wait 'till the last minute and then spend a whole bunch of time and money on the things I need to complete the costumes at the last minute. So, I'm doing them gradually and I'm doing them cheap (as possible).

The costumes: Quasi-Late Victorian Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood - after she gets out of his stomach (this means lots o' blood and scratches on me and for Igor his guts falling out of a slit across the stomach of his vest)

So far I have
- Patterns for everything I need to sew
- Fake fur for Igor's ears
- Fangs
- Liquid Latex (because of zombie related activities I always have a supply on hand)
- A jacket to modify into Igor's frock coat
- Shoes for both of us (from past costumes)

What I need
- Fabric for my dress, my vest and Igor's pants
- Fabric for my hood (can't forget that)
- Make-up for Igor's wolf face
- Flower for my hair (properly wilted and perhaps half digested)

First, I'm making a test vest for myself out of Simplicity "sewstylish" #2862. I'm going to have to adjust the vest to give it a more Victorian look, but nothing too drastic. My friend Sara, who also happens to be a sewing genius, is helping with the fitting.

I just bought a vest I can use for Igor.

So far I've already removed the zippers and plan on adding pocket flaps and perhaps trimming the edge with black silk or velvet - on the other hand I may not do too much with the vest since I am just going to slit it open in the end and the main feature of it will be Igor's wolfy guts hanging out of it. I chose a double breasted vest so there will be more fabric available to attach the guts to. In the past I've had trouble getting the guts to stay in place and/or the backing I've put in to support them slipping out and showing.

Well, it has begun.

Next step: getting fabric for my dress and Igor's pants.

Halloween in December! (I actually wrote this post Dec. 3rd but am just posting it!)

2010-01-15T12:20:00.000-08:00

Of course I'm posting about Halloween costumes over a month late and of course I don't have any really good pics from the night. What I do have are a few pictures of the most impressive parts of mine and Igor's costumes - plus a couple great shots of Igor in full regalia. Enjoy!

His Helmet:

My Cape:

I got really excited and made Igor pose with this short Adam West-style Batman.

The Painted Pair

P.S. This was last year

The Winter Snail Has Sallied Forth!

2010-01-10T11:14:00.000-08:00

This is him in his stencil form

His skin in nubblier (or more knobbly?) and his colors are different, but it's so much easier to create the little fellow this way!

My Tiny Tabletop Winter Snail Factory

(It's hard to tell, but on my tiny tv is a mayoral Christopher Walken fleeing the infamous Red Triangle Gang. Oh no! Run!)

And this is what I have in my ears these days

What I watched today:
Fashions of the future!

High-pitched costumed diva

And this to wash the taste of "Avatar" out of my mouth

The First Framed Frankenstien Flower

2010-01-08T12:23:00.000-08:00

I actually completed this project back in November (when I was still being marginally productive) for a friend's birthday present.

It's all felt and thread and a hand painted watercolor background in a secondhand wood frame.

And now, some things I distracted myself with during my mostly unproductive December:

Painted People:
Artistic Makeup Photo Pool

Teddy Boys:

My New Favorite Thing:
Coilhouse

And finally, I wish someone had read me the 3 Little Pigs like this when I was a kid.

That time of year . . .

2009-12-18T12:08:00.000-08:00

So, for now I've given up trying to wrangle all my Halloween costume pictures into any kind of worthwhile post and have decided it's time I got into the current holiday season.

Last year I was lazy about making cards for loved ones, but this year I've come up with something really grand. For Halloween it was all about the zombie girl scouts, now I give you The Winter Snail!

He represents those of us who move a little slower this time of year and who wish we could carry our own cozy shells with us everywhere we go. He has sharp icicle teeth with which to crunch candy canes, toffee and other treats.

And,yes, the candles on his back could be used to set multiple and untraceable fires, but I like to think he just uses them to light the long winter nights so people don't have to drink their rum and eggnog in darkness - and we all know there's nothing so depressing as sitting in the dark, drinking rum and eggnog.

He'll be on all the cards I send out this year, mostly as a painted stencil. The pics above are from a special delux one-off card, so I'll post pictures of the stencil version a bit later.

Well, 'tis the season and all that!

And now . . .

2009-11-02T18:06:00.000-08:00

In their full glory, here are the zombie girl scout badges:

Originally there were six badges

but only four were fully made. Igor drew all of them, he also drew a fifth one and I think I'll take my sweet time finishing it so that it's nice and detailed.

Next: Halloween Costumes!

I'm making zombie girl scout badges!

2009-10-20T13:38:00.001-07:00

More pics coming soon!

With Scissors on My Arm . . .

2009-09-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

This is my official project blog. It's the first day of Fall and I am brimming over with ideas, which I'm finally ready to bring to life!

I've been gluing and sewing and sketching and writing and binding and gluing some more and, most of all, cutting things for years - but I am finally getting organized about it all. I'm not sure if I want to someday start selling all the weird little things I make, but I do want start making them of the quality that I could sell them if I chose to.

So, what are the three 'Q's? Quality Quirky Quackery! I will also be striving to come up with some better 'Q's.

Assisting me in this endeavor will be my trusty project book, the original Little Book of It Could've Been Worse. I made it about two years ago and in it I've recorded some of my better ideas.

And as the book says, Now

Recent Inspirations:
The Tim Burton's Tricks & Treats shoot
The I Heart Tim Burton photo shoot(these photos are actually from here)

Burnt Flower tutorial from barbolot on craftster

New York World's Fair (also the specifically 1939 New York World's fair photo pool)