The Craft Room

[Granny Nogg]

You're very welcome!

So last night Allen and I were sitting at the table talking while I put another coat of glue on the crown. It came out that we had two totally different visions for this White Queen character. He was thinking more Lady Of The Lake, and I was thinking more Hidden Life Of Chess Pieces.

That discussion morphed into what's-her-story; if I'm going to play a character or get into character for the photo shoot, I want to be able to have a sense of body language and facial expression this character would have. Was she more a Valkyrie, or a victim of circumstances?

Then we got to taking about maybe writing a short story, page or two, to accompany the photos. That then involved other pieces on the chess board and her counterpart, the Black Queen.

Several hours later and way late into the wee hours, I had notes on four-way chess, with quadruplet sisters as the main players, and their motivations, appearance, personalities, etc. We went with the classic Greek personality types - melancholic, phlegmatic, choleric, and sanguine.

We're styling them as four stereotypes - sanguine Red Queen, a Steampunk air ship captain; phlegmatic Blue Queen, high elven, lover of nature and solitary contemplative walks; melancholic White Queen, icy cool in her decisions, it isn't personal, but yet revenge is best served cold; and choleric Black Queen, warm passions and tropical breezes, impulsive, dominating, roaring 20's flapper, Phryne Fischer style.

We're going to do Alphonse Mucha-style panels, the Four Seasons kind of thing, but representing four eras - Greek, Roman, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco.

So this project is taking on a life of its own, and likely will end up as a self-published (as in one copy) coffee table book.

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[Mark D]

You're very welcome!

So last night Allen and I were sitting at the table talking while I put another coat of glue on the crown. It came out that we had two totally different visions for this White Queen character. He was thinking more Lady Of The Lake, and I was thinking more Hidden Life Of Chess Pieces.

That discussion morphed into what's-her-story; if I'm going to play a character or get into character for the photo shoot, I want to be able to have a sense of body language and facial expression this character would have. Was she more a Valkyrie, or a victim of circumstances?

Then we got to taking about maybe writing a short story, page or two, to accompany the photos. That then involved other pieces on the chess board and her counterpart, the Black Queen.

Several hours later and way late into the wee hours, I had notes on four-way chess, with quintuplet sisters as the main players, and their motivations, appearance, personalities, etc. We went with the classic Greek personality types - melancholic, phlegmatic, choleric, and sanguine.

We're styling them as four stereotypes - sanguine Red Queen, a Steampunk air ship captain; phlegmatic Blue Queen, high elven, lover of nature and solitary contemplative walks; melancholic White Queen, icy cool in her decisions, it isn't personal, but yet revenge is best served cold; and choleric Black Queen, warm passions and tropical breezes, impulsive, dominating, roaring 20's flapper, Phryne Fischer style.

We're going to do Alphonse Mucha-style panels, the Four Seasons kind of thing, but representing four eras - Greek, Roman, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco.

So this project is taking on a life of its own, and likely will end up as a self-published (as in one copy) coffee table book.

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Sounds interesting!

 

There was a series of articles on Art of Manliness about the four archtypes of the man (King, Warrior, Magician, Lover).  I haven't researched, but there are probably comparable archtypes for women, might be a useful tool for your characters.

[Granny Nogg]

Sounds interesting!

There was a series of articles on Art of Manliness about the four archtypes of the man (King, Warrior, Magician, Lover). I haven't researched, but there are probably comparable archtypes for women, might be a useful tool for your characters.

Ah! Thank you, I'll pass that along to Allen for his story outline!

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[Granny Nogg]

Got the crown done.

http://pin.it/Z5a3Ket

So some things I learned about working with craft foam: white glue doesn't flex. I did 2 thinned coats of glue to seal the foam, and the glue cracked when I flexed the crown to put it on my head. The same thing then happened when I mixed white craft paint with fabric glue. I was getting pretty discouraged until I picked up some Liquitex white artist acrylic paint. Mixed that 50/50 with fabric glue, and not only did it seal up the cracks in the white glue and craft paint, but it's flexible and has a satin finish. I'm so relieved. That's going to be my go-to paint for foam costume items that need to flex. (I also bought some plastidip spray, but didn't use it on this project).

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[Mark D]

Got the crown done.

http://pin.it/Z5a3Ket

So some things I learned about working with craft foam: white glue doesn't flex. I did 2 thinned coats of glue to seal the foam, and the glue cracked when I flexed the crown to put it on my head. The same thing then happened when I mixed white craft paint with fabric glue. I was getting pretty discouraged until I picked up some Liquitex white artist acrylic paint. Mixed that 50/50 with fabric glue, and not only did it seal up the cracks in the white glue and craft paint, but it's flexible and has a satin finish. I'm so relieved. That's going to be my go-to paint for foam costume items that need to flex. (I also bought some plastidip spray, but didn't use it on this project).

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Artists matte medium might does enough for your purposes too. I'll see if I can find a link when I'm at a real keyboard. Alternately you could probably thin latex caulk, the kind you use to fill gaps around woodwork before painting.

[Granny Nogg]

Shrinkage could be an issue with the silicone based caulks, I read. Though there is one I read about that doesn't shrink, and I did buy some. But plastidip is basically the same thing. The issue is a need to seal the foam before adding the plastidip, because the propellant in the spray will weaken contact cement bonds.

The matte medium, I hadn't read any references to that, but if it's latex based then it might work. I know that the craft paint was also an acrylic paint and so I thought it would be fine. And it probably is, for armor and things that need to be rigid. But the issue with the flexing and cracking, that's apparently a common enough problem that lots of people have complained about it.

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[Mark D]

Shrinkage could be an issue with the silicone based caulks, I read. Though there is one I read about that doesn't shrink, and I did buy some. But plastidip is basically the same thing. The issue is a need to seal the foam before adding the plastidip, because the propellant in the spray will weaken contact cement bonds.

The matte medium, I hadn't read any references to that, but if it's latex based then it might work. I know that the craft paint was also an acrylic paint and so I thought it would be fine. And it probably is, for armor and things that need to be rigid. But the issue with the flexing and cracking, that's apparently a common enough problem that lots of people have complained about it.

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My mistake, I was thinking of the acrylic/latex caulk (not silicone), but it turns out that's not permanently flexible.  

[Granny Nogg]

My mistake, I was thinking of the acrylic/latex caulk (not silicone), but it turns out that's not permanently flexible.  

 

You are talking about wood filler, right?  Actually I did use a wood filler on the back of the crown, to smooth the transition from foam to copper wire.  I knew the wood filler wouldn't flex, but that's fine since it was going to be vertical and there isn't much flex needed for that.  The wood filler doesn't shrink which is good, and I read that it's also helpful for filling in pits or dings or dents on the foam if that happens.  I thought it was nice and smooth to work with, dried quickly, buffed well so that the seams were less visible, and overall will be helpful in smoothing away the signs of armature.  But, you're absolutely right about the flexibility issue.  So the one they recommended was the Dap Kwik Seal.  Apparently that one is non-silicone and won't shrink but maintains flexibility. I really would have preferred the clear, but they only had white when I stopped at Lowe's and I wasn't going to drive across town to hit Menard's.  So if I use it for another project in a different color, I'll have to take the caulk color into account and make sure I add enough layers of paint to cover the white. 

[Mark D]

You are talking about wood filler, right?  Actually I did use a wood filler on the back of the crown, to smooth the transition from foam to copper wire.  I knew the wood filler wouldn't flex, but that's fine since it was going to be vertical and there isn't much flex needed for that.  The wood filler doesn't shrink which is good, and I read that it's also helpful for filling in pits or dings or dents on the foam if that happens.  I thought it was nice and smooth to work with, dried quickly, buffed well so that the seams were less visible, and overall will be helpful in smoothing away the signs of armature.  But, you're absolutely right about the flexibility issue.  So the one they recommended was the Dap Kwik Seal.  Apparently that one is non-silicone and won't shrink but maintains flexibility. I really would have preferred the clear, but they only had white when I stopped at Lowe's and I wasn't going to drive across town to hit Menard's.  So if I use it for another project in a different color, I'll have to take the caulk color into account and make sure I add enough layers of paint to cover the white. 

 

No, latex caulk comes in the same type of tube as silicone caulk (either a toothpaste type tube or one you need a caulking gun for), but it's basically a very thick latex paint.  It's used in places where you need to fill a crack (like between molding and wall) but need to paint it too.  As opposed to silicone where you'd use where you wouldn't paint it, like between a counter top and tile.  I thought it remained flexible, but when I looked it up to send you a link I saw that it doesn't.

[RMDC]

The crown looks amazing. I can sympathize with your troubles with PVA glue and fabric paint cracking. I'm glad you found a fix, and I'm stowing your solution until I might need it in the future.

[Granny Nogg]

Cutting out the pattern pieces for the White Queen's corset. It's a full overbust bodice style one, rather than an underbust.

I decided to go with a corset instead of body armor/breastplate because none of the other queens will have body armor. Even though all their costumes will be different, none had any directly militant looks to them. Eventually I'll try the body armor though.

http://pin.it/Q3LowUk

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[Granny Nogg]

Had this long conversation with my daughter & oldest DIL at craft night last night, about the White Queen's corset/breastplate thing.

So in my haste to make progress, I forgot to put interfacing on the jacquard fabric for the corset, so all that time I spent seaming the jacquard to the Aida cloth, all that work has to be seam ripped out. Ugh! It's not the first time stuff like that's happened, and it won't be the last.

We talked about corset verses breastplate verses just a bodice verses lace neck corset. I brought out the pieces I'd thrifted for the costume: a bridal train became an elegant hoodless cloak; a bodice had some beading removed to be more generic and less bridal; and a formal dress that's too small is becoming a maxi skirt with corset lacing to make it fit comfortably. Here's a look: http://pin.it/j9n7U_l.

I'm thinking of doing some faux leather greaves, and working on the corset but having this bodice as plan B if I mess up the corset.

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[Granny Nogg]

Just in case you hadn't seen  it yet: 

 

http://cosplayblog.mccall.com/2016/02/16/exclusive-patterns-from-cosplay-by-mccalls/#more-1013

[TheArchitect]

That is so neat!!!!

[TheArchitect]

The best way I have found to not get sucked into TV and actually spend time on creative craftiness is 2 fold:

1. Make it a habit to turn on music playing through my TV when I get home instead of turning on Netflix

2. Setting up my home environment so that I have space to create. I now have a large empty table next to my computer so I can still internet or have Netflix on in the background while I'm sewing, drawing, etc.

I am sewing a dress for an event tonight, the first time sewing anything in 3 years! And the last time I sewed a garment was maybe a year before that!

I also got a book and supplies to try card weaving that I'm excited about but haven't attempted yet (the desire stems from wanting to recreate a bracelet I got in Brazil that was ruined by getting paint on it while painting a house in a color I dislike).

I also had been trying to paint but realized I really prefer drawing and crafting so an image I had been planning to paint for years, I have since decided I will make instead using cutout paint chips (got the idea when I worked at Home Depot's paint counter for 6 months last year!)

Speaking of... I need to add these things to my Davinci quest!

[Granny Nogg]

Awesome crafting guidelines and goals! Will you show us the dress when you're done?

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[TheArchitect]

Absolutely! The party is at 5:30pm tonight!

[TheArchitect]

Pattern pieces:

 

The dress pattern I decided to use is Retro Butterick '52 B4919, which is now out of print. I made a few edits to the dress: the pattern didn't include facing on the wraps so I duplicated the back pieces (2) instead of using the facing piece in the pattern (3). Also the wraps to tie in the back were quite short and I wanted long tails to be an accent to the dress because I was using an accent color for the back piece. I wanted to add pockets to the skirt but apparently don't remember how to do it so there are no pockets
 
The neck line didn't turn out great, but prior to this I hadn't done any big sewing projects for more than 3 years! It got me excited about the possibilities of making myself a new dress for my Xmas holiday party (along with the goal of weight loss this year I think I will also be happier with how I look in clothes in general... oh and I won't wait until a week before the party to start on the dress!). 
 
Front: I tried to adjust the neckline but then it was too deep so I hand stitched a little "modesty panel" in, this was a work event after all! By the end of the night with all the dancing it started to come lose so I removed it. 
 

 

Back: I am happy with how the ties added an accent color, I think with just one color the dress would have been pretty boring. I have a lot of work to do but I'm feeling excited about sewing again which was the real win of the night!

[Granny Nogg]

I am happy with how the ties added an accent color, I think with just one color the dress would have been pretty boring. I have a lot of work to do but I'm feeling excited about sewing again

Awesome wrap dress, I love retro patterns. Great job, and I love the contrast facing on the ties and back. Please do share more of your sewing projects!

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[Granny Nogg]

I've slowly been working on the corset for the White Queen. Finally have some progress to show. So the mismatched patterns isn't on purpose; I'm using up the duck cloth that I already have before buying more. I use duck instead of coutil because I don't make tightlacing corsets. Duck is about half the price and certainly strong enough to use for costume wear, as long as you don't wash the sizing out of it.

Anyway. So this is a longline overbust with shoulder straps, it's a butterick pattern that I have used before, to make my Steampunk corset. What you see here are the strength layer (interlining) where the spiral steel bones will go. I'm not using a busk at center front but instead using a parka zipper. The back will have the lacing.

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[RedStone]

I tend to oscillate between craft interests. For a couple years there it was mostly jewelry making, before that knitting. I like to make tiny clothes for the love of my life, my Blythe doll <3

 

With my recent move & weight loss I find myself picking up sewing again! I want new clothes naturally, and now I have a decent amount of space in the basement to work!

 

I came up in sportswear with access to industrial merrow sergers and stuff like that, but I don't have a home serger, so now it's all straight machine stuff. I'm using wovens for the first time and trying to up my skills and practice practice practice!

 

Let's see.. I've been using the Jalie blocks for bras, they're pretty and sweet and easy to pull off. (Great video tutorial to follow along with.) Been making some hats, tops and accessories, and a new weekender which I needed desperately anyway! 

 

But the big goal is to finish a formal top for a wedding I have in April. I have a black ball gown skirt that I'm able to fit into in for the first time in 15 years, but nothing for the top, so I was thinking some embroidered satin or some such. I'm not 100% confident that I'll be able to pull it off in the time I have, but I'm going to try!

[TheArchitect]

I tend to oscillate between craft interests. For a couple years there it was mostly jewelry making, before that knitting. I like to make tiny clothes for the love of my life, my Blythe doll <3

 

With my recent move & weight loss I find myself picking up sewing again! I want new clothes naturally, and now I have a decent amount of space in the basement to work!

 

I came up in sportswear with access to industrial merrow sergers and stuff like that, but I don't have a home serger, so now it's all straight machine stuff. I'm using wovens for the first time and trying to up my skills and practice practice practice!

 

Let's see.. I've been using the Jalie blocks for bras, they're pretty and sweet and easy to pull off. (Great video tutorial to follow along with.) Been making some hats, tops and accessories, and a new weekender which I needed desperately anyway! 

 

But the big goal is to finish a formal top for a wedding I have in April. I have a black ball gown skirt that I'm able to fit into in for the first time in 15 years, but nothing for the top, so I was thinking some embroidered satin or some such. I'm not 100% confident that I'll be able to pull it off in the time I have, but I'm going to try!

 

Congrats on the weight loss and finding joy in sewing again I am excited to lose weight so I can sew for a fitter body

 

What is a weekender? 

 

I look forward to seeing your fancy dress in April!

[RedStone]

Congrats on the weight loss and finding joy in sewing again I am excited to lose weight so I can sew for a fitter body

 

What is a weekender? 

 

I look forward to seeing your fancy dress in April!

 

Ya! Thank you! And good luck to you in your journey! May we all be sewing a few sizes down

 

A weekender is a travel bag good for a few days away, this is the one I modeled the pattern after, but I'm putting in a zillion more pockets! Also, I would love this mustard color stuff, but I have a bolt of heavy denim I should use up, so blue it is.

[TheArchitect]

Oh nice! I just purchased a bag about that size but had been drooling over leather weekender bags Good job using the fabric you have! I'm a total fabric hoarder but in the next year I want to use all my fabrics to make things for myself and reduce my clutter. 

[Granny Nogg]

I tend to oscillate between craft interests. For a couple years there it was mostly jewelry making, before that knitting. I like to make tiny clothes for the love of my life, my Blythe doll <3

 

With my recent move & weight loss I find myself picking up sewing again! I want new clothes naturally, and now I have a decent amount of space in the basement to work!

 

I came up in sportswear with access to industrial merrow sergers and stuff like that, but I don't have a home serger, so now it's all straight machine stuff. I'm using wovens for the first time and trying to up my skills and practice practice practice!

 

Let's see.. I've been using the Jalie blocks for bras, they're pretty and sweet and easy to pull off. (Great video tutorial to follow along with.) Been making some hats, tops and accessories, and a new weekender which I needed desperately anyway! 

 

But the big goal is to finish a formal top for a wedding I have in April. I have a black ball gown skirt that I'm able to fit into in for the first time in 15 years, but nothing for the top, so I was thinking some embroidered satin or some such. I'm not 100% confident that I'll be able to pull it off in the time I have, but I'm going to try!

 

I'd love to see that formal top!

 

One of the main reasons I sew is because my body is shaped so wrong for current fashions (or fashions are all wrong, however you want to play that game).  Generally they are created for women whose torsos and hips are slim.  Mine are not.  I am small busted and hippy and tall, I have a short waist but a long lower torso, and longer than average legs.  So what that means is that stuff just fits wierd!!  Being able to sew my own garments has been a huge help.  It's also fun to go to thrift stores looking for fabrics.  Buy something that's a few sizes too big,. take it apart and then use the fabric for something else!