Commission Project: Pirate England (Hetalia) -- Post-Completion Silliness

Hello everyone!

My husband and I did a quick little 'test fitting' (Even though the measurements are incorrect for his body-type) of the Pirate!England commission, and this is what we ended up with.  Actually fit him better than I expected, though the sleeves are a bit short for him, lol.  It's really nice to see how the whole costume comes together, even without added accessories, sashes, jewelry, etc.

It's official, Spring break is here (March 30th-April 10th), and I couldn't be happier.  I actually started preliminary tests on the armor I need to build for my Shanoa costume, and so far so good.  It's been a bit of a tedious process since I'm forming a flat sheet of Wonderflex over a 3D object (My dress-form) but after a few hours I finally got it to work!  I'll probably spend the rest of my weekend figuring out the correct shape, covering it with leather and figuring out the decorative designs as well.  I plan on documenting my whole working progress, so that I can include more detailed progress shots, and perhaps as an end result, even a detailed tutorial for anyone else considering this cosplay!

Wish me luck, and back to my crafty cave for now.

-- Elysium

Commission Project: Pirate England (Hetalia) -- Update V, Pirate Coat

Arrrrrr(o), everyone!

Quick update -- been trying to get around to posting a few photos of the Pirate!England cosplay that I completed to 100% a few weeks ago.  The jeweled pin shown on the back of the collar can be removed, I just threw it on there 'cause it is kinda cool.  I will likely assemble all pieces that have been created for final photos at a later time!  Overall, really super pleased with the whole costume, but at the same time, so relieved to be finished.  I dedicated at least 80-100 hours on the whole project, learned a lot from it, and am happy to see it off to it's home soon.

Pretty excited to see Raven cosplay in her finished ensemble!  The costume is so rich, so I hope she'll feel amazing wearing it as England, and that it'll help her get into swashbuckling spirit. :3 She will be carting it down here in late June, (Already giggling as I think of customs' reaction.) as she will be coming to visit me, and we will also be attending Anime Expo 2012 together!! Really looking forward to spending time with her and am super excite! I hardly ever look forward to summer... so I am happy to at least have this happening!

In personal stuff, feeling kinda down and dowdy lately.  Just been really struggling with my creativity, even though I am forcing myself into new projects already.  'Suppose a break, or rather, Spring Break (That starts next week), should help a bit.  I literally have 95% of the materials I need to start my own costume (Boots will be arriving today, yippies!) but I haven't had the chance to pattern anything as of yet.  I guess I shouldn't get too down, as it's really not a major life problem.  Just feeling that school has been wearing me out a bit.  Getting back into eating healthy, and exercising has been a struggle to commit to, but I will get into the groove of it pretty soon. :3 And with that, I'm out for now, thanks for reading!

-- Ely

FINIS!

1. Restoration-era coat w/large cuffs, collar & lapels
2. Poet shirt w/lace cuffs
3. Pirate Hat w/feathers, ruffled ribbon & trims
   
4. Gold epaulets w/tassels
5. Lacey cravat

Castlevania OoE: Starting Shanoa costume construction!

Hey all!

Figured it was time for an update.  It's been another busy week at school, but Thursday ended up being a nightmare from the get-go (Yay to waking up with distorted vision -- thanks so much, migraine...) but I seem to be doing better now.  It's high time that I get back into a regular exercise routine, and start taking more care over my eating habits, and when I choose to go to bed.  Unfortunately, migraines spring up and strike me like some invisible force, and I need to figure out how to prevent them a bit better.

For once, I'm making my costume goals this year happen!  I'm happy to say that I have most of more costly materials I need to start working on my Shanoa costume, (I will do the sewing portion later, buy fabric, etc) so in the next week or so I will actually start patterning, forming, and creating her breastplate, greaves and hip armor.  I found out that a supplier of Wonderflex have a location nestled in North Hollywood, so my beau and I took a little trip and I picked some up. (43" by 55" for $43.95!)

Last Friday, a friend and I also made a trip to SavMor Leather (Downtown Los Angeles), and I nabbed two lovely chocolate brown pig hides for the armor as well.  The idea is to make the base forms from Wonderflex, line with foam and felt, and then cover the outer with real leather.  I've worked with this method on smaller projects (Masks), and it looks gorgeous!  Originally I was planning to use vinyl, but somehow the leather ended up being the cheaper option?  （　ﾟДﾟ）? Who would think I would walk out with enough leather for this project for under $30... cray cray.

I have the wig and contracts as well, so pretty soon I'll post some make-up tests.  The wig came a little bent around the bottom length, but I can easily fix this by hanging it in the shower, and spraying some semi-hot water on it.  The slight heat and weight of the water should straighten it without having to fiddle with any hot tools.

All in all, I need maybe another $40 to purchase a few more materials and I should be set for Shanoa.  The fabric, lining, and feathers are all I really need at this point.

OFFICIALLY, the Pirate England commission is finished.  I'll be taking some pictures and posting the final result here pretty soon.  I'm super happy with it -- final update soon!

Cheers all and back to my creative cave,

-- Ely

Shanoa Wig: Bought!

I posted some time back on my deliberation between a CosplayWigUSA wig (Which at the time was out of stock), and an Epic Cosplay Wig product that was similar in style and cut.  I couldn't seem to make up my mind about either (Wigs are an expensive investment!) so I just left it to thought, and continued to work on my more current projects.

I randomly checked back on the back-ordered wig, and not only was the wig back in stock at CosplayWigUSA, they also had a two day coupon for 20% running just for this weekend, 02/24/2012-02/26/2012!  (http://cosplaywigsusa.com/ use code:2020 in the promo box before you select your payment option!)

The 40"/100cm heat-resistant wig is a steal of a price to being with, for $39.95.  Coupled with the 20% off coupon, $31.96!  With free shipping too, I may add.

I decided this was a good time to finally pick up a seemingly great wig for Shanoa.  Once it arrives, I'll be doing a review for the product overall, shipping, price, quality, etc.  I feel that if there are decent cosplay wig suppliers in our home countries, we really should try to support them a little better!  So expect a review once it's in my happy little hands!

Preeeetty excited!  ヽ(￣ｰ￣)ﾉ ☆  Cheers! Final updates impending on the APH Pirate England cosplay commission any day now!

-- Ely

Commission Project: Pirate England (Hetalia) -- Update IV, Poet Shirt

'Allo thar!

I have just finished up the poet shirt! Woohoo!  This is a larger part of the Pirate England cosplay commission I was charged with creating, and I am happy to announce that I have been able to cross off everything from that list -- but the jacket.  Mostly, that part  has been sewn or is in separate pieces that just need to be attached.  (Collars, cuffs, lapels, etc)  It certainly won't be long until this Hetalia pirate costume is sitting at 100%, and ready to be shipped!

The body of the shirt is crafted from a beautiful mid-weight linen, which was then perm-dyed to a light ecru colour.  The lace around the cuffs and cravat were custom stained using a highly concentrated earl grey and sea salt bath, which I then heat set with an iron.  I enlarged the sleeve pattern for more fullness, and modified the collar to a ruffled stand to exemplify it's stateliness.  ^.~

The cravat is fully removable, (Has a mock collar with hidden snaps) so that the shirt can be worn without it as well.  Not pictured is the slit at the front of the poet shirt, which has brass grommets and lacing!  It is a rather nice detail, even though hidden from view.  I created the brooch for this costume using a large crystal gem, a vintage holder, a flat brooch back, and antique brass chains.  Overall super pleased with the jewelry and glad it did what I wanted it to.  xD;

The poet shirt sits at about 28" inches from shoulder to hem, so it can either be worn un-tucked, belted and bloused out, or tucked in and bloused comfortably.  I didn't want to alter the length too much, but since my client is shorter than I, I took care not make it too long it either. xD;

I hope you like the progress! Fancy Pirate England shirt is definitely fancy.  I am so pleased with how this garment came out and I am excited to see it all together.  Now onto the jacket! Huuuuuuuuu~ <3

Left to do:

1. Restoration-era coat w/large cuffs, collar & lapels (All are ready to be assembled!)
2. Poet shirt w/lace cuffs
3. Pirate Hat w/feathers, ruffled ribbon & trims
   
4. Gold epaulets w/tassels
5. Lacey cravat

Cheers for now, and happy costuming!

-- Elysium