Yup, that's Who!

He's not 'my' Doctor, but he's certainly the snappiest dresser.

Guess Who

It's a wolf suit. Naturally.

Well. It started with a bit of an odd statement on the forum...

And then there was a photo...

Photo by the lovely Fil's lovely SiL, who found the snowman on evilBay

And then there was a bit of an idea of how to do it, which means that as there's revision to be put off, so I'm looking for *any* distraction whatsoever, there had to be a proof of concept!

No fastenings, it's only a prototype... 

This little wolf suit is based on the MakieLab hoodie pattern, which is available in PDF form on the forum. The lower edge is simply extended by about 10cm to form the trouser section, and a 1cm extra width is added to the middle of the front section to facilitate the front edge opening. Construction is pretty much exactly the same, although slits are cut for the ears and tail, which are stitched in before the suit is assembled.

Look! A tail!

I'll see if I can get a pattern and a tutorial up at some point soon, but as I'm spending next week attached to the Big Red Bleep and my rather scary exam is coming up rather fast, you might have to make do with a shot of the pattern pieces and a basic set of  instructions... both of which I'll post tomorrow :)

Go on, Melchie. Get the instructions written... 

Sewing for Humans: Borogravian Army Costume

Aha! I knew the photographs would surface sooner or later.

Here's a little peek at my Borogravian costume for Miss Discworld.

Yes, I'm the one on the right... 

Stitches are, of course, optional.

So this number is put together from a combination of reproduction and modern patterns. The underpinnings are my Laughing Moon Victorian corset, chemise and bloomers, with a thrown-together petticoat of no particular pattern, with some 6mm plastic boning tucked into horsehair braid to hoop out the hem a little. 

See? Given the general theme, I'm relatively over-dressed... 

The skirt is (believe it or not) a Colette Ginger, lengthened to the floor. It could've done with being a little wider to go over all the underwear, but I think it worked well. This was actually skirt version 2; the first was a black velvet elastic waist number, but it really didn't work with the top when I put it on in the pub 15 minutes before going on stage. Thank goodness for contingency costumes! 

Particularly pleased with the bodice; this is my second time making this costume top and it's come out very well in both versions. The pattern is Truly Victorian's 1875 Ballgown Basque and is so ridiculously simple to make it's untrue. Because this is only for one-off stage wear, I left of the sleeves and omitted the lining, overlocking the edges. The front and lower edges are covered with black bias tape, and the top edge and sleeves with gold ribbon and sequins. I used more gold ribbon to make the front false frogs. It's held together (just) with hooks and eyes. 

Yes, the skirt has gone missing. It came back later.
Yes, I was beaten by a barbarian. 

The costume must've had some merits, because I was awarded 4th place and got a crown of flowers (which are sat on top of my hat in the above photo) and a certificate! Don't think it'll be going in my CV, mind you...

(Oooh, and here's what the hat looked like in 2010...

Costume recycling! A boon for the Igorina with a busy REALJOB.)

Sewing for Humans: Underpinnings

So, Hogswatch.

Essentially, twice a year, a load of fans of Terry Pratchett's Discworld books meet up in an unsuspecting little town in Somerset, book out all the hotels and have a jolly good time. A large proportion of us dress up 'specially for the occasion, and I'm quite fond of taking myself along and pretending to be an Igorina. Drinks are drank, money is raised for charity and occasionally, the man himself swoops in for a short visit.

Tools of the trade... note the boltcutters!

None of this is making any sense, right? Don't worry. After a few beers, none of us make sense.

The look tends to be sort of pseudo-Victorian with a bit of steam and a lot of odd. I decided this year I'd go for a underbust corset, blouse and long swoopy skirt for 'general' wear. The underbust is adjusted from my classic Victorian overbust corset pattern, appropriately sized for one of minimal height.

Of course, you need appropriate underpinnings...

And given we're meeting up at the end of November, layers are the order of the day!

With heartfelt apologies to Mr E A Poe

Once upon a midnight late, while I pondered on my fate,

(a horde of boisterous Makie scientists as never seen before)

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

Then a crash and burble-blatting, right outside my bedroom door.

"Tis just the cat," I muttered, "bashing at my bedroom door:

Just the cat... Please, nothing more!"

September was a long time over, one day alone left in October,

Leaves were strewn in ember-wrought jewelled gusts upon the floor.

Eagerly I wished the morrow; Halloween about to follow,

Ghosts and ghouls released to borrow tricks and treats and games and more

For skellingtons and be-sheeted ghosties knocking on my house's door

Ghosts and Ghouls and nothing more.

And the blatting grew more strident and the honking ever violent

Filling me, filling me with fantastic terrors never felt before;

So that now to still the shrieking in my head, I lie repeating,

"Tis just the cat demanding breakfast at the bedroom door;

Just my fat cat wanting breakfast sitting at my bedroom door,

Just the cat and nothing more."

Suddenly the crashing ended and, as I'm certain they intended,

"Plink?" called I, "Or Melchett? An explanation I implore.

You know the humans are both napping, there's a housewide ban on blatting,

Also sounds described as splatting, slithering, whooping and all crashing,

Especially at the hour of four thirty..." here I opened wide the door.

Darkness there and nothing more.

Deep into the darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, hearing,

Faint sounds of splashing and pirate calling from underneath the bathroom door

And as the silence slunk off, broken, there came a slingle tentacular token,

And a greenish glowing light from underneath the bathroom door,

A trembling green and purple tentacle underneath the bathroom door,

This and water and nothing more.

Tentacle? Check. Hook? Check. Mayhem? CHECK.

Back into the bedroom, sighing, always at the Makies sighing,

Then I heard a tapping and a scratching louder than before.

“Surely,” said I, “Surely not an escapee Makie.. I’m losing the plot…

Let me see then what the threat is, and this mystery explore,

Let me see what’s tapping and scratching and… growling at my bedroom door.

Oh please, the wind and nothing more.”

Open here I pulled the portal, willing it to be a mortal

When in there stepped a stately Maiden of the days of yore…

Looking down my eyes espied a rather oddly dressed-up Blythe,

Who raised her hands and growled and cried and perched outside my bedroom door.

Perched upon an orange pumpkin dumped outside my bedroom door,

Perched and growled and nothing more.

Aspen, who is rather miffed at the glue dot keeping her nose-costume on... 

Well. This fluffy vision soon beguiling my worn temper into smiling

By the fuzzy boots and gloves and tunic that it wore.

“Though thy head is fur-behatted, thou,” I said, “were nearly splatted,

Hanging around on a precarious pumpkin sat outside my bedroom door…

Tell me where the others are, let me know just to be sure”.

Quoth a Makie: “Eat my Shorts!”

*le sigh* Hi Melchie... 

Another coughed as if to squelch it, but it only could be Melchett,

And as I turned and looked I saw her and…what’s that? Another more?

Melchie was a calavera, and as I started to blink and stare a

Blythe trotted out from behind the pumpkin sat outside my bedroom door

A new Blythe with long yellowish hair that I had never seen before,

Sitting and smiling and nothing more.

Say hello to the long-anticipated Elin! Wooo!

“Oh great!” I moaned, my resolve fleeting as all four then fell to speaking,

Talking all at once and squeaking of blood and guts and gore,

Of mad experiments and plotting, of delicate things they could be dropping,

And of things that needed chopping right there on my bedroom floor,

Back to bed I went and left them, partying on my bedroom floor,

And as I went, I vowed “NO MORE!”

Oh, you could at least attempt to smile... 

That's better! 

Hope you all have a glorious Halloween/Samhain/Nos Galad Gaeaf! I'll be celebrating by shutting the girls in the bathroom with the giant squid and hiding things from trick or treaters! Stay spooky :) 

Glorious Wolf Hat by Manon of De Belles Poupees, Voodoo Necklace by Fil of Mok.Me

More photos on the flickr, woo!

Makie Meet, the summarisinginging

Aaah. Now I've had a bit of sleep, I think I'm up to a summary of the fun and games had by all at the Makie Lab meet up.

We left Sheepland reasonably bright and early, and had a rather nice train ride down to London (especially in comparison to the ride back, see Twitter for gory details), then battled with tube line closures and not realising that for some reason Paddington Tube Station is in two bits (am a hick from the sticks and I HATE LONDON. There. I've said it.). The much-maligned mini A-Z book came in very useful in finding Scrutton Street; although the girls came from there, they were sulking too much at their travel arrangements (dinner napkin roulades) to give me useful directions.

After finding the lab, Steamplink and Madame Von Melchie were released from their prisons, costumes donned and much squeaking ensued!

Free! Freeeeeeee!

Plink had a good nose around Widget's lab...

Frantically calculating which big red button to press.

We met the twitchy-eared test subject SU3K4T and got a look at her braaaaains...

There are videos of Suekat out there, go look!

We discovered that Dave and Am look exactly like their humans! (Also Yeti is very, very tall!)

Modelling their Makie Couture original hats :) 

Count Dracuted didn't scare us and Millie the Witch was adorable.

Costumes by the talented Poklfil

Refreshments were provided by Chelsea, sugar, sugar and more sugar.

Dave lines up a shot.

We also got let into a few top sekrit MakieLab plans... but our lips are sealed! ... no, not quite as literally as sealed as the head in this photo.

SCARY

Then we got on with the gruelling task of trying to make everyone stand up for long enough to get a group photo!

Makies are wobbly!

Sulka had a much nicer camera than mine and stole all the Makies for individual portrait shots. Really looking forwards to seeing these, because at that point the light was going and I don't have a flash.

Smile, everyone! Say candy corn!

Thanks to all at MakieLab for tolerating us dumping our stuff all over your workspace, the epic goody bags of joy and giving up your Saturdays so's we could have a good time. Special kudos to Chelsea for the mint M+M cookies if not the punch which caused a MAJOR sugar crash on the tube back to Paddington!

There are more photos available in the flickr set, which is here. Happy clicking!

Steamplink and Madame Von Melchie

Ahahahaaa!

Finally, I can let you into the sekrit of the costumes we've been working on for the last month!

Just put some gears on it and call it steeeeeeeeempunk!

Steampunk is fantastic, as far as I'm concerned. I've got a whole Pinterest board devoted to the collecting of steampunky ideas, and I've been dying to make a Makie-sized steampunk costume for ages. Happily, the Makie Meet gave me the perfect excuse to make two!

Here's the Steamplink. Obviously involved in the science side of things, she's probably an airship engineer or the like.

Okay, yes. The gears have no purpose. So hit me with sticks. 

Her boots and belt are from Collectible Kitbash and are seriously high quality. The boots have even got hobnails on them!

Up, up and awaaaaaaay!

Madame Von Melchie is more of a lace-and-arsenic sort.

Shall we dance? Or shall I poison you? Either way is good...

Her hat is essentially felt, fabric, glue and more glue. The skirt has wire in the hem to help it hold its shape. There's a 3-layer bustle on the back, which is happily not held together with glue. That's a chicken feather in the hat, by the way.

No, she wouldn't take off the fluffy bunny slippers.

I'm delighted with the costumes, especially Plink's wings and goggles. Many huge hugs to the Jo for sending me the watch faces!