elizabeth_mn

Or at least, as done as it's going to get, for now.

It took ages for the moss bodice to dry, and I ended up using so much glue that it's quite stiff and the inside is pretty plastic-y. And on the table it kind of has a Sad Muppet look. But I tried it on with the dress, and it actually looks kind of cool.

I sewed up the shoulder seams but I am leaving the bust darts unsewn because I want to travel with it as flat as possible, and it'll take ten minutes to sew the darts on Sunday.

For the wings I decided to go with two, not four. I shaped them a little pointier, then sewed them together and hotglued some wire to the back. I punched a couple holes for a twine tie and done!

I also did a couple little fiddly odds and ends in the past couple days. My Regency petticoat was a bit too long so I sewed two more tucks at the hem to shorten it by 1". I also added some elastic to my green vintage swimsuit to improve the fit and the bust support.

So it's been a couple days of little things, but it feels good to cross them off the list. What's left?

* Spruce up Glinda - this is totally my Gala gown. I know I will feel kind of cheap and lame next to everyone's awesome finery, but it'll be more fun to wear than my other options. At the very least it needs more stars and glitter to replace the ones that fell off, and I'd also like to adjust the bodice fit and maybe mess with the sleeves. And figure out shoes.

* Finish the LWD and a quick spencer.
* new shift
* beach dress to go with my swimsuit
* finish knitting the lace
* some hairpieces

That's the plan, anyway. If I run out of time, so be it. The only one I really feel anxious about is the LWD. Everything else I can pretty much do in my sleep.

Ok, so I'm a little late to the party, but who cares!

I should mention I've only read this book recently. Everybody here was talking so much about it and I love a good novel with magic, so I got a cheap used copy last January and read it. I have to admit I had to persevere a bit to get into the story. The footnotes drove me crazy, and the text felt very small for my tired eyes at night. But after I few chapters I fell in deep, and loved it.

My vision for this costume is very earthy, like mold and moss and slightly rotted dead things in the dark undergrowth of the forest. That's how I pictured the fairies in the book. The Gentleman is also described as wearing green.

Anyone remember this annoyingly bright dress? Well I decided I could sacrifice it to the cause. I did really enjoy the brightness, but I'd already worn it twice for two different events, and I really doubted I'd wear it again. So I dyed it to make it more earthy and mossy. One pot of Procion bronze later, I had this:



To make the wings, I bought a big sheet of fancy mulberry paper from the art supply store and did some paint. First a mottled layer of brown watercolor, then a sponged layer of metallic bronze.

After this I coated the back in Mod Podge to stiffen, which was a total fail. It's actually softer now, instead of stiffened! It's heavy and soft and floppy and thick. Probably you real artist types are saying "duh," but usually when I Mod Podge things they get stiff, almost crispy stiff, like they stand up on their own.

I am really not much of an artist, so please know this is really the best I could do. It's not quite what I envisioned, but oh well. I will go with it anyway. I have a wing template, sort of a dragonfly's wing shape, that I will use to cut out wings from my painted paper. I plan for them to hang down, like they are folded, not stick out to the sides.



The twirly sticks are for my hair, which I plan to braid up and then cover with moss and twigs.

Finally the overbodice. This is still in progress, and it's a little ambitious for me, so we'll see how it goes. The plan is to glue a layer of moss to a tulle foundation to make a bodice made of moss. Here's the sample I made.



It worked pretty well, though I had to absolutely saturate it with glue (Fabric Fusion). I put freezer paper below and on top and weighted it with a book until it dried.

I have a bag each of brown and green and another bag that's more peat-y. I'll try mixing them a bit. I hope this ends up looking like what I am imagining.