Started - August 2007
First worn - CostumeCon 26, San Jose, CA (2008)
Reference pics
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Most of the time I do wear the black glasses but occasionally I can't wear contacts and have to wear my normal glasses.
Pulling it all together
(The construction of this costume was actually really well documented so this is quite long.)
August 13, 2007
And so, it starts with fabric buying! The skirt fabric will be coming from stash. It's the right color and I'm using stash fabric which is always a good thing. However, most of the other fabric is pink and I don't have much for pink in the stash so that is all purchased and just needs to be serged so I can wash it all. Just need to get the netting for the petticoat.
I've even started on collecting the accessories. I found the necklace on eBay but someone outbid me and that's just maddening because I could have bought one exactly like it earlier today but I hadn't decided before the auction ended. Oh well, there's still one more in case this one goes too high. But I have ordered the glasses, belt, tights (that I'm hoping to make into socks since I couldn't find striped socks) wig, extra hair for the wig, wig brush, and wig cap.
Just need to figure out the tattoo thing and find the shoes.
August 16, 2007
Today was a good day. The belt, glasses, necklace, wig and wig stuff came in! I got four packages in the mail today and that is always fun. So I now have almost everything I need to start on this costume. I was going to order the bowling shoes today but I kinda forgot. Oh well. I hope things go much quicker this weekend or there will be no need to worry about getting the shoes for this costume because I won't get to it in time.
September 23, 2007
Getting this done for Dragon*Con obviously didn't happen but if I start now, it might be ready for cons next year. First things first means it's time to work on the silly petticoat for under the poodle skirt. I have gobs of pink tulle everywhere. Some of it is cut out nice and neat for the various tiers this thing will have and the rest of it was very carefully draped Bryan's chair. He decided to not so carefully throw it aside so I now have a chair full of tulle strips each about 15 yards long and of varying widths. Assembly should start tomorrow after a long planned raid to Jo-Ann's. Since I haven't made a petticoat out of tulle before, and patterns were really cheap, I am basing it off of a pattern. It's very wasteful of fabric so I changed a few things. I'm also attempting to lengthen it since it's a wee bit short but with all the poofiness and then weight of the skirt, I'm not sure if it's going to be quite right. I may have to get more tulle and make another crazy pink tulle petticoat.
September 24, 2007
A cotton candy monster sneezed in my sewing area!
Not a very pleasant thing until I was cleaning up, shook it all out and there was the beginnings of a really fluffy pink petticoat.
Waistband still needs to be done (grosgrain ribbon is pinned on right now just to hold it up), basting pulled out, ribbon for the hem sewn on, serging and topstitching. I'm hoping that the serging and topstitching will help it lay smoother on top or I'm going to have to come up with something else as an in-between layer. My skirt fabric is quite drapey and will show the ridges as it is right now. Hopefully the ribbon will help fluff out the hem a bit more too. I have a feeling the skirt fabric is going to squish it all down quite a bit. I have a few ideas if things don't work out right away which is good because I really don't want another allergy attack from a giant cotton candy monster. It was great fun until that last seam, my wrists are now tired and I'm kinda sick of gathering cuz there's a lot of tulle in that sneeze.
October 22, 2007
I started working on the poodle applique for the skirt and I thought it was going quite nicely. However, as I'm getting close to finishing a tiny section of it, I'm thinking it's not looking so good. I tried machine sewing the satin stitch but I need to get a lot of tiny detail and I'm not talented enough to use the machine. So, working on it by hand. I'm not the best with satin stitch by hand but it's working. However, the pink background is showing through the white applique pieces a bit too much. I might have to start over so it shows up as white. My hands aren't looking forward to that, they're awfully tired already. I have a few tricks left to try so it might work out.
October 24, 2007
So, I worked on the poodle applique a bit more and I think I know what I'm doing. However, I don't like the cotton embroidery floss that I was using and the Sulky embroidery thread was too thin. I decided I want to get some of the silk floss I am using for Inara's Shindig dress. That stuff is lovely to work with. So, I need to make my way to an embroidery store sometime hopefully soon. I'm rather slow with satin stitch so I need as much time as possible if I'm hoping to wear it next week for Halloween. Of course, I still don't know if I can wear a costume to work so it might not matter. I kinda forgot to ask.
October 25, 2007
Silk thread is always a good thing. I managed to get my silk thread yesterday so I spent all night embroidering the applique. I am really slow. But the thread is exactly what I wanted and I'm liking it.
And I have shoes on their way to me!! I hope they fit but they're leather so if they're too small, maybe I can stretch them and if they're too big, heavier socks. Maybe. I will prolly only wear this costume a couple of times so I'm not too concerned. I spend way too much on the details of various costumes. These shoes were way too much for costume shoes but they're gonna be fun. Now I just hope they arrive in time...
Still trying to figure out how to get the designs on the back of the shirt and jacket.
November 14, 2007
Finished the bones for my poodle applique last night! Yeah, that was exciting. I was really tired and apparently falling asleep while finishing it. I had to tear out a few stitches because they were nowhere near close to being right. Oh well. It's done now and I just have to cut it out and start on the actual outline of the poodle. That is tomorrow's project.
December 18, 2007
I have finished the skele-poodle!! I'm quite excited by this. Of course, I would like to make another because this didn't turn out quite as I would like and I think I can do better. That will wait for a bit though. I'm not too eager to start all over again. But it is a great work project so it might find it's way back to the top of the queue. Anyway, a pic of my poodle - the pink is a darker shade but the flash washed it out pretty badly - and a pic of the one that Abby wears.
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Overall, I think it will work quite nicely and it still makes me laugh every time I see it. =)
February 21, 2008
I just found all the ribbon for the bottom hem. Cleaning can be good. =)
February 24, 2008
Last night was all about cutting out the muslins for Abby's shirt and jacket. I just fit the shirt and the sleeves need minor tweaking but I'm set to start painting the back. I picked up the paint for that yesterday. Just need to sketch out the design on the fabric and get started.
February 27, 2008
The painting is going slow. I'm letting each layer dry before moving onto the next which is a good thing but I kinda forget that I'm just waiting for it to dry and so forget about it for the rest of the day. I really should paint the red today since I finally got the white to look white rather than pink but I'm just too tired. I think painting while tired would be a bad thing. Weak excuse but I'm clinging to it.
March 1, 2008
Maybe might be done. Just with the painting of the back of the shirt. Maybe. I'm hoping I'm done but I'm not liking it. It still needs to be heat set and that might take care of some of the problems I have with it but definitely not all. My bowling pins look like they've been hit, and hit hard, way too many times and my hand slipped in a few other places. And unless I have some kinda miracle working iron, heat setting it is not going to make them look better. I think I might have used the wrong kind of paint (regular craft acrylic paint with fabric medium) and maybe my bowling pins won't look so wonky the second time around. Then again, I will be wearing a jacket over it the entire time so I'm not sure if I care enough to start over. I'm lazy. The first one is mine, the flash washed it out a bit as seems to be typical.
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March 3, 2008
Last night was really slow. I basically got the poodle skirt cut out and that was it. But today was better. I actually basted the poodle skirt and got it hanging. And I do in fact need to redo the petticoat. Not looking forward to that but I think I can get by with tearing out one seam and remaking it that way rather than starting all over. That ridge is just too noticeable. I pulled out the skele-poodle to see how it looked and discovered that I hadn't spritzed it with water so there were still blue marks on it. Basically drenched the thing and the blue still didn't disappear so that convinced me that I need to make another poodle. So, started that. Found out about an hour later that the blue had finally disappeared but since I've already started... Finished painting the back of the shirt, the black was splotchy in places. And I think that's all I did on the Abby costume. Should have redrafted the jacket but didn't quite get there.
March 13, 2008
Return of skele-poodle!! It being a slow night as far as work goes, I got a decent amount done. And I'm really liking the felt. I used cotton sateen for the bones last time and had the worst time keeping it from shredding and fraying to nothing. Okay, it wasn't that bad but I just wasn't liking the results. I found some 'wool' felt (how can Jo-Ann's label it as wool felt when it's only maybe 20% wool?) but wasn't sure how well it would work. It obviously wouldn't fray but I didn't want it to look like cheap craft felt. Well so far, I'm really liking it. Much easier to embroider, no pink shows through so the bones do look white, and it gives it a slightly dimensional look to it. So the detail pic is way more up close and personal than I would normally like to show of my embroidery but at least improvement can be seen.
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March 15, 2008
With the return of Skele-Poodle, comes the return of the Cotton Candy Monster. And it still has a cold because there is a massive sneeze ball of pink tulle in my sewing area. I reattached everything that I had ripped out on the petticoat and now have two full layers rather than one with a really chunky joining seam. I also sewed the ribbon onto the hem so that gives it a bit of extra poof. The two layers aren't lined up correctly right now either because this was just thrown up quick to see about what it would look like.
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The background doesn't contrast nearly as much in the latest pic but I think you can still see the difference with that chunky seam that was just horrible. However, even though this is a bit fluffier, I'm not sure it's fluffy enough. I think I might have to add another layer to all of this which means more tulle everywhere. It took me four hours to do two seams and that ribbon 'hem' and the thought of having to do two more seams, and one of them will be much longer than the two I did tonight, just isn't a fun thought. But the fabric I have for the skirt is really quite heavy so it might be necessary. I'll be trying it on tomorrow and getting the hem even on me so I'll be able to check it then and see if I need another layer of foof.
I was also hoping to get the skirt sewn together tonight but after all that tulle, I'm ready to try something else. I think I'll draft the jacket again and hide the pieces from Koko so she can't make a mess of this one, she really does find the worst things to yak on. The skirt will be really easy to stitch together real quick tomorrow. Zipper, two side seams, and quick baste the waistband. I really should just do that tonight but I'm not going to. =)
March 16, 2008
I'm not sure that this costume is going to work out as originally planned. The plan was to wear a wig because I can't dye my hair black because of other costumes and this just wouldn't work without black hair. However, the wig is looking a bit too obvious for me to be comfortable wearing it. I'm not quite done messing with it - I need to pull out the hair spray and add some more hair - but it's not looking good. I'm not exactly good at messing with my own hair and a wig doesn't make things easier. So I might be one of Abby's teammates rather than Abby. But that would be really disappointing because I was all excited about the tattoo. I'm too chicken to get a real tattoo (ow!) but I'm more than okay with fake ones.
Right now, the petticoat and skirt are ready to be tried on. That skirt really is heavy. Big foofball of a petticoat but there's not much foof left once the skirt is added. I started working on the jacket but I need to see how the shirt collar will sit with the jacket before I can finish that muslin which means that I have to make the shirt. Before I can make the shirt though, I need to know if I'm going to be Abby or a teammate because the name is embroidered on the shirt. So, I started working on the wig.
Maybe there is a temp black hair dye that is actually temporary. I don't need to be blond-ish for CostumeCon. And her bangs aren't that much shorter than mine. As long as I can be blond for ComicCon, I should be good and my bangs would have grown out again by then. But I was hoping to bring the blond costume and this costume to Dragon*Con. *sigh* Maybe I can make a second shirt and be a teammate for Dragon*Con... Then again, maybe I shouldn't worry about needing to be blond until that other costume is done.
March 17, 2008
At least the skirt is working out better than the wig. The skirt was still not quite poofy enough and it was looking a bit lumpy. So I got some petticoat netting and I'm using it as a skirt lining. The petticoat really is poofy enough and it's the skirt that's causing problems so I'm trying to fix the skirt. It seems to be working much better now. Of course, I want to steam out all the wrinkles before deciding for sure but I'm fairly certain this will work nicely.
The wig is a completely different story. I fixed the bangs and got it put up into a ponytail and it looked all nice on the styrofoam head. I thought I would just have to cut the bangs to the right length and I would be done. Tried it on to check bang length and it all fell apart. Just the process of putting it on stretched out parts of it so it no longer looks at all good. I still have an idea or two so it might still work out.
March 24, 2008
Finally decided on the skirt and petticoat. The skirt was hanging weird with the petticoat netting so I got some regular netting instead and that works very nicely. Both the skirt and petticoat have waistbands and hooks & eyes. Okay, that's prolly only impressive to me but hooks & eyes are what I always slack on. Kaylee's fluffy dress still needs one hook and eye and I just haven't done it. But these have them!! The petticoat just needs a bit of serging and then it's done. The skirt's hem is marked and just needs some serious trimming and re-hanging and hopefully that's all before hemming it.
March 26, 2008
This hem has been just about the weirdest hem I have done in a very long time. The skirt is basically flatlined with netting. I want the hem to enclose the edge of the netting because the cut edge catches on the tulle quite horribly. However, netting doesn't quite have the same give on the bias that the fabric does. After pinning and re-pinning this thing about fifty times, I've gotten to this.
The hem looks a bit more uneven than it really is because of the angle. I had to take the picture at a weird angle because of all the piles of stuff laying about. I really do need to clean... Anyway, the hem is pinned just to the netting now to see if anything else is going to shift overnight and then I can start hemming it. Yay!
March 28, 2008
Two legs and a rib!
And I just bought the socks for this costume!! The quest that started several months ago has finally ended! Who knew black and white striped ankle socks would be so hard to find? Anyway, I've ordered them and I hope they actually work because I do NOT want to start this quest over again.
March 29, 2008
I was going to get Abby's shirt sewn tonight but I only managed to cut it out, well, most of it anyway.
And tomorrow I will order my new wig. This one is working okay but I think it will fall out through the process of putting it on and wearing it unless I use enough hair spray to make it like a helmet. The bang line is wrong so some of the bangs are pulled back to the ponytail but they're not quite long enough. And the wig in general just isn't long enough for the high ponytail that it needs. So I would have hair sticking out in every direction. The new wig has the right bang line (I hope, it's rather hard to tell from the pics) and it's longer, prolly too long but I can deal with that problem a lot easier.
Next week, I'll be wearing my bowling shoes to work. I ordered the shoes awhile back but I was horribly busy when they arrived so I didn't try them on right away. By the time I figured out they were a bit small, it was too late to return them. But they are leather so they should stretch out enough to be comfy.
Now for a quick perusal online to see if I can find a black bowling bag. Not necessary and I certainly won't be carrying around a bowling ball, but it might be nice to have a 'purse' to stash all my stuff in.
March 30, 2008
Half of the skirt hem is sewn!!
April 10, 2008
Skele-poodle has a few more ribs but I'm much too lazy to dig out the camera and take a pic of it. The skirt hem has under a yard left to sew. The shirt has a pocket ready to be stitched on. The new wig came in. The socks arrived. And the bowling shoes will be really pretty comfy with another day or two of wearing. =) In other words, things are starting to come together but in very small steps.
April 13, 2008
Abby will at least be wearable! I just have to embroider the name on the shirt, tack on the poodle and chain, finish the socks, style a wig, and it's wearable. I would still like to get the jacket done but here's a prelim pic just because it's fun.
April 17, 2008
I got started on painting the black onto the jacket and it was going very nicely. I wasn't planning on finishing it because I knew it would take forever but it was going so well that I finished it. Yay! The jacket back is completely painted and ready to be sewn! The real one is first and then mine.
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Skele-poodle is progressing but would have gotten much further if the needle hadn't broken with three hours left of my shift. Lesson learned - always bring an extra needle. So, not sure if skele-poodle v.2 will be done in time for CostumeCon but it will be done shortly after.
April 18, 2008
Skele-Poodle v.2 looks like a poodle! Yup, the bones are all done! Just have to cut it out and start working on the outline. Very excited about that because it is the first time I am on schedule with something. I've been behind with it all week and caught up tonight. So, I have three days at work to finish the outline. If things remain relatively slow, skele-poodle v.2 will be done for CostumeCon!
April 22, 2008
I have finished Abby's costume except for the poodle and the wig. I've been too chicken to try the wig again because if it doesn't work, I don't know what I will do. Skele-poodle v.2 prolly won't get done but that won't stop me from trying so the poodle will get tacked on last minute.
April 27, 2008
Pics from CostumeCon! Still a few things left to do with this costume but it's wearable. It was great fun and people seemed to like it even though no one got that it was Abby from NCIS.
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May 10, 2008
Skele-poodle v.2 is done! And there is photographic evidence. =) Actually, it was done several days ago but I was having problems taking pics. As in I was too lazy. But there are pics now! And just for reference, the real poodle is first, then v.1 and finally v.2! The final pic is without flash because it showed the texture much better - the bones actually stick out slightly. =) Yes, I do see things that I would change if I were to do a third but I think I really will be done now. Actually, unless I find more of the pink furry fabric, this will have to be it. The fabric is a pink minky with Winnie the Pooh embroidered on it so I have to dodge the embroidery and there just isn't any more dodging room.
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Now, it just needs to be tacked on, tack on the chain, and finish the wig (it needs a trim). I would also like to find better black nail polish because the stuff I bought on the way up to the con (only thing I forgot to pack!!!) was horrible. I know I'm not the best with applying it but I don't think that would make it chunky out of the bottle. Actually, I threw that bottle away at the hotel. It also didn't come off very nicely and I was very glad that the Kaylee costume has gloves and covered up my nails. =)
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And with that, I consider it done. I still have problems with the tattoo. I've tried several things and I don't like any of them so far. I've tried two temp tattoo inks, one is really red looking and the other rubs off after an hour or two. Eye liner rubs off or smears, liquid lasts a bit better but still doesn't last very long. Temp tattoo paper looks fake and pulls the skin horribly and when it's on your neck, that doesn't work very well at all. However, I am seeing more people cosplaying as Abby so there might be a better option available now.
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