Hats off!

It's really worrying now that I realise Supanova is over for April and JAFA is only a few short days away. I think I have it all under control. My gowns are done and now I am just finalising headwear. Speaking of which, I have just finished my Georgian picnic hat. As in, the hat I am intending to wear with my green skirt and jacket ensemble. I am proud to say that this hat is made entirely by hand. I was a pain to do and my fingers are a little sore, but it was well worth it. I am very pleased with how it has come together. It is made from black wool felt and buckram.

My first problem in making this hat was that I didn't have a pattern. I was using a sketch from a book as my guide of how I wanted it to look. So I pulled out a pattern that I did have from an Edwardian hat and made a few adjustments. The crown had to by higher, so I extended that. And the brim had to be bigger. I wanted my hat to be massively large. I ended up adding an extra 5cm (or 2inches) to the brim. This did make for some challenges later on. I also needed my hat to have no visible machine stitching and I really don't like using glue on my historical hats either (been there, done that, hated the hat!). I won't go into how I made it because there is a whole lot of babbling going on there and no photos to go with it. But all in all my hat has turned out well. I even hand hemmed the silk hat bow. The flowers are attached to pins so that they can easily be removed and I have just bought some large feathers to go in it that are also removable. The idea being that I can easily re-trim the hat and that none of the decorations will get squashed in my suitcase.

At any rate, this should keep my face shielded from the sun and here is hoping that it looks awesome as well. I am considering actually making up the pattern and a full photographic guide to sell on etsy. Maybe once I get back from JAFA. Of course, I will need to work out how to line the wretched thing. Mine doesn't have a lining because I found a lovely instruction on-line quoting that Georgian hats generally had no lining. It doesn't look the best on the inside, but at least it's certainly not going to fall apart. It will be interesting to see how I fit in a car with my huge skirts, wig and hat. :)

Supanova 2011 - Sunday

Supanova Day 3 - Sunday

It was another eventful day and fabulously exhausting day; while a heck of a lot cooler. I made it along to the Lolita panel for the morning, which was interesting. Some of the girls who proclaim to have been in the scene for a few years, I have never met. Odd, considering that I go to the big lolita meets that everyone goes to. But it was lovely enough. I guess the highlight of my day was having my photo taken with Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica for those non-scifi geeks out there). After the failure of my little camera on Saturday, I decided the smartest option would be to take along the big one. Too bad that I left the battery on the charger at home. Not so smart. At any rate, I had a great time, and have managed to get a copy of some photos.

My first costume of the day was my Sister of the Dark from Legend of the Seeker. It's one of those obscure shows that not many people have actually seen. At any rate, I love these costumes and I am so proud of how mine has tuned out. The only thing that I feel I need to change is the belt. It was a last minute thing because I couldn't get what I wanted and I already had this one in my costume box. At any rate, it turned out well. I was so please, I was even recognised.

I did actually change for the day as well. Slipped into a Lolita outfit for the afternoon. Oddly enough, I had more photos taken of me in this outfit than any of my other costumes. It could be the wig. Ever since I bought it, I have been desperate to wear my split wig, but haven't really had the occasion. I figured that Supanova would be the perfect opportunity. And yes, I did actually pick it because I knew that it would match my dress.

All in all, I had a fantastic weekend. I came home with some great new t-shirts, beautiful teal hair-dye and some super-cute little figures that have been installed on my desk at work. But I was so pleased to get home on Sunday afternoon, take off my wig and wash my hair. It's a little bit of a relief to be wigless at work today, no matter how much I like wearing them. Now, I just have to work out what I want to wear for Supanova in November. I am thinking that Disney would be great. (Looks like it might be time to clean up my diet and jump on the treadmill. A few thousand sit-ups and I might be able to do Princess Jasmine.)

Supanova 2011 - Saturday

Phew! Pooped.

Day 2 of Brisbane Supanova - Saturday

I woke up this morning with a spring in my step. Pancakes for breakfast and the excitement was mounting. Most of all that I would finally get to wear my Stargate uniform. The weather does not really lend itself to such a warm costume, but it was well worth the sweat. I'm pleased with how it came together.

After lunch, I slipped into something a bit more binding - my steampunk costume. I have to thank my cousin for the beautiful shots and the fantastic location that she found. I was very pleased with how the whole ensemble has come up together. And I am looking forward to wearing it again some time - hopefully on a cooler sort of day.

And while my little camera was alive, I managed to get a few photos of some of the other many amazing costumes around.

Supanova 2011 - Friday

Supanova Day 1 - Friday night

I'm home. And pooped. I decided to re-wear my White Queen costume again. And as it turns out that was probably for the best. I really can't see me wearing it again. It hasn't worn well and is starting to fall apart. Not only that, it is getting a little too big for me. At any rate, I was glad to wear it one last time. And wonder of wonders it was actually recognised this year.

 There were a couple of big announcements made tonight though:

1. In 2012, Brisbane's April Supanova will be held on the Gold Coast in conjunction with the Gold Coast Film festival.

2. In 2012, they will also be putting on a Brisbane Supanova - in November.

3. And as it is such a long wait from April 2011 to November 2012, there will be another Brisbane Supanova held in November this year.

4. To top it off, Christopher Lloyd (Doc from Back to the Future / Uncle Fester from the Addams Family Movies) will be appearing at the November Brisbane Supanova, since he has had to pull out this April.

Should make for an interesting rest of the year. And, now I need to start planning my next set of costumes. :D

Key to what?

I'm not 100% sure if I mentioned this one earlier, but I have been in the process of putting together a cohesive steampunk outfit. And there is a deadline - I am intending to wear this on the Saturday afternoon of supanova (only 1 week away now!). In my original plannings, I really wanted to do something with keys. Antique keys in particular. I thank my cousin for coming up with the character for me. She is the key keeper of Bethlehem Hospital (or Bedlam as it had come to be known).

Let's get down to the breakdown. I am using a couple of pieces that I already have in my costume cupboard. The main carryovers are the underskirt (from an early bustle ballgown), my bustle frame and Victorian undergarments (drawers, corset, stockings, boots), and the bodice (from my packing padme costume. It has made this costume really fast to piece together, because I already had so much of the costume complete. The only part that I have really had to make is the overskirt and to decorate the hat. Everything else is just some simple trimmings. 

I have been on a bit of a key hunt, tracking down keys all over the place (etsy, jewelery shops, ebay). I want to be the sort of key keeper that has keys all over me. So far so good. I have keys sewn to the overskirt, a key ring for the back of the waist chaing, a key ring for the waist, keys on my hat, a key brooch for the bodice and keys for my boot laces. The thing I think I am missing is a cuff - one where I can keep more keys and pull them out on demand. (I am contemplating making this at a later stage). For now, I am pleased with how this has come together, but you will just have to wait for photos tomorros of how it all looks put together. I am actually rather excited about wearing it all.