Test Post from The Frock Chick

Test Post from The Frock Chick
http://www.arrayedindreams.com

instagram update

Yes! #ahsokalives finally! Interior support is nicely I place so the horns sit like they did on my cast. I need to tidy the seams but hooray! Next step in casting process will be much easier now that I know it all works!

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picking up printer tomorrow :)

And so this has required finding a place for the thing, getting help from a firned to carry the thing 😉 And also incidentally clearing out more than just space. Things too.

Feels okay in fact 🙂

rib feels better

Admittedly I threw high levels of corticosteroids at the problem (20 last night then this morning- very careful to taper off if I have any more. )but the fact is it has helped. I don’t want to leave the house though, the side effects of the entire catalogue of therapy used means I need quiet and predictable for a few days. So that I can just let hose side effects happen. And then to start fixing up after those side effects!

So today is for checking up on Ahsoka, maybe creating the internal supports and lekku ends.

Wash the tunic and extra tunic material to check the final result.

Get the heat gun out and see if I can change the angle of the horn sculpt for Maleficent. Also see if I can make the Ahsoka armout from it. The plastic is thin enough that it should be fairly easy.

So. Camera and phone being prepped as I can’t liveblog as our wifi really doesn’t reach outside the house, it’s a bit dodgy even in my room!

whoops, fell into a research rabbit warren

In order to figure out history of the gown I wound up with dozens of reference notes about the production of garments and how there are multiple copies and why.

I still haven’t found the specific references I want (all secondary atm) but enough to feel confident in several statements made.

But there are some conflicting descriptions of materials, I have my suspicions about why so will also have to discuss those.

So yeah. I can now start the day and do things.

 

But I also will have my abs juice ready to go today and the latex work of yesterday will hopefully pay off today. Unless it didn’t adhere in what case I get to strip the base back and redo it. IsoPro does work but it is a PITA to time correctly. The latex needs to be clean and dry for the next layer of latex. But with a very damp climate there is a fine layer of moisture on anything outdoors- or in a room without insulation.

 

What else… Oh yes. I need to bleach my sateen panels for my 1870s gored stays. I worked out what I need vs the original pattern styles so will also see if I can make one in red sateen finally. I have tried to do this in the past and somehow wound up with stays too short.

What I need from stays is less about squish as it is about reducing stress on ribs. My current pain is a very good reminder! My ribs are very long, there is barely two fingerwidths distance at the side of my waist between ribs and pelvis. So this means if I want a wasp waist I either deal with ribs being heavily squished or I make it nip in only at that narrow point. Or I can avoid too much restriction and taper the stays to the waist then flare out over the hip.

This last one is what I find gives a shape that is both acceptable to a modern eye as well as historic. If I nip in only at the waisy it tends to make everything else seem disproportionate rather than drawing the line in.

So today will be spent cutting fabric and bleaching to have a summer and winter variation. There may even be enough silk satin left over, though that feels a bit extravagant!

 

instagram update

I regularly check online archives for contemporary patterns. It is amazing to see these in context.

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instagram update

My #doppelganger. Aaprently labeled as Flemish School, bride 1555, Florence, Uffizi Gallery. I have the braid…..

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padme cutting

Finally got the last pieces of the bodice cut 🙂

This was exciting because yes it’s two layers even for these pieces- it looks really weird as a single layer.

But I knew there was some clever use of stretch and basically was able to show it 🙂

This is a piece from the left side.  The curve at the upper left is for the armscye, the gathers are directional to the bust point.

This is the actual shape.

This is what I love about garments like these, they require drafting and draping skills and to not just see fabric as something that is linear 🙂

 

instagram update

The thing is doing the thing!

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think things are sorted...

Only photos so far are of Ahsoka sitting nicely on my head next step it to decide if I want to make that rigid section permanent and how much shaped padding to put in. But having the support in place now means that I can actyally make that shaping 🙂

A post on different SFX techniques is needed I think..

But I found an older Mina bodice lining and I think I prefer it! Not as it is but umm.. I can put hip gores in just like with a set of stays so why wouldn’t that work???

And I also got ABS juice in my Leia molds! IT WORKS!!!! So far the back hip has been mostly cast and it is so light. A bit too light, I think the surface had enough dust that it got mixed in. That said this is definitely going to let me scan them to get them digitised 🙂 Now I just need to hunt down the missing collar piece. Very frustrating to have that missing.

 

And yes, the prednisode is making me feel freaking AMAZING right now. But it can only be temporary because of how it works. So much misinformation, I really want to do a post full of real research that shows what we actually experience.

Tags: ahsoka, leia, mina