Frock Chick

I have to redo all the leather parts. It’s okay though I have heavier grade russet and found the line art I did so phew! I just am not totally sure how easy this thickness will be to form but it’s kind of my only option atm!

The montral working though is huge. The shape of the molds mean I can’t in fact get inside the molds to brush or spray so I have to cast each half and then trim, then join. But now that I have a good stash of blades and know the limits of the latex and timing I will be able to at least make a test cast building on the technique.

The tunic and sleeves have taken colour, not quite enough and slightly uneven thanks to the dye settling in the bottle but hey. I should be able to wash properly. Just need to overlock some loose ends.

Tags: ahsoka, ahsoka lives

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!

I was very worried as my latex thickener took a while to arrive and my molds wound up soaking too long. But it’s all good 🙂 But the latex I had was certainly bad. Not so bad that it couldn’t be rescued but rescuing requires a lot of work 🙂

Thickener and coloidal silica 🙂 I probably should have grabbed microballoons, explained later 🙂

I used up as much of my latex as I could- two bottles of thickener will turn 2.5L of latex into a very thick consistancy, but it does still run, not immediately but over a few hours.

What have I done here you may ask. Well here is the answer 🙂

Self supporting latex

In order to have self supporting horns but an adjustable thickness tentacle latex layer I first lay up a thick layer of the thickened latex (for this also with some added silica to limit warping) then  a layer of peeled foam in 5mm or 10mm thicknesses soaked in a latex and water mix. I push the foam into the latex just enough to adhere but leave a layer of just latex to create a skin to the foam.

This is tricky! If the environment is too warm the latex well turn tacky while working with it causing deformities. This has been my fifth run and it’s the first time this hasn’t happened because it was much cooler yesterday than any other day this summer.

The peeled foam is very soft, very soft and not at all self supporting alone. In fact its use is to pad and create a soft layer.

But once soaked in latex and left to cure it becomes fairly rigid. The cells become rigid but the air pockets remain.

The foam also tends to not pull away from the walls of the mold while the latex is curing. This makes it much easier to be able to control warping of large pieces like this. It also reduces weight and can be stitched then glued/latexed to hide the join. It is also possible to pare back the foam with a knife to thin it out for the tentacles.

This is sort of a reverse industry standard method of skinning foam for creature effects. Having a mold means I control the skin texture a lot more but means working a bit blind in terms of being able to know exactly how thick that skin is.

This standard method is how I make my lekku in general. And as I work to finish this piece I’ll be able to share tips on how to do that- it still requires skill to avoid limiting stretch of the foam and adding  weight! I also want to update my Rachi Lekku and Talon lekku 🙂

Supplements from Der Bazar! I have a stack to go through and make a good proper post about, possibly a plage. I have terrible tagging habits so a page may be best.

Also I’m going to switch up blog settings to share “medium” sized thumbnails as the thumbnails seem to be smaller. I love this theme but it is now possible to put images inline now as well.

Anyway.

So the current list of things wot to make is ridic.

Mon Mothma -my current one has shrunk so if anyone 5’3″ and shorter is interested… I’d really like to have a slip on costume as I’ve got so many complicated layered costumes as it is.

Yes. That’s Genevieve. I was so looking forward to seeing her in Revenge of the Sith 🙂 So perfect casting in Rogue One is more perfect and established than many realise 😉

Leia Senatorial

(My apologies to the gif maker, but LOOK AT HOW BIG HER BUNS ARE!!!! Higher than her hairline and over the top of her collar. Onto her cheeks and extends past the back of her head.

I wore her to the Rogue One premier, it’s actually really pretty but the belt is real leather and has stretched so it sits on my hips which is wrong and incidentally makes it look like my waist is huge. I need to make the boots, in fact they are the sole (get it??) reason for wanting to finish. But I’m also happy passing her once I have Mothma! But the wig I made uses two price lacefronts

Senya Tirall.

Oh my goodness. In SWTOR my relationship with her has been tough but I’m so glad I made the decisions I did.  Just realised I have stretch twill in off white and grey that is perfect. I knew I had enough plastic but woo! fabric!

Please do watch, the expansion does pack a wallop too. There were only a few moments I felt locked players into having to do something- and they were intended to add variety- for my hands they were only doable after my infusion which had a lovely pre-med prednisone infusion and other help.

Just got some email in game from characters, they are pretty expressive too.

SPOILERS! But you can watch the opening cinematic and crawl to at least understand why I love playing so much! BTW I tend to play Empire but light side. I’m such a Granny Weatherwax! And I usually play from level 1.

Ahsoka Tano, Rebels era

Speaking of feels… Ahsoka grew up with the audience who followed her in TCW. Her leaving TCW was incredible. The story group respected her so much that her story was not predictable. Her last TCW story was familiar in real life. Who hasn’t had to deal with the accusation of “where there’s smoke….” So I may have related a little too well!

Anyway. I’m not 14 so grown up Ahsoka is a little more me! So far all the leather has been tooled and shaped. The sabers are being worked in Sketchup.

My montral are curing right now, I’m trying to do them in two parts to really control the latex thickness. More latex is on the courier truck right now. As of typing.

Right, it’s time to make, so my post is really about my current SW costumes. I also have a Padme Light Blue to remake. Need threads…

Whoops, I miscalculated yesterday. The figure is actually 135mm from heel to crown. And the saber definitely is shorter than inside elbow to knuckles.

So

x/168=23/135

x= 28.622

So that actually works. I know this is shorter than in the show, and is shorter if I go by the same calculation of the concept art. That is by all the means possible- comparing the length of forearm or hip to knee or straight up measurement from crown to heel.

So I think if I go for 12″ or 30cm (probably 30cm as I can more easily work out wall thickness based on current 3D printer specs) I’ll have something that is as close to perfect as possible.

The next few months have many opportunities! As always there are the Special Children’s Christmas parties, then there is a couple of Steampunk shoots, also the Bal d’Argent, and the big Santa Parade (yep, you’ll see me there XD) and also there are some opportunities for next year that I’m just insanely excited for 🙂 Also of course Rogue One and N7 day 🙂

I have been watching my Ahsoka mold like a hawk, it is finally starting to dry! It’s still very fragile but it is drying out. It’s just past the point of being able to be trimmed!

I didn’t manage to check what leather I have, so I’ll do that again tonight.

I also am incredibly inspired for my Marie Antoinette and for a vintage gown I really would like to break out for the Very Vintage Day Out next year. I also know I will not, I repeat *not* ever wear that sunblock again as it just ruined my make up and hair and thus all the photos. It was supposed to be “oil free” and how that can possibly be allowed I do not know as the carrier is an oil. I think it was a silicone oil though. SO I guess technically… anyway, my skin and oil is just not good. Never has been, it basically burns my skin, doesn’t matter what kind. Maybe almond oil woild be okay. But even Argan oil can be a bit.. aggressive.

Right, so I’m going to go look at my mold, check for what letaher I have and also get the pvc pipe out ready to put my Ahsoka templates on 🙂 Going to make the armour from stuff I know I can heat shape and that won’t melt! Basically if it’s good enough for building structures meant to last for decades that’s when I’ll use it for armour 😉