"Quick, Before It Melts!" The Frozen Photo Shoot: Part I

Two weeks ago I finally had the chance to do a proper photo shoot in my Elsa gown, with my "Anna", Lorelei Winter.
Near the snowy peaks above Lake Tahoe, there remained plenty of snow on the ground. As a large group of us were spending the weekend at a friend's summer cabin, we grabbed mittens, costumes, snow gear, sleds and cameras. Many, many thanks to Mary Anne Butler and Bill Watters for the photography skills.

"Anna loves her new flannel petticoat, but do I really need these boots?" The cold didn't bother me, but...yes. Yes I did need them.

I was surprised at how comfortable I was for nearly 2 hours, in what was essentially a strapless evening gown and not much underneath. Sanity dictated that I wear warm boots, and even though they clashed with the gown, I'm glad I did. "Anna" wore her regular boots, but kept sinking into the deeper snowdrifts. Sometimes well above her knees. My boots were built for snow, and (for the most part) kept me from sinking past my ankles. My "ice slippers" would have likely come off my feet with each step

Moments of glamour...

...and lot's of "WTF!" (FYI, Anna is not kneeling. She actually sank that deep!)

Stay tuned. More photos on the way!

The 'Deluxe' Elsa Costume

Here's one photo so far, of my nicer of the two Elsa costumes made this past year.
It's hard to see much detail here, but hopefully there will be more so stay tuned!

Photo by Mary Anne Butler, at Dragon Con 2014.

The wig was still sort of behaving in this photo, but I need to make a new one from a new wig base. I purchased this one and while it's ok, there are some things that could have been done differently for better effect.
Also, the bits of red you see on the bodice are the icy blue sequins reflecting the red carpet ;-)

Frozen Shoes

Taking a quick break from the Lagertha project, I've finished the shoes for my Elsa ensemble.
These are the same shoes I wore for the Disneyland event a few months ago...for a little while at least. They were brand new and while pretty comfy, I hadn't had time to break them in. My feet were ok with them for about 3 hours but after a few blisters started to show up, I switched to some flats I'd painted a similar color.
Now that these are properly broken in, I decided to give them a facelift since the original paint job was rushed (over a navy color) and none of the "Frozen" modifications I wanted were done.

What follows is truly my own version of Elsa's shoes. I'm not attempting to be dead accurate with these, but I wanted them to at least reflect the general look and colors used on hers.

Using some softer scraps from the tooling leather I used for my Lagertha armor, I created extensions on the vamp of the shoe in a spiky icicle design. Before adding these, I sanded down both shoes thoroughly so that both the glue for the additions, and the new coat of paint would have a surface that they could adhere to.
(Please excuse all the thread, blue clippings and hole punch confetti on my carpet from the leather Lagertha tunic)

 Tools of the trade; sandpaper, glue, hairpins, super sharp scissors and Dutch licorice cats...which have zero to do with this project except that they are tasty. 

To glue these pieces on, I used Aleen's Foamtastic. This is the same brand that makes the Jewel It glue I use to decorate my burlesque costumes in all those Swarovski crystals. I needed something strong that would not only dry clear, but flexible. Normally I would have used some kind of shoe repair glue, but I didn't have any on hand. Alternately, Foamtastic works for this sort of thing because it's made for porous materials. Leather is porous, and this glue is super thick and tacky. It holds while it dries, and doesn't soak away into materials that tend to make more fluid glue vanish before it can stick.

As you can see from the top photo, I still used a few hairpins to clamp the pieces in place while it set. Once that was done, I broke out the paints.

The first coat.

I mixed two colors of Lumiere paints; a plain turquoise and a frosty white metallic to get the shade you see above. After that was dry, I added more of the metallic frost white to the tips of the spikes. Building and blending the layers of the frost for more intensity at the pointy tips, this definitely gave the shoes an icy look.

The finished product! Or do I add more sparkle?

I also shaded some of the frosty white onto the small heels and along the top edge at the back.
Eventually I'd like to find a diamond shaped hole punch, and do a cut-out design on the interior of the spiky pieces for a snowflake look.
I know some people have added glitter to theirs, but I want to keep the snagging effect to a minimum. Granted, spiky things similar to what I added can catch on hemlines, but that's why I used a soft leather that is unlikely to be a problem. Glitter, when glued to a surface, becomes like sandpaper. I really don't want the inside of my hem & the satin lining to catch, scuff or stick to my shoes. Swarovski crystals are an option though ;-)

Still Kicking

 The Dragon Con sewing has kept me so busy, dear readers that I have had little time for updates.
With the days slipping by toward the zero hour, I need to really utilize my time down to the minutes it seems. I also want to have time to pack up all these costume bits!
With that said, I do have a couple of random progress photos to share here and will have plenty to share after Dragon Con is over. I'm taking photos as I go, and will try to post a full rundown on the creation of both the Lagertha battledress and Elsa's gown.
XOXO

The bodice portion of the Elsa gown is finally getting its sequins, and I'm making really good progress. I may even finish it this weekend.

Here's what I've been doing on my lunch breaks this week; trimming and sanding.
I not only trim the corners to get the right shape of sequin, but to also take down some of the sharpness that could catch on the rest of my costume, my flesh or on other people. I'm roughening the backs of each one with a nail file because I've chosen to glue them on (with Aleen's Jewel It) instead of sewing, and this gives the glue something to grip more securely. For me personally, without little thread stitches holding them on, it gives the icy sequin design a much cleaner look that's closer to how Elsa's bodice appears in the film. It also happens to make the application process much faster!

The Lagertha armor...so many little lacing holes...ouch. My hand hates both me and my hole punch, and I still have two more leather pieces to punch holes in. Funny to think that the tooled designs were actually the easy part. Almost there. I still need to put the little round Norse sun wheel design on the center front of the below piece, but this chainmaille & leather tunic will also likely get completed this weekend!

Elsa Update: Part II

The Elsa cape arrived!
When I found the package sitting on my front porch after work today, I steeled myself for disappointment. I'd heard mixed reviews about the seller I'd ordered it from, and after getting burned in the past, I had some apprehension.

I opened up the package only to have my nose greeted by a strong plastic chemical smell.
Then the color got my attention; It's blue. Very blue.
Deeper than expected, but still very pretty...but will it work with my costume?

I want to scatter rhinestones on the top portion in the silver areas...

The cape was made by Angels Secret on Etsy, a cosplay costume company.

Then, after I unfurled it from yet another plastic baggy, I noticed all the tiny blue sequins scattered between the snowflake design printed in silver glitter. The epic shimmer it gave off distracted me from the deeper blue color of it next to my own gown. In the following images, it may appear more aqua, but let me assure you that it's closer to a basic blue. The slightly turquoise side, but more cool blue.
It's a super sheer woven net with a slight pattern that reminds me of vintage hat veiling, and the more I unfolded and looked at it, the more I liked it....except for the Velcro they added at the top edge. That's going away as soon as I find my seam ripper.
Overall, it's actually quite stunning and photographs well.

It's SUPER long. Excuse the sewing room mess, and I'll try to get photos of its full spread soon!

There are images and stills of Elsa's cape that appear a much deeper blue than the rest of her ensemble. Additionally, her entire outfit seems to vary in color througout the film depending on environment, lighting and her general mood. So while the quality isn't absolutely stellar, I decided that this cape will indeed work....with a little tweaking of my own.

If you remember the original shimmery aqua net fabric I had purchased for the cape I made my Disneyland version from; I found an entire bolt on sale recently and grabbed it while I could. A good decision since I've decided to layer this super sheer fabric of mine over this cape.
This not only makes it more cohesive with my gown and shirt, it adds an amazing level of icy depth to the look of the material. Even with this layer, it's so sheer that you can still get an intense sparkle from the cape underneath, and still see the shimmery snowflake design clearly.

 My shimmer net draped over the upper top of the cape I received, next to my gown on the right. it's all bundled up so you don't see the sheerness, but it's a good representation of the color effect.

With all that said, I do really like it. Before I add this top layer I'll have Anders take a few photos of me wearing it by itself, with my gown in various lighting, to see if I really need to add it.
Like Tim Gunn always says, "Make it work!"

Elsa Update And The Final Stretch

 Oh gods...four weeks left before Dragon Con...crap.

This past weekend I was able to get the base gown for my Frozen cosplay fitted, lined, hemmed and the seams boned.
The corseted undergarment ended up being a waste of precious time, since I didn't like the way it fit (squashed my boobs a little too much for my taste). I can fix it, but I decided that I just don't have the time to futz with it right now, so I put some sturdy spring steel into the dress bodice itself. This essentially made the dress its own corset, and the fit ended up remaining really smooth where I needed it.
Now I wait for the sequins to arrive from various parts of the world.
With about 4 weeks left of real work time left before Dragon Con, I still have the Lagertha project to complete, and I need to keep my nose to the grindstone with sewing, leather work and chainmaille tunic construction.
But enough with my whining. Here's some things I'm grateful for...

For the Elsa gown; I'm grateful that I already have the shirt I made for the Disneyland costumed event, though I did do some altering to the sleeve armpit areas so they aren't so loose. I also made it off-the-shoulder as it should be. The cape is on its way and should be here by mid-week, I found a fantastic wig and I have the shoes. This ensemble is 80% done.

For the Lagertha battledress; I'm grateful for already having the brown suede trousers, the
boots and nearly all the bits and pieces needed to build this thing. Anders is going to help me find a good fake Viking sword/scabbard and help me build a stage shield that breaks down for travel.

In all, I think this will work. If I can focus after work during the week, utilize my weekends to their full extent and get good chunks of things done every day, I should be golden.

Frozen: Constructing Elsa's Gown

So I finally have the base gown put together for my "deluxe" Elsa cosplay for Dragon Con!
Copying a strapless dress pattern from the 1980s for the basic shape onto muslin, I extended the lines for length and added a flared hemline. I also added a small train that comes to a subtle point. I flat-lined each piece in a rich turquoise satin, which will also peek through at the leg slit on the front of the skirt.

The fabric I found on Etsy is absolutely perfect, but the icy linear pattern done in silver threads goes the width of the fabric, not the length. It wasn't as wide as I am long, so I had to futz with the pattern a bit, making the bust-line area out of separate pieces.

This added the length I needed and the seams won't show once all the sequins and bodice decor goes on over it.

 

This dress form is my Uniquely You form, and after at least 3 fittings and re-fittings/stitching/shoving/zipping; she's still a bit full in some areas (mostly the chest and hips) compared to my own size and shape. I may need to shave some of her foam down, as many others with similar issues have done to their own Uniquely You forms. I'm 5' 10" with a 36" bust, 27" waist & 38" hips. This form is at a 37-28-40, even after fitting the outer fabric shell to my own body. The base foam figure is already their size "Small", and their X-Small base form is too short in the torso for me. For now, it's something I can pin stuff to until I can make those adjustments.

Once I get all the grommets set and boning inserted in the corseted undergarment, I can do a little more adjusting to the seams to get a final fit. Then I'll finish the hem, face the top edge, add some very light boning to the bodice seams to keep things smooth, and put a light blue zipper up the back. Then I'll start applying the sequin and crystal decoration.

I wanted my dress to be a bit fuller at the hem than what is portrayed in the animated film. The richness of this fabric is amazing and I just wanted more of its gorgeous, icy, folds swishing around me as I walk, and cascading behind with the sheer glimmering cape.

The Frozen Bustier; A Possible Costume Itself?

Chugging along on the Dragon Con projects, here's a mini update from the Frozen front lines on the Elsa under-corset.

I may need to order more corset steel and some smaller lacing grommets for this portion of the project, but it's halfway done!

Sewing the interior casings for all the boning; I'm so glad that part is completed.

The creepy stare of my Elsa doll. She makes sure that I keep sewing.

It's starting to resemble a 1940s or 50s style bathing suit, right out of a Vargas Drawing. It has a very distinct 'pin-up' look to it, and I'm almost tempted to make it something that could double as another costume....hmmm...maybe a pin up style version of a classic superhero? What superheroes do I know of that had/have turquoise as a main color in their costume?
Or, I could do a superhero Elsa! Oh wait...there's that whole time thing I need to finish stuff in. So, it's a "maybe" for Dragon Con (but oh, it would be so cool. I have so many ideas!)

Elsa's Snow Queen Gown: Building The Foundation

This weekend is finally free of obligations, so I can focus on the first stages of my Dragon Con costuming. We will be taking a break from the Lagertha battledress for the time being, dear readers, so that I can begin on building my Elsa gown.
The dress will actually be one piece instead of a separate bodice and skirt, and the bodice detail will be comprised of all the sequins, rhinestones and chunky crystals.

I'm starting with a semi-corseted foundation to keep the smooth lines of her dress and bodice, extending well past my hips; something akin to the corsets from between 1912-1916 or so.
I don't necessarily *need* this kind of thing, but I want that extra bit of smoothing power we all know and love from corsets. Plus, it will help me get into character, ensure my posture stays proper, and possibly keep my back from getting angry with me after being on my feet for hours on end.

Fitting what will become the corset foundation.

I'm utilizing 1940s & 50s couture fitting techniques out of a vintage patterning book. The little horizontal center tuck might look odd now, but it will give me a perfect fit through the bust.

And viola! I have my new customized pattern for the corset. Ignore the uneven bottom hem.
This will be figured out in the final construction when I can better determine what shape/length is best. Most likely the boning will extend from the top edge, to just above the hip joint for ease of sitting, with the garment made like a boned micro mini dress.
This will also double as the pattern for the outer layer, too. I'll simply extend and shape the lines of the above pattern pieces into a long, flared, floor-length gown

 Should I get stuck at any point during this whole Dragon Con costuming process, I have a special weapon, thanks to my friend Jenny Storm:

In an emergency, I'll crack open "Elsa's Anti-Panic Sparkling Power Jellybeans".
As backup, I have the "Grenades of Minty Deliciousness".

Breaking The Rules...Whatever Those Are.

Dear readers, I cheated.
Today I committed one of the *cardinal sins for DIY costumers; I purchased a pre-made piece that is a major component of Elsa's Snow Queen gown; the cape.
There it was on Etsy, beckoning and tempting me with visions of 'finishing things in time' and 'less weeping whilst at my sewing machine'.
...notice I said "less" weeping. There may still be a few tearful nights as I get closer to game time.

While I had planned on making my own, I have less than 2 months left to complete 2, perhaps 3 costumes for Dragon Con, and I'm getting help wherever I can find it.
If that means I purchase something off Etsy pre-made to help with the rest of the costume I am making, so be it. This will save me many hours so that I can actually complete this entire costume, and others, by mid August.
Of course, I may be adding my own details to this cape in the form of even more sparkle, using Swarovski crystals and such.

Image from the Etsy seller listing, Angelsecret.

Just over 9 feet in both length and width (2.8 meters x 3 meters).
If you look to the sides of the main image above, you'll notice that the people holding the cape out need to stand on stools because of its size. I'm looking forward to getting this in hand. The listing states that they need 30 days minimum time frame to complete this cape, so I'm expecting the quality to be fairly good. At least good enough that I can work with it if I need to make minor changes or additions.

(*FYI; this is by no means a slam on those who cosplay with pre-made or purchased costumes. I am merely making fun of myself and my own tendencies and insane need to make ALL the things on my own. Sometimes I need to let my own standards take a vacation for the sake of my own sanity, and that's just fine. xoxo )

Frozen Costuming Continued: Elsa's Coronation Gown

After a long search, I think I finally found something that will work for Elsa's Coronation gown. Specifically the main bodice and skirt.

When seen up close in the film as opposed to the resolution on my screen, and perhaps yours, her dress appears to be made from a velveteen or almost suede-like material. The color is between a soft teal and a peacock blue depending on where she is indoors or outdoors. I'm choosing to go with a lush cotton velveteen in a soft teal.

 My fabric shown in daylight...

 

and under indoor lighting (showing a flip of the underside)

 The cape is going to be interesting. I need to find a bright purple fabric with a nice heavy (but not too heavy) drape like wool melton. Maybe a gabardine? The royal purple suede for the shoulder trim will actually be easy to come by. Her shirt will be easy to make up in a black stretch velvet.

I have some real metallic organdy woven with burnished gold metal thread, that I can cut long bias pieces from for the bodice edging. The designs on her skirt, shirt and bodice will also be interesting to accomplish, but I may have a source for some embroidered appliques. I could even make some stencils and paint them on.

Dragon Con 2014: An Updated List Of Projects

As I had mentioned way back here, there were many costuming and cosplay ideas floating around in my brain. Some made it onto the list, and over the last few months I've needed to trim it drastically.
One reason for this trim is not only due to time and other events creeping in on my schedule, but one project in particular that I really want to tackle.

Lagertha, from the Vikings TV series.

Her leather under dress looks greenish in this image, but it's actually a deep denim blue.

The hardest part will be piecing the tooled leather insets into the chainmaille tunic, but I'll have help and guidance from awesome friends who work with this kind of stuff.
I don't plan on building the maille tunic ring by ring, though I considered it an option earlier.
Nope, I just need to buy a ready made panel of 16 gauge nickel steel similar to this one, shape it and piece it out for the front, back and shoulder sleeves. I may need to email them to make sure of the link pattern and to be sure I'm not going to get something too shiny, since theirs is zinc plated.
The blue skirt she has is actually a sleeveless leather dress in a weathered blue color. I'll post detail shots later, but it's absolutely gorgeous. Under that is a long sleeved grey linen shift, in addition to the leather and metal armored wrist braces.
So yeah, I had to do some trimming to the list, and its current form includes the following:

~ Elsa's snow queen gown (Frozen)
~ Elsa's coronation gown/cape
~ Lagertha's battle dress (Vikings)
~ Caprica Six, which I already have done (Battlestar Galactica)

I figure I'm going to get almost 1 month of time per outfit for construction and 'finishing touches' (translate finishing touches as pulling out hair, crying, sewing all the last annoying bits at the last minute).
If time allows, I want to at least make a replica of her goat hide covered scabbard with a (fake wooden) sword, and maybe her shield (making it collapsible tor travel).

Speaking of having awesome friends who can help me with the leather work on the Lagertha project; here are a few pictures of me wearing my spiffy new leather shoulder armor made by my talented friend, Greg Ruddy:

Since the raven seems to be a recurrent theme in my life and my general aesthetic, he applied an old Viking style raven motif to both shoulders. The deep purple leather wrist braces he made me last year, also have a similar design. If anyone is interested in possibly commissioning something similar, I can put you in contact with him. You can also find him via Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/greg.ruddy.1

Frozen Fun At Disneyland: For 24 Hours Non-stop!

Well, almost 24 hours. We tried though!
I only have a few photos so far, but more are on the way.
Disneyland not only allowed everyone to dress in costume, but Friday into Saturday was a 24 hour long event they do once a year over Memorial Day weekend. 6am Friday to 6am Saturday. We arrived sometime in the late morning, and hung on as long as possible.
So, photos!
Some of you might have seen these already on Facebook, but for those that haven't; enjoy.
I need to find or get some better shots of this version of my Elsa costume, and I ended up not having enough time or energy left to sew on the final layer of sequins and rhinestones to the bodice. However, there are some fun shots here regardless ;-)
Many thanks to Laura, Aaron and many of the Disney employees for the photos.

With Laura as Anna, taking a break... aka "Iced Tea".

Her Duffy bear is even dressed as Okin (Yoohoo, big summer blowout!)

 About to climb the North mou...er, I mean ride the Matterhorn!

A quick pose while waiting for Snow Whites Scary Adventure ride.

A wall at the Animation Academy; we just HAD to.

...and just HAD to pay Thor a visit in Tomorrowland.
When he saw us, he happily quipped, "Oh! These are friends!"
;-D

Later that evening..er, early morning, Laura went back to the hotel to sleep while Aaron, Brad and I (I shed the Elsa gown and changed into Elsa pants and t-shirt) pushed on until 5am! The above photo was taken around 12 am(?) at Disney's California Adventure, before our second wind hit.

 At Flo's, refueling

They closed DCA, at some point, it's all a blur, so we headed over to Disneyland next door to do the final stretch until 6am, after some tasty breakfast food at Flo's diner.

I must say riding the Matterhorn at 3am, in the dark, is amazingly fun and when the sleep deprivation sets in 'Dizzyland' can get a bit surreal.

 It's 4am Mouseketeers, do you know where your giant bear is?

The Mad Hatter's epic dance party was raging, and you could hear the 'oonz oonz' all night into the wee hours.

We made it to 5 am before our bodies finally said enough.

Later that afternoon, after at least 6 hours of sleep, our feet were somewhat recovered.
So Laura and I donned our 1939 Frozen inspired dresses, and tracked down Mickey (who was wearing some very smart looking pants and suspenders) for some fun photos at DCA.

 "In Summer!!"

Coffee!! Sunday was even more casual, with Laura and I in our Elsa and Anna t-shirts with appropriately inspired accessories.

Our last few minutes before the drive home; Aaron and I don't wanna leave, Brad is exhausted and oblivious, and Laura (lucky duck) got to stay another 2 days!