So because I've only got two classes this semester and can't spend ALL my spare time helping in the band room, I'm in a bit of a dilemma.

I have at least an hour and a half each day when I have absolutely nothing to do. The school library gets old really fast, and I have nowhere to go outside of school.

Does ANYONE have any ideas of some sort of project or craft I could work on at school during my spares? I thought of learning to knit and knitting the whole school a sweater. I'll have enough time.

But I don't want to knit. Any suggestions?

Inspired by a picture I saw whilst  skimming through a People magazine of a celebrity and her baby both wrapped up in a large, floppy coat, the coats commonly seen on the Lord of teh Rings cast while on location (like big green trenchcoats), and my friend's gray cloak, I want to make something for myself.

So I'm thinking of a cross between a robe, a cloak, and a coat. Something with a HUUUUUUGE rolly collar that I can snuggle up in, yet something that can be worn in public. Something I can wrap up in, yet something stylish that doesn't dwarf me.

I'm thinking fleece, 'cause it's so soft and fluffy.

I had ideas for a kind of short cloak, one that comes down to maybe my hips without looking too "cape-y".

Does anyone have any ideas? Or know what I mean by a big rolly collar? Like the collar of a robe, amplified, and more snazzy-looking.

So, being the junkie I am, I have 9 LotR bookmarks (come to think of it, that really isn't all that many...) and I took off all the trinkets that came on the end of the tassles.

I have five One Rings (lol), three Fellowship pin leaves, and one majestic Rohan horse head.

And I want to do something with them.

Any ideas?

Browsing through some vintage (read: thrift) stores in downtown Winnipeg, I sifted through Hallowe'en costumes, tranny shoes, and prom dressed from the 80s to find a neat little gem: a thick, heavy-duty belt that looks as if it was used in the military.

The outside:


The inside, made of a different material:

Who knows what the "D" stamp means?

A rough idea of the ribbon idea I had:

Due to lack of ribbon, this was all I could do to give you guys an idea. I was thinking of doing criss-cross ribbons all the way through the eyelets.

And on me:


The belt itself is pretty beat up... the edges are depressingly frayed, a few of the metal eyelets are missing, and it's got dirt in the creases. Still, I thought I could do something with it (or rather, you guys could give me ideas). So what do you guys think?

And around Hallowe'en, I posted about a blood-red cummerbund from my father's old Dracula costume. Here are some pics of it;

Who knows what the dangly part is for?


And the clasps, which look as though they were added by hand by my mum or dad later, and which are elastic:

It's also got some other clasps sew in (by hand, again) at the very ends of it.

Well?

So my parents brought a bottle of Vampire wine home, so named because it's a Transylvanian wine. It, like many other wine companies these days, is now using synthetic corks (Supremecorq) in the bottles.

Synthetic corks feel kind of like a mix between wax, cork, and plastic. Vampire corks are bright red with "Vampire" written on them and a little symbol on the other side.

It looks so cool that I want to do something with it, but I'm at a loss for ideas, other than some wierd necklace pendant that smells like red wine.

Yeah.

So back in the day, my dad bought a Dracula costume that included this beautiful blood-red cummerbund. It doesn't fit him anymore, but it doesn't fit me either - it's too big. But it's way too pretty to just let it go to waste.

So the obvious would be trying to make it into a waist cincher of some sort... but how? Or what else could I do with it?

As a saxophone player, I have TONS of little plastic reed holders. No, not the kind you use to put your reed in when you're not playing... the kind they come in. I'm not sure about other reed companies, but my favourite reeds, Rico Royal, now come in cheap plastic cases.

Also, I have baggies and baggies of plastic pony beads in every colour imaginable. Along with the plastic baggieful of different-shaped pop can tabs, I'm thinking of getting into some earring-making.

So I'm trying to come up with an idea for something I could make as a Christmas gift for my Matrix-loving friend. If worst comes to worst, I might have to buy him something Matrix-symbolic, but I'd really like to make something.

Any ideas?

[TUTORIAL:]

Mmkay, so this is my first project EVAR, but I'm very pleased with how it turned out. I decided to make a duct-tape corset on my friend, using a regular tank-top as the base. Unfortunately I got so wrapped up in making it (pun not intended) that I forgot to take lots of pictures of the progress. We also had to remove the corset before we could finish it up... but it was boobtastic, lemme tell ya. I have three pictures for you:

What we started out with - a few layers of tape to serve as a strengthener/soft busk:


The inside of the corset:


The form of the corset:


I haven't bought any lacing rings yet (as the duct tape will rip if I try grommets) but I'll post a picture of it all laced up and on my friend's body when I get a chance.

So it fit perfectly on my friend's body before I cut her out of it (straight up the back, with scissors), so in order to smoosh her sides in a tiny bit, I cut about a centimeter off of each side of the initial slit I made. So then it'll lace tight tight.

Another friend wants me to make one for her, so next time I'll document it better with photographs for those who would be interested. Now I know how to smoosh the boobs up better . In all it took less than half a roll of duct tape and under an hour of time to make.

Whaddayathink?

~Schnoogles.

TUTORIAL:

1. The first thing you want to do is find a willing victim participant. They'll have to wear a tight-fitting tank top that they're willing to part with (because they'll never see it again).

2. Start at the back and stick on strips of tape horizontally starting at the shoulderblades and work down. Don't let your model hunch down - it'll wrinkle later. Keep the shirt as taught as possible to keep wrinkles to a minimum.


3. Once you've done a bit of that, you can start on the front. Start with a strip of tape around the ribcage right under the boobs (or pecs, if it's a guy...) and work up. What I do is wrap my arms around the model from behind and stick the tape on over the boobs and then pull the ends toward me before sticking them down. That allows me to use my body strength to smoosh the boobs.


4. Work your way up and down from the first strip of tape you put down on the front until your corset is the shape and length you want it to be.

5. Now you're going to cut it right off the model with scissors, so make sure they have a shirt ready to pull on. You can draw on a line straight up and down the middle of their back, if you like, or do it by eye... I think a zigzag space in the back would be cool. I'll have to try that next time. Take your scissors and start at the bottom, cutting carefully up the back. You can slide your hand under to stop yourself poking the model. Then at the top, it just comes off. LOOK AWAY, FOR YOUR MODEL IS NOW TOPLESS. Unless you're all ok with that sort of thing. *cough* Er.

6. After it's off, cut off the remaining bit of tank top you can see at the top... the straps, all of it. Then you're going to finish off the top and bottom with strips of duct tape. Just make it nice and neat.


7. Then you're going to make a space in the back to allow for lacing. It can be as wide or narrow as you want, depending on how tight it was before you cut it off and how tight you want to lace it. (bear in mind, it's duct tape, so it may rip. Be gentle.) Start with a little bit - a centimetre on either side of the slit you made up the back. You can always cut more off, but it would be a helluva lot harder to tape it back on again.


8. Finish up the space in the back the same way you did the sides and mark all along where you want the holes for lacing to be. I used a regular single-hole-puncher, but if you've got a grommetting kit, go nuts.


9. Now I am by no means a corset expert, so I laced this one with some leather cord stuff I got at a craft store. It looked neat and tidy, and was really all I had.
(DURR... being the dunce I am, I forgot pics. Again. *facepalm* sorry.)

10. Lace it up and take pictures!

(NEW PICS COMING SOON)