Well, I think two things happened. One, the glitter is rough. That's to be expected-- I just didn't think of the fact that there'd be anything snag-able underneath. Two, the cape had to be spraypainted, which roughed up the texture of the fabric itself. So.... I'm thinking I'll try to remove the excess glitter, then try the candle method. I really do have high hopes for that.
Oh, this is SO one of those "If I had it to do over again" moments-- but I only had one week to construct all the pieces, so they got the "cheap" and "fast" and not really my version of "good."
I don't think it's the excess glitter that's causing the problem, but rather the texture that the stuck-in-paint glitter makes. Thanks for the suggestion, though.
I'm doing some costuming for a queen friend of mine, who is starring in a stage production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. For those who have seen the film, I made the "Yankee Go Home With Me" cape. For the rest: I made a VERY large cape. It's got tons of spraypaint on it, and to amp up the awesome, I threw glitter on the paint while it was wet so it'd stick.
One problem: during dress rehearsal tonight, they found it snags terribly on her nylons.
The show opens tomorrow.
I do not have enough time, materials, energy or money to make another cape. The only choice is to try and get the glitter to stop being so scratchy.
My thoughts, in the order I'll test them: 1. Rub a candle all over it, hoping the wax will cover the glitter enough to remove scratchyness, OR 2. Lightly rub with sandpaper, hoping to loosen the troublesome particles, OR 3. Spray with clear spraypaint, OR 4. Coat with brush-on poly.
I REALLY want to avoid anything that adds more stiffness (which the spray paint/poly will do) or takes a while to dry (ditto), so I WOULD LOVE OTHER SUGGESTIONS. You can tell I'm serious, because I'm using all caps.
Please. Please help. If they had a "praying hands with doe eyes" emoticon, I'd use it right here.
Y'know, I'm wondering if the quickest solution to this query is to make the skirt and baste it onto the bodice. See if it sags. It could always be added to another top if that's what needs to happen.
Probably, too, just testing out the skirt weight VS bodice stretch would be a good idea. It was pretty form-fitting up top, so provided it doesn't alter the hemline dramatically, a little saggage might not even show under the huge effin' cowl.
Thanks for your advice, Aislynn. I'll have to let you know what happens.
I hadn't thought of use after the baby. Good point.
Were I to go that route, making the two pieces separates rather than one dress-- any idea how to shape the underdress? I was thinking tube top, or tracing a tank top and attaching the skirt to that. I worry about it messing up the lines and smoothness of the dress bodice, and about it being really warm-- this Faire runs May-June, and last year it reached 90 degrees at least twice. :/
If making it one dress.... The bodice has a stretchy band under it. Would reinforcement with bias tape (placed inside the band) help to disperse the weight of the skirt? I wear cholis (for bellydance) and that's what is done at the bottom of them, at the same point-- bias tape inside a velour tube, to help hold it up under the tatas.
I am building a costume dress for a local Renaissance Faire. It's for "Mother Nature," played by a lovely, dreadlocked pregnant girl. By Faire time she will be about 6 months along, and she's showing quite a lot. So...
We decided to go with an empire waisted dress with a double layer skirt. I took apart a shirt and used it as a pattern for the bodice, adding a cowl neck (a huge one that turns into a hood), changing the sleeves. Now it's time to do the dress's skirt.
The top is made from a fairly lightweight stretch material. We wanted stretch so as her belly and tatas grow, the dress still fits. The skirt we have planned is made from olive green stretch velour, and made in panels that flare toward the bottom, both to reduce bulk around her waist (as opposed to something gathered) and to emphasize her growing belly while still stretching to accomodate it. The skirt also has a split overskirt on it, made from very flow-y lightweight lace.
I am not concerned about the lace. It's so thin that I should be able to gather it and sew it directly onto the bodice's bottom. However, I'm worried that the weight of the velour will drag the bodice down or stretch it out in an unflattering way if I sew it to the bodice.
Ideally, I'd like this skirt to be attached to the bodice. That way there's no worry of anything shifting out of place, and it'd be easier for her to get into in a hurry. The only thing I've thought up is to put a set of waist ties at the juncture of the skirt and the bodice, to help take the pressure off the bodice itself. But if that won't work, we'd played with the idea of having the velour be an underdress, of sorts, which comes up over her bust and is worn under the bodice/lace skirt bit. That way there's no worry of a gap between the velour and the bodice.
Thoughts? I'd be happy to give more info if needed. The deadline for this is fast approaching, so any advice is more than welcomed.
LOL, I just saw this now! I'm glad you're hooked. They're too much fun.
One thing I've found, too, is that pastel tissue paper will sometimes go almost transparent when hit with the GA/CA. That's pretty cool. Pigment powders are also nice to dust over them, either wet or after they're dry.
Thanks for the compliments, guys! And I'm glad you liked everything, Shane. As far as the necklace goes, I learned to make the wings from a book called Enchanted Adornments. It's a fantastic book. In it, she uses resin, which I don't. Briefly, here's what I do:
Bend a piece of wire into the shape you need. The top is formed by overlapping the wire and making a wrapped loop, then bending the excess down toward the bottom of the wing, curled into a semicircle. Then use very thin wire to make the "veins." The veins go from the wing tip up to the semicircle of wire you left near the top. Once all the wire work is done, coat the back of the wing in glue (I used Gem-Tac, I think) and press a piece of tissue paper onto it. When the glue is dry, carefully tear off the excess tissue around the edge of the wing.
Then's the fun part-- I use either "Glossy Accents" or "Crackle Effects" (both from the scrapbooking aisle at Joann) to fill in the wing. The tissue paper acts as a back, so the filling doesn't run out. The tissue also will turn slightly translucent. While the filling is wet, you can add whatever you like-- beads, glitter, cogs, etc. Let the whole shebang dry, and then flip it over and coat the back, lightly, with the same stuff you used as filling (either the glossy or crackle stuff). Let that dry, too. Then sling it on a chain.
Hope that helps! You can experiment with layering different colors of paper, or using different shapes. You needn't make wings; the effect is somewhat like stained glass, so be creative. I love making those wings; I sell them in my Etsy shop only because I made WAY TOO MANY when I was learning how.
I received from ShaneBlate08 on Wednesday, which happened to be the day my life ate my brain (car broke down, new tattoo hurting, house exploded with mess...). So here's photos, finally:
Each item was wrapped with a cute label. She included some "not very steampunk extras," which were nice bracelets: I like the snakey looking one.
This one was "For the noggin":
This was "For really mad science endeavors!":
And "For slightly wonky science endeavors":
My son really liked those, and stole them first thing he could:
"To help you find your way":
Forgot the label on this cute box of extras (I like the earrings the best; I don't have any in those colors):
And she used a lovely skirt as padding for the package. It's such a pretty color!
Thanks for a fun swap, ShaneBlate08. I hope you like what I sent.
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It could always be added to another top if that's what needs to happen. 
