The Vikings

No, not the inaccurate "History" Channel series. I'm talking about my vikings. In December I found a course where you could learn nalbinding, and met vikings from a local reenactment group. Thirty minutes later I was a member.

My nalbinding has improved a lot. These are only my experiments.
Not gonna use this stuff for anything.

They have workshops every sunday, where you bring whatever you're making (and maybe some cake too) and then there's social sewing and lots of geekery.

It was really last minute, so we went to a second-hand shop for costumes.
I made a tricolore cockade for fun: Tutorial

They're vikings, but their work span over a few centuries. They were hired to stand around the cinema (heavily armed!) in costumes from LotR  for the Hobbit premiere, and we dressed up as tattered revolutionaries for a random showing of Les Miserables. (And then we cried a lot. Oh how, we cried.)

Mjolnir comes from Jelldragon.com
It's a reproduction from Børneholm.

Got some cheap glass pearls when a hobby store in town closed down, so now I sorta have some viking bling. I'm going to build my outfits slowly over time to reduce cost and make it right, so these are temporary, though one of the pearls (top tier, middle) is a reproduction I had lying around. (Guess that's a nice thing about Norway - you just happen to have viking stuff lying around.)

Some pearls were left over, mostly because how did I think this could pass as viking stuff?The scissors come from Jelldragon, and I love them, they're great seamrippers.

WIP: Bracers in foam.

The vikings are guests at the next Hobbit premiere too, so we've started on our costumes already. I will be a lady dwarf, my height and slim build bedamned, with a full beard 'cause it makes the viking lads uncomfortable. I don't want a gown, even though the renaissance-inspired dwarf gowns were magnificent, so I'll just whip up something like what the travelling dwarves are wearing. I'm thinking a jacket in leather, tunic in linen, some fur parts, a bit of protection and a few weapons.

I tried working with foam for the first time. This tutorial just about saved my life.

After forming them with a heat gun I brought the half-finished bracers with me to show the vikings. A few of them were very sceptical until I explained I was going to paint them. (At this stage, they were very colourful. The underside of one of them was bright pink too, I don't think that helped.)

I found the perfect shoes at the local Goodwill. They're way too big even for my gigantic feet, but they're oh-so comfortable! I can't express how much I look forward to wearing costume shoes that won't try to eat my feet.

I was inspired by the shoes worn by Thorin Oakenshield and added some foam details onto them. In retrospect I'm not sure how great this idea was, cause I don't think the foam will survive long, but oh well.

Peredhil

Trying to hide a badge in my sleeve.

This is the gown I made for the Hobbit premiere. Since it's got elements of both Elven and human gowns I've decided it's Half-Elven - Peredhil, for the nerds.

I'd bought some swirly metal elf ears since I am not the ideal pretty Elf and don't like the thought of picking latex glue out of my ears for days afterwards either, but ended up not using them. I have too much hair, and they didn't show. Instead I braided in pearls in my hair - not that they show much either.

The skirt drapes well and it swishes so nicely when I walk. I added two extra gores in the back (cause someone's been doing research into medieval and norse clothing). The gown looks very simple, but there's room for a small circus inside that skirt.

I didn't bother changing into normal clothes after the con and travelled home in costume. The convention was in Larvik and I live in Tromsø. It's quite a distance. So far it was the best travel-home-in-costume experience I've had. Loads of compliments, there were interesting people on the train, security at the airport didn't even bat an eye at my attire, and the driver who drove me home from the airport didn't think me weird for accidentally giving him the wrong address. (Tired, so tired.)

And my best friend waited up for me even though she had work early in the morning after, she's the best.

Rococo Ewigkeitsvampire

This was how I felt about my hair this fine day.

My Finnish Ewigkeitsvampire was worn at the second day of Banzaicon: Time Travel Trouble, and I got some better pics of the costume. Now I see I need an underskirt to keep the boning in the paniers from showing, but oh well. Wasn't in love with my hair either, but after thirty minutes of trying to fix it, I was all out of fucks to give. All in all I was in character for a grumpy creature of the night. Eternity sucks, so I'm gonna wipe out humanity, angst, etc. ad absurdum.

Of course my hair looks perfect in the back - where I couldn't see
when putting it up. 

The back of the skirt is a bit boring, so I might add something, I just don't know what yet.

The best part of the con happened outside the convention centre. My group went out to eat, and at the restaurant we randomly chose, there was a little girl having a birthday party. The kids were stunned as we entered, and the birthday girl got pictures and we sang for her, which was awesome.

Know when to fold 'em

Less than a week before Banzaicon I realised their Time Travel Ball would be held on Friday - the day I'd planned not to wear a costume. Couldn't have that, so I set about with plans to make a gown based on this evening gown from 1912.

Only the red ones, mind you.

The fabric came from my stash. I bought it in Finland a year ago with quite different plans, but that's life - or rather sewing ADD of a sort, always dashing off to the next exciting project.

I was unable to make sense of the period pattern, so I improvised. The pattern for the top comes from a tattered vintage dress I had lying around. The base for the top is a thickly woven cotton. It's boned in the sides and in the back. I draped the velvet over, trying and failing a few times since this was the first time I tried my hand at it, and sewed it down to make sure it would stay down.

The skirt was made from this edwardian tutorial. I think the fabric is duchess satin - it's definitely satin and not natural fiber. The back drapes nicely, and there is a short train. Underneath the skirt there is an underskirt in a cotton/polyester blend for a little support.

The skirt is just pinned on so far. Don't judge.

I started the project while on easter holiday, with five days left to con. I lost one day of sewing because my plane home was cancelled (yay, snowstorm!) and we had to drive up to Tromsø instead. Eight hours, ugh, but I met a nerd and another guy I managed to recruit to the viking re-enactment group.

Then, after sewing in blind panic for two days, I realised I don't want my hobby to be stressful. It's something I do for fun. So I put the gown aside, decided to wear the red Edwardian ensemble from last summer and felt my blood pressure normalize itself.

Say hello to Dalek.

And this is Vega.

And so the day before the convention was used to play with the cats instead, resulting in one happy seamstress.

Plans for the Hobbit

My first costuming crush was Galadriel's gown. Thirteen year old goth me had great plans of a black version of the gown she wears in the prologue - I made a pattern and planned for the embroidery and everything. (When I rediscovered my drawings, I was overcome with the need to invent a time machine and travel back to slap myself. I didn't know anything about sewing.)

I (luckily) never started on the gown, but I've never given up the dream of an Elvish gown. And with the Hobbit coming to theatres, I've a wonderful excuse to get started.

I'm not sure whether it will be finished in time because of exams and stuff I really should prioritize, but I've cut out the pattern already. If it isn't finished for the Hobbit, I could always use it for Banzaicon in March-April.

Despite all I just said about Elvish gowns, is this dress going to be more alike the human designs of Lotr - it's linen, while the Elvish gowns are primarily made of velvet, and the costume crazed (anyone there?) will notice the likeness to Éowyn's gowns.

I just need to survive my exams, and then I can sew.

Halloween 2012

Rococo lady on the bus.

This year resulted in costuming extravaganza. And I teased the hell out of my hair so I could style it mile-high.  One of my housemates wore the tallest heels she had, and I was still taller than her. We were out and about, so I didn't get to take proper pictures of the whole thing. It'll have to wait till next con, I think.

Wearing the costume was fun. I got loads of compliments, though there were a few nasty comments too - people love to talk down about Halloween here because it's supposedly an American tradition. The costume was comfortable to wear, not too cold or hot, and I love the new stays, I completely forgot I was wearing them.

There was a staring contest. I lost.

This was what happened when I let down my hair. 

And this was what happened after I came home (and left bits my costume all around the house as I peeled it off). As if I don't have trouble with my unruly hair already, here it is teased and covered in a bullet-proof layer of hairspray.

These pics are by Sylvilel.

Halloween: So far

Robe a la anglaise a la polonaise, center front.

This Halloween I'm planning to go as a vampire, once again inspired from my favourite musical. Two years ago I dressed as a German Ewigkeitsvampire, this year I'm taking inspiration from the Finnish designs, where all the vampires are dressed in black with gold and silver accents.

With roughly two months till Halloween, and seeing as my costume is starting to look like a piece of clothing, I allow myself to not stress about it. Stomacher is embroidered, the jacket is soon finished (only need to sew on the engageantes), and yesterday I cut out the pattern for the giantunormous underskirt. The sewing bit is relatively uncomplicated but trimming this monstrosity will take forever. I have hoarded up large quantitites of lace.

I wanted a center front, but after three tries at modifying the pattern, I gave up. I don't know why I bother drawing out a design at all. I always end up changing my mind halfway, and the end result looks completely different.

It's hard to see from the front, but the jacket is made up by three different cotton fabrics (lined with linen, by the way). I really didn't think gold and silver would look remotely good together, but so far it looks fine. I wanted some bling on the back, so I sewed a decorative band over the seams.

Hairstuff is also finished. I have this tiara I made from a bracelet, and a comb with blackened flowers that I spray painted. Notice the green stuff. Those are jewel beetle wings. I am completely in love with them despite their creepy crawly origin.