Wig Curling Lab 102 + Epaulettes

So after all my whining about not getting what I needed when I wanted it I've hardly used any of it. Ha ha... *sweatdrop*

After Anime Fest- at which I won 2nd place in the cosplay competition, by the way. They had a hard time deciding on the order of awards, I found out afterward, because they liked several of the costumes, and only had so many prizes. One girl did not win because she won first last time, and they wanted to acknowledge other people. Some of the judges recognized me from Kaigi, and knew I had won a Judge's Award there, so first went to another girl who had not won for the costume she wore. I'm not jealous, but I am glad to know it was such a close competition. It means I did not miss out on first because my costume wasn't up to par.

After Anime Fest I went to Amara's where we watched anime and Disney movies and worked on cosplays. Like I said last time, I took Utena's wig because it was largely portable. It was a time consuming process, stitching all those wefts to the cap, but not nearly as long as I had assumed it would have been. Once it was started I decided I really wanted to finish it. Despite having shoulder pads to install, bias tape to make, and lining to stitch in; I did just that.

I finished the sewing yesterday morning, and promptly took it to the bathtub and dowsed it in boiling water, to straighten everything out. I also tried curling the bangs, but they came out way too tight! It was hysterical really, one of those 'Well, duh.' occasions. To remedy that situation I restraightened the bangs as much as I could, and purchased larger curlers today. The wig is not sitting in my bathroom drying right now, which is bound to take a few more hours. Along with the fringe, I curled just the ends of the wig, seeing as stick-straight hair is not my best look.

Last night, after drowning my wig a second time, I finally attached the shoulder pads to the shell. With that done I can finally combine the coat and it's lining. When I sat down to work on cosplay today I was on the phone, which is not conducive to using a sewing machine. Instead I focused on making the epaulettes, and here I think this is particularly clever- if I do say so myself. I'm lucky it's that almost-Christmas time of year, otherwise I would have had to develop another plan.

When out the other day I purchased one large, plastic Christmas tree ornament. Taking the tool I use to "cut out" plastic stencils I cut this ornament in half, and removed enough of one side that the shoulder board could fit in it. I selected an enamel that well matched the red shade of the fabric that will become the bias tape, and painted the interiors of the half spheres. This covering was eventually four layers thick, so as to ensure the light would not shine straight through them. These are drying as I write, though I cannot complete them tonight. I have determined the best way to add the gold around the edges requires some more trim, so these will have to wait a while. It is doubtful that I'll be going to any fabric store until Black Friday. Why shop now, when everything will be on sale in a week?

And I think that brings everything up to speed. Next I will be stitching the shell and lining together, and making the bias tape. To be honest, I'm dreading that last part. So many burned fingers loom on the horizon.