Enchanted Cloak and Cape

I love making cloaks and capes! I made two in one night using the same aqua velvet crush fabric.

ENCHANTED CLOAK ~

First up is a cute off-the-shoulder short hooded cloak. I wanted to make the cloak kid-friendly so I used Velcro for the closure and hid the stitches under a pair of pretty gold buttons.

The cape is short or half-length on an adult. But it would be a nice long cloak for a kid. The back of the cloak is squared (pointed corners).

I added a charm at the point of the hood. It's a nice detail and the added weight keeps the point hanging down properly.

View the Enchanted Cloak on AvalynArtistry.com

ENCHANTED CAPE ~ 

Next I made a simple cape that fastens in front with a little snap. Again, it's a short style for an adult, but it would be nice and long on a little princess.

This cape is rounded at the bottom instead of being square-edged like the cloak. I left the neck opening huge so it drapes down the back. This also gives the option to pull it up and tie it in front instead of using the snap.

Or, I suppose you could wear a pair of wings on your back and have them poke out of the back opening from your shoulder blades.

Note: Both the cloak and cape are pictured with my Shimmering Mage Blouse.

Velvet Choker with Pendant

A necklace with a bit of whimsy...

I found ribbon crimp ends at Michael's which let you clamp the ends of a piece of velvet ribbon and then attach a necklace chain to ends. I already had purple and yellow velvet ribbon (from Grandma's collection of supplies), I thought these pendants added some interest.

I attached the first pendant with a button and the second with a loop of wire I made with some pliers. Whatever works, right?

In the Costume Closet: Queen Amidala's Handmaiden

I made this costume for San Diego Comic-Con several years back. My friend Bethany wanted to enter her Queen Amidala gown in the Masquerade,  so my other friend Julie and I both made matching Handmaiden costumes to be her escorts.

Our trio of Queen Amidala and Her Handmaidens won the "Most Beautiful" trophy in the competition, against 51 other entrants. We were number 50 out of 52 and had to follow a giant robot act - Optimus Prime. Needless to say, Queen Amidala took home the trophy. She spent HOURS and HOURS just on creating the beaded panels in her gown. This costume was relatively quick and simple to make.

The robe is velvet, with the pattern stamped into the velvet. Bethany's husband carved the block stamps (in three sizes) which Julie and I both used to make identical cloaks. I lined up and pressed the stamps onto the velvet (prior to sewing the velvet to the lining).

Velvet Burnout Process:
1. Carve out a block for a stamp - wood or linoleum(?), a material that does will not melt
2. Lay the stamp on an ironing board or table with the stamp facing up.
3. Lay your velvet on top of the stamp with the velvet side against the stamp pattern (wrong side up), lined up where you want it placed. Secure your fabric (if necessary) so it will not slide around.
4. With your iron on the Silk setting, press the iron for 10 seconds against the wrong side of your velvet so the velvet fuzz is pressed into your stamp.*
*Do not slide the iron around because you do not want the fabric to slip. If you need to move the iron to cover the entire stamp, gently lift the iron straight up, then move it and press straight down.
*Be careful not to press the corners of your stamp block - you do not want to leave corner imprints in your velvet.

This is what the costume looks like under the cloak. The dark blue sleeves are actually half circles attached at the shoulder seam - looks pretty cool from the sides. I covered the slipper shoes (house shoes found in Chinatown) with the same dark blue fabric. It stretches so I just hand-sewed it over the shoes. The underdress is cheap polyester flag material - has a nice sheen but I wish we used a light cotton or linen instead. The hood/scarf is silk.

This is by far the hottest costume I have ever worn. By hot, I mean IT DOESN'T BREATHE! Dupioni silk headscarfs and polyester velvet cloaks are sweatering. Needless to say, this costume doesn't come out of the closet much. I think the only time I wore it besides Comic-Con was for the Sci Fi Museum Hall of Fame inaugeration of George Lucas, Neil Gaiman and Anne McCaffrey.

Photos taken by JediKai of Alpha Base, Rebel Legion, at the Omni Hotel - San Diego Convention Center

Costume Progress - Velvet Steampunk Jacket

Time for a new costume! I am working on a steampunk superhero costume for Emerald City Comic Con. How does that work? Take one well-known male superhero, a bunch of Victorian lady clothes, and put them in a blender!

Or something like that. Here's the first piece of the costume.

Ignore the skirt, it's not part of the costume.
But in case you are wondering, the skirt is Simplicity 5006-D, bustled.

I have one month to put it together, so I'm saving time by modifying store-bought patterns. The first piece is a steampunk jacket based on the Simplicity 2172 pattern.

The blue fabric is there because I wanted to see what blue would look like under the red.

I made a few adjustments to the original pattern. I left off the sleeves, shortened the bottom hem considerably, added two inches of height at the waist for my long torso and added extra panels in front where the buttons go so it wouldn't be so tight around the middle. I need room to breathe!

The jacket is made of red velvet with yellow ribbon and gold buttons.

The rest of the outfit will include:
- a bustled skirt (almost done!)
- some kind of fitted corset/bodice with a superhero logo on the front
- a miniature top hat (taking a page out of SmallRiniLady's book)
- spats!

I've got my work cut out for me, that's for sure!