Wig work! Sadly I don't have any in progress pictures of this one, but really its not all that complicated, I dreaded Kanekalon, which was just a process of ratting and steam sealing, then sewed the dreads into the wefts of the wig, I did the same with the crin (the little tubey things). I'll have a matching outfit for this wig, so hopefully I can post pictures of that when the time comes.

Frankenfest Pirate Day 2009

Yes yes, I know this isn't super noteworthy, but I thought I'd make an entry about it just to get the ball rolling.

Frankenmuth, a sort of German tourist trap an hour or so away from my house, has sort of a theme week called Frankenfest each year, and this year me and some friends decided to attend on Pirate Day. Generally this day is full of Ren-Fest quality costumes that I don't have the money or patience to make so it was going to be a day of Closet Costuming.

Which I think is a skill that is sort of worth having, people don't always have the time or money to whip up a costume that you'll only need for a day (be it a costume party, halloween, or running around a quasi-german town in the middle of spring), and you'd be surprised the kind of things you could find in your closet that are entirely passable with just a few safety pins.

This costume consists of a pair of socks I got from Kholes, a skirt from Goodwill, a scarf from an easter market in the Czech Republic, a "corset" from Charlotte Russe, a crinoline from a Halloween store and a mens button down dress shirt. Nothing here is really that odd (while my scarf might be from across the ocean, I'm pretty sure you can buy things like it at any sort of Clarie's or accessory store of the like). The crinoline was just bought for funsies and is totally optional. But as you can see, its at least passable. The shirt was rolled up to my elbows, pulling the baggy part of the sleeves over the cuffs and I simply safety pinned the collar to the inside of the shirt so it wasn't showing. The skirt was pinned up on its self and a scarf put over it to hopefully keep my butt covered.

Just sort of some things to keep in mind, clothes that are too big for you are good for this kind of thing, you're left with more room to modify the clothing to how you'd need it while still having room to actually wear the garment. And if you're just a T-Shirt and Jeans kind of person, Goodwill and second hand stores are FULL of clothes for under $5 that you can put together to make a costume in the same manner that I did with out taking a huge chunk out of your budget and without resorting to buying those costumes that are pre-fabricated from Halloween shops (you'll find I have a very strong hatred for those polyester abominations). You'll have a costume that's unique, and not factory made. Button down shirts, suit jackets, and full skirts are great basics that you can do a lot with, and are usually worth the investment (if anything, you've got lots of fabric you can cut up and put back together again). But just be willing to take your time and look around, you'll probably find what you're looking for.

If safety pins aren't going to cut it and you're a total newb to sewing, never fear, there's this beautiful product called Stitch Witchery, its pretty much glue you can iron onto your clothes to make minor adjustments. So if you've gotta make that skirt shorter to be that naughty school girl? Its got you covered. You can find it at any JoAnn fabrics near the notions aisle.

So keep an open mind, check out garage sales, second hand stores, heck, your mom's closet. And remember, just because you found that gross frilly shirt in your basement doesn't mean its gotta go straight to the garbage.

Next up on Big Kid Dress Up: Corset Pattern Drafting

-navigated