Work in Progress: StarFire

Hello everyone!

I decided to postpone WIP Wednesday and do my WIP post today because I have way more exciting things to show you today than I did yesterday.  Early this afternoon I received my fabric for StarFire, BlackFire(my sister, who has requested to be called Breasa is making) and my Sailor Moon group's costumes.


After the delivery came I go straight to work.  I'm now trying to finish six costumes before Comic Media Expo, so let the panicking begin!  We've got all five original scouts now!  Can you say AWESOME! I'm really excited about these costumes.  Sailor Moon was my favorite show as a kid, I was obsessed.  It really inspired me.  I wouldn't be the same person without that show, so doing these costumes is a dream come true.

StarFire Progress

My morning started with watching Teen Titans.  I popped the disc into my computer and used the episode titled "Betrothed" to get 70+ reference images of StarFire and BlackFire. I used those and started sketching some ideas for the basic bracer shape based on seeing her arm in different poses. I still need to do the same thing with "Sisters" where we first meet BlackFire, but my sister is using my DVD.

 Next I pulled out some newspaper and went to town.  I used a ruler and measure my arm and made a guesstimated mock-up.  Then I cut it out, taped where the bracer connects with masking tape and made adjustments.  The first two were okay, but I got it right on the third time.  Best part of all is that Breasa can use the same one, so I don't have to draft another pattern!

Yay messy desk!

The image to the left is me trying pattern #2 on. We're still figuring the rest out.  I'll probably do a full mock-up soon.  We're probably going to use batting, felt or craft foam to give it that armor stability shape.  Breasa wants to use batting, but we're ganna have to test it out.  I feel like that'll be kind of lumpy 0_0.  We don't have our armor fabric yet.  SpandexWorld was out of stock in what we wanted.  So I'll be ordering it in the morning. 

After messing around with the armor I decided to draft the skirt pattern.  To do that I used a maxi skirt I just bought! That made my life way easier.  I knew the skirt fit about how StarFire's needed to be, so I traced it, straightened it out with a ruler and viola!  Instant pattern in five minutes.

Next I cut it out of some leftover fabric from a shirt I never finished making and sewed the sides together.  Voila! Instant StarFire skirt(almost!). I still have some work to do and we're going to add elastic.  Either way it was a quick mock-up and I feel pretty good about how this project is starting.

To the left is the finished pattern.  I used newspaper again like with the armor for the pattern.  Newspaper is kind of a cosplayers best friend.  It has so many functions.  I keep a ton of it around for paper mache, pattern making and for laying down under messy projects.  I don't read the newspaper, but my mom does so I ask her to save hers for me.  I definitely recommend newspaper collecting.

 

Trying on the skirt.  Excuse my funky tights, I never get to wear them and they're so cute.

And here is the back view.

 See you next time!