Friday, April 22, 2011

Sometimes I Even Amaze Myself

Sorry this is a day late, I got side tracked by beer yesterday...

Monday before last (4/11/11) I set out to do the impossible; to create a leather battle dress to wear at faire the coming weekend (that's right, I wanted to design and make a leather dress in 4 days), working at the Monster Museum. I planned out what I wanted to make, keeping it all in my brain and not bothering with the time it would take to put it on paper.

Tuesday after work I picked up a few materials and went to my parent's house to pick out the leather and begin working on how the hell I was going to pull this off.
I picked out the leather I wanted and then trimmed the pattern and reshaped part of it before I had to call it a night.

Wednesday after work I figured up how many hides I would need to cut out all the pieces to make the battle dress, each piece was going to take 2 hides sewn together to get the length I wanted and there were 8 pieces to be cut out... holy hell I'll be wearing 16 deer hides (obviously not the whole hides, but still...) that's like Bambi and his whole herd!
I got all 16 pieces sewn together and then started cutting out everything. Have you ever tried to cut something out of leather? It's kind of a pain because you can't use pins. I got all but the 2 back pieces cut out.

Thursday after work I cut out the last 2 pieces and then it was time for ZOMG SEW LIKE THE WIND!!! until I had to dash out the door to go to dinner with friend.

Friday I went to the zoo! It was my very bestest friend's (second to Matt) birthday and he wanted to go to the zoo, so we did. After we left the zoo I came back to my parent's place and resumed the ZOMG SEW FOREVARS!!!
After some tweaking and altering I finished with the machine sewing and moved on to the hand sewing (read as BUTTONS) Matt gave me some gorgeous pewter buttons that he had used on garb several years ago (they are perfect for this!)
Here it is, my (not so) impossible leather battle dress.

I am making a face in this picture, don't be mistaken by it, I really am happy...


yes, I'm wearing a turban (don't judge me)

 AND I have finally finished Spartan #8!!! (seriously, I wasn't sure I'd get to...) This one belongs to Aleena and his name is Perticus.
I probably won't get another Spartan done until I finish the commission I'm working on, just so you know.

Now off and away to cross stitch like a crazy woman.
Good night everybody!

4 comments:

  1. The dress is fabulous!! Perticus is quite cute :-) You don't have to rush for me.

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  2. OMG Jess it is beautiful! You are so much like your Mom - you can make anything amazing! Great Job! Wanda G

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  3. What a FABULOUS dress!!! That's honestly the first leather dress I've ever coveted!! Heck, it's the only one I think I'd ever be willing to wear! Yowza!!!

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  4. Doooooood!!! Oh my god, that dress is gorgeous. When I have a real job and real money I am so commissioning one like it.

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