Hokuto Sumeragi - Mad Hatter #15

the jacket's skirt lining

To cut the jacket's skirt lining, I placed and pinned the pieces on top of the lining, and simply cut them. Because the satin is very slippery, this way it's easier they won't get distorted and match the outer pieces. I also cut the pockets, in the cherry red grosgrain.
I still haven't decided if I'll cut a lining in the burgundy satin, for the jacket's bodice. I'll see if I have enough fabric, and patience.

+ This is a quick and easy method to cut slippery linings. This way they match the stiffer outer fabric. And pockets!
- The satin is very slippery and is a pain to cut, especially large pieces.

THE CUNNING PLAN
When I attach the skirt to the bodice, leave it hanging at least one week, I'm sure both fabrics will stretch unevenly.

[written in 29.11.2020]

Hokuto Sumeragi - Mad Hatter #14

So, here I was threading my sewing machine, an Elna Lotus SP, older than I am, to start sewing the shirt, but it refused to work. This had happened before, I took it to be repaired, but, I don't know what happened, the technician took a long time to repair it, and didn't do it properly and didn't fine tune it. He used to be a very good sewing machine repair man, but he did a very poor service to my poor, poor machine. It was in Lisbon's historical Mouraria neighbourhood, it since closed and is now a (probably really tiny) hostel.
What to do? I was planning on wearing this costume on the big Carnival cosplay meet, the Cosplay Photoshoot, and I don't have that much time to finish it, and no money to have the machine repaired. And first I have to find a new repair man anyway.

wire stems for the three working buttons;
the button base in plastic and felt;
the cover circles in the cherry red grosgrain.

modern 18th century covered button in two stages,
uncovered & covered

So I decided to cover the buttons. the more enduring task ahead. Using the plastic+felt discs as a base, I followed Burnley & Trowbridge's button tutorial, cut the fabric circles with a bit more than dounble the discs width, and sewn them in place. For the three working buttons, I decided a bit of reinforcement could be nice, so I glued, with epoxy E6000 glue, a stem made of wire, and then gathered the fabric on top, like all the other buttons.

+ Making these buttons was much quicker and easier than expected, I think I'll never buy coverable button pieces again. These work fine and don't take that much longer or effort to make.
- It's a big drawback my sewing machine being broken, I hope I can get it fixed, it's been a very long relashionship, I love my Elna!

THE CUNNING PLAN
Finish covering the buttons for now, and pattern and cut all that's left, so I can pop into my mom's or a friend's house and sew everything in one go. Think of a plan B?

[written in 29.11.2020]

Hokuto Sumkeragi - Mad Hatter #13

jacket pieces in the grosgrain fabric

Cut all the jacket pieces, including the sleeves, in the cherry red grosgrain main fabric, cut the sleeve lining and inner sleeve

+ The grosgrain has a nice feel in my hands and, although it's polyester, it's really nice to cut, and it doesn't fray very much.
- The satin is very slippery and is a pain to cut, especially large pieces.

THE CUNNING PLAN
Start sewing it after I finish sewing the boning in the inner layer.

[written in 29.11.2020]

Hokuto Sumeragi - Mad Hatter #12

plastic boning & casing (cotton ribbon)

Measured and cut the plastic boning, and did the same for the ribbon casing. I marked each piece of boning and casing in the correct order, so there won't be mix ups later, when sewing them on later. After cutting the boning, I filed it until each end is rounded, so it doesn't pierce the fabric.

gloves pattern

Using some gloves from another (actually Hokuto) costume as a base, I drafted the glove pattern. They will be made in the burgundy satin, which means, as it's not a stretch fabric, that I will have to cut it on the bias.

+ The boning will help the jacket's bodice say neater, and not wrinkle much. It's my first time making gloves entirely from scratch, I'm pretty excited.
- Because it was in a roll, the boning isn't sitting straight, I need to heat form it, before I sew the casing closed. I hope the gloves fit.

THE CUNNING PLAN
Start sewing the casing to the jacket's inner layer. Trace and cut the glove pattern onto the satin.

[written in 29.11.2020]

 

Hokuto Sumeragi - Mad Hatter #11

jacket's sleeves

The jacket's sleeves deserve a category just for themselves. So, lightly based on 16th century slashed sleeves, I drafted the following. First I drafted a normal sleeve, to fit the sleeve hole normally, and tested the fit on my mock-up. This will be the lining, in the burgundy satin. Then I copied it, marked where I want the slashes to stop, and lenghtened the top part by about 1/3. In the artwork I count 5 strips, so I divide the width in 5, leaving the inner part of the sleeve out (no need for puffyness there) and cut the slashes at even widths. This will be the outer sleeve, in the cherry red grosgrain, and the top part will also be lined separately, with the burgundy satin. The third part is the inner puff sleeve. I take the normal sleeve as a reference again, and make a short puff sleeve, much wider, and as tall as the slashes. I also add a bit to the bottom, to add to the puffyness. This will be in the burgundy satin.

+ Although I didn't make a mock up, just for the base sleeve, I'm fairly sure this will work out, I added so much to the puffy part!
- I'm a bit concerned the inner sleeve satin won't keep its shape, it's very drapey, so I'll probably need to make a shoulder ruffle in stiff tulle, to add puffyness inside.

THE CUNNING PLAN
Just cut the sleeves in the designated fabrics.

[written in 29.11.2020]

Hokuto Sumeragi - Mad Hatter #10

shirt pattern

I made the shirt pattern, based on a shirt pattern I made years ago (actually not for cosplay), and drafted the scalloped collar. The shirt has two front pieces, one back piece, a scalopped collar, a collar stand, two sleeves and two cuffs. No yoke and the button placket is doubled, to hide the buttons. There is no visible front closure in the artwork, so I had two options, either close it to the side, or make a hidden button placket. Because I'm a bit short on the white taffeta, I opted for the front hidden button closure.

+ I just had to adapt an existing shirt pattern.
- I had to make a few tries for the scalopped collar, until I got it right.

THE CUNNING PLAN
Cut the shirt on the white taffeta.

[written in 29.11.2020]

Hokuto Sumeragi - Mad Hatter #9

wig, before & after
(excuse the blur and the poor lighting)

A while ago, maybe last year, I got this really cheap short black wig, second hand, from a fellow cosplayer, Dragana, to style for Hokuto. Although I've made one Hokuto Costume before, I was wearing a borrowed wig, which, besides not having the right length to cut Hokuto's hairstyle, isn't mine. That's it. Meanwhile I washed it and is here to give back to its rightful owner.

So, I cut it to match Hokuto's hairstyle. I have decades of experience cutting my own hair, which helped a lot when I cut her wig. Sometime in the 90's, I had a very similar hairstyle, so I knew where to start. Although I always watch wig styling tutorials, my approach to cut hair is usually my own experience cutting real hair. But I'd love to buy Kuukki-san's books on wig styling. She's amazing.
The wig is a short bob, with no fringe, with stiff lustrous black hair. Very Japanese! With the wig on my head, I started by roughly cutting the basic shape. As with my own hair, started with the fringe, by parting and separating it from the rest of the hair. Hokuto's fringe is on the long side and has volume, so I cut it bluntly below my eyes. After that, I divided the fringe horizontally in half, and pinned the top part away. Her fringe is feathery, so I started trimming it, with my scissor blades vertically, facing up, to give it a more natural finish. When I was happy with the result, I unpinned the fringe's top half, and proceeded the same way until I was satisfied with it.
Then I parted the side hair, right behind my ears, and pinned the rest away. This was the most lengthy part. Hokuto's side hairs bunch up in a rounded shape, pointing slightly towards the face. I first gave it a diagonal blunt cut, longer than my aimed length, and started trimming, much like how I did for the fringe.
The last part was the back side. With the wig still on my head, I cut the length on the bottom, at my nape's height, and then, holding a few hair wefts at a time, vertically, in my fingers, I blunt cut it fairly how short I'd like it to be. I took the wig out of my head and secured it on the wig head. Then I started trimming and trimming it, until I got a rounded shape and was happy with it. I didn't cut the top part of the hair, above my ears.

After cutting the wig, because the fibers are a bit stiff, the result wasn't very round, I had to style it. With the help of a hair dryer, a water spray bottle, a brush and a lot of patience, I managed to give it a nice round shape. But the fringe and especially the side hairs, didn't want to stay in place, so I used my flat iron, and it worked!

+ I have pleasure in cutting hair, so this is something I was looking forward to.
- I hate styling wigs, it's much messier than cutting people's hair, the little hairs get everywhere! Because the wig has wefts, which aren't usually very dense in the back and sewn on in horizontal lines, even though I was using a very effective technique (on human heads), I was ending up with whispy horizontal lines in the back. I had enough allowance to correct that, but I still made a small hole on the right side, near the ear.

THE CUNNING PLAN
Leave it in the wig head until it's time to wear the costume, but sometime in the future, sew on extra hair, especially where it's thinner, and trim it.

[written in 29.11.2020]

Hokuto Sumeragi - Mad Hatter #8

cut several circles out of ice cream packaging,
for the button base.

This costume has around 30 buttons, in two sizes that's a lot. Buttons are expensive, even coverable buttons. Locally, I can't buy them in boxes, which is a bit cheaper, and ordering them online involves shipping on top. So, because only three of these will be functional buttons, and after watching an 18th century covered button tutorial on Burnley & Trowbridge's YouTube channel, I decided to make my recycled version of those buttons.
I made a button template in cardboard, and traced it onto ice cream packaging. Ice cream pakaging is sturdy plastic, should be a good substitute for bone or wood, the materials used in the 18th century. Then cut them with all-purpose scissors.

+ This way the buttons will basically be free.
- I'll have to cut all the circles and then hand cover them.

THE CUNNING PLAN
Glue the plastic circles onto leftover felt, to add volume.

[written in 29.11.2020]