Halloween costumes are blogging inspiration

I've been meaning to get back to blogging all of my projects for a while but I'm always so tired at the end of the night. This project in particular is so big that I definitely want to document it, and hopefully it will help me to continue on.

I decided to do a neo victorian goth inspired costume this year. It isn't accurate to any time period, just a picture in my mind. My inspiration was this makeup from Illamasqua, which I will be recreating. I have all of the supplies to create the look except the eyelashes because they required multiple sets which would have been too expensive. I bought a couple of pairs of other false eyelashes which I will cut up to try to replicate.

Yesterday I made the hat for the costume. I knew I wanted a mini top hat. I saw some people online who had made them from felt, but I wanted more of a luxe look. I also wanted something that looked sturdy and real, rather than something thrown together for the costume. I started out by buying mesh wire form from Hobby Lobby. You can find it on the aisle where the polymer clay is. I also got plain black felt for the frame work, some violet colored velvet from the remnants basket at the fabric store, and some feathers. I also used some items I already had for decorating.

I started by using an oval shaped plant dish to trace out the approximate size and shape of the hat. Once it was cut out I used the end of a sharpie pen to fold up the edges evenly all around so that no sharp edges were showing. I then traced a similar hole in the center, and used a ruler all around to make sure it was even. I cut out the center and pushed back the edges the same as the outside. I cut a rectangle of the same mesh and pushed the bottom edge down at a 90 degree angle so that once it was slipped through the hole it could grab on. I used a glue gun both on the seam up the sides of the top, and under the brim where they connect. As the glue started to cool I pushed it through the mesh to make sure the pieces connected. The top of the wire hat is cut down about half an inch all the way around and folded flat at a 90 degree angle to support the top. I cut another piece of mesh to match the top of the hat, and glued it down the same way I did the brim.

At this point I cut out pieces of felt and covered the metal frame. I wasn't too woried about doing it neatly because it would be covered by wire. Because velvet is so delicate I wanted to make sure that the frame work would not show lines through, so the felt added extra padding. Once it was completely covered I added velvet. I learned that you have to be very careful with the glue gun and velvet because if any gets on the velvet it pulls up the nap when you peel it off. I ended up with a few bald spots, which sucks. Since it's my first try at millinery I won't be too hard on myself. :) The order that I covered the frame in was: brim, then the top, then the outside of the top. I made sure there was plenty of fabric on the brim to fold under, and then added one more panel on the bottom to cover the seams.










And the finished product with all decorations: