Ten epic projects of 2015!

These are ten of the most fan favourited projects of 2015, I did far more than just these ten projects this year, and as always- much love and thanks to all the fans, clients, collaborators and friends for all the shenanigans we got up to this year. May 2016 find us even more shenanigans! 

On with the list, in no particular order! 

This is my Crystal Maiden cosplay (DOTA2). This one took forever and a day, because all that light blue detailing you see on there? That's hand appliquéd and heat treated to keep it there. Fun stuff. I built the staff too, measuring in at just under 8 feet, it's a behemoth, and it lights up all pretty like. 

The whole thing turned out beautifully and I couldn't be happier with it! 

Next on the list is a massive gown with panniers and the whole nine yards as far as underpinnings go. This is a trial run for another one of these I'm building in pink- to make sure I can wrap my head around the underpinnings and the drape. It's become a fan favourite and it's not even done yet! 

Up next is the fabled malefiecient-scissor hands mash up. This is another one of those detail rich pieces, as such it took a massive amount of time to build and complete- you can read about the build progress elsewhere in this blog. 

It features draped belts, hand sculpted and cast headdress and a staff that comes apart to fit in its owners smart car. 

Next is a personal project, paying homage to my love of all things Star Trek and team engineering/science (pending how you look at it). One of my first ever waist training over busts, this one pushed some patterning skills to new levels. 

Up next is my Bowser project for Veda Cosplay. You can read all about the build in a previous post so I won't get into that.  I will however say that piping and I still aren't on good terms, though I do love, love, love how this turned out. 

Here we have a peek at the upcoming robotica collection (hopefully launching in 2016!) and my first attempts at pairing the art of corsetry with technologies like EL wire and hidden power supplies. 

Electrical work/wiring and I do not mix well so this one is a special kind of success for me. 

This one is a collaborative project with the amazing Bettie Buxom! Pushing my boundaries on my love/hate relationship with tulle, this ensemble also features new to the line up this year harnesses and my tried and true waist training under yay corsets in cotton duck fabric. Stay tuned for gorgeous photos of this collaboration from Ashlee Champagne photography!

Also paying homage to my love of all things nerd is the Star Wars "twin"/contrasting corsets made this year. 

While on the topic of Star Wars, another one that pushed the skills a bit was the twi'lek build for my collaboration with Nordic film works! 

Another new one for this year was my first set of Edwardian stays. This one was shown at this years annual steampunk shoot and get together at Fort Edmonton park, rocked by the one and only Bettie Buxom with one of the fabled tulle wisp gowns made from 300 meters of tulle. 

Thank you all again for being apart of the wonderful year that was 2015! Wishing you all the very best in 2016! 

The making of Bowser the king of koopas!

The lovely Veda Cosplay commissioned me to make her a Bowser inspired head to toe outfit for this years expo season. Me, being me, I said; "CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!" And hustled to work. 

^this is Bowser. For those not in the know. (I had to break it down for more than one person, whom I feel tragically sorry for the missed pieces of their childhood... No childhood is complete without epic battles with the king of koopas.)

This is unlike anything I've ever done before; taking a cartoon creature and making it humanized while still keeping enough of the original characters features that it's instantly recognizable was a challenge here. I knew without a doubt that the koopa shell had to stay a big part of this. I also decided that the arm spikes needed to stay, and that the signature colouring would be what instantly identifies this as a Bowser inspired ensemble. 

I started with what I thought would be the hardest part, the koopa shell backpack. I made it from a variety of thermal plastics, resins and some foams. This being what I thought would be the hardest part, it's t pretty smoothly, and I was tickled pink about that. Below is the backpack in the works.

Next I patterned and built custom leggings in Veda's size- not a problem given my sewing background. Then I moved on to the corset. I should preface this by saying I am fortunate to have a ten year long sewing career with most of that career spent building corsets. I thought this one would be no problem and I thought I'd make bowsers horizontal tummy lines by using piping on the centre two panels. I thought wrong on the easy going part. Getting piping and a busk closure to cooperate in any kind of a reasonable fashion is downright difficult. I'm talking the kind of difficult that requires you to sit on a horseshoe while praying to the sewing goddess for benevolence and acknowledging your stupidity while possibly sacrificing a unicorn. Things have to line up juuuusst right. 

I re-did those venter panels 7 times to find out what juuuusst right looks like. In those seven iterations I am certain this corset heard every curse I know. But hey, they don't call me screamstress for nothing I guess. 

Below is what I settled on for piping across the central panels of the corset. The remainder of the corset came out about as smoothly as one could hope, perhaps out of sheer fear that I would indeed "kill it with fire" as I threatened so many times during the piping process. 

With the koopa shell backpack, leggings and corset out of the way I moved on to finish the red bob wig with horns, the arm spikes, pauldrons and thigh armour. The spikes for the entire costume are cast in foam so they are expo safe, they squish and pop back of anyone bumps them. There shall be no injuries here!!

Most of the armour I made from varying types of foam both because I rarely get to work with this fun material and practice in its function is also a rare treat. 

Things I've learned in working with foams: priming and sealing are important. More important than the paint job itself because of you don't prime the differences of foams can be seen since they each handle paint differently, it also smoothed everything out... And sealer because foam remains flexible after paint and a good coat of flexible sealer will save your piece from cracking and looking like junk over time. 

Above is most of the finished ensemble. What I could get on a mannequin anyways. Veda cosplay is awesome and 

has allowed me to display it at this years Edmonton expo, so look out for it there and at expos across Canada as she continues to rock the king of koopas for years to come!

All clothing and costume designs in this blog entry remain the sole intellectual property of dark knits boutique, they may not be copied or reproduced without express written consent from us. 

Resin casting goodness!

Lately I've been learning the art of resin casting and silicone mold making from my clay sculpts. I'm getting better at it but still far from being horribly efficient at it- either way, I'm making a large portion of my stock for upcoming expos this way. Take a look at what ive come up with thus far; 

Tentacle pendants

Finger keychains, carry a piece of your loved one anywhere!

TARDIS pendants!!

And other assorted fun stuff, including a variety of bird skulls and Star Trek science badges! 

The making of the zodiac collection

The zodiac collection is coming together beautifully! 

This collection has some intense headdresses- here is the making of a few of them!

First you need to build a base, that's what's going on above. 

Then the horns were formed up, attached and smoothed out. 

Paint, sealer, flowers and leaves later and this one is all done. 

That's the Capricorn headdress! Hooray for flowery goats. 

This is the pieces, for this I had to make the fish. The fish was named Stu, short for stupid koi fish- something spoke many times during construction. 

This is the progression of Stu from looking like a KFC chicken wing to a halfway decent fish: 

And this is Stu all finished and on the headpiece: 

And Stu with his finished flowers: 

The making of Maleficent Scissor Hands

Today's post briefly outlines the build process of my latest costume and set of props; the maleficent scissor hands mash up. 

In its completed glory it's a sight to behold, however, many of its finer details representing hours and hours of work end up missed in brief glances. So I'll outline it for you all!  

First off, the cowl. This is the piece everyone notices first, and gives the signature silhouette. 

This started with a slush cast of the horns made from smooth ons simpact resin. Simpact resin is often regarded as useless because it bubbles badly and is  very heavy. That said, it's sturdy stuff when cast and as the name suggests, it can take an impact. 

After the horns are cast next comes a custom head cast to fit the wearer perfectly. This is rarely a fast or clean process but a required one all the same. Here's VampireNomad herself getting her head cast after me marking horn placement!

Sassy. 

The cowls base was fibreglass reinforced and then leather wrapped to match the style in the 2014 maleficent film. 

Next was the neck corset, which is a very altered version of one of Ralph Pinks patters, I adore his patterns, they are wonderbar!

The corset is an altered version of VampireNomad's previous custom corset from me, this time with more of a nipped in waist, an extreme pointe neckline, no busk closure instead it features a heavy duty metal zipper closure under the arm and a straight bottom. In addition to these patterning changes, this corset like the neck corset, features a PVC fashion layer with belted detail throughout. The belts made for a new challenge and sewing considerations! All in all, the entire outfit required four fittings to get just right. 

The outfit also includes belted gauntlets which attach/detach from the side of the neck corset. Also included is a belted A-line dress and tattered hemline cloak with train. As well as scissor fingers made from thermal plastic;

The staff presented interesting design considerations as it needed to be both huge and small- huge to be imposing. Small to be transported in its owners smart car. With that in mind I made the staff leather bound in the midsection to hide a split where it can be disassembled. Mounted atop the staff is a sphere with a scissor perch for Diablo the raven whom was made from a taxidermists bird form, feathered with goose and rooster feathers. 

When assembled the staff measures up at 8 feet tall. 

All in all, this is a wickedly intense outfit that used a wide range of my skills both in the realm of prop construction, sewing and pattern adjustment. Challenges like this piece are what allow me to grow my skills and I'm thankful for amazing clients that give me the freedom to make pieces like this become reality!

You can see Maleficent scissor hands in person at my booth or panel at this years Edmonton comic and entertainment expo!

Everything you need to know about smoothing worbla!

I  I When I first began working woth worbla I hated it. Hate is a strong word but suiting. It took me many tried and a grey deal of wasted material to make anything worthwhile from the stuff. 

Of all the skills needed to work with worbla, smoothing the seams is both the most valuable and hardest earned. So, dear reader, in the interest of saving you some time, frustration and wallet strain I give you; everything you need to know about smoothing worbla! 

You'll need:

-worbla

-a good heat gun (just pull up your pants and invest in this tool- if you buy the crappy ones you'll just kill them constantly.) 

-a pressing tool- some people use the pressing thingy from a mortar and pestle (not sure if the pressing thingy is the mortar or pestle...). I personally use a long since dead portable USB charger- it's got a metal casing and it serves the purpose, plus I would have thrown it out anyway! 

-a buck to press the worbla over. I use a variety of bowls for round things and glass heads easily acquired from any antique store for mask type applications. 

First things first, heat a pice of worbla and spread it over the pressing buck as best you can. There will be wrinkles and that's okay, those will be smoothed later. Look at this wrinkly piece of junk! It's still salvageable! 

Secondly, get your handy pressing tool and heat gun- apply a bit of heat only to the spot to be worked on. 

Now it's time to go to town with your pressing tool. I both roll out the seams like you would cookie dough with a rolling pin: 

And I use the end of the tool to more or less bash the thing into submission with small taps and dragging motions: 

It takes time, and a bit of patience, but this is the bestetiod I've come across for making seamless joints. Not to mention it saves a ton of prep work with filler material at the pre painting/paint prep stages. 

For inquiring minds, this is the rest of said project coming to life:

With filler and ready for paint prep;

Happy worbla working!

As always, all information and photos from this blog are the intellectual property of dark knits boutique and may not be reproduced or copied without express written consent. 

Creature couture collection

The release of the 2015 DKB creature couture collection was not only a huge launch for me and DKB but it represents a huge leap in my skill sets. 

This collection has it all; my usual corsetry has been pushed to the next level with new shillouhettes and shapes,  this collection introduced new options to the DKB line up that have never been seen before- wings that span five feet, huge headdresses, creature shoes, huge gowns and saucy skirts- the whole nine yards is covered here form head to toe! 

The best part? The collection is on tour so you can see it in person! The creature couture collection will be on display at the upcoming RAW artist collective show on June 4, 2015- at union hall in Edmonton. Tickets for RAWs "Splendor" show are only $15 and that includes a live band and art gala! You can contact me for tickets if interested.

Take a peek at the collection here; 

Special thanks to show hosts, all the models, photographers, hair and makeup folk who helped make this a reality. 

All content shown here, including photos is the intellectual property of dark knits boutique and may not be copie or reproduced without express written permission. 

Shipping day how I love thee!

Today is shipping day here at the DKB studios, and for me that means it damn near like Christmas. 

Instead of a partridge in a pear tree the wonderful mail man brought to me; 

ten stitch rippers for a tearing, 

Nine different feet for sewing machines,

Eight yards of metallic PVC,

Seven boxes of DKB branded stickers,

Six rolls of stabilizers,

Five yards of printed silk faille,

Four packs of bobbins, 

Three double needles,

Two rolls of boning 

And a new pair of gingher tailors shears!!

(I've long since given up making this rhyme) 

I should be good to go for awhile with all that!!  Now if only I had a place to store it all. Sewing problems. 

Crystal maiden cosplay build

We were recently commissioned to build a complete Crystal Maiden cosplay from DOTA 2. We couldn't be happier with how it came out, it was an intense build! 

The finished product, and it's happy owner! 

The entire build included;

-staff with LED lighting 

-faux fur leg warmers with straps

-purple leggings with cut outs

-gauntlets with straps

-belted skirt with appliqué

-hooded cloak with appliqué 

-corset with roushing and appliqué 

-shoulder pauldrons 

-bra with appliqué and trimmed in purple 

The whole thing took us six moths to build from start to finish. 

All of the appliqué was done by hand in a heat set arcylic fabric paint. 

This is the staff in all its glory, and various stages of lighting: 

And the complete cosplay;

The gemstones are embroidery wrapped with worbla, the same for the belt buckle. The pauldrons are heat formed EVA foam painted by hand to match the fabric and appliqué. 

This one has levels up our skillset so te speak, and now we are working on even more intense cosplay builds- stay tuned for those in the future!

As always all contents and photos are property of dark knits boutique, they may not be copied or used in part or in whole without express written permission. Email us at darkknits@gmail.com if you have any questions or would like to share this content.