Take some time today to discuss xiao! Especially the upgrades I made to him for Metrocon 2023.
I don’t think I can properly explain how happy I was after recreating Shaw’s shirt. The previous version (purchased) had a very ill-fitting fit and the fabric wasn’t very good. It kept pulling out of the waistband of the pants, blocking almost any airflow. The solution is simple: transform it with a jumpsuit. This way, not only does the shirt stay in place, but it also gives me a base for a better fit. The mesh panel at the back was the part I was most worried about, but ended up being the part I was most pleased with! I used a hand-dyed strong mesh that was close to my skin tone (although the color wasn’t very clear due to the color of my binder).
The swirl pattern on the jumpsuit is metallic white fabric paint. I made a digital drawing of the pattern on procreate and then printed it onto freezer paper. After cutting it out with an exacto knife, you can actually iron the freezer paper onto the fabric (shiny side facing the fabric) and it will create an almost seamless template for fabric paint! I see myself using this technique a lot in the future, it really is perfect!
The black leather on the neck and shoulders was my biggest stumbling block. Not only have I never worked with leather, but it’s also a non-elastic material and I’m attaching it to the collar/neck section that very much needs to be able to stretch in order to pull. Thankfully, the design indicated that I could have 2 closure points, one at the back of my neck and one at the front of my neck. The edges of the entire piece of leather are hemmed by folding and gluing the raw edges to the inside, I then put hem tape on these raw edges to cover them and make them softer on the skin (due to their complex shape, the entire Leather pieces are not lined). All visible edges of the leather are satin stitched for clean edges. The gold appliqués on the front and back are 2mm eva foam covered in gold stretch fabric and then adhered to the jumpsuit using e6000!
The two white pieces of the mesh panel on the back gave me more difficulty than I thought. Their shape is a bit deceiving, and requiring them to lie flat on my back without sacrificing stretch in the main garment meant I couldn’t just sew them on the back. While I’m not too happy with how they ended up aligning (where they meet at the top is much lower than I aimed for), I still think it turned out pretty good!
That’s the finished top!
Here’s the front and back of the finished top! The sleeves are held in place by clear bra straps, and the shoulders hook on the inside of the shirt. All in all, I really like the design of this new shirt.
In addition to the shirt/tights, the boots have also been upgraded! I found some boots on sale on Amazon for just $20 and they were a crazy steal! This style is very versatile for many outfits and the boots are comfortable and peaceful too! All accessories on the boots are temporary or fastened from the inside (velcro, snaps, and elastic) so the integrity of the outer boot remains intact and I can reuse them for multiple outfits, even for everyday wear. I also replaced the gold piece that holds the “scarf” on my neck. Like the piece on the shirt, it’s 2mm foam covered with gold fabric. Not only does this make the gold accents feel more cohesive, but it’s also more comfortable to wear around your neck!
