costume progress - Big Trouble in Little China Gracie Headdress

 

So, let's start with the progress on the Big Trouble in Little China Gracie Headdress.   I purchased a piece of blue felt which I then cut into the shape I wanted.  At first I thought a good heavy starch was going to work.  I quickly reevaluated that thought.  So I pulled out some Modge Podge and thought, I'll do double duty and glue the beads on while I'm also shaping the felt in place.....this did not work.  At least the beads were not sticking to the felt with just modge podge.  So I pulled out dimensional modge podge.  This worked better......except that I had already sprayed the felt with starch and painted it with modge podge so ... it was a little soaked by this time.  So While I'm trying to keep the dimensional modge podge from dripping and placing beads and trying to keep them in place, the felt starts dripping a mixture of starch and modge podge down the head form.  Neadless to say this part was a mixture of trial and error but mostly error.  The end result is pretty near perfect however.

I had purchased a peacock glitter head band to act of the base of the head piece.  This seemed like the best way to have an easy to wear and sturdy base.  I cut out some card board using the inside and outside curve of the headband and then covered the front and back in the leftover felt pieces.  I hot glued this on to the head band and painted the inside of the card board.  This is going to act as a support for the feathers.


My husband 3D printed an assortment of sizes.  He free formed  this from a reference image and has been printing me feathers ever since.








I spray painted them with a gold glitter paint.  I'm realizing this is hard to see on my brown table at night.  You'll get a better idea with future pictures.  My first can got some glitter out and then just started spitting clear paint....so I tried to shake and shimmy and pull to make it stop and it wouldn't....so I put the cap back on intending to let it run out of aerosol so I could return it and get a new can.  The lid and the spray button shot off like a gun!!!  Scared me and my husband out of our socks!  Thankfully the second can hasn't blown up.

 So now I have glued on the gold edging and sewn on the pearl.  Once all the glue and starch dried it's holding its shape perfectly by itself.  Next steps will include making the peacock and gluing the feathers in place.  I'll also need to figure out the tasseled dangles.  That will be last looks though so I'm not thinking too hard about that.  My hubby wanted to design a peacock head that was filigreed so he could print it on his 3D printer.  I told him that would look lovely but wouldn't be accurate.  I think he will think of a way to use his new toy no matter what the project.