Gothic mini crown

The ones I printed a while ago weren't that funny and I wanted something even prettier. I found this on Thingiverse, so I downloaded, modified and tested printing it on a smaller scale. Looks really nice. Tried printing it a bit larger but that didn't work out. Anyway, here is the smaller version and it's still wonderful. I might wear it on New Year's eve :) 

 

Art deco beauties for living room

One corner of the living room looked quite dull. No more with these art deco beauties in black, matching the lace curtains <3 

 

No more ugly and plain fabric box :D

I like deco from Thailand, China, India and Tibet. I couldn't find so much ready made decos, but this one is really neat. Decided to print it to make my fabric box way nicer looking :) It took 4 hours to print it, phew. 

 

Lotus flower for the living room

Lotus flower deco for the living room.  

Gothic princess crowns in the making!

More headpieces. I wanted to make a cute little gothic princess crown. I found one crown on Thingiverse, so I modified and printed it. Looked ok as a base, but still wanted a slightly different look. Here it is, anyway: 

I know. It looks hilariously ugly in intense red xD Luckily, it will get better ;) 

I continued searching for something else to use as a base. I found another crown on Printables, which will serve well. I continued modeling the second crown in Blender and then printing it. Here it is - fresh from the printer (not so fun to remove all "thready plastic debris" that looks like spider web, though :D)

Now the fun part remains (after the cleanup) - paint and deco! I will of course paint both of them and see which one will end up best. Perhaps both turn out amazing in their own ways? ;) Stay tuned for updates :) 

Retro kitchen deco

I wanted to make some vintage deco for the kitchen. Came up with this art deco piece. Took four hours to print :D I might make another one in black for my slight darker living room :) 

Oh deer!

Found some adorable antlers online but not in EU unfortunately. Looked around for 3D scans, which were very easy to find. A few adjustments in Blender and they were good to print. And of course some nice paint. 

My inspiration (source):

First print + paint version:

I liked them but thought they were slightly too large. So I printed another pair after some adjustments in Blender, painted them, and attached them to a printed headband. 

That's better :) 

I haven't worn them yet though :D 

Dreaming of that gothic headpiece

I spend too much of my free time googling gothic accessories :D Found several nice headpieces online but of course not in the EU = will cost a fortune with shipping + import, so I decided to make my own. After some serious googling, I found my number one inspiration: 

(Link to store/source)

Quite stunning, right!? It looked like something I could work from. So I started designing the spikes and gems in Blender (and watched thousands of tutorials on how to paint to make something look like a crystal, with reflection and all that). Also, didn't know at first what to do with the lacing, so I went with crocheting since I am experienced with that. Voila: 

Not sure I am 100 % satisfied with the "gems". I would like to have them slightly more "shiny". Maybe one day I will find actual gems in that size and shape and attach. I would also want to have the crocheted lace a little bit more "fine", with a smaller needle and thinner yarn. But it will have to work until then. I bet no one will notice any flaws in a dark gothy nightclub ;) 

Viking hair deco

I wanted to go to the annual Viking market in Höllviken and realized I needed some nice hair deco. Googled and found this pretty thing. Modified it, printed it, and painted it in silver metallic paint. Voilá. Too bad I didn't go to the market. Better luck next year ;) 

Raven skull brooch

I like brooches. A lot. So I wanted to create a nice gothy brooch for myself. Researched on what it should look like, played along in Blender 3D modelling software and came up with this: 

Raven skull brooch before painting:

After some layers of paint and some shadowing left on the skull: 

"She Past Away" fan/me made brooch/pin

She Past Away is one of my favorite goth/darkwave bands. I went to see them again in early June and wanted to create some fan art. Opened up Blender and created some magic. Behold ze the result:

Sailor Jupiter wand for sis'

My sister is a Sailor Moon fan and has a wand from every sailor - except Sailor Jupiter's. Now that is going to change :) 

Had to use lots of support on the staff. It's almost as thick as the wand itself and took forever to remove :D 

Voilá! 

Victorian boots for Helena

My friend Helena, who is also the founder of Svenska 1800-talssällskapet is having a birthday coming up. I wanted to find something suitable as a gift and what would be more suitable than a 3D scan of an actual pair of boots from 1873. Of course, I shrunk them into a more convenient size :) 

Here's the what the original boots looked like:

And here's my printed and painted version: 

Read/see more on the originals here. 

Vegvisir - gift for my dad

My dad's birthday is coming up and both mom and dad are into Vikings. Perfect to give away a 3D printed Vegvisir coaster for dad so he can start off his morning coffee with style and luck:) 

A vegvísir (Icelandic for 'sign post', Wayfinder) is an Icelandic magical sigil intended to help the bearer find their way through rough weather. 

Project - Re-make my 1884 French Vest Bodice

While I'm waiting for the dummy head to arrive so I can continue with King Thranduil's circlet, I am re-making my 1880s bodice. I am part of the 19th Century Society Sweden and this May, we are going to visit Österlens Museum and the event 19th Century is Back again (page in Swedish, scroll down to 17th of May). 

I purchased the pattern from Truly Victorian about 8 years ago. Back then, I didn't know what a toile (fabric mockup) is. It was also the very first vintage pattern I've ever bought and thought it was as easy peasy as sewing a simple modern top. Since then, I have sewn several 1800s and 1930-1940s frocks, skirts, and tops and learned the importance of trying out and re-sewing over and over again. 

The bodice has always had a somewhat "not optimal" fitting and I haven't had any clear ideas on how to make it better. I still don't but I will give it a try :) 

To be adjusted

• The sleeve to the right in the photo is hanging down too low on the arm compared to the left sleeve
• It's too tight in some places and too loose in others
• The collar is really messed up; does not fit whatsoever
• I misread the pattern and never understood how to button/hook it at the front. I tried with hooks on the side, as seen in the photo, but apparently, it's supposed to be simple fabric buttons in the middle. However, I hate everything that has to do with buttons, but I will do my best :D
• My upper body is longer than "normal" - I always have to lengthen back pieces on everything I sew. The waistline is too high at the back of the bodice, making the overall look odd and the bodice is also very uncomfortable to wear since it's tight over my lungs and not the waist
• It's too much loose fabric on the neck. I am usually more narrow on my shoulders than patterns are designed, so I need to make the back piece more narrow.

I know how to adjust some pieces, but the collar part is quite tricky. I have now disconnected all the pieces and trying to figure out how to fit the collar. 

I decided to ditch the Truly Victorian patterns and use more of the "original source" - diagrams from that time. Had to read a lot to understand how to create a pattern from a diagram, but eventually, it worked. I also created my skirts (under + over skirt) from the diagrams. I used the book Bustle Fashions 1885-1887 by Frances Grimble. 

The result didn't turn out exactly as I wanted (still have some issues with the shoulder parts and I think the bodice ended up slightly too short), but it's a good start: 

Unfortunately, no camera caught my pretty bustle part at the back. Hopefully, it will, next time :) Oh and btw, guess where the fabric is from? It's curtains from Jysk that were on huge sale :D 

The Journey Begins - Creating Thranduil's Circlet

Hi ladies and guys!

So, I watched "The Hobbit" some weeks ago and was completely hooked on King Thranduil's circlet. You know, this beauty:

I thought: "How hard can it be?!". Well. Now when I have been trying for weeks, I realise, it's pretty complicated. Esp. since I am not that super crafty when coming to creating jewellery. I have made several hats (actually, a new one coming up shortly, stay tuned!) and Fimo clay jewellery in my life, but that's it. 

First, I tried out with metal wire and it turned out to be a nice circlet, but not Thranduil's circlet, of course. 

I googled, a lot. I mean, other people must have created this. Yep. Plasticard could work. Worbla also could work. 

I bought some plasticards (sort of) and started drafting the pattern, which wasn't that easy with perspective and size. After some days, I got it right. 

Next challenge: how do I cut plastic? I bought a small saw, but it was wobbly, tricky and inconvenient. 

Then I tried out with a Drevel tool and cutter blade, which worked very well. Took some tries to get the piece out. Also trying not to melt the plastic while cutting. 

I continued with the Drevel tool to cut out hollows and vines, with different bits. It required lots of elbow grease indeed. I also bought needle files to get a smoother finish, even though getting it perfectly smooth seems impossible. 

Then time to bend the pieces. I first tried with a smaller plastic piece in the oven, but it just melted altogether. Not a good idea. I read on someone's blog that the pieces can be melted by dipping them in hot boiling water for 10 seconds. I tried - nothing happened. I even left smaller pieces in hot water for 60 seconds, no luck. Then I used a heating gun instead - et voilá. Super convenient. 

Then primer spray in grey. I also used all-around-glue to even out irregularities and to repair the pieces when they broke, which happened a few times on brittle parts. Gluing them together was quick and easy. 

And then black colour spray. And on top of that, silver metallic paint. 

That's where I am at currently. It still has some adjustments and painting to do. And of course, to create a nice crystal for the front part. Haven't figured that out yet. I tried with hot glue and created a little crystal shaped "lump", but it looked more like melted cheese, haha. I will also mount the pieces together in some way. I have ordered a head dummy, waiting for it to arrive for easier mounting of the pieces. Hard to see the back of my own head :D So stay tuned for more :) 

Tools I have used so far

Plastic board from Biltema 

Primer spray from Clas Ohlson

Silver metallic paint from Panduro Hobby 

Mini saw from Jula

Loooots of patience and sweat :D 

Inspiration sources

Imajica Archangelo Cosplay

Emmamurilega Cosplay

Lucretia Cosplay