Year in Frightwig. Never say never

Crazy crazy year.  What a way to finish it.  Thank you!

Bye bye 2013

As much as I wanted the world to explode it didn't.  Who am I trying to fool.  I like watching cat videos on you tube.  This year was pretty interesting. Andy and I stitched leather for statues in Vegas, made cinchers for movie stars,

turned a monster truck into  a giant poodle got to design with super lux leather for a high profile magic show and leather for commercials.  Year of the Cow.

The statues ate up pounds of thread.  Never realized how tricky giant statues are.  Mechanical statues don't complain. They just rip throught everything.  Had to be super attentive to the stress points and movement.  Here are photos from other jobs.  Dragon jacket for a performance on the Emmy's a mermaid tail in iridescant rubber and Katy Perry wearing my jungle dress on SNL.

Out Demons Out!: The Legend of Arthur J. and The Gold Cups

Out Demons Out!: The Legend of Arthur J. and The Gold Cups

Needle craft and Yoga retreat

                                                    



I just wrapped up working on "wedding of the century".  The security guy told us sternly last week did not exist.  Neither do the scars on my hands and sore joints from making clothes.  I think he watched too many sci fi movies.
We stayed in a lodge no internet alarm clocks or tv.  The days were filled with fittings at night we walked down the hill.   We weren't allowed to mention the wedding so I told everyone were attending The Needle craft and Yoga retreat.   I liked seeing the looks of pity or disgust from the strangers, they usually said that's nice and walked away.  One of my work mates was horrified I made her sound like a nerd.  I thought it was funny, we are NERDS!   I also wondered if I could make any money hosting one.

At 5pm  the deer would come out to eat the grass, the turkeys would strut or gooble gobble we accept you one of us across the lawn.  So peaceful.  Am I getting paid for this?

The job is over after lack of sleep and a five hour drive we schlepped 350 costumes back to LA, in the heat up two flights of stairs.  Everything peaceful was slowly falling apart.
I'll finally be able to crash in my room and not have to speak.  Nope I got booked to build 21 hostess costumes for an award show. Due on Friday.  FIVE days.   The designer wants to visit in two hours. I don't know where the energy was going to come from but show me a check, I'll find the way. I made a sample I had pose in the sample and email it.   Ughhh if I knew this was going to happen I wouldn't have eaten anything for weeks.  I cut my head out of the photo and winced.

Tuesday I heard they found dresses down town.  I was secretly relieved.  The dresses were replaced with  "Can you build two dragon mascot costumes for Friday?"  That request was replaced with can you make these store bought costumes look expensive for Friday.  This is Wednesday I get extra materials dropped off and ten minutes later that was cancelled.  So far all I built was eight felt sashes. I had other jobs that needed attention I was still going to work on set so cancelling my builds  for that show was fine.  A few hours later "Can you build a tuxedo for a giraffe?"   A Giraffe!!!!!   Nine o'clock the tuxedo for the giraffe was cancelled but they needed four more jungle girl options built.

I had to reference a few pulp covers, Raquel's iconic loincloth  and dig out the geometry equation for Torpedo bra cups.  It was high school drafting class instead of floor plans I was making  bra cups.  

Finally Show time!  Everything fit, everyone was happy I was happy thinking about some rest.  I look at my cell I got a text.   What time can I pick up my puppet?  Here we go again......

Are You Ready?

"Are you ready to go on stage?" I never realized that sentence would drive so many people nuts.  That was the question I asked Gene Simmons on the first season of his show Family Jewels.  My wanna be actress friends were so jealous I was on a commercial that aired every half hour.  People from my past started paying attention to me.  I knew it was a fun ride and kept on moving forward.  Never dreaming of getting on stage.

Move forward a few years my old band Frightwig got together for a punk rock reunion in SF.  I swore I would never perform again next thing I know I am staring at the photos, feeling left out.  Next thing I know I am in SF plugging in my guitar.  Being in a room with my band playing Vagabondage was much a better than all the chocolate in the planet, and a gift card from Sephora.

"Are you ready to go on stage?"

yep

Virtual Bowser

This week I was asked to make a prop dog. I guessed they needed something to torture on the sketch comedy my friend is working on. I have made puppets and fuzzy cats for MadTV I wanted to see if I could build a dog. They were bringing me a toy dog to play with or tear apart and a full cow hide.
I made a paper pattern with zero seam allowance. It had to be hand stitched and glued.

I started with the tail and the hind legs and worked toward the head




It was important to have the eyes behind the fur or it would look like a toy. The ear placement on the toy was wrong, I moved the ears away from the eyeballs.

I used edge coat on the mouth and eye openings and smudge a bit on the ears and around the mouth.



I needed to thin out the legs so I slit them and pulled out all the stuffing and messed around with the armature wire, to get a more animated pose.



I worked the rest of the day with his head poking out of the box, felt like a real pet was watching me. Now I am inspired to make something with the green cow hide hanging out in my room.

Video game costumes

I had just finished working on the pickup shots for the video game Twisted Metal and I got a call to build more video game costumes. I didn't plan on going to E3 this year so why not send more costumes. After I agreed, the waiting game started. Actors needed to be cast and I needed sizes. I got the images purple with yellow polka dots. Should I silk screen or cut dots...The fabric was too slick to print I ended up cutting every single dot and sewing them on. The other girls skirt needed the stripes cut and sewn plus stitched knife pleats. Also the crop tops stripes needed assembled from two different shades of spandex.
Plus they wore bunny slippers I needed to match the art I was sent. The scale of the stripes the polka dots needed to be approved before finishing the construction.

The six male actors were giants 6'6" and taller the average shoe size was 14 their inseams pushed around 40". We fabricated the vests, courdura, speaker fabric, spray glue and my leather machine. Long torsos and massive hands that ripped every pair of gloves. I don't think gloves made in China's XL's match the XL's we have in the US.


The Tyger guard and Andy. i think this guy was 6'10"



Last year I built costumes for the video game MAG. The year I got this job grey vinyl was hard to find. I think I spent more time searching for the right grey than stitching it up. This is my favorite male costume.





The year before it was Killzone. I built 15 of these outfits modified the boots, they were moon boots. More vests ammo packs jackets boots hot and heavy. Hellghast videos are on you tube.