I leave bright and early tomorrow so I shall post this now! I’ll be attending Anime North this weekend!
My time will be split between spending time with my relatives and attending the con, so I will only be there for a few hours each day…butttt i’m looking forward to it!
If you see me you should probably say hi. You know, us internet folks needs to stick together. (I am kind of quiet/awkward tho so I apologize for that in advance)
Also I’m TRYING to reply to all my asks, sorry for any delay but there are just so many ;_;
How did you feel about Merida's redesign (before they changed it back)?
Anonymous
To be honest I’m not super passionate about this subject. I didn’t even KNOW about all this drama until a few days ago since i’m not a huge disney fan.
(I can’t even stand the majority of the princess movies. Aside from Brave, Tangled and Mulan I don’t think they are very good ‘examples’ for young girls, regardless of how they dress)
I have mixed feelings. For one thing I don’t think the dress accurately portrays her, but then again NONE of the new princess dresses do (have you seen Pocahontas? Or Mulan who is still represented all gussied up when she would rather wear armor?) so I think the issue is bigger then Merida. I don’t think the design represents her very well as a character, so I would rather her look stay the same.
But at the same time all this hatred against her new design bothers me, just because her new design involves glitter, lipstick, and slightly tamed hair means she isn’t the independent, opinionated princess we love?
Don’t people realize by saying a sparkly gown would dampen her spirit you are kind of implying a girl can’t be pretty, or wear pretty dresses, or have a nice figure without giving up her true nature? I think it’s kind of awesome they want to show you can be attractive, conform physically to the “norm” but still be your own person. I mean would Merida like the dress? No, probably not. But it wouldn’t change the way she acts. Hell in the movie when she is forced to wear the blue dress she deals with - she rips it and pulls her curl out, but she wears it and her spirit remains intact.
That’s kind of awesome. That’s why I like her so much. She isn’t afraid of being herself, and a frilly dress wouldn’t change that. That being said I’m glad they aren’t changing her design! I really adore her green dress.
Have I mentioned how happy this costume makes me? It’s so bright. And ruffly. With bows and stripes and other delightful things. I haven’t gotten to wear this costume nearly enough, so i’m pleased to be bringing it out this weekend!
Photos by Anna Fischer ; Costume made & worn by me.
Costume & Wig info can be found here :)
This took 15 yards of shantung, 200someodd yards of hemming, and far too much of my free time to create. If you are curious about how it was made check out my blog for the detailed write up and WIP shots!
Alll that’s really left is fixing the ruff (because christ it looks awful at the moment) and a few little details such as gems, buttons, clipping threads and things of that nature.
And once that’s all finished i’ll be ready for AnimeNorth! Good thing too, since i’m leaving in a few days.
Here we go, some photos that don’t involve a mirror and visible technology! More info on this costume can be found here!
This shoot was a bit of a bust, but it was better then nothing. I do fancy a few of the pictures from it, which i’ll try to post over the next few days.
Also I’m kind of amazed of the response my test shots had - the positive feedback was really lovely so thanks a bunch for that!
makeup stuff
Now that the wig is done I was able to post the second half of TMO this costume. So if anyone is curious about the details of this, or how it was made you might enjoy these posts!
Post #1 is on the pattern and dress, post #2 is about the wig, cape, and details.
Another big thanks for all the love on this costume and wig! I have been smiling all day thanks to you guys!
Put the costume, wig, and makeup on all together for the first time! I think next time i’ll use more blush, but for the most part i’m happy with it. I didn’t do much, it’s just foundation and a bit of bronze eyeliner - I wanted to keep it as natural looking as possible!
I shall venture outside and get some ~real~ (non mirror) shots of this on Saturday! I’m really excited.
You can see the full dress here, and see more shots of the wig here.
IT’S FINISHED! very glad do have this complete. May recurl a few bits but for the most part it’s done. It took four wigs and over twelve hours to create this beast.
I literally put my blood, sweat, and tears into this thing so I hope you all like it as much as I do!
Tomorrow (when it isn’t 1:30am) I’ll actually put some makeup on and get some test shots!
Your cupcake skirt is really pretty and awesome. How do you sit in some of your cosplays? They're so ruffly.
Anonymous
Pft, sitting…
Thank you, the answer is that I usually don’t. And if I do, chairs are not an option. With RMT I can either sit on backless stools, kneel, or kind of sit on my side. I haven’t attempted anything other then standing with the cupcake skirt, but I imagine it’ll be similar.
Examples:
For everything else I can sit however I like as long as I’m willing to iron later on. 
More Merida wig wips! (without makeup) It’s almost done. I’m finally happy with the volume, so I just have a bit of fiber left to add and then I just need to style the bangs and trim the lace :)
SO happy to have this almost completed. It’s been an absolute nightmare to work on.
Merida wig WIP + what needs to be added. There is a lot left to do, and it’s been crazy frustrating to work on, but I am quite fond of how it’s turning out!
Hopefully once it’s finished it’ll be worth all the hard work. So far it’s taken more time to create & curl this beast then it took to make the dress/cape! The wig is four crappy ebay wigs in one and cost a little over $60 to create.
I’m overwhelmed (and overjoyed) by the response my ruffly petticoat tutorial had! I feel like i’ve helped making the world a rufflier place, and that’s a glorious feeling.
The costume as a whole is well on it’s way to being finished - which is good since AnimeNorth is just around the corner! I have to fix the shoulders, make the leggings, add some bias tape and create the collar. Which sounds like a lot, but hopefully won’t take too long.
Made of 20ish yards of blue faux silk dupioni shantung, and MANY hours of making ruffles and hand sewing!
Day three of making Merida’s wig and it’s taken over my bathroom.
MY FINGERS ARE ORANGE AND MY PALMS ARE COVERED IN IRON BURNS AND I NEVER EVER WANT TO CURL ANYTHING AGAIN.
HAIR EVERYWHERE. EVEN IN MY TOILET. WHAT IS GOING ON.
IT’S EVIL AND I AM 92% SURE IT’S GOING TO SMOTHER ME IN MY SLEEP.
(UNLESS THE HAIRSPRAY AND ALCOHOL FUMES KILL ME FIRST)
Even though this design doesn’t have nearly enough ruffles for my taste, I must say this has been a joy to work on! I have to finish installing the closures at the back and fix the wonky hem, but then it shall be complete!
It took four yards of green wool, a yard of cream chiffon, and maybe ten hours of work to make.
