Lady's Artisan Apron: The Finished Apron

Back in 2007, I wrote this blogpost about making the Lady Artisan Apron. Since then, my website has gone through several iterations, and the article was basically lost. So, a friend recently asked about it, so I thought to try and dig it out and repost it.

So, here is the 3rd and final installment of this blog post, in it's original text.

---

This article is part three of making this apron. For the other parts, please see:

1. Making the Apron
2. Making the Cogs
3. The Finished Apron

July 11, 2007: The Finished Apron

I put the apron away for a bit after WesterCon, but now I've been putzing with it, adding a few things here and there. I finally managed to take some images of the Lady's Apron, and have finished the "last" touches last week. This costume is one of those you just have to "fiddle" with, because stuff can be continually added onto it.

The Complete Outfit

 

Without Accessories & Accrutements

   

 With Accessories

 I really think the bits and pieces definitely add to the overall look.

Front View

I used overall closures, and found some nice brassy ones at JoAnn's. Part of a filagree clasp was sewn into the patch pocket for things such as eyeglasses or maybe a monacle chain. The three cogs serve as a "center" piece for the bodice.

Side Views:

The silver cylinder thing is a drinking flask, because it's socially acceptable to have a nip every now and then. I had added a 3-belt-like-loops in the front (using left over fabric). I used the flask as an approximate measure of how big those loops can be. They can be used for tools, hooking in other items, or holding a flask :-)

 

 There is another resin-casted cog on the pocket, which also serves a nifty place to hang my pocket watch chain. I am going to add another cog later (this one pin-backed). There are two in-line seam pockets on either side (the watch disappears into it.)

 

 Also, there are three tabs holding the D-rings, which are nice places to hook other things, such as tools or keys. Two patch pockets complete the front.

Back View:

A black 2" clip painted gold then antiqued, served as the closure.

The End!

Steampunk Utility Belt

Last year, I made a Steampunk utility belt for my SIL's holiday gift. I had made one for myself previously, but decided I needed a new one. So I found some lovely fabric that would match a majority of my outfits for both Steampunk and RenFaire outfits. (I like costumes with multiple uses.)

And started working on another one for me. I made mine a little bit differently than hers, but the basic shape is still the same.

Here is one of the pockets:

Unfortunately, I didn't take a lot of in-progress photos, so you'll have to be content with the finished products. (These images were taken with my iPhone so I apologize for the crappy images.)

Finished grommetted back:

A snapped strap to hold nearly anything that has a handle:

Side View of one of the pockets: What you don't see is the inner pocket inside the big pocket

Other Side view: This one is two pockets in one.

Front View with Snaps

Lady's Artisan Apron: Making the Cogs

Back in 2007, I wrote this blogpost about making the Lady Artisan Apron. Since then, my website has gone through several iterations, and the article was basically lost. So, a friend recently asked about it, so I thought to try and dig it out and repost it.

So, here is the 2nd installment in it's original text. I'll post the last entry next Friday.

---

COGS!!!

This article is part two of making this apron. For the other parts, please see:

• Making the Apron
• Making the Cogs
• The Finished Apron

June 27, 2007: Making the Cogs

I actually spent a few hours the past few days experimenting making cogs. After all, what's Steampunk without some cogs? :-)

I had trolled ebay for some clockwork mechanisms, but, they were 1) too small 2) overpriced. So I decided to make my own. I had recently made some clay versions of Lucius Malfoy's snake cloak-clasps. How hard could cogs be?
I didn't need them to look "perfect", but rather "good enough". And they were to be stylized versions of cogs.

To make my life easier, I went looking for small "round" things that I could use as templates, and I didn't need to go any farther than my own sewing kit -- thread spools! They were the perfect size to start, and with a little help from some clay scuplting tools and some other things found around the house, I managed to turn them into decent looking, stylized cogs.

This was *not* easy. It took me several attempts to get something with which I was happy.

1. Roll out a piece of clay, then flatten it with your palm.
   
   
2. Take your thread spool, and stamp out a cog.
   
   
   In some cases, I used two separate sizes to get the shape I wanted.
3. Take some of your tools. I used both scuplting tools and an exacto knife to manipulate your basic shape. This is the part that takes time. Let your creativity flow from here.
4. Let your clay harden. In my case, baked them until they were hard. With this type of clay, I could continue to play with the clay, and if I made a mistake, it was a simple matter of squishing the clay and starting over.
   
   OPTIONAL STEPS
5. After baking, I created a mold using Silicon RTV from Tap Plastics Why? Because once I got my basic shapes, I wanted to make multiples of them. And, I wasn't sure how "sturdy" the clay would be if I dropped it, accidently.
6. After the mold had set, I casted the cogs using a polyeurothane casting resin (Tap Plastics Quik Cast). I also experimented also making a bronze-resin.
   Note: I originally wanted to use the bronze versions, but they were the same coloration as the apron fabric and would get very lost. So I decided to stick with the gold ones and use the bronze ones for something later.
   
   
   
   Left to Right: Stamped Clay, Baked Clay, Resin Cast, Bronze resin cast.
7. After the cogs were casted, sanded them down and painted them gold. The paint started to peel off after WesterCon, so I repainted them, then used an acrylic seal. They were a bit shiney, so I sanded the acrylic a little bit, and added some black paint. I glued several of them together to form the main piece
   
   
   
8. For the apron, I decided to sew the pieces onto the apron, and had made small "holes" during the casting process to allow for small needles to get through. I just as easily could have glued pin-backs onto them instead.

Other Cogs Made

Steampunk Utility Belt / Apron

For the holidays, I decided to make my SIL a steampunk apron/utility belt that she could wear to Ren Faire over her costumes. She works at the faire as a shopkeep, so I wanted her to be able to have this be functional and decorative.

I've made this pattern before, and tweaked it a bit to fit her measurements.

She loves blues, so I found a lovely jacquard fabric that had her colors. It's really lovely. For the lining, I chose a cordoroy matching the gold tones.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take in-progress of the photos, but here's what it looked like before I added the snaps. I used the opposite side of the fabric to give it a pop.

And the final product

Leather Armor

I've gotten minimal knitting & spinning done, because I'm trying to get my costume ready for Clockwork Alchemy. The leather leg guards have been completed. It’s not very heavy, and very wearable, except that you can’t really “sit” with it on, as its based on cavalry armor. However straddling a chair or a stool? Completely comfortable.

Overall, it’s been relatively easy to work on, except that it did take some time to complete, because this particular outfit can’t be just “sewed”....parts of it had to be molded to fit my body, which meant getting it wet, then letting it dry in the specific shape I wanted. Plus parts of it had to be glued down ...so that just takes time waiting for it to dry & cure.

Here's a pictorial essay, because, photos are much better than words:

Mockup

Templated Cuts

Molded Leather

Riveted Together

Bound Edges

Grommeted Belt

Completed Set

Right now, I'm working on the fabric portion of the costume, and have been sewing for the previous nights. I'll have photos of that later on when I get farther along.