Mad as a…

OK, I’m kind of obsessed with the hats at Louis Vuitton this fall. They were made by Stephen Jones. I think I need to take a break from quilting to make one.  See the whole collection here.

Swanicorn

My friend Julie called me the other day wanting some advice on how to make a unicorn/ swan hybrid horn for her daughter’s costume. To anyone else this might seem odd, but it’s just another day at the cracker factory for me!

Let’s go.

This is the concept sketch that I sent her for measurements. It was done in like 3 seconds, so don’t judge. One day I’ll put up some of my formal sketches; all you people seem to get are my quickies.

Then I blocked a buckram horn on a wooden block that I had made a while ago. I don’t make that many unicorn horns, so I really have no idea why I have not one, but two horn blocks. Yeah, I’m weird. Here is the concept structure on the styro-head. I used a purchased girls headband, then attached millinery wire to it. The wire served as a frame for a piece of buckram that got attached so that the horn had some structure to rest on.

I didn’t take pics of the next few steps, but lets just say that I now know the meaning of the term “tarred and feathered.” I covered the buckram in white rayon then glued a ton of white feathers to the crown and some fluffy marabou around the base of the horn. Here is the end result. You can see my horn block next to the head. One comment about all of the junk on my wall and I’ll give you such a pinch.

Here is an underneath view of the structure supporting the horn.

My place is now covered in millions of little white bits of fluff, but it was worth it.

One happy spongebob-clad swanicorn.

Feathers, G