The Spherical Room

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Costumes on a Budget

Note: Many of these techniques require at least a basic knowledge of both hand and machine sewing.

Unitards

Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of ways to get around this particular expense, since dancewear in general is quite expensive. It's very hard to find a unitard anywhere that doesn't cost at least $30 plus shipping, unless you happen to find one secondhand. However, you can shave a few dollars off the price by ordering a scoop neck uni instead of a mock turtleneck. Also, on some websites there's a price difference between cotton/lycra and nylon/lycra. Cotton/lycra breathes better, but nylon/lycra works just as well.

Dyeing your uni

There are various ways to color a unitard, none of them foolproof. If you want all-over color and can't find a uni in the color you want, washing-machine dye (such as RIT) works best. For patterns or stripes of color, you can find fabric markers at Hobby Lobby and other craft stores, but they don't come in a very wide variety of colors. (Alternatively, you could use Sharpies, but be warned that they are not necessarily as permanent as the company would have you believe.) If you use markers of any kind, be sure you put a piece of cardboard inside the uni before you start or the color will bleed through.
Incidentally, I don't recommend either spray paint or fabric paints such as Tulip, both because they look very cheap and because they change the texture of the fabric.

Tails

The best and quickest way to make a tail is to buy a marabou boa at a craft or costume shop, cut it to length, and (if necessary), spray paint it to correspond with your costume colors. If you want it to have the same swing as professional tails, sew a small washer or other small dense object to the end of the tail. You can then do one of two things - 1) Sew or pin the tail directly to your uni, or 2) attach it to a piece of decorative rope, such as upholstery trim, then pin it around your waist.
The other option, which is very time-consuming but probably much more realistic, is to make a yarn tail. Unfortunately, I've never done this myself, so I don't know how to go about doing it.
Note: If you use the marabou method, you can use the leftover bits of boa as shoulder or arm poufs – just figure out where you want to put them and stitch or hot-glue them into place. I recommend stitching – hot glue and feathers can create quite a disaster.

Wigs

This depends on the type of wig you want to make. I've made several kitten-type wigs out of yarn tufts (more on that later), but I've found that the yarn technique doesn't work as well for wigs with longer hair. For that, your best bet is probably to find a fairly inexpensive wig at a costume shop (rock star, Cruella DeVil and sports-fan wigs work particularly well for Cats) and trim it to the size and shape you want, then add colors if need be. Alternatively, you may be lucky enough to find a wig that already looks somewhat like a cat wig; I have a Dracula wig that actually works very well as a potential Mistoffelees or Munkustrap wig.

Making yarn wigs

Supplies: clean pair of neutral-colored stockings or tights
1 or more skeins of yarn in the color(s) you need
Needle
Neutral-colored thread
Scissors
Cardboard

1. Put the pair of stockings on your head, inside out. Make sure it covers your ears and extends slightly past your natural hairline.
2. Take the legs of the stockings and tie them in a double knot. The knot itself should be tight and secure, but leave some extra space at the back of your head; the cap will shrink slightly as the yarn tufts are added. (This also allows room for long hair, if you have it.)
3. Secure the knot by running five to ten stitches through the entire knot. Tie the thread off and cut it, then cut the legs off the stockings close to the knot.
4. Turn the stockings right side out. You now have a wig cap.
5. Select a color of yarn. I suggest starting at the front of the wig and working backwards.
6. Figure out how long you want your tuft of yarn to be, then cut a piece of cardboard a little over twice that length.
7. Wrap the yarn lengthwise around the cardboard until you have a clump of yarn about 1 to 1 ½ inches wide.
8. Slide the yarn off the cardboard, being careful to retain the loop shape. Cut a piece of yarn two to three inches long and tie it tightly around the middle of the clump of yarn.
9. Cut through the loops on either end of the bundle. You now have a bundle of loose yarn pieces. Take this bundle by the knot in the middle and pass it through the circle made by your finger and thumb; this makes sure all of the yarn ends are pointing in the same direction.
10. Depending on your preference, you may want to fray the yarn ends with a comb or by hand. For longer tufts, you’ll also want to spray them with hairspray or a glue/water solution so they hold their shape.
11. Sew the tuft onto the desired spot on the wig cap, anchoring it at the base where your knot is.
12. Repeat steps 5-11 with more tufts of yarn. Yes, this is a tedious process, but the end result is well worth it.
13. For ears, stop at step 9. You may want to use a thinner tuft for this – ½ inch instead of 1. Tie another pieces of yarn around the top of the tuft so it comes to a point, and press down slightly on the top. The result should be somewhat of a teardrop shape. Spray it with hairspray; you’ll have to hold the shape until it dries.

Accessories

Gloves
This depends on whether you are dressing as a male or female character. Male characters can use cheap knitted winter gloves, the kind that come in 3-packs at Wal-Mart and other department stores. The fingers or fingertips are usually cut off; if your character has more complex gloves, like Tugger, you can buy biker gloves at a place like Spencer’s, but this is expensive and isn’t necessary for a good costume.
Female characters get a bit more complicated. Usually, you will have to buy evening gloves and cut the fingers or fingertips off, but evening gloves are expensive, as well as hard to find outside of prom season. Alternatively, you can use my favorite cheap glove method:
1) Take the legs from a pair of stockings (if you want, you can use the ones you cut off of the wig cap) and cut them to about 12-14 inches, or use knee-highs. Leave the foot part intact.
2) Place one stocking on top of your left hand so that the end of the stocking is at the base of your fingers. Using a Wite-out or fabric pen, put a dot on the stocking at the base of each finger and the thumb.
3) Cut a small circle in the stocking (about ¼ inch) around the dots. Do not run the circles together.
4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the other hand. The gloves can now be slipped onto the hands.

Arm/legwarmers

The two best kinds of legwarmers (besides store-bought) are 1) knitted and 2) polar fleece. If you know how to knit (unlike me) or can find someone who will knit them for you, legwarmers are essentially yarn tubes or toeless socks; make sure they will fit you! The fleece method goes as follows:
1) Get two pieces of fleece in your color of choice that are about 2 feet square. (You can cut them to your desired length later.) Wrap one piece around your lower leg and pin it to fit.
2) With a sewing machine, stitch a seam about ½ inch away from the edges of the fabric, pulling out the pins as you go. Leave about 1- 1 ½ inches of unstitched fabric at the ankle end of the warmer.
3) If you want to hem the edges to make them look more professional, do this now: fold about ½ inch of of fabric outward and stitch it down very close to the edge of the fabric, being careful not to stitch through both sides of the legwarmer.
4) Turn the warmer right side out. You should now be able to slip it on your leg. If the bottom end is too narrow for your heel to slip through, turn the warmer inside out again, remove a few stitches, and backstitch several times over the end of the seam so it won’t unravel. Do this until you can fit your foot through.

This same technique works for armwarmers, except obviously you would pin the fabric to fit your arm instead of your leg, and you don’t have to leave any fabric open at the end of the seam.

Shoes

Once again, this depends on the kind of character you are planning to dress as; also on the circumstances in which you’ll be wearing your costume. If you are actually going to be in a performance of Cats, or even dancing a number or two, you’ll want to spring for a pair of dance shoes. Depending on the catalog you use, these can be expensive, but I’ve also seen ballet shoes available for about $14.
If you aren’t dancing – if the costume is for Halloween or cosplaying or something – girl characters can probably get away with plain-colored flats, providing they don’t have bows on them or anything. Guys, you will probably have to buy dance shoes no matter what, unless you are dressing like Tugger, in which case you can probably get away with wearing plain black sneakers or jazz sneakers.

Collars

Collars can come in many forms. Considering the recent punk/goth trend, it’s fairly easy to find studded collar-type chokers at such stores as Hot Topic or even Claire’s. They don’t even have to be spiked; female characters in particular can pretty much get away with any choker-type necklace that goes with their costume. For guys and girls alike, you can also buy actual dog collars for about $12 at pet store chains. They come in different sizes, so be sure you know it fits before you buy it.
Also, collars can be made by measuring out the right length of thick ribbon (3/4 to an inch wide), attaching Velcro to either end, and gluing on golf tees that are painted either gold or silver. (These are for characters with fairly extreme spikes, such as Tugger. Don’t use this method if you’re going to be dancing; those types of collars can be fairly dangerous in that situation.)
Remember, too – you don’t have to have a collar at all!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Website banners

All of these banners are made by me, and you are free to use them, but you must link back to me if you do. This is not an option. (And yes, I am aware that the last banner is entirely unrelated to Cats, but I'm proud of it, so it stays.)

Honourable Cat Names from A to Z

Having trouble thinking of a good name for your new kitten? Well, it's your lucky day! I've compiled a list of names from books, movies, others' websites, and my own imagination, that I think a cat could live with as a family name. You are free to use these names as characters in fanfiction EXCEPT if they are italicized, which means I or someone else is already using this character name. If you do decide to use one of my names in a fic, please let me know so that I can indicate that it is taken!

(Note: I realize that names gathered from literature and legend are available to the public and I do not have control over them. The rules above refer mainly to the names I have made up myself, although it would be nice to know if someone has gotten an idea from this list. It's an ego thing.)

Many of these names were taken from the Catfantastic books, A Constellation of Cats, Wicca terms and deities, the Great White Alta Saga, Marlfox and other Redwall books, the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, and Tailchaser’s Song. Also polytheistic legend, Lord of the Rings, historical figures, other musicals, that sort of thing.

A
Abaci
Aberlour
Abessinier
Acirema
Acironnea
Achilles
Adad
Adah
Adi
Adonis
Adraylo
Aelphaba
Aeolus
Aeva
Africa
Agate (taken by me)
Agni
Agrippina
Aida
Airyaman
Aker
Akeyla
Akinyi (taken by me)
Albion
Alenka
Aleta
Alexandria
Alianora
Allegro (taken by me)
Allmother
Alna
Alora
Alta
Althea
Amalda
Amaryllis
Amazon
Amber
Amethyst
Amici
Aming
Amon
Amphitrite (taken by Aevany Storm)
Anaitis
Anatta
Anicca
Ankh
Annuanna
Anshar
Antorell
Anubis
Anya
Ao Rue
Aphrodite
Apollo
Arachne
Aranea
Aren (or Eren) (taken by me)
Argentina
Ärger (taken by me)
Aristaeus
Aristotle
Arpeggio
Arrianrhod
Artemis
Arwen
Ascleptus
Ascrod
Asera
Asherali
Asoka
Astahazy
Astarte
Asthoreth
Astic
Astra
Astraea
Athena
Attis
Atum
Aura
Aurora
Awagati
Axidish
Ayesha

B
Baal
Baiame
Baldur
Balmerino
Bandyleg
Baron
Bartania
Basil
Bastet
Bast-Imret
Bavol
Bazal
Beau Thai
Bedoule
Beethoven
Beetleswat
Beijing
Belili
Belldancer
Bendis
Berlin
Berlioz
Bes
Bezique
Birjanji
Biryani
Bitefast
Blueback
Blue Haze
Boadicea
Bobweave
Bochica
Bodhi
Bojangles
Boublil
Boucca
Boudicca
Bradi
Bragi
Brightnail
Brindleside
Bristlejaw
Bruja
Brushstalker
Bryn
Bubastis
Buddha
Bulew
Burlash

C
Caesar
Cabaret
Calypso
Capricorn
Carhon
Carmenta
Cashmere
Cassiopiea
Catequil
Catrona
Celeste
Centeotle
Ceres
Cerridwen
Cetti
Chabreshea
Chac
Chaderin
Chaos
Chastity
Cherise
Chernobog
Cheyenne
Chiku
Chiquita
Chithit
Chloe
Chontile
Cihuatcoatl
Cimorene
Circe
Cleanwhisker
Clearsong
Cleopatra
Climbfast
Clotee
Cloudleaper
Combeferre
Consus
Cosette
Courfeyrac
Creirwy
Crushgrass
Crystakensa
Crystal
Cuchavira
Curio (taken by me)
Cybele
Cygnus
Cymru (pronounced kum-ree)
Cyrine

D
Daghda
Dagon
Daikoku
Dainichi
Dakin
Dala
Dandlegrass
Daphne
Dawnstar
Dayhunter
Dazhbog
Deathsong
Dew
Dewtreader
Dezi
Dharma (taken by me)
Diadem
Diavolo
Dimwood
Dolce
Domina
Donar
Donya
Dorian
Draco
Drop
Druid
Dumuzi
Dukkha
Duma
Dunyazad
Dyaus
Dysgu (duz-gee)

E
Earnotch
Earpoint
Eatbugs
Ebony
Echua
Ede
Egypt
Eira
Eldorado (Taken by me)
Elodea
Elphaba
Elrond
Emelyth
Emerald
Endu
Enigma
Enki
Enoil
Enroljas
Eostre
Eponine
Eres
Errata
Erzulie
Esala
Esmeralda
Espeseth
Estella
Esus
Eternima
Eternity
Evita
Exu
Eyeshimmer
Ezinma

F
Fabala
Fantine
Fantur
Fatima
Februa
Fela
Femi
Fencewalker
Fetrita
Feuilly
Finpik
Fiona
Firecat
Firefoot
Firsa
Fiyero
Flamenco
Fleetpaw
Fleur
Flickerswift
Fomagata
Fortuna
Freya/Frija
Fritti
Fugea
Fukurukuju
Furscuff

G
Gabiz
Gaea
Gael
Gahanan
Galadriel
Galileo
Galinda
Gallico
Gandalf
Gandhi
Garnet
Gatao
Gautama
Gavroche
Gelltor
Gemini
Geronimo
Gesundheit (Taken by me)
Gimle
Ginglin
Glideswallow
Glimmer
Glitterfur
Godiva
Goldeneye
Goldstone
Goliath
Gothel
Grantaire
Grassnestle
Graywhisker
Grizraz
Grospar
Gryffin
Guinevere
Gurgi
Gyara
Gypsum

H
Hallana
Hangbelly
Hannibal
Harar
Hasheptiri
Hathor
Hatshepsut
Haze
Hematite
Hepzibah
Hera
Hermes
Hermia
Higan
Hija
Hissblood
Horatio
Howlsong
Huma
Hushpad
Hyacinth
Hydrangea
Hyogo

I
Iliad
Ilyana
Impeza
Indez
Inez
Iris
Isabelle
Isis (taken by me)
Isolf
Ivanhoe
Iyana

J
Jacqueline
Jade
Jadelynn
Jagularr
Jahaad
Jang-Hi
Jaqua
Jariel
Jasses
Javert
Jayaraja
Jeopard
Jezebel
Jo-An-Enna
Jolt
Jouet
Joysewel
Jumptall

K
Kadreen
Kajenka
Kala
Kaleetay
Kali
Kalika
Kaneel
Karma (Taken by me)
Karnumar
Karthwine
Kasi
Katha
Kathina
Kavida
Keo
Keredwel
Ketchet
Keziah
Kika
Kisa
Kischa
Kinkin
Knet-Makri
Kohalpur
Koko
Kona-Lehna
Konjau
Kotaki
Krishna
Kristall
Kuan
Kublai (taken by me)
Kyrie

L
Laertes
Laila
Lalsim
Lantur
Larytwa
Lasseea
Laterose
Leafrustle
Lebeyung
Lebi
Leia
Lei-Kung
Legolas
Lemsia
Lesgiles
Leyna
Liberty
Light
Ling Mei
Lipema
Liyah (taken by me)
Loet
Longtooth
Lotus
Lungeclaw
Lydell
Lydian
Lylabell
Lynley

M
Macbeth
Magandaka
Magdeleine
Magnificat
Magnolia
Mako
Malachi
Malinki
Malousak
Mandala
Marga
Marina
Marius
Marjo
Markob
Marna
Maruja
Masai
Matayana
Matreia
Mawr
Meerclar
Mei
Mei-Chou
Melisande
Mendanbar
Michabe
Mih-Keh
Miko
Minx
Mistice
Mistique
Mohan
Mokkan
Molypsy
Monsoon
Montparnasse
Moonflower
Moonraker
Moonstalk
Mordred
Morgan Le Fay
Morningstripe
Morwen
Mudtracker
Mu Mao
Myst
Mystery

N
Naramist
Nefertiti
Nightcatcher
Nighteyes
Nikeline
Nimbus
Ninebirds
Nipslither
Nirvana
Noir
Nosferatu
Nuzzledark

O
Oahu
Oberon
Obon
Oceana
Okesa
Olympia
Opal
Orion
Osiris

P
Pali
Palvjia
Pandai
Papillon
Papurau
Paquita
Pari
Parthia
Pawgentle
Pawgrip
Perahara
Periwinkle
Perrier
Peryorisia
Petra
Phantom
Pharaoh
Phineas
Phulan
Pilsa
Poinsettia
Pokesnout
Poseidon
Poson
Poulaque
Pouncequick
Predak
Prometheus
Prosh
Prosozia
Psi (taken by me)
Pua
Purohit
Purowa

Q
Qanda
Qualin
Quartz
Quaxo
Queenswild
Quicksilver
Quincunx
Quiverclaw
Quorum
Qwenalora
Qwilleran

R
Ragweed
Raku
Rameses
Rasidan
Rasputin
Raven
Razzamatazz
Redlegs
Rejuta
Riovista
Riptalon
Risingstar
Romeo
Roofshadow
Rumblepurr
Rune

S
Saab
Saber
Saberleo
Sadi
Sahara
Sambora
Samhain (pronounced Sa-wan)
Samsara
Sammor
Sangha
Sapphire
Sari
Saruman
Satinear
Sayah
Scarlett
Schubert
Scorn
Scorpio
Scratchnail
Scuffledig
Seawitch
Sekhmet
Selinda
Selna
Semnet
Serafina
Serena
Shade
Shado
Shadrach
Shanghai
Shaniat
Shantung
Sheba
Shenicat (taken by me)
Shera
Shey
Shimazaki
Shinji
Shobi
Shondale
Shredfang
Shula
Shulasmith
Silhouette (taken by me)
Silth
Sinh
Siya
Skydancer
Skyla
Skystone
Sleekheart
Slitbelly
Snagrat
Snapdragon
Snapjaw
Snaremouse
Snarlad
Snifflick
Snoutscar
Snufflenose
Socrates
Softwhisker
Song
Songkran
Soiree
Solange (can be pronounced either so-lanzh or so - lahng - eh)
Sorrel
Sorvinus
Souci
Sphynx
Stardust
Stargazer
Starlett
Starlight
Starsong
Storm
Stretchslow
Stupa
Subhash
Subira
Sulekha
Sulu
Sundancer
Sunspot
Superstar
Synge

T
Tailchaser
Taj Mahal
Talisman
Tanamara
Tangaloor
Tansy
Tao
Tarberry
Taro
Taurus
Tawser
Teinspritz
Telemain
Tempest
Thenardier
Theravada
Thinbone
Thistle
Thoth
Tigereye
Tiglo
Timari
Timmiswara
Tipitaka
Tirya
Tirysthenes
Tobal
Tonikka
Tonochpa
Topanga
Toulous
Treesinger
Troiana
Tsarmina
Tutankhamen
Twilight
Twitchnose
Tybalt

U
Umbir
Uwila

V
Vaisakha
Valjean
Vannan
Vasco
Veerle
Venice
Venus
Verdi
Viror
Vispetta
Voldemort

W
Waikiki
Wanderlust
Wesak
Whitewind
Windcatcher
Windsong
Windstorm
Winfo
Wisp
Wordsworth
Wraith

X
Xaphan (Taken by me)
Xena
Xerxes

Y
Yarrow
Yentantethra
Yzella

Z
Zemenar
Zeno
Zephyr
Zeus
Zimbi
Zinfer
Ziral
Zizi
Zo
Zoltan
Zuleika
Zultora

Currently listening to: "Ebudae", Enya

Monday, May 12, 2008

Cats in the movies part I - Labyrinth

For this, I've used my extensive collection of screenshots (both gathered myself and collected from other sites) to find the perfect expressions, then used these screenshots to illustrate movie scenes - in this case, the Helping Hands scene from Labyrinth.