Hello! I'm new to posting in this community (along with being new to LJ in general), but I've been using this site for a while to get help making my costumes, even though my first one turned out pretty crappy. I learned a lot from screwing that thing up, though!
So, I'm working on my second fursuit, a partial like my first, designed to look like a plushie. The final product will look a bit like Plushie-painted Neopets (see here:http://www.jellyneo.net/index.php?go=newrainbowpool&color=plushie&emo=1), as I'll be using stuff like patches, buttons, yarn, and oversized stitching as cues that I'm not just a toony dog. However, the suit will be of my fursona, a winged dingo/heeler mix with blue spots who can change into a plushie because of a unicorn's curse. (It's a long story.)
Seeing as I can't work on my suit tonight because my hands won't stop shaking (Starbucks Doubleshot espresso is apparently a much worse idea than I thought it would be), I wanted to get some questions asked and some tips given.
Questions!
1. I'm using an extremely low pile fur: a minky, in fact. It's only a few mm long, so I don't get the seam-covering abilities of longer fur. So, how do I connect my legs (which I intend to sew directly to a pair of shorts) to my Crocs-based footpaws without having a really obvious disconnect? I'm not sure the ribbon I'll be using as decorative "stitching" will hide that.
2. How bad of an idea is filling parts of the suit with a thin layer of poly-fil and wearing the costume in the summer heat of Anthrocon? Being huggable is great, but not dying of heat exhaustion is preferable.
3. Is spray adhesive safe to use on the suit head? See my comment above about lack of death. This is the adhesive I'd be using. http://www.elmers.com/product/detail/E428?filterPath=spray The label doesn't say you have to use a mask while spraying it (though I'll certainly be working with it outside just in case), but it also says it contains acetone.
Tips!
1. One of the most frustrating things with mini glue guns is how quickly they run out, but sometimes when you try to put in a new glue stick, it falls right out when you use it at an angle. To make longer glue sticks, clean the metal tip of your glue gun, then turn it on and let it warm up. Take the end of one glue stick and hold it to the tip for several seconds. Remove the stick, use the now-melty end to quickly pick up as much of the glue remaining on the tip as you can, and stick the melty end to the end of another glue stick. You can prepare these ahead of time, or just glue a new stick onto each old one as it begins to run out. You should clean off the tip again after it has cooled, but I'm mean to my glue gun so I usually don't.
2. When making buckram eyes, painting the back black can sometimes lead to paint bleeding through to the front, so many people, like myself, reach for sharpies. However, I read a few tales about the sharpie then bleeding all over the wearer's face, so after trying a few things, I put a piece of clear plastic tape over the back. I haven't used it in the suit yet, so the tape may come off after some time, so a little e6000 around the edges might not be a terrible idea. It seems to protect the sharpie ink, and it isn't visible from the front. DO NOT try painting on clear nail polish top coat! I tried that on a test eye, and it mixed with the sharpie ink to clog up all the holes with black, it leaked through to the front, AND it warped the buckram because it's liquid. Don't do it.
3. In my old suit, I had a lot of trouble wearing glasses in it, so I found an old pair with a similar prescription, cut the fishing wire that held in the lenses, and basically made a black mesh pouch to put them in and glued it shut. It worked great for me! If you already have pupils in your eye, you could either try gluing the lenses directly or making a clear "pouch."
So, I'm working on my second fursuit, a partial like my first, designed to look like a plushie. The final product will look a bit like Plushie-painted Neopets (see here:http://www.jellyneo.net/index.php?go=newrainbowpool&color=plushie&emo=1), as I'll be using stuff like patches, buttons, yarn, and oversized stitching as cues that I'm not just a toony dog. However, the suit will be of my fursona, a winged dingo/heeler mix with blue spots who can change into a plushie because of a unicorn's curse. (It's a long story.)
Seeing as I can't work on my suit tonight because my hands won't stop shaking (Starbucks Doubleshot espresso is apparently a much worse idea than I thought it would be), I wanted to get some questions asked and some tips given.
Questions!
1. I'm using an extremely low pile fur: a minky, in fact. It's only a few mm long, so I don't get the seam-covering abilities of longer fur. So, how do I connect my legs (which I intend to sew directly to a pair of shorts) to my Crocs-based footpaws without having a really obvious disconnect? I'm not sure the ribbon I'll be using as decorative "stitching" will hide that.
2. How bad of an idea is filling parts of the suit with a thin layer of poly-fil and wearing the costume in the summer heat of Anthrocon? Being huggable is great, but not dying of heat exhaustion is preferable.
3. Is spray adhesive safe to use on the suit head? See my comment above about lack of death. This is the adhesive I'd be using. http://www.elmers.com/product/detail/E428?filterPath=spray The label doesn't say you have to use a mask while spraying it (though I'll certainly be working with it outside just in case), but it also says it contains acetone.
Tips!
1. One of the most frustrating things with mini glue guns is how quickly they run out, but sometimes when you try to put in a new glue stick, it falls right out when you use it at an angle. To make longer glue sticks, clean the metal tip of your glue gun, then turn it on and let it warm up. Take the end of one glue stick and hold it to the tip for several seconds. Remove the stick, use the now-melty end to quickly pick up as much of the glue remaining on the tip as you can, and stick the melty end to the end of another glue stick. You can prepare these ahead of time, or just glue a new stick onto each old one as it begins to run out. You should clean off the tip again after it has cooled, but I'm mean to my glue gun so I usually don't.
2. When making buckram eyes, painting the back black can sometimes lead to paint bleeding through to the front, so many people, like myself, reach for sharpies. However, I read a few tales about the sharpie then bleeding all over the wearer's face, so after trying a few things, I put a piece of clear plastic tape over the back. I haven't used it in the suit yet, so the tape may come off after some time, so a little e6000 around the edges might not be a terrible idea. It seems to protect the sharpie ink, and it isn't visible from the front. DO NOT try painting on clear nail polish top coat! I tried that on a test eye, and it mixed with the sharpie ink to clog up all the holes with black, it leaked through to the front, AND it warped the buckram because it's liquid. Don't do it.
3. In my old suit, I had a lot of trouble wearing glasses in it, so I found an old pair with a similar prescription, cut the fishing wire that held in the lenses, and basically made a black mesh pouch to put them in and glued it shut. It worked great for me! If you already have pupils in your eye, you could either try gluing the lenses directly or making a clear "pouch."