Thendy Bravura VERSION 01 My first Felsic Current costume was comprised of very cheap broadcloth fabric. Not sure why I felt that keeping it inexpensive was so necessary. Maybe it was the wide choice of colours available in broadcloth that really directed me. With broadcloth it's hard to get a nice professional look but it's easy to get a good colour match. Even then, the hardest part was coming up with the three or four colour shadings that transition from green to purple at the collar. The choice of the character itself was a no-brained. I always knew I wanted to do Thendy even as I wrote the book. He's not only my favourite character, he's also the one with the most flamboyant outfit by far. The tunic turned out a bit long but it ends where I want it to be by blousing it a little. Better than too short, as has been my mistake with past costumes. The amount of unusual pieces with the edges, shoulders, chest and shoulder blade shapes made for a lot more sewing than I thought. And of course all of it had to be bias-taped. But overall pretty simple. Then the inverted buttons at the top of the collar to provide an opening for the head. I made the buttons match the turquoise bias tape even though you'd never see them. The sleeves were among the most exaggerated poofy sleeves I'd ever made. Pants followed the same construct as any pants I ever made. Plenty of room down front, tight elastic band, pockets on the sides, and of course the decorative bias tape down the front and back (so four in all). The boots were a cop out. I thought that these perfect-looking black rain boots with green soles bought for $2 at a thrift store would fit the bill, despite the fact they were a clear size too small. Oh, nothing my big toes can't handle, I told myself. I so should've known better. After a few hours of walking around in them I just had to switch to my Peacekeeper boots. No one knew the difference, but I did. Definitely, definitely need new Thendy boots. The gloves were the highlight of the costume. Two double-layered orange pieces, elastic band over the wrist, blue bias tape and carefully-painted black circles. Since I knew I needed the palms to be completely without seams so I could paint on them, I made the thumbs come right off the edges as part of the top of bottom pieces, instead of making them whole new pieces that come off the palms. At first that's all there was to those gloves, and I gladly welcomed the discomfort and tightness: I thought that naturally came from fitting five fingers in four holes, but my impromptu Xellos gloves I had to make at the last minute before Katsucon (to replace my regular gloves that the JTW didn't get back to me in time) were actually a very educational experience. As if to say that you can always make some good out of a crappy situation. It finally taught me the value of inserting strips of fabric in the depth dimension of gloves, between the fingers. The information was in fact so valuable that I un-stitched my Thendy gloves completely and added those strips, to great effect. Now those gloves are as comfortable as four-fingered gloves can be expected to be. Well ok, I *tought* the gloves were going to be the highlight of the costume, but the hat stole all the thunder. I guess that was meant to happen with SUCH an amazing leaf. People kept asking where it came from, how I made it, and were always amazed to find out it was a real one, covered in resin. The hat itself is of course quite a piece, too. Fully interfaced, with just the right pleats to give it the desired shape, and custom-fit to my head size of course. With the wig on it's a nice and tight fit so it absolutely will not come off accidentally. For the 'hat band' (you know, that band that goes around the hat just above the rim... there's gotta be a name of that), I used some leftovers of that Liberace fabric from 'Inspecting Carol.' I hadn't even originally intended on having a hat band at all but this just seemed perfect, and also quite useful to tuck the stem of the leaf in. Well, for that, I first had to extend the stem with a glob of painted wonderflex. But even then, tucking it into the hat band wasn't quite sufficient: I had to hand-stitch the leaf onto the hat itself using the holes and cracks in the leaf to my advantage. Those stitches keep it firmly in place. Oh, and I almost forgot to document this: the leaf was found in that wooded patch near the Greenbelt metro that'll be featured in Felsic Current's sequel. I brought it home, soaked it to make it malleable again, then re-dried it under some books to flatten it (I let the tips stick out because I did want those to curl a bit). Only then did I apply resin. The wig was ordered online. It had that perfect crazy look that stuck out in the back. I did have to shorten the bangs though. When I fully dress up as Thendy I also apply white liquid makeup on my eyebrows. - J-F Bibeau