B&S #29: New McCall's Cosplay patterns! "Spectral," "Valor," & "
Bodacious
The July, 2016 patterns in Brand collection on the Cosplay by McCall's website are live, and just might meet your eclectic steampunk needs.
While Spectral, Valor, and Resistance are perhaps not as steampunk as Victorian or western costumes, steampunk, if you'd like to blend steampunk with something different, these may be just what you need.
Spectral
Spectral has a Victorian or fantasy feel. This robe and nightgown combination looks like something a heroine might wear in Bram Stoker's Dracula or a ghost story from the era. It's flowing lines, billowy sleeves, frilly collar, and buttons should be interesting for anyone making this costume.
As with many McCall's patterns, this comes with specific tips. In fact, the more of these you do, the more you'll learn about sewing. The tips for Spectral concentrate on button holes and have advice for getting creative with buttons.
This would make a lovely Victorian era costume for a character from any European country or from America. Gear buttons, goggles, bracelets or gloves with faux brass or silver tech would easily turn this into a cool steampunk costume.
Valor
Now, we take a trip back in time or to another realm, where warriors do battle with axes and swords. Valor is a fantasy pattern for men, a costume that would work great at a Ren Faire or any sci-fi/fantasy convention.
The cover image makes it clear how well this would work for a Viking or Celtic warrior, or perhaps a villager who could be called to arms at any time.
The pattern is for a lined vest, pullover top with sleeve variations, pants, and gauntlets. The trickiest part appears to be the eyelets, but of course it includes a series of tips to help you master them.
While steampunk usually takes place during the Victorian and Edwardian eras, it doesn't have to. For some, that's just a starting point. Take Blizzard's Warcraft, for instance, and I mean all the games. In them, the gnomes and goblins are tinkers and invent all sorts of technology. Often it does fantastic things and can be quick to break down, but it adds a touch of steampunk to that world. For this costume, you might make a big steampunk inspired musket, or add a compass to one of the gauntlets. Use your imagination to create a fantasy steampunk cosplay with your own flare.
Resistance
With this cosplay, we enter the territory of other punk genres. That's all right, though! Goggles still look great with Resistance.
This unisex jumpsuit with front and back yokes, collar, patch pockets, and more would be great for a dieselpunk (think steampunk, but 1930s/40s) or post-apocalyptic punk (think Mad Max).
As with all sewing patterns, you can really get creative with material colors here. What sort of world do your characters live in? Are they hiding out in the forest? You may want to go with forest camouflage. Are they in a mostly-deserted city? Then darker colors may be called for.
With this, you can get really creative with your accessories. I mentioned that steampunk doesn't have to be Victorian and Edwardian. What if another world started that way, and that technology continued to advance? You may end up with some blend of dieselpunk but with that gears and brass look of steampunk, and this cosplay would be a great fit.
I encourage you to check out the Cosplay by McCall's site and to check out all their patterns, including these. You're sure to find something to enhance your cosplay!
Sundry
Here's where I share what I've been up to. I've got only about 30,000 words left to edit to finish the second draft of Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western! I like to find ways to make my work more efficient, including little mental tricks I can play on myself to help me focus.
Up until now, I've been creating chapter breaks as I go through the current draft. The other day I decided to just browse through the rest and create the rest of the chapter breaks. That way, I would be facing a smaller chunk of text every time. Great accomplishments consist of many smaller accomplishments, and this way when I start on the current chapter, I can see that I have only 2,000 or 2,500 words to work through. My hope? That this will get me to go through them more quickly.
I will certainly blog about the big victory of finishing the second draft once I get through it!
I have so much to share in the blog as well! Yep, notes galore about books to review, people to interview, and ideas to share. I have no lack of content waiting for me to write it. Like anyone, what I lack is enough hours in the day. Rest assured though that more will be coming soon.
You can read my short story, The Obstructed Engine, basically right now. You can read it in pdf or Kindle format. Just provide your email address in the box below this post so I can send you the link!
The Obstructed Engine is a prequel to Bodacious Creed, and will introduce you to two of the main characters from the novel: Anna Lynn Boyd, a young brothel madam and, secretly, a brilliant inventor, and Jonathan Johns, the town handyman she has feelings for, and who has secrets of his own. The story covers Anna's first attempt to cheat death with science.
You're moments away. Box below.
See y'all soon!
