May, 2017 McCall's Patterns: Hat Madders & Abigail
This Month's Patterns
Here they are, McCall's new cosplay patterns for May, 2017. If you're a frequent reader of this blog, you may notice that there's no "B&S" in the title. That stands for "Bodacious & Sundry," and it seems to me that these patters need no longer fall under that. I've done many Cosplay by McCall's reviews, this is a regular column. This is my way of acknowledging that fact. As usual, though, I'll give an update on my own work at the end of this post.
This month, McCall's has a hat right out of Wonderland and a dress, including vest, skirt, and petticoat, out of Victorian-era Scotland. Will the right accoutrements give you a killer steampunk look? You bet!
Hat Madders
Do steampunk and Wonderland go together? Of course. Steampunk goes well with just about anything. Do a Google search on "steampunk Wonderland" and you'll see what I mean.
With that in mind, you'll see that Hat Madders is perfect for such a cosplay. The pattern is for more than just the hat. It also includes bow tie, choker, cuffs, and headpiece instructions. The hat has a wireframe look with a scarf for adornment. Make the cuffs and bow tie match, and you have the start of a great cosplay. Or, you can wear the headpiece--which you can adorn with flowers--instead of the hat and add interesting accessories.
In fact, Hat Madders comes with tips for incorporating accessories such as charms, feathers, buttons, and hat pins. While the hat itself already has a steampunk vibe, here's where you can really play that up with gears or Victorian designs.
Hat Madders is by a designer McCall's frequently works with, IchioBlack, and is rated as a Very Easy pattern, so this one is great if you're just getting started in cosplay. It's exclusive to the Cosplay by McCall's site, and costs $13.95.
Abagail
What does the Victorian-era mean to steampunks? Perfect. Abagail is ideal for a Scottish woman in Victorian times, but would honestly work for any British cosplay, or for the American Wild West. This skirt, vest, and petticoat pattern is listed as of Intermediate difficulty, and comes tih tips for underlining.
Fabrics McCall's recommends for the vest and skirt include damask, taffeta, cotton sateen, and silk, with cotton voile, batiste, or organdy for the lining, and cotton or cotton sateen for the skirt. One way to gear this toward steampunk is to choose fabric with patterns that reflect the culture. Another is to add accessories. The Hat Madders hat, for instance, could work well. Or, add goggles, a steampunk-style prop gun, and the like. Here's where you get to let your imagination run wild.
Abagail was designed by Anachronism in Action, and retails for $15.95, only on the Cosplay by McCall's site.
News
The Wild Steampunk Podcast
Now that I have a new computer, I'm able to make videos again!
The first new Wild Steampunk Podcast video in a long time is now live. You can watch it right here. Then, head to YouTube and subscribe to the Wild Steampunk channel.
Novel
Progress on Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western is chugging along! Keep an eye out here for news. Better yet, subscribe to the newsletter below. You'll get a free prequel story to the novel and will know that Bodacious Creed is available just as soon as it goes live on Amazon!
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