McCall's Patterns to Expand Your Steampunk Wardrobe: She Cut, Ala Glow, Spiritquest, and Bouquet
The Patterns
Cosplay by McCall's continues to bring us creative and varied cosplay patterns. By adding accessories, you could create a unique steampunk from each of these, all outside the usual setting of Victorian England.
Got someone on your holiday list who loves cosplay and loves to sew? Consider getting him or her one of these! She Cut
Can this pattern really have a skill level rating of "easy?" It seems so! She Cut, designed for McCall's by Seattle Cosplay, is an ensemble inspired by Chinese culture. Go as a swords wielder, a diplomat, or perhaps as a Victorian-era Psylocke from the X-Men.
This package comes with patterns for the top, detached sleeves, skirt, and belt. Recommended fabrics include shantung, dupioni, chiffon, and velvet. Notions include silk flowers, zippers, snaps, beads, and more, and of course all this is explained inside. Add goggles, a replica pistol from the era, and make the silk flowers silver or bronze for a steampunk look.
She Cut retails for $16.95.
Ala Glow
Here's something I don't admit often. I love fairies, which may have something to do with why I wrote a novel about an imp, sort of a demonic fairy. Need a pair of fairy wings? McCall's has you covered with Ala Glow. This package has patterns for lacy wings with a wire harness, stockings, and a cute hat. Recommended fabrics include mesh, tulle, organza, and taffeta. You'll also need galvanized wire and some other notions, all explained in the package.
Fairies can fit into any fantasy-based setting, and that includes many steampunk worlds. Add a metallic wand and mask, rings with gears, or, yes, goggles, for that steampunk look.
Ala Glow was created by becka noel for McCall's, and sells for $14.95 and is rated at easy skill level.
Spiritquest
Gentlemen, it's time to go Nordic with the masculine Spiritquest. The pattern is for a vest with eyelet and buckle closures, a detachable hood with elastic loops that allow it to attach to the vest, and a tunic with lacing detail and side slits. McCall's recommended fabrics for this pattern include synthetic suede, synthetic leather, linen, linen blends, poplin, and broadcloth. With a skill level of intermediate, this could be a welcome challenge if you're new to cosplay.
Need ideas to make this steampunk? How about a handheld brass flamethrower--pretend, of course--to attach to your belt? After all, your character might need to melt some snow quickly or start a campfire. What about a leather wristband with an embedded compass? How about large, adjustable goggles, so you can see during a snow storm? I'll let those ideas get you started.
You can purchase Spiritquest for $16.95.
Bouquet de Fleur
This pattern, for corseted top, apron skirt, and panniers, recalls parlor girls, entertainers, and soiled doves of the Wild West. Boquet de Fleur is sexy and elegant all at once, and with very few additions or changes, such as gears for buttons, a sundial necklace, or a bracer with faux embedded gadgets, it would move right into steampunk territory.
The best fabrics for Boquet de Fleur include chiffon, shantung, taffeta, embroidered lace, twill, coutil, and batiste. There's a lot to this pattern, so it's skill level is listed as advanced. It retails for $16.95.
Coming Soon I have several Cosplay by McCall's patterns to review, and hope to get to them in the next week or so. I'm also reading Stephen King's Mr. Mercedes, and will be reviewing that soon. So far, the novel is a fantastic example of a character driven story, so I plan to discuss that as a way to help other writers.
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