Halloween Preparations

All Hallow's Eve, my favorite time of year, filled with the autumn delights of pumpkin pie, apple bobbing, pomegranate juicing, and oh yeah... costumes!!  This is the time when I get to don a crazy costume and sink into a character for several hours. 

This year's theme at the Roach party is Star Trek, Star Wars, and (although the invitations didn't say it) I'm also going to add Stargate.  I will be going as a wraith from Stargate Atlantis.  The key for this costume is not so much the costume (usually long black gothic-like dress made of pleather), but more the special FX makeup:  white and green pasty complexion, cheek slits, brow ridges, pointed teeth and claws, and feeding organs in the palms.

My plan is to make a black bodice with shiny sheer material textured like insect scales, which I'll back some thick dark tapestry fabric.  I also found some nice silver fabric that looks like veins in an insect's wings, which I'll use to make a sort of cape, and then I'll just add a black skirt.  After studying lots of TV photos of the wraith queens (which all have very different outfits), I've surmised that a degree of imagination and variety are allowed -- like with the Star Wars Jedi in Ep. 2.

For the makeup, some acrylic white cream will do, with green and black shadows, sponge, stipple sponge, small makeup brush.  There is a pretty good guide here on YouTube.  I also got some small prosthetic "cuts" which are for the wrists but they are small enough to put on the cheeks.  I might end up getting another pair to use on the palms.

I made the dark backing bodice, was just about to add the back extension, when, cazzo! my sewing machine decided to crap out once again!  It had been working just fine until right then, the stitching looked fine from the top, but on the other side looked like merda.  I hate it when thread gets wasted like that!  So now I need to ask John to try to fix it tomorrow.

Now I'm yawning so big every few minutes my jaw feels like it's going to break, so it's time for bed.