A tiny peek at two upcoming projects...

I was hoping to have this week's video previewed for you all earlier today, but then somebody took the day off to finish redoing the hardwood floor in the room above my office...so voice recording was off the schedule. I'll finish things up tomorrow for Thursday, where I'll be showing how I put together this bead and sequin koi fish brooch. This one is a bit larger than the first trial I attempted, because we all know I love a big brooch ✨

I have also been chipping away at a samurai armor inspired coat dress in black vinyl on sateen. I had purchased several yards of black sateen for working on the books projects in case I got the word go...but instead the sateen has become the recent oil slick dress and this truly epic coat dress, so a gal can't complain. This black patent effect is a "glossy" HTV, and while it is much easier to iron on than the oil slick metallic, this project has still been a little on the "perhaps this was too ambitious..." side of things.

The pattern is the same as I used for the Verdigris cicada embellished blazer and the brown brocade beetle blazer, but lengthened to a midi coat.

I replicated kusari, Japanese chain mail, specifically this example of kikko mail (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusari_(Japanese_mail_armour)#/media/File:Kikko_wakibiki_close_up.JPG) , for the side pieces of the bodice and the upper peplum layer of the skirt of this garment. Then I took the same hexagons only simplified for the upper back yoke, adding the TCH bee as a central mon of course. The center back has four "plates" inspired by the interwoven plates of lacquered metal, wood, or leather used in constructing samurai armor. The plates are woven into a strong but flexible armor with almost bulky silk cords, which form a pattern of their own, little rounded crossed X's and lines that I used for the center back of the skirt and entire length of the center front pieces (I haven't sewn those on just yet!).

For the sleeves I imagined some longer "plates" of armor like those often seen on the forearm pieces (kote, or vambraces in western armor) or on the shin guards (suneate, greaves), so I used them on the lower skirt as well. The vinyl still stuck best the smaller the bits, so instead of having solid plates, I gave them a marbled pattern. I think it calls to mind water marbling, like Japanese Suminagashi, wood grain, or Damascus steel. Plus I just love marbled patterns.

So this will basically be a 1940's meets Matrix vinyl coat from far away, and the samurai armor details will only be seen close up, but I hope it all comes together! Next weekend I will make a metallic leather jacket inspired by western armor instead, and am equally excited about that project ✨ Looking at this skirt laying on the table though...I do sorta want to make a cape or cloak now with this technique too. Imagine a gothic rose window motif? With secret spider webs? It's too bad creating the graphics for the cut files takes me ages to get just right!

I'll have more projects coming exclusively to Patreon very soon. Thank you so much for your support!