Exploratory Projects

Bracers

I made these bracers during a workshop at Tandy Leather! This was my first attempt at leather armor, and I am incredibly pleased with the results. The color I chose is incredibly versatile, and works for a variety of characters!

Patchwork Hat

When I was in 8th grade, I wore a purple newsboy cap almost every day. I wanted a lighter and more cheerful option for summer, so I decided to make one!

I traced and measured my existing hat to get the pattern, and then sketched out where I wanted the lines of the patchwork to end up, I went for a blue and burnt orange color scheme, which I think worked out very well! To get the brim I cut the brim off of a cheap souvenir hat I got from a thanksgiving parade.

I originally planned to make more of these hats, but never got around to it. I would still like to make one to match my current aesthetic though!

First Foam Breastplate

This was my first time making a breastplate! I followed a tutorial from a cosplay instruction book I had, and I think it went remarkably well for my first attempt.

To get the pattern I had my mom help me wrap my torso in plastic wrap and duct tape, and then traced the shape of the breastplate onto that. Once it was set, we cut it off of me and flattened the pieces for use on the foam.

This was also my first time working with foam! I have sensitive lungs so using foam-specific glue was out of the question at the time, so instead I used hot glue. It held very well and the permeability of the foam really worked in my favor!

I primed it with Elmer's glue and painted it with a combination of spray paint for the base color and acrylic for the trim.

In the future I would definitely use thinner foam, this thickness definitely worked and held up well, but it looks a lot clunkier than was my intent! Overall though I am very happy with this piece.

Bobbin Lace

Dice

Cross Stitch

I started cross stitching last year as a way to keep my hands busy during class, and have continued it into the summer! My first project is a quote from the song "$20" by Boygenius: "Pushin' the flowers that come up/into the front of a shotgun/so many hills to die on". I decided to do a sky blue border, and float the words over the hills mentioned in the lyrics. It's still a work in progress, but I'm very proud of the design!

Big Crochet

I didn't plan out this project at all before I started it, I just wanted something to do with my hands while attempting to watch The Last of Us! Scary media (especially zombie movies) is really hit or miss for me, so I wanted the option to focus on something else during the more horrific scenes. I found this yarn at Joann Fabrics, and thought I would try crocheting without a hook! This scarf/shawl is crocheted entirely with my fingers, which was such a cool process that I think really helped the volume of the yarn shine through. The stitches are loose enough that I didn't include buttonholes, those buttons just fit through the natural holes in the piece! I find that the thickness and air pockets create a really wonderful insulating effect.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse