Tardis details: Necklace, windows and a failed hat

 First, I'll get that fail part out of the way. :)

My original idea was to construct a wire frame for the lamp/hat, then cover it with fabric and trim and hopefully in the end put a light inside it. I've learned two things while attempting this: My thin wire is way too thin, the thick one is way too thick. Constructing a cylinder that isn't all wonky out of these two is near impossible.

Time to rethink! Spotting an old soap jar from Lush gave me an idea. I'll use that as a base and glue the fabric and trim onto it.

This will have several advantages. Firstly, it will be sturdy and keep its shape even if I accidentally sit on it or something. The wire one would have needed handling with extreme care not to bend out of shape. Secondly, with large flat surfaces it will be much easier to attach the trim to it neatly. Thirdly, if I handle this well, I'll be able to attach the lid to the headband in a way that allows you to unscrew the jar itself. This will prove very useful once I get to the point of attaching a light inside it, allowing me to turn it on and off as well as change batteries without having to deconstruct the entire thing. All in all, I think this is a big improvement.

I've also done some work on the dress itself.

Those two aren't finnish flags, but the future windows of the tardis. Due to their proportions, I opted for 2x2 windows instead of the correct 3x2. I'm fairly confident it will look good anyway. Next up is attaching them, but I'm not quite sure what the least complicated way to pin them on will be, seeing how the top front part of the dress isn't a flat piece and making them line up nicely is really important since it'll be extremely obvious if they're crooked. Since I don't own a mannequin, I think I'll have to try to pin them on while wearing it. I hope I don't get too many bloodstains on it as I stab myself repeatedly! XD

Lastly, there's the necklace!

The embroidery isn't anywhere near as neat as the embroidery on the sign is, but it's done in sewing thread and working on the small ribbon was rather fiddly. If it bothers me enough, I might take it out and redo it at some point in the future. Right now, I'm happy with it. The key is too small to be a proper tardis key, it's the spare for a padlock I found lying around. The shape is good enough though, and it's a good size for the necklace, so I'm happy. :)

Apron step one - complete!

I can't help but feel slightly guilty about using my grandmother's beautifully monogrammed bedsheets for sewing... But then again it is, as you can see in the top middle, worn out and ripped. Using old fabric that's already worn thin must be perfect for a garment that will be artificially aged to achieve just that look. :)

After comparing a few different pictures of aprons in the style I want, I put together a simple pattern sketch of one that should look nice but not require too much effort in putting together.

I'll admit that I didn't originally plan on crossing the ribbons in the back like that. I ended up cutting them too long, and rather than shortening them, I went for that solution instead. I think it also helps the apron stay on better than if they were straight down the back.

While sewing, I also took the time to try out tea dying a few scraps of fabric. I made two pieces. The first one was dipped in the tea for a while and immediately rinsed in cold water, while the other one was put down to dry still drenched in tea.

This is what they looked like once I put them down to dry. The one to the right is of course the one with the tea left in. Originally I thought it would end up far too brown, but when I later on rinsed the tea out and left it to dry overnight, it ended up a lovely brownish colour, while the one rinsed immediately was far too pale for my taste.

As I write, the apron is soaking in tea and I will soon take it out to dry. Photos of the entire thing will come once it's dry.

Next up: Experimenting with creating blood stains!