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Day 252: DIY Vampira Costume

Day 253: Wino Dress
Day 251: Unfinished Business Dress

As most of you guys know by now, I’m costuming a stage version of the Ed Wood film, Plan 9 From Outer Space.   A lot of you guys have asked to see the costumes, and I figure you deserve a couple of spoilers!  🙂

Tonight, I began working on a dress for Vampira!

Day 252: DIY Vampira Costume 2
She's the one on the right. 🙂

Much like Ed Wood’s movies, we really don’t have much of a budget…at all.  Unlike the Plan 9 movie, we were unable to trick the Baptist Church into funding our production.  I guess they learned their lesson the first time!  This means I’m trying to refashion, thrift, and borrow as much as I possibly can!

So, when Shane, the director handed me this old Grim Reaper costume, thinking I could probably make something out of it, make something out of it I did!

Day 252: DIY Vampira Costume 3
Things are looking quite grim indeed!

This is obviously just a big, shapeless robe thing with an attached hood and capelet.  I quickly removed said extremities.

Day 252: DIY Vampira Costume 4
Later!

I set my dress form to the measurements of the actress who will be playing Vampira, and got to work on shaping a dress out of this mass of black!

Day 252: DIY Vampira Costume 5
Pinning!
Day 252: DIY Vampira Costume 6
Stitching!
Day 252: DIY Vampira Costume 7
Trimming the fat!

I also deepened the neckline to make it more like Vampira’s signature plunging V!

Day 252: DIY Vampira Costume 8
Pin...then stitch!

I cut up the ends of the sleeves to make them all tattered, like in the movie…

Day 252: DIY Vampira Costume 9
Snip!

And now my Vampira dress is complete!  And it didn’t cost a thing!

Day 252: DIY Vampira Costume 10
Vampira!
Day 252: DIY Vampira Costume 11
I'm quite happy with the result! 🙂

Now all I have to decide on is whether my Vampira will have her waist cinched with a big black belt, like in the movie, or if I want to put her in a corset.  Either way, the poor girl is going to have to carry her kidneys in a bag!  😉

Cheers!

Day 253: Wino Dress
Day 251: Unfinished Business Dress