Going to great lengths for crafting supplies

I never seem to have enough binding.  Of course I could always cut my own, but I'm always looking for ways to avoid that. Then, I came across a shoe box full of tape measures at the swap meet this past weekend.  This was a total impulse buy.  Not sure it will actually work for a binding.  Being pretty stiff and not cut on the bias, they will most likely be difficult to maneuver around tight corners.  So, now I turn to my crafty friends to help me make use of them.



There are two different styles.  One one the numbers are vertical, while on the other they are horizontal.  And, they are oddly folded over and stitched so that it's double-sided.



I've been wanting to sew a corset for some time now, and I originally thought this would be great to bind the edge.  But, maybe it would be better suited to trim a skirt hem?  Guess I'd know the exact yardage of a 20 yard skirt.  :)  Whatcha think?

Any other ideas what to use them for??  I've got WAY more than I can use.  There's about 100 yard long tapes in the box.  I don't think there is any way I can use them all, even if I tried.  Please help a crazy crafter out.  I'd love to hear any thoughts.   :)

For a Rum Dispensing Bum...meet the Bustle Bar

The Bustle Bar - "Peeling flowers off walls since 2010"  



I thought I'd share a little more detail about the workings of the Bustle Bar.  If you are new to my blog, I've mentioned this drink dispensing bustle contraption in many costuming posts.  We came up with the idea mostly for faires and other outings where we wanted to bring our own beverages, but not have to push or carry cumbersome containers around that would detract from our costumes.  So what we came up with consists of three rounded tanks concealed under my bustle in back.  Each tank holds 1.75 liters of liquid that is dispensed in the front. In the beginning it was all concealed, including the tubing.  The only parts that were showing were the cut-offs in the front of my corset and the pump on my hip.  If you want to see the early stages, I've posted about it here.

 

However, Mr Sam thought it would be more "steampunk" to expose the working parts.  He was sweet enough to redesign it for me so that everything was conveniently on a custom leather belt. In the pic above you can see the pump on the right and cut-offs on the left, along with the tubing.  Now, we just have to attach the tubes to the tanks and it's ready to dispense.

 

I really like what he did in the middle, which kinda resembles a bug on my back.  This is where all the hoses intersect.  He used lamp parts to support the tubing.



I've already discussed a little of the construction of the outfit I wear with my Bustle Bar here.  It's a bit of a complicated process to put the whole costume on and take off.  There is a particular order to it that goes a little like this:

• First, I put on my under clothes including skirt and top and a belt with the three tanks attached.  (I'm hoping to eventually replace this belt with something custom, as well.)  I wear the tanks from left to right Red, Green Blue = RGB (It helps me remember which is which.).  I used colored water balloons as o-rings to seal the connectors better and also to color code the tubes and tanks.  So the water balloons match the colors of the tanks.    
• After positioning the tanks in back,  I put on the first layer which is the reworked dress.  In this pic you can see the "parasol pockets", which were the sleeves of the old dress.  They're almost 2 feet deep!  I also cut three holes in the back for the tank openings.  
• I then put my black bustle skirt over this to add some fluff.  Since I wear my bustle skirt with other outfits, I didn't want to put holes in it, so it just wraps around behind the tank openings and ties in front.
• Recently, I added an additional ruffle that also has slits for the tank openings.  You can see everything is now concealed except the connectors on the top of the tanks.
• Once the skirt layers are all situated, I lace on my underbust tabistry corset.  You can read more about that here.
• Lastly, I put on my jacket and the bustle bar belt.  Then, we attach the six color-coded hoses.  

 

If you're perplexed about how this contraption actually dispenses drinks, I've tried to illustrate it below exposing the working parts without the layers:



It basically works by displacement.  You push air into the desired tanks to push the liquid out.  I have to be sure I've selected the appropriate valves for whatever beverage I desire and closed of the others.  I can also mix drinks on the fly by opening two valves at one time and adjusting the flow.  I normally fill the middle with water and the other are wine and rum, but I occasionally put mixers in one for the rum.

If anyone has any questions, or wants to attempt one of their own, I'm happy to answer the best I can.  Hope you've enjoyed reading about the Bustle Bar.  If you see me out it in, I'd be glad to offer you a drink!  There's usually more than enough.  :)  Cheers!

Quick, Simple and Inexpensive Facelift for Leather Items

As I've said before, Steampunk fashion doesn't have to be expensive or difficult.  And, owning/creating unique leather accessories is not as intimidating or as costly as one might have you believe it has to be.  You really don't need to spend a fortune on tools and specialty products.  With a little black permanent marker, a few products around the house and a few minutes of time, these old boots renewed and transformed.  

I found this pair of leather boots at the thrift store awhile back for like $2.  I was drawn to the side embellishment that reminded me of the buttons on Victorian spats.  But, my new-to-me boots were a bit abused.  It looked like a kitten had climbed up one leg and used it for a scratching post.  There were tiny scratches all up one side of one boot.  They weren't deep, just deep enough to damage the finish, so I gave the boots a chance.   (The steps I go though below were to clean and repair, and decorate my used/damaged boots.  Some of these steps can be skipped, if you find boots that are in varying condition.)

Leather Cleaning - When I got home the first thing I did was clean the boots with Saddle Soap and replace the insoles.  I just happened to have the leather soap around.  It's not terribly expensive and can be found at leather and possibly feed stores.  This stuff is just a soapy substance with oils in it to prevent the leather from drying out.  You can use any other leather or shoe cleaner or even Murphy's Oil Soap.  Note though, if you chose Murphy's, you may not want to use it regularly to clean your leather items unless you intend to oils them as well.  It may dry out the leather.  

Once the boots were clean, I could better see what the damage was.  I sanded down the scratches.  There were also some small stains and scuffs.

Removing the Finish - I wanted to get the old finish off as best I could, which would also help remove the appearance of stains and other surface damage. Plus, the surface would better accept whatever I decided to do to it (This step is not necessary for permanent markers).  The Saddle Soap is great for removing dirt and grime, but I wanted a nice even, non-oily surface to draw on.  I did some quick research online and found out that most of what they sell as "dye prep" or "deglazer" is actually just stuff you can get over-the-counter at any discount or grocery store for way less.  You can safely use acetone (nail polish remover), non-acetone nail polish remover, lemon juice, rubbing alcohol or even pretty much a mixture of any of these to "deglaze", or prepare, leather for dying or in my case drawing.  All these fancy words mean is taking the finish off of the leather to restain or refinish it.  (Yes, these chemicals can also remove the oils in the leather, so use sparingly and with caution.)  After stripping the leather, you'll want to wipe off any residue with a damp cloth.  You'll know the stripper is working if water penetrates the leather quickly.  I wiped my boots off thoroughly and let completely dry.

Permanent Markers - After the boots were dry, I colored the black portions with a fat tipped black Sharpie marker and let it dry.  I've also used fabric dye, water colors, acrylic paint, etc... to decorate leather.  But, markers are another inexpensive and less messy way to add color and interest to plain objects.  It may take a few markers to cover large areas.  And, you may need to go over them a couple times, preferably in different directions to avoid streaks and stroke marks.  You can also use finer tipped markers to get in tight spaces.  (Beware that black markers can vary in color slightly, even within the same brand.  Test your markers before using on your project.)

Conditioners and Sealers - The last step I chose was mink oil.  Again, I conveniently had this around.  You can use any other finish or sealer for leather or shoes.  Just be mindful not to smear the marker with your choice of sealer.  The mink oil didn't seem to affect the marker in any way.  It's always best to test it out in an inconspicuous place first.  You can also seal with acrylic sealer from the craft store, but I didn't want my boots, being used and older, to crack at the ankle.  Eventually, I may recolor and seal with acrylic, as well.  But, the good news is, since I used a marker to decorate these boots, I can use the marker to touch them up if they gets scuffed or worn off, too.

So, now I have a unique pair of boots to wear with my steampunk outfits that cost me less than $10 including the supplies!  Hope this will inspire you to see the potential in plain ordinary items.  Until my next post, be crafty!

Another Cowboy Hat into Steampunk Top Hat

Found another lonely cowboy hat at the flea market a few weekends back for five bucks.  So, I thought I'd put together a bit more info on how I reshape them into top hats for those who want to try it. 

 

This hat was in pretty dingy dusty shape.  But, it was a smaller sized hat that would fit me, which seems rare in the cowboy hats I find.  We tend to only find them in larger sizes. 

 

This project will require a felt hat (beaver felt is the best choice), scissors, a ruler, a contrasting color of pencil, a sink filled with water, and a towel.  You may also want a sauce pan lid or drinking glass for shaping and a seam ripper for removing stitches.

Remove Decoration - In this case, the decoration was simply a ribbon hat band.  Used a seam ripper to remove the few stitches holding it on.


Pull Out Lining - I removed the satin lining from the inside.  The lining is usually just tacked in with a little glue.  This one had an internal leather hatband that was surprisingly still in really good shape. So, I decided to just leave it in. If it was rotting or worn, I would remove it all.  Might take a seam ripper to get the old band out.  They can be replaced with a simply piece of bias tape. 
Clean Off Loose Dust and Lint - I was intending to cut this hat for an experiment, but it was actually in a lot better condition than I imagined before cleaning it up.  So, I decided to just reshape it.  Being a used hat, I took it outside and dusted and brushed off loose dirt and lint.  I push out the dents and straighten the brim  to make this easier.  Scrub off any stubborn spots.  At this point it's easier to see any damage that needs to be taken care of, like moth holes or stains.  If the damge isn't something that can be repaired, I may decide to try a different style that will eliminate the damage all together.  But small holes can be plugged and felted with scraps from the brim. 

Trim the Brim - Next, I measured how wide I wanted the brim.  I went with 1 1/2" wide all around.  I made small marks with a light colored pencil and a ruler about 1/4" apart.  I trimmed to the marks with a sharp pair of scissors and sanded off any rough crooked areas or bumps with sandpaper.(You could also do the trimming step after shaping.  Especially with a hat that may stretch or shrink while cleaning and shaping.  But, since I was dying my hat, cutting off the excess would conserve dye.) 

Dying (optional) - The hat wasn't a very flattering brown on me, so I decided to try some red fabric dye, but it didn't hold as well as hair dye did on one of my previous experiments.  But, it gave it just enough color to make it more flattering to my complection.  I prepared the dye according to the package and painted on the dye with a paintbrush, let it dry completely in the sun and then washed it off in our stainless steel sink.  In the future, I think I may try henna on one of these hats just to see what happens.  If I wasn't dying the hat, I would just dunk it in a sink full of room temperature water until it was completely soaked.  If the hat is dirty, as with this one, scrub it gently with soap and perhaps a toothbrush.  Don't agitate it too much or it could shrink and distort.

Shaping - After dying the hat will be wet.  I use a towel to blot dry as much of the excess water as I can remove.  Then, set the damp hat on a dry towel to reshape.  I wanted a top hat, so I needed to stretch the top out more.  I used a small sauce pan lid to enlarge the top the the size I wanted.  I push the lid into the inside of the hat (handle out) until it is even all around.  I keep pulling the hat down over the lid until I get the wrinkles out of the top the best I could.  Once it is even, I carefully pull the lid out and fix any distortion with my hands.  (Note that when stretching the top, you will lose some height and make the hat shorter.)  Laying the hat upside down, I push the center of the top back out in a slight dome.  You can used a drinking glass to smooth this out along the inside.  I also curl up the sides using a round pencil and shape til I'm happy with it.

Drying - Lastly, I just wait for it to dry.  Setting it on something will help to keep it from getting flat spots on the brim.  If you decide you don't like the style or it is crooked, just redunk the hat in water and try again.

Final Touches - Once I had a style I liked and it was completely dry, I rummaged through my stash to decorate it.  You can use ribbon, scarves, feathers, pins, goggles, patches...just about anything you want.


I tried a few different scarves.  And, narrowed it down to a long black net scarf with the ends hanging down in back. Also, added a couple feathers and stole the goggles off one of my other hats. 



As always, if you try one, I'd love to see your results!  It's a really easy and rewarding project.  Next, I hope to get a post up with some pics of the Bustle Bar.

More of Mr Sam's Leather Hats

Here is another of Mr. Sam's steampunk leather hats.  This one was made specially for a friend who'd requested one over a year ago. 



He'd promised to make her a hat, but had a difficulty finding inspiration on what style to make. Then, she'd purchased a dress just before the Steampunk Invasion of TRF, and we brainstormed what would look nice with it without being too frilly.  After that, the hat came together fairly quickly.



While he was finishing up, I started planning a hat box to store it in.  Sorry, I forgot to get some better pics of the box. It's pieced together out of cereal box carboard, paper mached, covered in tissue paper and painted, much like the cardboard hats I've posted about in the past. I lined the inside with gold satin with a bit of padding to protect the hat. There is a decorative gear on the center top.



Yeah, I've been goofing around with photoshop, again.  I'm looking for new ways to antique photos.  There are so many effects to be tried.



I helped decorate the hat by making a quick hatband with bow and feathers.  The hatband is removable by velcro, so she can change it up to suit her style.  And the bow and feathers were just pinned on.  This way it will fit in the smaller box when packed away.

 

I think it looks great on her with her dress. Hope she gets a lot of enjoyment and compliments from it.




We had to buy a fairly large piece of leather for this, and there was a big brand on one section that he decided to incorporate into a tall top hat.  Here is Mr. Sam, himself, in his "Onery Abe" hat.  I think the brim still needs a bit of shaping.  It's a softer leather.  I've heard boiling it might stiffen it, but I think adding a casing with wire in it might be better.  He also has plans to make a few more hats and other things with the leftover leather when he gets inspired again. 

Thanks for looking.  Feel free to stop by anytime!  I'll try to have some new stuff up.

Here be Dragons!

Well, I was going to attempt some fairy wings for the daughter and I to wear to faire in a couple weekends.  But in my first experiments, I somehow managed tiny dragon wings instead...hmmm...it's all good, cuz I'm going to an event this coming weekend where the theme is "Here be Dragons".  Love those "happy accidents"!!  :)



And the coolest part is they GLOW IN THE DARK!  Neat, huh?!



Isn't that cool!!  It will be really great, if there are lots of blacklights around.  Glow-in-the-dark works best under the blacklights.  I also love how the light can pass through the membranes.



I used hangers for the main frame that fits into the back of my bodice/corset and thinner 19 gauge steel wire for the fingers.  The tape extends about a 1/2" past the tips, so I can nudge people with them and not take out an eye.  They're are a small set at about 14" long.  This will be a good size to practice traversing crowds in, if we plan to make larger wings for fairies. 



These were pretty easy to make and feel realy cool.  I started by wrapping masking tape around the wire frame, adding extra tape at the knuckles. I covered the tape in glow-in-the-dark fabric paint, which is rather translucent and gave a nice bone color.  I accented the joints with a brown marker. 

  

Then, I used Mod Podge to make the membranes. Who knew mod podge was so stretchy!  They turned out really flexible.  Won't be easy to tear these.  The trick is to paint the Mod Podge onto paper and when dry, rub off the paper with water.  The brush strokes add a kind of veiny effect close up.
Hope you've enjoyed this post.  I'll be away most of this month having fun.  Until I get back, keep bein' crafty!

Felt a Bit Like Cinderella Before the Ball!

I was fretting about not having a thing to wear to the Sky Commodore's Autumn Masquerade Ball the weekend before last.  I meant to have something spectacular finished way ahead of time, but of course life stepped in, and I was late working on the witch boots for this Halloween.  Really was excited to see Steam Powered Giraffe and our fav local band, Marquis of Vaudville, play again. 



So, this is the outfit I came up with with mostly stuff I had. Amazing what a few new pieces can do for a new look. Just goes to show you don't have to totally start from scratch for a new look, right?  Though most of it is made up of stuff I'd already made or found like the corset and underskirts, I managed to make a new tabistry hat to match my corset and sew a gold overskirt and sleeves. I'll discuss the hat more on my tabistry blog.

As for the overskirt, it is five panels gathered at the seam with an adjustable casing.  All the strings are hidden at the underside of the skirt under my corset.  I'm still not completely happy with it.  Being a crunch for time, I had to sacrifice in places.  I plan to go back and add a front panel, prehaps removalbe to change the color that will help to straighten it out at the front edges.  The gold drapey sleeve thing is just a tube of fabric pinned to the inside of the corset.  I wore a black tank under it and made some black removble sleeves out of tights.

This was my frst outing in a hoop skirt. We had aquired the hoop skirt with another larger one from, where else but, our local flea market (One for me and one for mom.).  We got them from a nice lady who used to have an awesome vintage clothing shop there. She has since moved to another larger flea market. She has some great stuff. I also found a pair of spats in her shop that are a wee too tight in the ankle for most of my shoes and a great metal chain belt I will have to wear one of these days. But, back to the hoop skirt. Not the best thing to dance in to the type of music we heard, and was a real trick to get in the car in. But, I survived without and traumatic mishaps or exposure.



Mr. Sam wore the top hat and vest we created for the Willy Wonka event earlier this year. The canes we have were also from back then.  I reworked the striped one I have from a wooden staff that had a giant skull on top.  You can't see in the pic, but I resculpted a smaller skull on the top with paperclay.  His cane was from the flea market.  The mask he wore was one he'd put together when he was working on his first top hat and steampunk outfit.
 

It was a great time as usual. Awesome show.  Well worth the effort I (didn't) put into a new outfit for it. We even got to chat briefly with Toby, the lead singer of MOV.  Great guy.

 

There were too many amazing costumes to count.  The crew of Airship Serenity was in full force that night.  There was a lot of steamy eye candy.



Though I've been tinkering and all round mucking them up, I must give Joseph Hernandez a member of Airship Serentiy the credit for shooting these photos. To our shagrin, we had yet again forgotten the old camera. I was sad because I really would like to have gotten some close up pics of all the hardwork my mom put into stylin my hair into a Victorian updo with ringlets. Using about a thousand bobby pins, she did a fantastic job that really set off my outfit.

 

Thaks for stopping in!  Pardon the pun, but hope you too are having a ball crafting! 

Porkpie and a Cocktail - 1 Hat into 2

Be amazed as I tell you how we turned one ordinary unassuming cowboy hat into not one...but TWO totally new hat creations just like magic!  Yes, you read that right.  We created this porkpie hat for Mr. Sam...



...and a cocktail hat for me... 



...out of one used cowboy hat!  Well, okay, it might not be too terribly "amazing" or "like magic" in any way.  But, it is definitely thrifty, right?! :) 

Not so recently we acquired another cowboy hat (this one is from my dad who heard us yammering about our interest in reshaping felt hats).  Right away Mr. Sam had started making it into a short top hat style like the previous brown one, but he didn't like how it was turning out due to the red vent holes on the sides and gave up.  After it sat for awhile in our craft shelf, I finally pulled it down, reshaping and shortening it even more on top to the porkpie style we've come to know and love. 



This one is much shallower than the brown one because of the deeper fold.  When he put it on I kinda thought he reminded me slightly of when Johnny Depp wore a porkpie in "Benny and Joone", except that this one is black and the brim is shaped slightly different.

 

After finishing it, I don't think the red rivets look so bad.  Though, I think it would be nice with an extra wide hadband with red in it.  You think?  I'm contemplating making a band out of seed beads.  Perhaps a snake pattern or something.



Then out of the blue, I managed to pull a second hat out of the first.  Or, should that be off of it?  All I know is there's one thing we keep accumulating from all these felt hats.  (I think 8 now actually, not including our gazillion tabistry and leather hats!)  It's lots of scrap felt from the excess brims.  Cowboy hats tend to have really wide brims.  And, we keep cutting them down to about 1 1/2-2 1/2 inches, leaving me with a pile of felt rings.  And, you probably know by now that I can't throw anything away.  :)  So, the other day as I was straightening up the craft room, I was inspired by the coiling of the scrap felt as I put it up.  It looked like it would make a unique little cocktail hat for a rockabilly-ish night out.



I made a kind of tapered slanted pill box by wrapping the felt around in a more deliberate coil.  The top was then covered with a piece of scrap felt.  I embellished the front with a big black removable pin.  This way I can be indecisive and change it to match my outfit.  Like the red paper hat I posted about, I used a piece of netting (probably from produce or something), this time in black, to make a short veil.  Later, I went back and added the black lace trim.  (Forgive me for "photoshopping" the top of the hat in this pic.  I actually didn't put on the lace trim until a few days after the event.)



For this last mintue event, I just pinned the hat on my head using hairpins.  There is a ridge created just under the outer ring by the overlapping coiled strip that I secured the pins so that they weren't visible.  But, eventually I will sew in a clip/comb or two to keep it in place.  I have to say, the hairpins kept it in on my head pretty well considering how wild we can sometime dance!  :)

 

We had a really good time.  Watched some talented performers and, best of all, listened/danced to some great live music.  Need to do it again soon! 

In other news, I've got a mile long list of crafting to get back to on top of tutorials to write.  And, Halloween is approachng very sneakily.  So, if you don't hear from me for awhile, don't panic.  :)  I hope to have some spectacular stuff to show when I come up for air.  Until then, be craftastic!!

DIY Hats for Stylish Hobos and Outlaws

 

You may remember a few posts now where I mention how we discovered the joys (and savings) of reworking felt hats, particularly cowboy hats.  Well, I'm finally posting about Mr. Sam's (my SO) attempts at reshaping felt.  This brown top hat was the very first.  It's been almost a year and three other felt hats since then!



The hat originally started as a used cowboy hat, like the others.  He found two, one black and this brown one, at the local flea market complete with boxes along with the black leather he used on my riding hat and some other stuff for $20!  (I'm still amazed when I repeat that!)  Really, these were in too good of condition when we got them.  Even if I'm not a fan of modern cowboy hats, these were really nice.  Being his first try, I'll admit I had my doubts on how this would turn out.  Hate to potentially waste perfectly good hats.  But, I told myself that there is an abundance of these here in Texas.  :) 



It was painful for me to see him start cutting on them, but I'm so glad he did!  This hat looks SO good on him!  Right?  Personally, I think he should consider wearing this one everyday, if not at least all fall and winter.  I jokingly insisted he needed the hobo-ish daisy flower on it.  So, low and behold, he made a matching one out of leather to put on his custom leather band.  I think it fits his personality to a tee!  Not too tall, not too short, and not too flashy.  And, the shaping and color are great.  Perfect for a casual Steampunk outing.


 

After finishing the brown top hat, he them started to work on the black one.  He decided to keep the wide brim on it and make it more the pork pie fedora style.  Gotta give my sis credit for finding the now metal chain hatband at a thrift store near her where it was living life as a belt.  I love this hat on him, too.  Still has a western, or cowpunk?, look to it with the wide brim, but the shape makes it more vintage looking than the modern-ish tall taco-folded cowboy hats.  And being black, it kinda gives him a "bad guy" or outlaw thing.  A girl's gotta swoon over that!  ;)

I'll have some more hats to post very soon.  We just can't seem to quit making them.  Don't know what it is about hats.  Guess it's like shoes or tattoos.  You just can't seem to have enough of them.  I've already had to build a makeshift wall-mounted rack for our collection using old hangers and a shower curtain rod just to get them out of my craft space.  :)  (More about that another time!)  Until next post, happy crafting!

Steampunk on the Cheap - DIY goggles from stuff you have

I just want to provide some more examples of how you don't have spend a great deal of money to put together a Steampunk outfit.  If you're interested in the Steampunk scene, you've probably discovered that it can get expensive putting a 1st costume together, especially if you purchase finished pieces from steampunk artists.  But, even if you decide to DIY but don't possess or have access to a lot of fancy tools for working metal or leather, you still may spend a pretty penny.  The good news is you can fake a lot of this with a bit of glue and patience.  And, the best and most visible accessory to start with is a pair of goggles.

I've posted about our goggle tinkering before here.  But, I wanted to stress that you don't even have to scour flea markets and 2nd hand stores or drop $10 at the hardware store on a pair of welding goggles to make a customize version of this common accessory. I'd like to inspire you to try some other materials you may already have in your possession. Some of the best goggles I've seen around were made from the oddest and most unique materials.  They can be made at next to no costs for supplies from stuff you may have around your house.  (I seem to say this line a LOT on here, don't I?!)

You may have seen my own previous attempts with aluminum cans/bottles and scraps of leather.  I made them from what I had on hand.  Granted I did have a budding leather worker to steal bits from.  (You can read more about the monocle here and the beer goggles here.).  But, say you don't have leather scraps lying around.



Long before my attempts, my own sweety got a wee bit creative on his own with a pair he made out of hearing test headphones, a cheap pair of dollar store plastic binoculars and some other assorted parts.  (I've been meaning to post better pics of these for some time as I'd promised.)  They're my favorite pair of all that we own, and I claimed them to wear on this reshaped old felt cowboy hat.  The brass filigree on these goggles was cut with tin snips from a lamp and the strap and cups around the eyepieces are scrap from a faux leather belt and some elastic.  (See, and at the time these were made, we didn't even have real leather to work with.)  Everything was bent, glued, screwed and sewn on the best he could. 



Gotta be one of the most original pair I've seen, and they were his first pair of goggles and FIRST steampunk accessory!  No previous costuming experience here.

But, you don't have to get this complex with found parts when making your own goggles, either.  If you don't have access to broken clock, lamps and other items you don't HAVE to go shopping.  Just look around for what you DO have.  Open every cluttered draw and dig in every dark corner, closet or even recycle bin.  You never know what is waiting.  Just check out this pair made with Prescription Bottles by Billy Mitchell (Picture courtesy of Christopher Ruth of Gypsies Welcome).



Yes, they're made with these:



..and what looks like some can tabs and a purse strap.  It was such a wonderful idea!  The top of the bottle is a perfect size/shape!  Hat's off to your sir for the genius "upcycler" you are!

But, even if you don't have any of these bottles, there is still hope.



Most recently, I made a pair out of juice jug tops.  Here's a pic of a friend sporting his new juice jug goggles on a hat he made himself.  I used the top portion of two 2 qt. plastic juice bottles (I think these are Northland brand juice).

 

I cut the top off with a pair of sharp scissors.  Then, trimmed them til they matched and fit the contour of my face.  The strap is simply black waistband elastic.  I didn't get a chance to decorate these with any extras because they were made last minute for an event.  Just gold/bronze spray paint, shoe polish to stain/age them sealed with clear acrylic spray paint and the green 2-liter bottle lenses.  But, I think they look pretty cool on their own.  And, as with the aluminum monacle's brown A&W bottle lenses, which had a screw off lid frame, the lenses are removable.  So, he can change out the color to match his outfit.  :)   If I'd had more time, I probably would have added a molding around the eye pieces on these for better comfort.  But, since they will most likely never leave the crown of the hat to ever be worn on a face, it really isn't necessary.



There are so many materials around the house that can make cool goggle bases.  I've seen other goggles in many different styles made with pipe fittings, old sunglasses, assorted bits of gears and leather.  Smaller caps could be used as vents or smaller lenses.  Plastic can also be cut into shapes like gears that could be attached by melting, glue or even a brass brad fastener. It's fairly easy to work with plastic, too.  You can use sharp scissors, utility knives, or a soldering iron to cut and pierce the plastic and bend it to your will.  It's just up to you and your imagination to make them even better.  Will you be a professor, a mechanic, a pilot, or traveler.  It's all up to you.

I'd like to continue working on yet another pair with a larger round topped juice jug.  (The tops are in the pic above.)  But, first I need to finish up some overdue tutorials and do some much needed cleaning in the craft room, again.  In the meantime, I've got a few posts to make on my sweety's hat making progress and the daughter's sewing projects.