Tag Archives: burning man

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DISCO JUMPSUIT

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And I thought it was hard keeping last year’s birthday gift a secret! It was quite a challenge to make this jumpsuit for my boyfriend Jason. We live together and he works from home, so pretty much the only way I was able to get this done in secrecy was by skipping our Sunday game of ultimate frisbee for a month.

Disco Mechanic Elton John ain't got nothing on my man oh the drama

I’d talked about making Jason a fabulous jumpsuit for about a year, and I felt pretty bad that I hadn’t done it in time for Burning Man 2010. The design for this jumpsuit is a cross between 70s gear and mechanics’ coveralls, since throughout the night on the playa Jason has to do some tweaks and repairs on the Sensatron, our art car.

atomic love name tag

I used two similar silver fabrics for the body of the suit–one based on black, the other on white. I ran out of the white silver and wound up using a lame from Joann’s (Lincoln Fabrics had the exact fabric, but I thought $12/yard was too much). Although Jason’s pretty warm-blooded, I lined the suit with some peacock-blue jersey for comfort. Of course all the fabric (except the lame) is from Fabric Planet.

bling! It was a fabulous accident It was a fabulous accident

Since this was to be a surprise, I did the sizing based off of a jumpsuit he already owned (that is way too big for him) paired with pants and a dress shirt, both of which do fit him well. I have trouble sewing for him sometimes because he is so much bigger than I am, but when he put this on for the first time at his party it was perfect! I didn’t need to make any alterations at all, which is pretty rad!

It’s got snaps up the front, which of course is fun to rip open, and snaps on the cuffs. The two chest pockets are embellished with his name and an atomic symbol. I thought about using a nuclear sign, which he uses more often himself, but in this case atomic just felt right.

Speed of light! I make him look good

Fabulous man that he is, he wore his suit when we saw Tron opening weekend at the El Capitan in Hollywood (VIP tickets and a laser show!). We all had a great time and he got lots of positive feedback from everyone.

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RECYCLED GOLD TOP HAT

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I am so gloriously busy finishing up projects for Burning Man that I really shouldn’t be starting any new ones. But in the middle of working on one new costume I realized that I needed a pink and gold top hat. Yes, I could have definitely found one at the Beautilities store around the corner, but I also knew I could make it myself. And so, voila, the $1 top hat!

top hat top hat top hat

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I made it out of scrap cardboard, which of course I got from Fabric Planet (EVERYTHING I make comes from that store, even if it’s using trash). I used hot glue and some packing tape to keep the cardboard together. The base was a little rough–you could see the seams and bends of the cardboard very easily– so I covered it with some foam shelf liner I had lying around.

top hat in progress top hat

The hat was then covered in this AMAZING mirror gold that I suspect is actually vinyl wallpaper (wouldn’t it be fabulous in a powder room?). I can’t get over how beautiful the reflections are, but unfortunately it scuffs very easily. For the top I cut out a spiral from a gift bag, which I just can’t wait to see under the lights of the Sensatron on the playa!

top hat garnish

The pink glitter lycras are scraps from a new bodysuit I’m making, as is the ruffle gold. I added on some Mardi Gras beads, and the flower applique came from Fabric Planet as well.

top hat top hat top hat

Now that I’ve got that lagniappe project finished, I’ve realized I need a pink and gold light up cane. We’ll see about that one.

VOTE FOR MY PROJECT IN THE CRAFTSTER REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE CHALLENGE!

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SEWING BANDOLIER

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I’ve been sewing for Burning Man 2010 since September of 2009. I’ve improved last year’s costumes, made plenty of new ones, and have been making wonderful things to gift on the playa. I wanted to continue this personal sewing theme at the event and share my love and skills with Burners in need, and so I made this renegade mending bandolier.*

sewing bandolier sewing bandolier sewing bandolier

Just call me Rainbo.

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I really love the idea of taking something that is normally made out of animal hide to hold bullets to kill humans and completely changing it around. Instead of bullets I’m packing thread and safety pins! My bandoleer* is for helping people by mending their costumes for free. It’s rainbow and beautiful but also completely functional. Admittedly, it was largely inspired by the Mad Hatter’s thread bandoleer, but I feel like I’ve made it my own.

sewing bandolier sewing bandolier safety pins

I bought rainbow webbing at Joann’s, as well as the spools of thread (there was an awesome notions sale many months ago) and the plastic vials at the top. Everything else was taken from my stash. The belt is adjustable and attaches with an overall-style hook. The green shank button holds the hook very securely, but it’s also easy to take off (or I can slip the whole thing over my head). On the back I’ve got a row of gold safety pins to hand out to burners in need.

sewing bandolier sewing bandolier sewing bandolier

The plastic vials are actually glitter containers that I emptied out (no glitter on the playa!). I’ve got pins, needles, and buttons handy, and the loops are also the right size for a Chapstick.

The spools were from a basic cheap-o sewing kit that I wound with my own thread. They are attached to the belt with some heavy gauge wire that has drops of hot glue on the cut ends to prevent them from scratching me. The wire loops aren’t attached to the belt, but the tension of the wire keeps them from moving around on their own. It was important that the spools can spin when I pull thread, and I placed them on the belt so that the notches face me, to secure loose ends.

sewing bandolier pocket detail sewing bandolier pocket detail

The pockets are made out of scraps from other projects. One is the perfect size for my fleur de logo stickers, while the other holds my folding scissors, tape measure (not really necessary but fun), and any other little tools I might need.

sewing bandolier vial detail sewing bandolier pin detail

In addition to walking around doing repairs in the wild, I will also set up at a table in Center Camp with a sign advertising my free repairs. For this, I’ve got another bag with larger buttons and some gold patches. I can’t wait to wear and use this on the playa, and I’m really looking forward to all the people I will meet through this project.

Thanks to my blue eyed man Jason for taking such rockin pictures on his new camera!

sewing soldier salute

SEE YOU ON THE PLAYA!

*Both spellings are correct!

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