New project!

First of all, I'm trying to post this from my phone using the Blogger app. I've not used it before and I'm not sure how it'll work out, mostly from a picture placement point of view. But I won't really know until I try it, so here we go!

Secondly, which is what I actually wanted to post about, is a new thing I've just properly started today that I should've started ages ago but didn't have the time or money for before. That 'thing' is my costume for AVcon, an anime and video games convention occurring next month. I know, I'm cutting it pretty fine, huh?
Last year was my fifth AVcon but the first one where I dressed up. I went as Maria Ushiromiya from an anime called Umineko No Naku Koro Ni. There weren't many pictures taken, but I'll see if I can dig one up for you cheeky scamps!
I decided on my costume for this AVcon pretty much the minute the first add-on character for Borderlands 2 was released, Gaige the Mechromancer. She's such a fun character to play, plus she has a wicked cool robot arm and an even wickeder and cooler robot sidekick dude named Deathtrap!

The first part of the costume I'm working on is the robot arm, as I'm using a material I've not tried before and also because I'll need to use a fair amount of Gesso and paint so that'll need ample drying time. 

The material I'm using is called Worbla, which if you are unaware of, is a thermoplastic that softens and becomes mouldable when heated but hardens upon cooling. So far I'm having lots of fun messing around with the Worbla, and I've worked out the best way for me to use it.
I started out by making a duct tape replica of my own arm to use for moulding, sizing and adjustments, because it's much easier to have both hands free to work and much less painful to drape heated plastic over. To do this I first wrapped my arm in cling wrap, then taped over it with duct tape. I then cut it off my arm, stuffed it with newspaper and sealed up the ends with more duct tape.

I've never been good at pattern-making, so I figured the best way for me to figure out piece sizing was to draw the pieces directly onto the fake arm, cut pieces of foam to fit (more flexible and sturdy than paper) and have the foam pieces do double duty as templates and as a cushioning between the Worbla and the lycra sleeve I'll make as a base for the arm. So that's what I did, adding a couple millimetres when I cut the Worbla to allow for bulking. I also cut two of each piece of Worbla for strengthening.

To shape the Worbla pieces, I first fixed the two matching pieces together while flat so I wouldn't get air bubbles. Since Worbla is self-adhesive I didn't need to use glue at this step, just heated both pieces and stuck! Once the two pieces were stuck together and cool, I taped the foam version to the fake arm, covered it in aluminium foil so the Worbla wouldn't stick to it (not yet, I need to sew the Velcro on first!) and then heated up the Worbla piece again with the heat pistol. Then I draped the piece over the covered foam, smoothed it down and left it to cool.

So that's how far I've gotten so far. I've lots of work left to do on it, but since this is a project I can do easily at home, I'm not limited to only during daylight hours. Works well for me because I have a mild version of insomnia where I very rarely get to sleep before 3am and wake up perfectly refreshed by 7am ready for work, so it's simply a matter of working on the costume in my spare time rather than playing video games all night.

Just in case you were wondering, this is what my arm looks like covered in duct tape.

Rough pattern drawn up and transferred onto the pretend arm

The trusty heat pistol and some pieces I've finished moulding