SMASHWORKS - Footwear, Illustration, and Costume Design: Frankie Stein, Home Ick

Monday, January 07, 2013

Frankie Stein, Home Ick - Monster High Cosplay

The second cosplay I debuted at San Diego Comic Con 2013 was Frankie Stein in her Home Ick outfit. I immediately loved this outfit when I first saw it because of the multiple textile patterns in all her clothing pieces, especially the apron. This outfit has great accessories too.

I had already constructed my wig back when I did my Frankie Fearleading Cosplay and was happy to wear it again because it was super comfortable. I drafted and constructed the tunic, using butcher's paper to create the stripes and "stitches" down the center front. The apron was also created from scratch, silk-screened with a pattern that I digitally illustrated that referenced the original doll version.

I didn't have time to trek out to a fabric store for more white cotton jersey so I picked up a pair of white leggings, took them apart and screened the plaid pattern I had digitally illustrated on to them. This part was not very fun as my screen was pretty busted up while I was doing the leggings and it was a very hard pattern to match up for the repeat. I tried my best to connect everything so it would look as cohesive as possible but did have to fix problem areas with butcher's paper. This was the first time I'd attempted such an intensive repeating pattern!

For her cuffs, I actually sewed a functional pincushion and placed real pins (although I had cut off the sharp pin tips) that coordinated with the ones on the original doll.

The other cuff was made from felt which I then used butcher's paper to created the "stitch" pattern on it. The bolt ring and earrings were both created using a combination of Sculpty and metal hardware/findings. The shoes were originally black Mary Janes that were spray painted white (except for the heel). The straps were made using red vinyl.

I didn't get too many photos during SDCC so the following photos are from Fan Expo 2012 where my friend wore the costume and attended with me :)