Cosplay accessories! And these are absolutely not going to stay in the cosplay closet. They are begging to be put into service for all sorts of special occasions.
Hand-Eye Coordination (M2096 sizes: XS-S-M-L all in one envelope) is a fabulous set of gloves with claws, bracers and three eye patches. I know they look complicated, but the pattern is rated “very easy,” so don’t shy away from it. I’m so over-the-moon about the gloves with finger armor claws that I am going to completely ignore the eye patches. For sure they are innovative and wonderful. But. Those. Gloves. Red armor Dracula-inspired articulated-finger-armor-claws. Yes!
The gloves themselves are for moderate stretch knits, but the thumb does have the gusset you’d see for leather or kid gloves. This is a bonus, and makes for a better fit than thumbs without. It also has the finger gussets, mercifully free from the seam at the base of the finger.
The odd thing about these gloves is the placement of the seam. It’s usually found along the pinky finger, but here it has been moved to the top of the hand. This also serves to control the excess fullness on the top of the glove that is usually addressed with the three pin tucks that run from the fingers to the wrist. This simplifies and cleans up the look, making it an interesting sew.
As someone who has made her fair share of leather gloves, I will advise you to make a paper mock up of this (or any) glove pattern. Hands are complicated, and even though you can buy gloves off-the-rack, I guarantee that you will wish you made some small changes to the pattern if you do not look closely before you cut. If you are building them, they may as well fit perfectly, with each finger length exactly right.
One of your tips for this envelope discusses the use of the blanket stitch, which figures prominently in this pattern. It’s a key element in the look of the bracers. It’s a nice touch. In fact, I’d prefer to see it made up in an 1/8″ velvet ribbon for a more finished and professional look than the thread that was used in the pics, but that may require you to pre-punch the holes. A larger silk ribbon, of the kind meant for ribbon embroidery, would really make a statement and still “sew” as thread.
The other tip is how to paint elastic, which I touched on in my review for “Ribbon Candy“. It’s a necessary skill. McCalls advises the use of sharpies, which is a fabulous solution. Sharpies come in a huge array of colors. You’ll be able to get a great match for literally any project, cheaply and with no fuss.
Foot Fetish: Gilded (M2097 One Size) is a set of three boot or shoe covers, labelled “very easy”. I adore view A—the filigree version. They are more like shoe jewelry, and would be great in so many settings beyond the Steampunk and Lolita for which they are so perfectly suited. I’d love to see them completely beaded. They’d be a work of art. Pop them over a pair of plain pumps and you’d be dazzling. Indeed, this whole set is a great way to use up broken jewelry and flea market finds to make a big statement on a project with small “real estate”. In other words, you can afford to use the best, and most expensive fabrics, leather, and trims because you don’t need much of any of it to complete the project. You can make something extraordinary without needing an outrageous budget.
Your pattern tips talk about embellishments, and urge you to expand your skill set with the use of topstitching and application of beaded trims. There are tips for how to make what you have on hand work for your project by way of painting with acrylics.
