Spock's Pickled Brain

Alright, to cap off our random trawl through Dinotopia and Terra Nova, I wanted to show how I made the awesome accessories from my Dinotopian librarian look. Up this week is the document tube! This is a great prop because it's useful and (as all the best props are) dead simple to make. The sewing takes some time and force (note: get a thimble. Or at least a pair of decent pliers), but the construction is super simple. So stand back and get ready to make... a TUBE. Honestly, you're not even making a tube, you're just decorating it. Materials: -A cardboard tube, ~12 inches long (the sturdier, the better. You can certainly do this with just a wrapping paper tube, but I used a heavier tube used for transporting art, and I would highly recommend it.) - Enough fabric to cover the tube, plus a little extra (you need at least a little overlap on all the edges. I think I ended up using a sheet of crocodile skin pleather about 14" x 12") -...

On the unpredictable roads and torturous wastelands of a post-apocalyptic landscape, it helps to have a few tricks up your sleeve. And if you're short on sleeves or whatnot, this upcycled leather cuff will do in a pinch. Equally at home in several genres, including steampunk and post-apocalyptic, this traveler's cuff features a handy exterior pocket to store a knife, a hidden interior pocket to keep valuable papers and maps safe from the casual eye, and a detachable compass to help you find your way. Materials -Old leather purse -Purse strap with clip -Miniature compass -Snap fastener Tools -Needle/thread 1. Gather the materials This is a pretty simple materials list. I used the remains of a thrift store leather purse I'd used for the Dresden shield bracelet project for the cuff material and strap. I found a miniature compass in the paracord project section at the craft store, 3 for about $3. Really you can salvage it from a lot of random keychains and stuff,...

Steampunk is certainly a fun genre to build a costume for, and doesn't really need a lot of custom clothing pieces to make it work. Or at least the way I do it, since I'm not really going into the complications of corsets and bustles and whatnot. My concept was to build a Victorian age explorer, a naturalist/archaeologist/scientist out to uncover artifacts, document new species, and otherwise venture into the corners of the world that have long been shrouded in rumor and mystery.   I drew a lot of inspiration from Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth, H.G. Well's The Time Machine , Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World , along with the influences of Edgar Rice Burroughs. There have been a lot of adaptations of these works, and that's how I started getting ideas for the basic elements of the costume. Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) aka not the Brendan Fraser one. Journey to the Center of the Earth (1999) The Lost World...

Every steampunk costume needs some sort of crazy device or gadget to set it apart from straight-up Victorian age cosplay. I had thoughts of making a headpiece or a bracer of some kind, but ultimately decided to try making a chest harness. Kind of a steampunk Iron-Man armature. My foray is pretty basic, but could be enhanced further with auxiliary LED lights, pouches on the straps, or using real leather to create a much more intricate harness. Anyway, here's my step-by-step guide to creating a simple light-up harness that can add to any steampunk costume. Materials -Puck light (about 3inch diameter) -PVC toilet flange -Copper spray paint -Spray clear topcoat -"Leather" vinyl fabric -2 slide buckles Tools -Scissors -Hacksaw -File/sandpaper -Needle/thread -Superglue 1. Gather the materials I experimented with some different materials, but ended up sourcing my materials items from home improvement and craft stores. Puck lights are super common, I ...