We started this project back in summer of 2002. I wanted to do something impressive for the Acen Masquerade, and when I saw a picture of Sue, I knew that this would be it.
The Sue costume wasn't difficult construction wise. Just a shirt and shorts. What DID take a while was the corset type object...I made the pattern of that from scratch. Also, wherever you see gold, there was a lot more detail than it seems in the pictures. The detailing took a lot of work.
Though, I suppose, the real impressive part about this costume, is, of course, the wings. They weigh in at about 10 lbs. Not very heavy, ne? The main frame is constructed of wood, the "feathers" are foam core, and the wires are out of an old umbrella of mine. With a lot of time, experimentation, and pulleys, my father and I were able to come up with a design that works, and mounted the wings onto an old peice of barrel. At that point, it was pretty much done.
We did take it to the Acen masquerade, and were very pleased with the audience reaction(thanks everyone!! I appreciated it a lot!), though we didn't win any awards there. It went onward to enter other masquerades, however, leaving me satisfied.
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