I decided to use polymer clay for the cage. It will look a little like metal, but is pretty easy to work with.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz47U2hkE2_qTyyRxC9fZirVpUSIrd8GjD_H8SKc5CkGuVUDVk0JHaSOcnjxMhHNa2NpSog4tSwplOW_WvoUxgEcG0xTvMMNv31jRYBVbrIu5NEu2jbzB9PgvpYZaTH8QSPoAz58T2vIk/s320/Post39-1.jpg)
I kneaded the clay (I used Sculpey), then put it in an extruder with a small round shape. Since it is REALLY hard to push the plunger on the extruder by hand, I used a caulking gun to help.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbj5LAcErnlofU0ZSufi15pW9SqeEgXlOdjdcGaKZl4TcYfRbz6lY7SZqB-310uWWiP0n43MsQG62I-j8-Sv_wFuUmy_SVz6s-aHpTaXHqgqY67YYV0gj2ls2FZeht-5XFkRLoWh8x-Vg/s320/Post39-2.jpg)
I covered the base with aluminum foil since I didn't know if the Sculpey would stick to the paper mache when it bakes.
Then, I extruded long snakes of the clay, then arranged it on the foil-covered base and used a gold powder on the raw clay.
I baked the cage on the base in a 275 degree oven for 15 minutes.
After the cage was out of the oven and cooled (it is REALLY pliable while warm), I took off the cage and covered the base with a red micro-fiber. I used a hot glue gun to attach it and approached it like an upholstery project.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ45W-2MQxXDJilDQkwmyr105eKtlxQVupzSoVnTfmIOEel0WGXhOI37foLp-Ud7MZvSWvWX66P9bxGNnqssIZuz7nT393D5UiOedGAMsGbGaDEpzhgzz5z_FD0Zqn5pKc3B1sQ2pvd5U/s320/Post39-4.jpg)
For the post-like structures, I ran the Sculpey through a pasta machine and baked it, so I had flat sheets to cut into strips. I glued the strips to the fabric to make boxes, then glued the boxes to the sides of the middle section. I had to cut the bottom of the posts at an angle to make them fit on without gaps.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS4Lk1lfc6bPVNwD3E_paQO9JseJV6Jqp9xf6oL048GLBpaXIIMt12VzrZVyZVjxE-9CBKZtVSI1x-fARkmv3OQDWP0RcgeXK3PwGhnPL0W5xww9nYxu0Ma8FxOxkUv0LZ-QS0D3EIzSE/s320/Post39-6.jpg)
Now for the crescent shaped wings. After several test muslins, I got a working pattern and cut out four pieces of fabric. I sewed the right sides together, clipped, notched and then stuffed each one. I sewed the ends closed.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Rkon8MMqLrHvyNKVkNKIqzzG8pDI7n80eL9nlCBJYjieKwQyq3eWVa8m3qpdpNLzZiVR0w85blgKWFWrLZd7CYYLTGnyRt-Psb_3VeQHpjbTZbDf5ZBmsm5N_uwLEQflZXfmd6mVv-M/s320/Post39-7.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfNv5N5Msqd86lY6qqUnTPxkGZs4RS-fdAD5bdC6D6BmCC1qVDe-bS8FNaWlMlCIARJlpppKtmb2C-7aSYirLl_4eDx9M6Lg9inCmO1xfp4__53Xr23BhBf4l0BbQudQyJAzwUu-5cNHU/s320/Post39-8.jpg)
The hardest part of this was figuring out how to attach the hair to wrap around the crescents. It was a lot of trial and error. In the end, I cut the hair from a wig into sections and glued it into fabric strips using obscene amount of hot glue. After it was cooled, I shoved the strips into a slit in the crescent. One of the tricks is to make the hair strips the right length so that you don't have to shove too much hair into the crescent.
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Blister on Finger... hot glue is hot. |
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Lesson of the week: Hot glue it hot. You can see one of the blisters on my index finger in the photo above. I am sad to report I had to learn that lesson on three different fingers.
After both ends were in the slots, I used another obscene amount of hot glue to close the slit.I also used spray adhesive to tack down any stray hairs.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmNRglH_x5bA0uMS7nRzb98ScKp1FQn2q-MKHsHQPZsmc7Aglg3QW9I52C7qs5ywloLlvK40xIFdAAhpr4smCpiP0pS6ozQblk0AjXR8w2fGz1D1vGQZc0F0nyMMfSwqEI5vMkn5dgiY/s320/Post39-13.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC__FH4rqBxroRU25r9fHOIkH2yEYyyKrwo8LdyM10O7vdS_4NxXeaLCw8eeUMQmP_G2HCjm1EV5sMR4bvGnnL9OdrDKzMaIo8iIrxW3Vzr2gWgVXyW1_ykJ4PgFk_I_OctEc17c4hJ48/s320/Post39-11.jpg)
Last, I hot glued the top of the crescents to the posts and sewed the bottom parts to the fabric on bottom of the base for support. I think it would rip off of the posts if it had to rely on that for the only support.
Here is the finished headdress. If I had it to do again, I would put more hair on it, but I didn't have another wig, so it doesn't have as much as I would like.
Sabe Costume Part 1 Dress
Sabe Costume Part 2 Vest
Sabe Costume Part 3 Headdress
Sabe Costume Part 4 Headdress
Sabe Costume Part 5 All Together Now
Hello, i'm trying to make Sabé's costume... I'm happy to discover your blog, waouh, your headdress is simply fantastic !!!! I won't do it like you, it's too difficult for me ! But your tutorial will help me. I just say bravo !!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'd love to see yours. I really had no idea how to start this. I am sure there are more efficient ways to make it, but I just ended up doing a combination of different things until it looked like something. Totally winged it.
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