Gives you Wings

It's been a while since I gave an update on the Aubrey cosplay, hasn't it? I'll admit, I've gotten sidetracked with other projects, but that doesn't mean this cosplay has fallen completely to the wayside! In between re-learning embroidery, I decided to make the wing decals for the back of the jacket. I already had colored felt and matching thread lying around, so it was just a matter of putting things together. First, I drew a wing design onto a piece of paper, just to get the dimensions right. I wouldn't want to make a pair of wings that was too big for the jacket, right? Satisfied with the size, I proceeded to cut the parts out of felt and pin them together:

Pretty cool so far. I love gradients, and this fiery maroon to yellow one makes me happy! Next, I had to sew everything together. I chose to hand sew, using a blanket stitch around the entire border of each piece in a corresponding thread color. Felt doesn't fray or unravel, so I didn't have to worry about hems or securing the edge with the stitch. Once I finished that, the wings looked like this:

From a distance, the stitches blend in well, but a close up shows my handiwork:

The blanket stitch is a worthwhile stitch to learn if you do any hand-sewing, and it's fairly easy to learn, too. I'll be sure to add a page for hand sewing tutorials soon so you can teach yourself the basics. And then I'll get back to those embroidered patches. Maybe this cosplay will be done by Halloween!