Quick and easy My Hero Academia Cosplay repairs and make - Helmar Creative Team

November is one of our biggest Birthday months in this family, so I try to get ahead on Christmas stuff but the Birthday stuff takes over.
Among the birthdays in November is Mr E and this year he is turning the big 13.  I wanted to do something fun as a suprise for him and I thought why not wake him up in a simple cosplay of his favourite female teacher from My Hero Academia.  It had to be simple as my plan was to create this without his knowledge so I could wake him on his Birthday as Ms Joke so I decided to just make a basic version of the shorts, team them with a black tank and a wig and I would be good to go.  I just wouldn't be able to make the gloves and belt with the time I had and in hiding as all the cosplay making supplies are in the room he uses daily for Distance Education.  My plan had a spanner thrown in the works when Mr C read out loud with E sitting within earshot a Facebook status I had made about it just before his Birthday, E isn't on Facebook, so I thought I was safe to post, how silly of me.

Now onto my Ms Joke Shorts
I bought these green men's swimming shorts from Big W after having no luck finding any shorts at any of my local op-shop.
I set myself up on a folding table in the lounge with these, scissors, wide orange ribbon (2 rolls), Helmar Fabric Glue and Helmar Fray Stoppa.

I cut the ribbon into lengths a little longer than the shorts adhered them down to the shorts with Helmar Fabric Glue, trimmed and then sealed the ends of the ribbon with Helmar Fray Stoppa.







Supper simple and quick to make and they look great for what I need them for.

I had ordered E a My Hero Academia Sports Uniform online so he could cosplay his favourite student, unfortunately the white fabric was fraying and some stitching was super close to the edge so while I had my supplies out I decided to use the Helmar Fray Stoppa to ensure it wouldn't get worse.

First I trimmed off the threads.

Then I ran Helmar Fray Stoppa along the edges, I was a bit wobbly with my application but it isn't noticeable once dry and he is wearing it.




















I think we look pretty great for a couple of quick throw together budget cosplays.  :)

Quick Wallet Repair - Helmar Creative Team

I have a really quick post of how I did a quick repair of my son's wallet with Helmar Fabric Glue as my son loves his Undertale wallet and wants to be able to keep using it and repairing things to reduce what goes to the tip is really important for the planet.

I emptied the wallet and simply ran a line of Helmar Fabric Glue along the fabric that has to adhere under the zip section.

I then held the 2 pieces together until the glue felt touch dry.

I then stood the wallet up with the coin part open and let it dry longer to ensure a strong hold.

My son is so happy that he can keep using his wallet.

DIY Dice Tray - Helmar Creative Team

Today I have a quick DIY gift idea for the Board Game lover in your life, or you could just make it for yourself.   A cool Dice Tray, the boys made these Dice Trays for their Dad for Father's Day and I thought I would share how they created them so those of you needing gift ideas for the Board Game loving people in your life can get started creating gifts for Christmas if you wish.

The purpose of a Dice Tray is to not lose you dice under the couch and to reduce problematic rolls like the dice being cocked, etc.  Keeping this in mind I kept my eye out for some nice deep frames that weren't too big so they didn't occupy too much table space.  I would have loved to upcycle a old frame but after 15 months of scouring op-shops I had no luck so bought the frames from The Reject Shop and I am trying to come up with something to use the glass for or find a artist who will use it and give it to them.
So here is what you need.
Helmar Fabric Glue
Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive
Felt in your preferred colour
2mm and/or 3mm Craft Foam
Deep Photo Frames
Scissors
Pen or Pencil.









Remove the back piece from the frame, this is the part you will be working with. 
You won't need the glass or hanging hardware so save them for something else if you wish.

Place the back piece down on your foam and trace around it.  
Cut on the line. 
Do the same with your felt.

Run some Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive around the outer edge of your back piece and a squiggle in the middle and adhere your foam down.










Once your Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive is dry run some Helmar Fabric Glue around the edge of your foam and adhere down your felt.

Put your frame back together without the glass or hanging hardware and you are ready to role.

E made a mini Dice Tray with Green felt so our awesome DM has something a bit more compact when needed.    He had to test it out with his favourite D20 and he was pretty happy with his role.

Why not make a Dice Tray as a gift for the board game loving person in your life?  They will love it.

Steampunk Spats - Helmar Creative Team

The night before Steamfesta I decided I would try making Steampunk Spats from some brown leather type vinyl fabric I had as my boots were black and my Bag was brown.
If you would like to see the other projects the boys and I made for Steamfesta then check out my Steampunk Googles and Sunglasses post, Steampunk Handbag post and Steampunk Hat post

To create my spats I made a pattern from my shoe following the instructions on Spats pattern making in this tutorial but as my sewing machine was not available I decided to use Helmar Fabric Glue to make my Spats instead of sewing them, except for the under boot strap and button which I hand sewed onto my finished Spats.

I wound up cutting my pattern so the part that had to be joined together was at the front, in future I think I will do the front on the fold so I close it up at the back.
To close the front I glued 1 side down to itself and then glued it on top of the other one using Helmar Fabric Glue and positioning it so it looked like a nice clean seam.








I used Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive to adhere some gorgeous gold trim and some metal cogs and gears to my spats, to give them that Steampunk Feel.

Lessons learned from making my fur boot covers for my Cheshire Cat Cosplay I wanted to make some straps that went under the shoe to hold the spat in place.
I just used some random scraps and glued the edges down with Helmar Fabric Glue to get a nice look to them.

I then hand sewed them on to my spat, cut a slit as a bottom hole and then sewed a cool button to my spat from my op-shop button stash.
How cool do they look?

Steampunk Mini Hat - Helmar Creative Team

Today I have another Steampunk prop for my costume I wore to Steampfesta, today I am sharing how I made my little top hat.
I started by making a tube from 3mm foam, I took a A4 sheet of foam and cut one end off at 4 inches.  Upon completion I feel this is too high so if you are making it try 3inches.  I used some washi to hold my tube together while the Helmar Foam Glue dried, that way I could work on other parts while it dried.

So while it was drying I started work on cutting my base and top.  I really should have used my Silhouette as my hands were so wobbly but it was not accessible at the time. 
For my bottom I cut a circle and then marked my tube in the middle, I then cut triangles in the inner circle and glued them inside my tube, I mixed my glues up and used 450 Quick Dry Adhesive to glue my bottom in, but that's ok, it worked.

I glued my top into my tube with Helmar Foam Glue and then started covering my hat with some lovely velvet.
I used the Helmar Foam Glue to adhere the fabric to the foam and the Helmar Fabric Glue to adhere fabric to fabric.
As I had cut my fabric with pinking sheers to reduce fraying I turned my edge piece in and glued it to itself with Helmar Fabric Glue.

Now to pretty up the top.
I cut a circle of cereal box cardboard and covered it in the velvet fabric and then adhered it to the top of my hat with Helmar Fabric Glue.

To pretty up my base first I cut a ring of velvet to go over the top and then I cut a circle of cereal box cardboard and covered it with velvet.  I wound up covering my hat hole but that is ok as I am adding a headband to the base to help it fit on my head.

Now it was time to decorate my hat.  As so often is the case when I embellish a project my mistakes informed where things would go, I used my embellishments to hide glue I had gotten in the wrong spot and crooked bits of my hat top.
I adhered some gold trim to my hat rim edge with Helmar Fabric Glue to hide the seam between my foam base and cardboard base.





I grabbed out a selection of flowers, feathers, lace and cogs & gears to work with and used Helmar Fabric Glue to adhere the black lace and lace feather and 450 Quick Dry Adhesive to adhere the black feather, flowers and metal pieces.

I was happy with how my decorations looked now I just needed to add a headband so I could wear it.

 I love how my hat turned out.

Steampunk Goggles and Sunglasses - Helmar Creative Team

Today I am sharing with you the Steampunk Googles and Sunglasses the boys and I made for Steamfesta.
As the boys and I were working on our projects at the same time I don't have photos of everything but I wanted to share with you how we made some big goggles with safety glasses from Bunnings and Pringles Cans and then some photos and details about E's toilet roll goggles and my quickly made Sunglasses.
We focused on the boys Goggles first as they were both volunteering at a promotional event and needed at least a pair of Goggles each so we searched Google Images for ideas, watched and read some tutorials and then just played with our collections of bits and pieces and Helmar Glues until we had projects we were happy with.  My Sunglasses would wind up being a last minute thing 2 days before the event as C was having a creative block with his Goggles so we decided I would take over finishing them and he would do Sunglasses but the Goggles didn't suit my costume so once finished and he loved the Goggles we switched.  This has been a creative journey and I wanted to explain how we would up where we did.
First we grabbed together our supplies.  We weren't sure what we would use but having it all out ready was important.
Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive
Helmar Premium Craft Glue
Helmar Gemstone Glue
Helmar Fabric Glue
Paint
Gesso
Watch parts
Cogs and Gears
Pringles cans
Safety Glasses
Toilet Roll
Cutting Mat
Craft Knife
Picture Frame Hanging bits
Brads
Trim
Yogurt Pouch lids
Medication bottles
Physiotherapy/Yoga tubing.

For the Safety Goggles/Pringles Can Steampunk Goggles we cut down the Pringles cans and used the tops.
C adhered them to the Safety Goggles with Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive.

Once the glue was dry C gave the Safety Goggles and Pringles cans a coat of gesso followed by Black paint and then he added metallic paints over these, at first just using a brush and then rubbing with his fingers as this got better results.
And this is when C got stuck, he wanted his Goggles to have certain aspects that created a creative block for him so they sat waiting to be finished for a few weeks until 3 days before the event I asked if I could take over finishing them and instead he Steampunk some metal framed Sunglasses by adding watch parts to them.
Photos are limited of this next stage as I needed both hands and couldn't use my camera while doing them, but I will talk you through how I did it.
I started by adding some grey trim like the brown trim I used on my Steampunk Handbag that I had rubbed gold paint on, adhereing it around the Goggles where the Pringles Cans meet the Safety Goggles to hide the seam I used Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive to adhere this to my Goggles.
I then added cogs and gears in the bridge of the nose section using Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive to add some cogs and gears to this area, starting with a wood veneer one I had painted to bring it up to the level of the trim.

Next I painted some Physio/Yoga tubing with some black paint and then with gold paint and figured out how I could attach it to my Goggles but poking one end into the bridge of the nose section so it was adhered both down to the Goggles and the gear and trim with Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive.  I then worked out a pathway for this smallish piece and adhered that down with Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive adding a Yogurt Pouch Lid I had painted with black paint and then rubbed gold and silver paint to on top of the tubing with a lot of Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive.

I then added another tiny bit of the Physio/Yoga tubing as the Yogurt Pouch Lid needed something else under the other side and adhere it down where it looked like it should go.
I then hid imperfections with Cogs and Gears.
To finish off I painted my dry glue first in black and then adding metallic pain to make what what visible look like welds.

 While I was working on decorating the Goggles C worked on the Sunglasses.  They turned out so cute.
He used Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive to adhere the watch parts to the bridge of the nose as he forgot the Helmar Gemstone Glue was on the table next to him.







And our third pair of Goggles are E's toilet paper roll Goggles which he made while C was making the base of his Safety Goggles/Pringles Can Steampunk Goggles.  I have only one photo from the creation process but I will talk you through it.
E cut the toilet rolls into the needed shape with the help of a adult and cut some strips to add rims around the Goggles and a piece for the bridge of the nose.
He adhered the rims and nose piece to his Goggles with Helmar Premium Craft Glue.
He painted his Goggles first with a base of black and then bronze, brass and silver.
He then added some picture hanging bits to the sides of his Goggles with brads and threaded some of the brown trim I used on my handbag through the picture hanging bits.  Adhering the Trim back on itself with Helmar Fabric Glue.

He then adhered various watch parts to his Goggles with Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive.
They turned out so cute and look perfect on his hat.

Spidey Mask Pillowcase - Helmar Creative Team

My 21 year old daughter loves Spiderman so I wanted to make her a Spiderman pillowcase or cushion cover as a gift.  I thought I would try using the fabric markers I won from The Hero Studio to draw a web on a red pillowcase and using Helmar glue to add felt in the shape of the eyes of the mask onto it.

You will need.
A red pillowcase or cushion cover
Lead pencil
Black Fabric Marker
Black felt
White felt
Helmar Fabric Glue
Foam core board or cardboard the approximate size of your pillowcase or cushion cover.

Pre-wash your pillowcase for best results with the fabric marker.
Place the foam core board or cardboard inside the pillowcase.
Draw the web on the pillowcase with a lead pencil first, making sure your web centre is fairly close to the centre of the pillowcase.  The long lines I used a ruler but wanted a more natural look for the curved lines between them so just free-handed them and embraced the wobbles. 
Then use the Fabric Marker to get nice black lines, you may need to go over your lines twice, just take your time the second time.

Cut the eye shapes out of the felt.
Glue the black eye shape to the pillowcase with Helmar Fabric Glue.
Make sure you get good coverage, if you need to once it is stuck down just add a little glue in around the edge to get it down all the way.
Glue the white shape to the black with Helmar Fabric Glue.

How awesome does my spidey mask pillow look?
And my daughter loved it so that makes me happy :)

Using Helmar Fabric Glue made this such a quick and easy project.  Now I am thinking about other cushion cover and pillowcase ideas.  What sort of design would you like to create with Helmar Fabric Glue?