Nativepunk outfit sneak peek
For those of you who have been wondering about the progress of my Weird West Steampunk Nativepunk outfit I’ve been working on here is a sneak peek. Feedback is always welcome, but remember this is a work in progress.
The character I am working on is a techno-mystic, a revolutionary or some might say terrorist, so she does adapt and mix tech and natural energies/objects to suit her needs. I am hoping to show that in her accessories as well as in the decorations on her clothing. I don’t have a name for her yet, but when the time is right the name will come to me.
The base alterations are nearly complete on the hunting jacket. Besides some clean up and shaping, I’ve added panels for lacing on both sides and on each sleeve. I’ve also finished one of the four pieces of loom work that will flank each side of the side lacing, and have begun on the second. Now currently when fitted the jacket hangs open, but if I decide I want it to actually close and button the front I can add a panel between the two already existing lacing panels on each side. Right now I have some hard leather lacing in place but I hope to find something a bit more steam punky for the lacing in those areas either as strip lacing or braid work. The jacket itself will hold a good deal more beadwork, trim, and other decorations, but the base alterations and the loop work on the side and sleeves are top priority right now. The other stuff I can even add up to and during Teslacon in November which is when I plan to debut both outfits. There is a ton of work still to do.
Here is the loom work for the sides. Each side will have two of these which run about 16 ½ inches long and an inch wide. These are all handmade and designed by me. I used variations based on the colors of a medicine wheel (for ease I stuck to a standard 4 color directional wheel rather then the Cherokee seven and also because I liked the feel of using red, black, yellow, and white as also a symbol of solidarity of the multicultural movement in steam punk) and also using geometric patterns that have series of four and sevens, numbers sacred to my people. As you can see to give it more steam punky feel I substituted the yellow for gold and added some opalescent beads to give an unnatural feeling sheen to areas. the red beads with in the "eye" shapes are more brown red to symbolize the blood of her people and others like them that the dominant powers have spilled upon the land of her ancestors. Variations of red accents will be a common theme in both outfits for this reason.
The hunting jacket is one aspect of one of the two Nativepunk outfits I’m designing, one general use, one fancywear. The hunting jacket is part of the general use outfit, which will include a patchwork leather top and a pair of blue jeans that have lacing up each side. The fancy outfit will have a dress, a patchwork deerskin corset, and perhaps some leggings and leather gauntlets. With both outfits I will wear my Minnetonka moccasins for now because of their brass fittings looking kind of steam punky ( at least until I can find time to make the traditional Cherokee moccasins), my Stetson hat ( looking on designing some loom work for that, perhaps later on when I get a hold of some brain tanned leather doing a quill work hatband), and a two tier belt that will hold my various pouches and gun holster. I’m also designing a staff with the working light up top that looks like candlelight for gaslight, with animals carved in spiral up the staff.
The character I am working on is a techno-mystic, a revolutionary or some might say terrorist, so she does adapt and mix tech and natural energies/objects to suit her needs. I am hoping to show that in her accessories as well as in the decorations on her clothing. I don’t have a name for her yet, but when the time is right the name will come to me.
The base alterations are nearly complete on the hunting jacket. Besides some clean up and shaping, I’ve added panels for lacing on both sides and on each sleeve. I’ve also finished one of the four pieces of loom work that will flank each side of the side lacing, and have begun on the second. Now currently when fitted the jacket hangs open, but if I decide I want it to actually close and button the front I can add a panel between the two already existing lacing panels on each side. Right now I have some hard leather lacing in place but I hope to find something a bit more steam punky for the lacing in those areas either as strip lacing or braid work. The jacket itself will hold a good deal more beadwork, trim, and other decorations, but the base alterations and the loop work on the side and sleeves are top priority right now. The other stuff I can even add up to and during Teslacon in November which is when I plan to debut both outfits. There is a ton of work still to do.
Here is the loom work for the sides. Each side will have two of these which run about 16 ½ inches long and an inch wide. These are all handmade and designed by me. I used variations based on the colors of a medicine wheel (for ease I stuck to a standard 4 color directional wheel rather then the Cherokee seven and also because I liked the feel of using red, black, yellow, and white as also a symbol of solidarity of the multicultural movement in steam punk) and also using geometric patterns that have series of four and sevens, numbers sacred to my people. As you can see to give it more steam punky feel I substituted the yellow for gold and added some opalescent beads to give an unnatural feeling sheen to areas. the red beads with in the "eye" shapes are more brown red to symbolize the blood of her people and others like them that the dominant powers have spilled upon the land of her ancestors. Variations of red accents will be a common theme in both outfits for this reason.
The hunting jacket is one aspect of one of the two Nativepunk outfits I’m designing, one general use, one fancywear. The hunting jacket is part of the general use outfit, which will include a patchwork leather top and a pair of blue jeans that have lacing up each side. The fancy outfit will have a dress, a patchwork deerskin corset, and perhaps some leggings and leather gauntlets. With both outfits I will wear my Minnetonka moccasins for now because of their brass fittings looking kind of steam punky ( at least until I can find time to make the traditional Cherokee moccasins), my Stetson hat ( looking on designing some loom work for that, perhaps later on when I get a hold of some brain tanned leather doing a quill work hatband), and a two tier belt that will hold my various pouches and gun holster. I’m also designing a staff with the working light up top that looks like candlelight for gaslight, with animals carved in spiral up the staff.