I’m pleased that so many of you are using the shoutbox to ask questions about costumes. Today’s post is about answering some of those questions.

Last week I covered the question of Wendy Watson. Since then, I’ve been searching stores for the green vest and have failed to find anything other than charcoal or black. Perhaps you could find one of the black ones on clearance for less than $10 (similar price of a pattern). Take apart the vest and use it as a pattern for a green Wendy vest. Good luck.

On to the scrappy Laura Ingalls Wilder. I wore a calico dress when I was ten and played pioneer girl and young Annie Oakley. Here are a few nice patterns from Simplicity and McCall’s that can be used to make a Laura-style dress. You can keep it simple with just the dress or add a cotton pinafore. Look for calico patterns with small flowers. To play the Mrs. Wilder version, use a similar adult pattern or put together a conservative blouse with a cameo and skirt. Wear your hair in a period adult style like a braided bun. If sewing isn’t your thing, hit the western wear store nearest you and ask for suggestions on where to look for a prairie dress.

Looks like Jem is next in the tag. I found a commercial costume available. It’s not cartoon accurate, but it’ll work if you want ready-to-wear. CandyApple Costumes has some fun rocker wigs. Check out the cartoon wardrobe for costume ideas for Jem and the other characters. Jem’s memorable concert attire is a pink wrap dress. That should be an easy pattern to find and sew. Get your friends together to round out the Holograms, the Misfits, and the Stingers. Don’t forget to have a Rio. Nothing like a purple-haired man to up your 80s cool factor.

The human piñata is a great idea, Guest_3348. I’ve pondered this a bit. Party stores carry wigs that are made of paper or plastic strips. Usually they come in mascot colors like yellow, green, or blue and marketed on the sports fan aisle. Its a great example of wig possibilities. Pick up a cheap bald cap and glue strips of construction paper to it. I worry tissue paper is too weak to hold up for long periods of wear. As for the mask, I don’t recommend gluing paper, tissue or construction, to your face. Craft stores sell mask blanks. Use the blank as a base for the piñata mask. Since some piñatas are made of paper mache, the paper mache method would also work for a mask. Finish the paper mache mask with markers or paint.

Last up for today is another person in need of a Dr. Horrible costume. Before Dragon Con I posted a quick how-to. Queza7 wrote a detailed sewing how-to by modifying a Matrix jacket pattern. PJ Otaku left a helpful comment.

Keep the questions coming. I’m having fun and I hope you are too.

Good question Skymouth. I was writing about Dr. Horrible today anyway, why not talk about the coat?

Dr. Horrible wears the classic mad scientist smock. Some call it a Dentist smock or a Howie coat. Also consider Chef’s coats as a possible match. The reason it is not a Dentist smock, but is very similar, is Dentist smocks are typically short-sleeved. Horrible’s coat is long-sleeved, white, buttoned at the shoulder, and long with side slits. Don’t fret, I have a suggestion.

We ordered our coat (product MCCX1) from a UK supplier. I can not testify to its quality as it has not yet arrived. International shipping is notoriously hard to track. My fingers are crossed. (They canceled the order and failed to refund.) Some costumers have taken to sewing the gown/coat. Admittedly, it’s a simple pattern for an experienced sewer, but us regular folks are better not to try it. My last suggestion is to buy a costume smock and modify it.

The Mad Scientist is very close. Remove all the black buttons. Then attach four buttons to the shoulder. Basic white or clear buttons are fine. Check the length and sides. You’ll want to hem if it hits below mid-shin. Add slits up the sides if none exist. The slit should reach the hip. This is an easy fix requiring only scissors and a straight seam (sew or heat bond). You might also want to take the scrap of length cut to make a waist band for back vents. Finally, add the caduceus logo right front pocket area. We ended up doing this and the results can be seen here.

Skymouth, Dr. Horrible’s coat is likely Dr. Simon Tam’s coat from Firefly. They look identical to me and the costume designer is the same. It could mean the coat was a custom job inspired by the antiseptic Frankenstein look. Let me know if you find something.

Good luck.

My Dr. Horrible post was going to be about the ever troublesome goggles. We had some on order. Back order, actually. That wasn’t a big deal because we knew that all the major suppliers were being overrun with orders. Just a few days ago we were finally notified that the back order that was supposed to take 10 days (ordered in July) will not be available until the first of September. Since we need them for Dragon Con which takes place Labor Day weekend that date was unacceptable. The order is now cancelled.

I’ve called all the local welding supply shops only to find none of them carry a model similar to Dr. Horrible’s goggles. I have found them online but most are international shops and can not be trusted to arrive stateside in two weeks. I’ve ordered them from a questionable little discount store. I have an order number but no tracking number as yet. The order will need to ship by Monday if we have any hope of taking the goggles to D*C. My fingers are crossed and I continue to call stores looking for the goggles.

I’m a Horrible fan.

Two weeks ago the internet met Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog. It’s the child of the Whedon brothers with help from Maurissa Tancharoen, Shawna Trpcic, Ben Edlund, and many many others. The short story follows Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris) as he tries to come to terms with being evil. The problem is he has a soft side, a lovey-dovey “I believe in love and puppies” soft side. That just doesn’t cut it when you’re trying to join the Evil League of Evil. We follow Horrible as he fights his nemesis Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion) and woos Penny (Felicia Day) the girl from the laundromat.

It’s a musical.

Check Hulu for live showings or purchase a season pass from itunes. A DVD chock full of extras is being developed as well as a soundtrack. You can read more about Captain Hammer at the Darkhorse Comics myspace. Best of all, you can purchase emblem tees from Jinx.

We’ve decided to scrap the Waffler for the time being in favor of a Dr. Horrible costume. Like so many other fans, the goggles are proving to be very difficult find. It seems the manufacturer changed the body color a few years ago and nobody bothered to update the catalog photos. People are receiving goggles other than what they thought they ordered. I’m expecting the wrong ones to arrive some time next week. Sigh. In the mean time, I have my Kaylee goggles.

Check out my friend Manny at My Disguises for tips on costume pieces.

So, do I look like a Horrible groupie?