Toralei Stripe Fandom 11/30/2011

Here are some great fan creations I found today!

Toralei by Ask Toralei - http://goo.gl/hq8W1

MHMLP Crossover-Toralei by *Natsuki-ki-ki - http://goo.gl/FBZzG

What's Up Kitty-Catby by MHScreamQueen - http://goo.gl/Zk7OJ

Toralei and Jinx by Honey Head - http://goo.gl/BGGzU
.:Toralei Stripe:.by ~DRCortez02 - http://goo.gl/AvgF7
Toralei in tweed by crystalpix - http://goo.gl/t8Rlx

design toralei by Donovan Dead - http://goo.gl/Snw02

Adventure Time Werecats by Rei Rei - http://goo.gl/3aS1a

Exhausting Day

Today was the day I was hoping to finally pick up all the missing components needed for my Toralei cosplay which I figured was going to be exhausting.. But today started off with being on a TTC bus full of people that witnessed a woman getting hit by a van just as we drove past. She had run out in front of our bus while the light was red to try and reach the other side of the street and I guess didn't realize the van was coming until it was too late. The bus driver had seen everything so he needed to stay to be part of the investigation and give his statement but that meant everyone had to get out and stand on the corner right in front of the woman while the police and then EMS mobilized her and eventually took her away. It wasn't messy or anything but I knew things weren't right because she was much too quiet and they didn't roll her over for maybe 15 minutes. I read an article online a little bit ago saying she had "life-threatening injuries" and "serious head trauma" and nothing sounded overly positive. I hope she pulls out of it and can heal from this. 

Sigh. So that was the start of our day (my partner Matt was a star and joined me). Much of my searching was fruitless but in the end I was able to find arm and leg coverings that were vaguely similar to Toralei's color, a silver rectangular belt buckle that I'm pretty sure will work, and something totally AWESOME which is a kit for printing your own patterns and colors on hair extensions with an inkjet printer!! I've never even heard of anything like it but I'm excited to test it out so I can possibly print the tiger stripes on hair extensions for my wig instead of having to figure out how to color on a wig or something. I'm pretty excited with the possibilities of the technology!

The one thing I have failed to find and I'm totally frustrated about is any kind of quilted coat that I can modify. Nothing! I'm ready to give up. I was really hoping to not have to sew one from scratch because the time that will take AND the cost of the fabric is going to be very hard on me :( I'm feeling kind of bummed with the happenings of the day, being beyond exhausted and STILL not having everything I need. I'm burnt out. 

The Shoes Have ARRIVED!

Yay! I ordered these a few weeks ago and they got delivered last week! These are exactly what I needed for my Toralei cosplay. Shoes are one aspect of a cosplay that I can't make from scratch and that usually leaves me with two options. 1. Meticulously search for a fairly inexpensive option that can be modified by me (and that won't break my feet). 2. Make spats or shoe coverings. 

Option 1 was the only one for this project. The thing about Monster High that makes the characters even more awesome is that they have GLORIOUS PLATFORM SHOES!! This means the stacked platform was non-negotiable :) Below are images of Toralei's shoes, the first is a screencap from one of the cartoon episodes, the second is a photo of the shoes on the doll (still unofficially released in North America). They look nearly the same to me aside from the cartoon version having silver studs along the platform top and red studs along the doll version.

After much searching I finally found shoes online that were as close and I think I was going to find and ordered them. I did take photos of these myself but they are too dark to show the shoe detailing so these are the images from the website I bought them from:

Although the laces don't go all the way down the front of the shoe, I think these are a great real-life version that will work with some modifications. I'll be tracking my progress while I work on these and have photos to post once I have some to show! I plan on  painting over the satin fabric on the platform or I may even be able to remove the fabric and just paint the base. Then it is really just a case of finding something for the studs (or making them out of something like fimo) and adhering them so they are secure. Because the topline of my bootie is lower than on Toralei, I think I am going to make an anklet for the studs on top that sits separate from the shoe. I'll know better once I start experimenting.

Toralei Stripe Fandom continued!

The Toralei Stripe doll has been popping up around the USA the past few weeks and with that I have been seeing even more Toralei inspired fandom in the interwebs :) Here are some of what I've found this week! The first image is actually a "Toralei OC" or "Original Creation" which involves stripping things like the original face paint job and repainting. I think it looks AMAZING! 

Toralei OC by armeleia - http://goo.gl/po1Nm

Jinx and Toralei by N1mh - http://goo.gl/7JKU6

Monster High-Toralei Purrrfect by RavenNoodle - http://goo.gl/ySqlK

"The Party Crashers" by Pepperzzzz - http://goo.gl/i0VZy
Toralei Fan Art by reac3 - http://goo.gl/i0VZy

I posted earlier about a great custom Toralei by dmsajem. Here is an update she did, photographing her custom with the newly available doll!
Toralei vs. Toralei by dmsajem - http://goo.gl/SX4vy

Construction: Toralei's Kerchief - TOTAL HOURS: 3H

For Toralei's kerchief I realized I had the orange color in broadcloth stockpiled already, something that is always a welcome discovery as it means I don't have to spend more money for the time being (or search the entire city for a specific material that might be hard to find). Yay!

Web vs. Doll Differences noted:

-Cartoon version: front bottom corner shows Monster High logo slightly modified from original->black outlines, bow has pink fill but rest of skull is kerchief fill color instead of white. Also, in some clips it looks like there is a pink outline around the edges of the kerchief where the stitching would be but this isn't consistently seen all the time.

-Doll version (upcoming release): plain orange, synthetic fabric

For my version I wanted to use the cartoon version for inspiration because the doll version looks like a cheap add on. I did not put the pink outline on the kerchief edges because there isn't consistency with that effect on the show but as she is showcased more in the weekly episodes I will add it if it starts being shown every week.

Sewing a kerchief is pretty straight-forward. The only thing I needed to do was a quick Google search for the average dimensions of a kerchief (or what many people call a bandana). I found 22" x 22" to be a suitable size and added on a 1" seam allowance to each side cutting out a 24" x 24" square. I went around each edge making a rolled hem, pinning as I measured about every inch and a half and then finally sewing each edge down. I made sure to press each edge well after finishing in order to make it look crisp. 

Next step was to figure out how I wanted to make the MH logo on the front. I decided that to figure out how to make a silk screen was not time efficient considering how small the logo was going to be so I opted for a butcher's paper stencil. Butcher's paper can not be described in any other way than glorious. It is a thick kraft paper that is wax coated on one side and because of this, a stencil can be cut out and the remaining pieces can be safely ironed on to a piece of fabric for a temporarily sealed stencil. It protects the fabric you want to keep from getting inked with the silk screen ink and allows the paper void to be colored in. I traced an MH logo saved in my reference file after testing out a few different sizes on the kerchief to find what size looked the most appropriate. I then cut out the areas I wanted inked black and proceeded to iron it on the kerchief corner. Because the area of the bow where the only other color I would be doing was so small I decided to just eyeball it and paint the area in without a guide after the black ink had dried and I had ironed the logo to seal the ink. After everything had dried, I ironed it again to seal the screen ink and make sure nothing bled when I wore it. 

Overall, it worked pretty well. Being the perfectionist I am when it comes to creative projects, I can see that the fabric grain allowed for the edges to bleed a bit and make the outline of the skull slightly bumpy. So not a resounding success but it looks cute. I will take some photos of myself with it on and I think that will help me decide whether or not this needs to be redone (perhaps just the logo on another corner). I also need to keep in mind this is such a small component and I have bigger things to worry about.. haha

Looking at Toralei Stripe Fandom!

Monster High itself is quite a new series and doll line, only having been released in 2010 (originally developed in 2007). So it isn't surprising that Toralei, who has only had a background presence on the cartoon series until lately and a doll not scheduled for release until December 18/2011 in the USA (and hopefully Canada!), that fan creations inspired by her are really just starting. I've been making a point of daily searching through the web browser, photo sites such as Flickr, and portfolio type websites like Deviantart to keep track of Toralei fandom which is fast growing as her presence grows in the weekly episodes and her doll release approaches. It is really interesting! Here are a few interesting pieces I've found:

Toralei Stripe Ragdoll by Valmont-Of-Lynnwood - http://goo.gl/UTVVr

"Toralei's Prom Dress" by Trilly21 - http://goo.gl/8cewU

Monster High Charms by ai-risa - http://goo.gl/CifLd 

"Page two" by annannannab - http://goo.gl/WLQzD

MH-Ghouls Kissing Ghoulsby *Natsuki-ki-ki - http://goo.gl/Yey9i

I've been noticing a fair amount of Toralei slash artwork! Mainly Toralei x Sarah Screams (as seen in the last two pieces of artwork) and Toralei x Spectra Vondergeist. Will continue to track Toralei fandom as time progresses :)

Toralei Cosplay Construction Starts! - Kerchief

I rarely have all my supplies gathered before I begin physical construction of garments. Usually there is a fair amount of reworking and re-visioning as I start creating my character so it isn't a huge issue. And as I choose projects that are increasingly more difficult, it is harder to find everything I need without A LOT of looking. Luckily I have amassed a stockpile of fabric, notions and supplies that allow me to work on some things while I source more evasive components. Right now I'm mainly concerned about getting arm and leg fabric coverings that match Toralei's skin tone. Definitely the wrong season but I'm hoping I will eventually find it stockpiled somewhere! Also, I'd love to make her coat from scratch but it may be more feasible to find a thin quilted coat second-hand and cannibalize it for the fabric. 


I started working on Toralei's kerchief last night when I figured out I had the orange fabric in my stockpile. Score! I'm making it from scratch which is pretty easy, all I had to do was a Google search to figure out the dimensions and I was on my way! I'm going to finish it up by creating a butcher's paper stencil for the Monster High logo seen on her kerchief in the cartoon and will hopefully be able to post some progress photos by Friday night :)

Toralei Stripe Doll - SDCC Preview/Early Release Images

I'm not too well versed in finding out when the specific dolls are released but it is my understanding that the US (and hopefully Canada) will have the Toralei doll in stores sometime in December 2011. There aren't too many images online but I've posted the best I've found here for reference. Apparently Australia already has the doll in stores as of last week so I'm sure more images will be popping up online soon! I've also included images from the Monster High booth at SDCC 2011 this year where Toralei and a bunch of other dolls were on display :)

  

 

 

Journal Page - Reflections

Toralei Stripe OC by dmsajem

The official Monster High Mattel Toralei doll isn't yet released in stores yet (in North American anyways) but I have found this amazing custom creation by dmsajem on deviantART! From the preview photos of the official upcoming doll, there are alot of things I like much more on this custom, especially the paint job on her face. It looks like the Mattel doll doesn't have the different halfs of her face done in two colors like on the webseries. I love this about her! I don't understand why they didn't keep this consistent. Anyways, this is a great OC :) And kudos for using the Fearleading costume!

Her original work can be found here (she has done an amazing job with other secondary characters too!): http://dmsajem.deviantart.com/

Toralei Stripe & the Werecats - Screencaps