This one is a little something I made for my friend SEM, who is generally awesome. I only made the hat! SEM is responsible for the rest.
Anywho, she was putting together this TF2 Pyro (team BLU) costume for a con, and wanted her very own Madame Dixie, her favorite Hats Fortress 2 accessory. She's always doing nice stuff for me, so I made her a hat! She picked the base and sent it to me, and I made the rest.
In case you were curious- you make felt hats by steaming a hatbody and shaping it over a hat block (I made a cheap and easy block of a sort that is great for costuming, but generally inadvisable if you plan to make hats regularly). You then stiffen it (using chemicals), sew in a hatband, put some wire around the brim and a little grosgrain to cover it, then decorate away. I had to make those tiny little silk roses because I couldn't find any. It was slightly a pain, but I think it actually made it look a little more accurate.
It's slightly too tall, and has a little bump on the top (you can't see that here, you'd have to be looking at it the right way), and the stiffener I have really doesn't work that well... But overall I'm pleased, especially considering that I essentially made this in two days (heh...).
And yes, she does have a gas mask. She's just not wearing it here. So I am told: The pose is based on a special Pyro taunt from the Saxxy event.
Photo by *Yukai-Kasumi Thanks Yukai!
