Steampunk Outfit

For Elf Fantasy Fair 2011 I decided to go steampunk. It's much more fun going dressed than in plain clothes, and steampunk has the added advantage of playing with mechanical type things in making one's outfit.
My first attempt was published earlier, see the next steps.

For Elf Fantasy Fair 2012 I decided to try and fix some of the shortcomings of the 2011 outfit. I think it was quite successful. Again I was snapped by numerous people, but mostly I enjoyed walking around oggling the other steampunkers!

The outfit now consists of (from top to bottom):
- hat, with cog badge and steampunk 'feather';
- goggles - see my other instructable;
- dressshirt (no mods);
- ribbon tie;
- waistcoat - I bought this, it was soo much better than the one I made;
- fobwatch on a chain;
- steam thrower - see my other instructable;
- wrist steam pistol;
- side sporran (with Robin Hobb's "Asassin's Apprentice" inside, for signing)
- umbrella in scabard (rain was forecast, and it did!)
- black trousers with no mods;

The 2011 outfit follows.

Elf Fantasy Fair 2011 outfit:
It's nowhere near the best steampunk I've seen, but I had fun making it and wearing it. I tried to buy as little as possible and make the outfit from stuff I had or junk that I bought on the market.

The outfit consists of (from top to bottom):
- hat, with cog badge and steampunk 'feather';
- goggles - see my other instructable;
- dressshirt (no mods);
- ribbon tie (made from 2 straps from a boutique shopping bag);
- waistcoat with tails (made from an old curtain);
- fobwatch on a chain;
- steam thrower - see my other instructable;
- wrist steam pistol;
- old trousers with some minor mods;
- chap-spats (the arms cut off an old leather jacket bought at the market);

As it takes quite some time to build up steam in the steam thrower, I made a wrist steam pistol to dispatch baddies while the steam builds up. It has a spherical storage which holds enough steam for one shot (so I must be extra accurate, I can't afford to miss). The barrel is made of a bit of water pipe, with a fitting on each end (closed at the back, open at the front). It is fixed onto a leather strap (with eyelets and a shoe lace on the inside of the wrist to hold it firmly on the wrist) using copper wire and 2 rusty brackets. The barrel is a bit short, I might make it longer some time to increase the accuracy of the pistol.
You must be careful to mount it correctly otherwise you might shoot your own elbow off.

This I made from an old curtain. I just cut a pattern (not a very good one, but hey, it's my first) from paper and then the material. Subsequently sewed the front to the lining of all 4 pieces then sewed it all together.
The last steps were the buttonholes and buttons.
It fits the outfit because it is unusual, and quirky like the rest.

My hat is made from the basic felt hat form (that all hats are made of, the maker told me, at last year's Elf Fantasy Fair).
I added a cog emblem on the from from tin can, and a steampunk feather on the side. It looks like it's made of a clock spring but it's actually the frame of an old Walkman headphones! Bent to shape and then adorned with some cogs from a clock. The base is made of a clock plate, bolted to the hat with small (M3) brass bolts.