The Art of Finishing

Sometimes "complete" is good enough.

As a lifelong, self-loathing perfectionist, I used to have a bad habit of giving up on personal projects that weren’t living up to my standards. Eventually, I learned the importance of trusting the process — or at least giving its evolution a chance — and the satisfaction of finishing. Even if it’s not perfect or what I originally intended, it’s done. No loose ends, no pang of guilt whenever I think of the abandoned, half-complete thought. It’s the adult hobby equivalent of turning in homework you’re not quite confident in, rather than not turning it in at all. Maybe you’ll get a C, but it’s better than a zero.

And anyway, it’s a learning experience. Practice makes perfect and so on and so forth.

While I’ve gotten better at finishing projects even if they’re not perfect, I have arguably gotten worse at sharing them. Self-doubt, poor memory, habitual creation-mode? Maybe a bit of all three. In this case, it’s also because I shared a few peeks at the making of this costume and they weren’t as well-received as I hoped. For all the work I put in, I was hoping it would have better visibility — and when it didn’t, I guess I got deflated and abandoned sharing the rest. It’s silly, I know!

Tights // Mary Janes

When I started this project, I had a very different vision in my head. But time, my mental capacity, and budget had limitations that wouldn’t allow for my dream to be fully realized. After all, this was just for fun. I don’t have a stage to wear it on or a place to wear it to — it’s just fantasy for the sake of fantasy.

I spent hours upon hours making tulle bows for the boa and trim of the dress, and hand-stitched it to the hem. I kind of love mindless tasks like that, because it gives me a great reason to watch my “bad shows” aka anything on Bravo.

I have to give credit where credit is due: I knew I wanted to make my own boa, and I knew the general idea of how to make one, but this video by Maison Burlesque gave me the confidence that I was on the right track…and also gave me the idea of adding the tassels.

The goal with this project was to create a Winter costume using as many pieces I had on hand as possible, as well as some clearance holiday items that sparked the idea in the first place. The snowflakes and glittery wreath picks were on sale for pennies on the dollar, while the fabric was yardage leftover from a 2020 project that I never completed (see? Growth).

I transformed the wig from a cheap, hard-front, long wig into something that could at least be worn with the hairline covered. The headpiece is made from the aforementioned holiday pieces, bamboo sticks, EVA foam, faux pearls, and leftover rhinestone pieces from my craft bin. Making flashy headdresses is a great way to use up scraps in the craft bin!

Anyway, I finished it. And though it wasn’t what I wanted in my head, I was still pretty pleased with the end result. Even if I did forget to share the photos.

If you’d like a tutorial for the boa or headpiece, please let me know!