http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/06/meat_dress.html
From Mrs Weins crafting website.
From Mrs Weins crafting website.
Meatwad
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
completed March 2009
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
completed March 2009
This is the most awesome, disgusting thing I have ever made. I reeked of salty bacon and salami, which I found out is actually quite alluring to guys. If you ever need a date, I highly recommend wearing a meat dress. I badly wanted to go to a vegan restaurant in it. Or walk through the park and make dog friends. Alas, the best things in life are fleeting, and after the party, it had to be disposed of. *sigh* I miss my meat dress. :/
The photo location was perfect. It was squalid enough to look like ATHF's neighborhood, and bonus: an old refrigerator with the meat drawer. Somehow this filthy backyard was like the best birthday present ever.
Inspiration
I had an ATHF birthday party. Why Meatwad? Well, he's a big pile of meat. I love meat. I wanted to make the costume as smelly and gross as possible, because Meatwad is smelly and gross. Sure, I could have chosen a fabric that looked like meat, or done a mascot costume. However, I thought it'd be hilarious (and totally accurate!) to do it out of real meat. I didn't think it was feasible, but the more I thought about it, it became the ONLY OPTION.
Construction
I contemplated many ideas, including beef jerky, ham, ground beef, prosciutto... but they were all too expensive, thick, and/or runny. I chose salami because it's thin, keeps in one piece, and is quite cheap, and bacon because it looks very, um, meaty. I considered somehow vacuum-sealing sheets of meat with those sealers they have on the markets now, but the machines were too expensive for a one-time-only disposeable dress. I ended up using the K.I.S.S. method of construction, which involved a basic shift dress out of thick cotton. I layed the meat on top, then put clear vinyl over it and sewed tracks with clear thread. I used a wide stitch length to avoid perforating the meat to the point it might just... uh, slide down the bottom of the dress. I also blotted it all before sewing to get rid of as much grease as possible to avoid clouding the vinyl. Lastly, I made sure to bind the bottom of the dress with a strip of clear vinyl to catch drips. (I love talking about this; it's so disgusting.) The whole project took about 6 hours, and I kept it refrigerated until the party. Good times.
The photo location was perfect. It was squalid enough to look like ATHF's neighborhood, and bonus: an old refrigerator with the meat drawer. Somehow this filthy backyard was like the best birthday present ever.
Inspiration
I had an ATHF birthday party. Why Meatwad? Well, he's a big pile of meat. I love meat. I wanted to make the costume as smelly and gross as possible, because Meatwad is smelly and gross. Sure, I could have chosen a fabric that looked like meat, or done a mascot costume. However, I thought it'd be hilarious (and totally accurate!) to do it out of real meat. I didn't think it was feasible, but the more I thought about it, it became the ONLY OPTION.
Construction
I contemplated many ideas, including beef jerky, ham, ground beef, prosciutto... but they were all too expensive, thick, and/or runny. I chose salami because it's thin, keeps in one piece, and is quite cheap, and bacon because it looks very, um, meaty. I considered somehow vacuum-sealing sheets of meat with those sealers they have on the markets now, but the machines were too expensive for a one-time-only disposeable dress. I ended up using the K.I.S.S. method of construction, which involved a basic shift dress out of thick cotton. I layed the meat on top, then put clear vinyl over it and sewed tracks with clear thread. I used a wide stitch length to avoid perforating the meat to the point it might just... uh, slide down the bottom of the dress. I also blotted it all before sewing to get rid of as much grease as possible to avoid clouding the vinyl. Lastly, I made sure to bind the bottom of the dress with a strip of clear vinyl to catch drips. (I love talking about this; it's so disgusting.) The whole project took about 6 hours, and I kept it refrigerated until the party. Good times.
Wicker Park, Chicago, 2009 [photos by Daguru]
