Author Archives: mcgrewsadmin

About mcgrewsadmin

Big fan of all art forms, systems theories, cultural studies, fantasy and sci-fi, costume and fashion history, monsters, essays, novels, biographies, films, politics and most music.

Custom Tailoring: Royal Manticoran Navy Uniforms

cosplay Cosplay & Characters costumes fan costumes social phenomena Tailoring No Comments
Royal Manticoran Navy Custom Uniform

2017. Custom Costume for Dakota

Fans of the Royal Manticoran Navy and Honor Harrington Fan Association celebrate author David Weber’s detailed universe with specific uniforms. We tailored this one for Dakota in a beautiful wool with gold trim, piping and all his military insignia specific to his rank and character in this universe.

Royal Manticoran Navy Custom Uniform
Royal Manticoran Navy Custom Uniform
Royal Manticoran Navy Custom Uniform
Royal Manticoran Navy Custom Uniform

Costume Restoration: Vintage Mr. Peanut

alterations Cosplay & Characters costumes Mascots repairs No Comments
Vintage Mr. Peanut costume, restored and ready for action.

2018:
Melissa’s vintage treasure needed some help.  Hraefn Wulfson restored and repainted her beloved Mr. Peanut costume and now her family can enjoy him for generations!

 

Before: Mr. Peanut’s paint is worn and his internal load-bearing areas need strengthening because of splits and cracks!

 

First, all of his broken armseye edges, glue and foam remnants have to be removed-

 

Next, Hraefn fabricates new ABS plastic support structures and installs them into the armseyes using brand new rivets plus comfy new foam where this costume rests on the wearer’s shoulders-

 

Owning the urban landscape and ready to go home:) Freshly repainted and structural integrity saved! Plus, he gets a brand new monacle and his old scratchy metal screens replaced with new soft fiberglass screens.

 

Melissa, lookin’ like a Boss Mr. Peanut, ready to greet the trick-or-treaters on Halloween!

PENNYWISE: CUSTOM COSTUME

cosplay Cosplay & Characters costumes Tailoring Uncategorized No Comments
Pennywise custom costume by McGrew Studios.

2017:
Victor V. wanted a custom Pennywise costume for the premiere of IT, and this was a very cool project with some swell fabrics: Two colors of silk dupioni with great rouching and piping details all over the place, then garnished with wool yarn pom poms plus some great paisley trimmings and tassel fringe.  His makeup is by one of the artists at the Fear Factory right here in Salt Lake. Victor tells us he will be resurrecting Pennywise when the IT sequel hits the theaters in 2019:)

 

custom fitting- in the shop

custom fitting – in the shop

Custom clown spats in white canvas and black leather over platform shoes!

making some nifty custom spats

Pennywise- fabrics and trim: Silk dupioni and wool yarns

Fresh costume – looks a bit cleaner than a monster who’s been living in the sewers and caverns for a millenia:)

on the tracks outside out shop in the Granary District, Salt Lake City

 

 

 

Pennywise- waiting patiently for the IT sequel

Custom Surcotes & Caparisons: DGY Jousting

costume and fashion history costumes jousting pageants Tailoring No Comments
DGY Jousting in their new 2018 attire by McGrew Studios.

August 4, 2018

 

We made custom costumes for Young Living’s jousters, horses and squires in this fantastic project. This is the DGY (David Gary Young) Jousting Team of Young Living Farm in Mona, Utah, and they are amazing.

 

DGY Jousting during Utah’s 2018 “Days of ’47” events at the Utah State Fairpark. Photo: David Boyd

 

The open, lattice-like costumes for the horses are called caparisons and their face shields are called chamfrons. We’ve created these with leather cut-work and inlay, embellished with decorative metal pieces, rivets and crystals.

 

DGY Jousting during Utah’s 2018 “Days of ’47” events at the Utah State Fairpark. Photo: David Boyd

 

We built the horse gear using chrome-tanned leathers backed with synthetic Rhino Cloth for extra weight, durability and resistance to wear and mildew.  Each horse echoes its jouster’s colors and sometimes his or her coat of arms, as in the case of Jacob Young’s dragons in black and red.

 

The word caparison originates from the 1585–95 Middle French caparasson (now caparaçon) and the Old Spanish caparazón, akin to capa or cape.

 

DGY Jousting during Utah’s 2018 “Days of ’47” events at the Utah State Fairpark. Photo: David Boyd

We made jousters’ sleeveless surcotes from black bison hide. Each of these tunics laces up its sides and has specialty leather inlay as well as hardware and rivets in either gold or silver.

 

DGY Jousting in their new 2018 attire at Young Living Farm in Mona, Utah Photo: Robert Hirschi

 

DGY Jousting in their new 2018 attire at Young Living Farm in Mona, Utah Photo: Robert Hirschi

 

DGY Jousting during Utah’s 2018 “Days of ’47” events at the Utah State Fairpark. Photo: David Boyd

 

DGY Jousting during Utah’s 2018 “Days of ’47” events at the Utah State Fairpark. Photo: David Boyd

 

Our design/build team for this was a big one- our shop’s principle  staff with additional stitchers and craftspeople jobbing in.  A great project and so fun to make such fantastic looks for DGY.

 

Jennifer McGrew
Hraefn Wulfson

Diane Thompson

Madeline Mann

Alex Buie

Carolyn Richardson

Liam Buie

Wendy Harbaugh

Andrea Fabrega

Isaac Doubek

Anastasia Najarian

Elijah Najarian

Nathan Dobbin

Konley Shanahan

Dresden Williams

Eliza Williams

Cate Allen

Nick Burke

Magen Mitchell

Uptown Embroidery

Heather Skola

Aubrey Kuefner

Todd Baker

Monica Ramirez

 

DGY’s armor in these photos is by Valentine Armouries in Las Vegas, NV.

 

Visit the Young Living farm events page for more info about jousting dates.

 

Our thanks to HeadnHome for the leather cavalier hats. These are beautifully made and you were wonderful to work with:)

 

Our thanks to Liz Davies, Young Living‘s Director of Farm Events. Our team loved working with yours. We look forward to more creative design as your production grows.

 

Thank you to Robert Hirschi and David A. Boyd for your photos here:)

Custom Steampunk Tailoring

Corsets and Waist Training costumes Steampunk Tailoring No Comments

The beauty of steampunk fashion, enhanced by the beauty of hair and makeup design genius, Amber Pearson.

McGrew Studios’ custom corset, Zouave jacket, skirt, tap pants and detachable bustle.

2014.

custom patterned and fit in brocade and moire’ over coutil with 24 steel stays plus lacing stays in the center back

bustle development

bustle development

sleeve development

bolero development front

bolero development back

on display, at Salt Lake City’s Absinthe Parlour Salon

Custom Miniatures: Godzilla’s City for Salty Block Pictures

Commercials film production Miniatures Production Design Props / Sets Uncategorized No Comments

Oh no! There goes Tokyo…

A miniature custom set (in “N-Scale” or 1/150th scale) complete with tiny terrified humans plus freeways and buildings designed to collapse with a flick of Godzilla’s giant tail. Created by McGrew Studios’ production designer Hraefn Wulfson for Salty Block Pictures and their ongoing commercial series featuring beautiful new versions of the most-sought classic collectibles.

May 2018
Many thanks to Moises Lemus of Salty Block Pictures for a great collaboration!

Gojira!With @saltyblockboi @saltyblockpictures

Posted by Hraefn Wulfson on Thursday, May 10, 2018

 

Experimenting with calamity…

Posted by Hraefn Wulfson on Saturday, May 5, 2018

A second collapse…@saltyblockboi @saltyblockpictures

Posted by Hraefn Wulfson on Sunday, May 6, 2018

 

Shooting the miniature today with @saltyblockboi @saltyblockpictures

Posted by Hraefn Wulfson on Thursday, May 10, 2018

Only 28 inches tall…Some highlights from today's progress. Almost there… @saltyblockboi @saltyblockpictures

Posted by Hraefn Wulfson on Tuesday, May 8, 2018

some more text

The last collapse test on building 2 prior to final details. Some highlights from today's progress. Almost there… @saltyblockboi @saltyblockpictures

Posted by Hraefn Wulfson on Wednesday, May 9, 2018

 

 

A final sweep for tonight. Sans The freeway…

Posted by Hraefn Wulfson on Wednesday, May 9, 2018

 

Custom Clerical Vestments

art history costumes Tailoring No Comments

Custom clerical vestments for charismatic minister, Jared Anderson.

 

Jared is one of those super smart, compassionate and completely charismatic people who makes you reflect in fun ways on your life’s transcendent values and the world around you. We adore him.

See these to learn more about Jared and his ministry:

239-243: Jared Anderson – An Academic Introduction to the New Testament

https://allevents.in/provo/jared-anderson-secular-thought-in-religious-practice/1756068798019318

 

 

Some 2018 construction process pics: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Juno, Wife of Jupiter: Custom Costume for USU’s Ludi Romani Games

art history Cosplay & Characters costumes Tailoring No Comments

Goddess Juno Costume- USU’s Ludi Romani games

Classics’ Ludi Romani Games, a 20-Year Tradition, Casts Alumni as Roman Gods

Thursday, Apr. 05, 2018

A fun costume we made in 2012 for Utah State University Classics professor, Francis Titchener. 

Frances Titchener appeared as the goddess Juno in the 2016 Ludi Romani games hosted by Classics. Alumna Teri Gee portrays Venus, a role she will recreate this year as well. Juno’s sacred animal was the peacock, which is reflected in Titchener’s goddess robes. Photo: USU.edu

Custom Sock Mascot: Observepoint

costumes Mascots Tailoring No Comments

Utah-based analytics and marketing giant OBSERVEPOINT knows how to make convention attendees remember their brand!

 

 

Observepoint gives their booth guests custom printed socks! — that’s right– custom printed socks that you can wear, in a variety of dye sublimation printed designs — (instead of shoving logo-laden thumb drives into their visitors’ hands like every other booth does).  It’s a really ingenious marketing idea and was right up our alley as a design project. 

 

They asked us to create an 8ft tall custom sock mascot using their javascript design (a design they tell us is FULL of easter eggs, employee nicknames and inside jokes).  We patterned, then built the giant sock from polyethelene foam and had their print design enlarged 700 times into custom dye-sub fabric from which we made its outside cover.  Lightweight and comfy, this mascot’s face and arm holes allow their rep to have a great time interacting with booth visitors.

 

Our thanks to Observepoint Field Marketing Manager: Trachelle Tanner.

 

Adobe Summit March 2018, Las Vegas, Nevada.

 

Observepoint custom sock mascot by mcgrew studios

Observepoint custom sock mascot by McGrew Studios

 

 

https://www.observepoint.com/mobile-analytics-summit/confirmation/

https://www.facebook.com/ObservePoint/photos/a.10151223038382076.446984.58392662075/10155499438457076/?type=3