Long Awaited Update

I apologize for the lack of updates.  I’m not dead, rather I’ve been extremely busy for the past month and nearly a half.  I’ll catch up as best as possible on what has happened in my absence. 

School is over, finally.  The last few weeks of school was hell.  I ended up having to drop a class due to the immense mental and emotional overload.  I am definitely taking the next semester or two off from school.  I need to focus more on getting a job and apartment at the moment. 

In better news, I was able to go to Anime Oasis in May.  It turned out to be a ton of fun, and I was able to meet new and old friends like.  None of my costumes were done on time unfortunately.  I was able to cosplay, just not the original line up.  Thursday the convention started and even though I arrived really late I was able to cosplay a casual version of Luka with my new, gorgeous wig.  Friday I ended up partially finishing and wearing Latias.  She was only about 45%-50% complete, but a few people recognized her which makes me happy.  I also cosplayed a formal version of Luka for a formal ball, which was very enjoyable.  Saturday was the most fun of the four days.  One of my cosplaying friends(Stephanie) let me borrow her Relm Arrownry cosplay for the day as she cosplayed Terra, both from Final Fantasy 6.  It was a total blast to cosplay Relm.  I definitely must add her to my cosplay list.  Sunday was a very rushed day as the hotel wanted the room cleared by 1pm and I slept in until noon.  I ended up cosplaying Latias again since I was not able to cosplay her much on Friday because I was working on her.  Overall, the con was a great success.  I was able to participate in some of the events, meet a lot of new people, make a few new friends, get a few things from the artist alley and vendor’s hall (plushy Azusa from K-On! *squee*), and have a good time.  I definitely plan to return next year and possibly enter the cosplay contest.  Next year though I will have the cosplays completed before the con.  I would like to be able to sleep instead of sew.  Another cosplay lesson learned.  That and Mountain Dew is a cosplayers best friend.  It’s better than coffee!

In cosplay news, I’ve started planning for my next con, Fandemonium in August.  I’m hoping to debut two to three new cosplays there as well as revamp my Toph cosplay.  I’m also planning three groups for the convention as well as helping a few of my friends with their cosplays and staffing for the con.  I will be epically busy for the next month.  It’s only 42 days (one month and one week) until the con!  So far the cosplay lineup is Toph’s Fire Nation and hopefully Earth Kingdom outfits from Avatar: The Last Airbender, my original steampunk character, and Akari’s Summer Uniform from ARIA.  I will be very happy to complete Toph’s Fire Nation outfit for the con.  So far I just have the wig and waist thing/belt thing left to finish.  I might back her over-the-shoulder-thing too.  Oh, I have to make the crown too.  I keep forgetting that one.  As for the steampunk, I’ve been dying to make my steampunk character for over a year so I’m really excited to almost have her done.  I’ll talk more about her in another post.  Akari is nearly complete too, and I’ll have an ARIA this time!  Sooo excited!  I’m really looking forward to this con, in case you couldn’t tell. 

I really don’t have much else to catch up on.  To recap, school was hell.  I need a job and apartment.  The con was a total blast, and I was able to debut four new cosplays.  I’m really busy working on cosplays and other con prep for the next month and a week or more.  Yep, nothing else really to say except thank you so much for reading and taking your time to visit my blog.  It means so very much to me.  If you like my post(s) let me know.  If not that’s ok, just don’t post it here.  If you like the blog please follow it (right side there’s a follow button, please click it).  Thank you again for reading.  Have a great day and a wonderful week.  ^_^  Signing off.

Latias Update 3

I am happy to announce that the first part of my Latias cosplay is complete!  The dress is done, and it looks so cute!  ^_^  Eeeeeeee, I’m so happy!  I really wasn’t sure how it would turn out since I heavily modified my base pattern and added a lot of self drafted appliqué pieces to the top, but I am pleased to announce that it looks amazing.  I want so bad to rush outside and get a mini photoshoot, but I can’t since it’s raining and the rest of the cosplay isn’t done yet.  It also doesn’t help that I don’t know where my camera is.  >_<

I only have a few more things to make now before I’m completely finished with this cosplay.  I still have to make two armbands, make the visor and head wings, paint the visor, maybe dye and finish the wings if I have time, possibly paint the shoes, and maybe add wings to the back of the shoes.  Sorry I don’t have any pictures.  I lost my camera and don’t have access to another at the moment.  Nevertheless, thank you so much for reading.  ^_^

Pokemon Gijinka

I’m jumping on the band wagon with the new pokemon gijinka craze.  Pokemon was one of my favorite shows as a young child.  Even though it is not nearly as special as Digimon is, I love a few of the pokemon enough to turn them into gijinkas to cosplay. The main aspect I like about gijinkas is that they’re each open to complete interpretation.  I can design a gijinka cosplay how ever I want and no one can say I didn’t do it right or wasn’t accurate enough because it was based of my own design that I personally own.  It silences naysayers and elitists arguments rather quickly and easily. 

Nevertheless, I’m planning to make a Latias gijinka for the next con in May.  I’m planning to use a mid-thigh length red and white dress for the base of the cosplay.  I’ll be adding the red triangles she has on her front and back as an appliqué to the dress and appliqué her blue chest triangle on top of the red.  I’m also making a helmet with wings and a triangle design.  I’ll paint her red facial/head triangle to the helmet and leave the wings white.  I’ll use red wedges for the shoes, and if I have time I’ll make detachable wing sleeves as an added design bonus.  Since I’m short on funds, I’ll be making this cosplay out of cotton based scraps and an old bed sheet in had set aside.   

I am very excited to make and cosplay Latias as she’s been one of my favorite pokemon since grade school.  I love her simple design and special abilities.  I also love the dragon type pokemon.  She’s everything I like about pokemon in one character.  I should also include a picture of her so here it is!  Note: this the pokemon not my gijinka interpretation.

Thank you so much for reading.  Have a good day and an even better week.  ^_^

May Convention Preparation Part 1 – Cosplays and Such

It's been a while since I last updated about my cosplay progress so here goes.  All's well right now.  I haven't made much if any progress on my Akari cosplay or any of my other ones due to school, but I'm hoping to work on one to two of them this weekend.  It's under a month til my first con this year.  ^_^  I'm so excited, but I have a lot to do in order to be ready in time.  I have three cosplays to finish, two of which are at least 40% complete, as well as style at least four wigs and help a couple of my friends with their cosplays.  At least school ends next week.  I'll have a lot more time for sewing and resting. 

I recently added a new cosplay to my list.  I'm hosting a cosplay to Starbucks little fun event on the 15th and a couple of my friends are cosplaying pokemon gijinkas so I decided to make a pokemon gijinka.  ^_^  I've been wanting to make one for a while, but I did find a reason to until now.  I'm planning to make Latias.  So far I already have the concept art done and most of the fabric and materials I need are just lying around the house so I should be able to start it soon.  I'm planning to work on it this weekend as well as my Maria Ross cosplay. 

The wigs I ordered arrived at the batch order leader's today.  Now I just have to wait about a week until I get them.  Then it'll be a lot of wig cutting and styling amid sewing.  I have a feeling that I'm going to be getting about as much sleep during final week as I will during the next three weeks.  I still have a lot to do in order to be able to go to the con like get a badge, see if I can room with friends, find and get food, and gather the list of other things I need such as any extra makeup and items for my cosplay emergency kit (I'll post a list of useful and needed emergency items later).  Ah, the joys of con prep.  ^_^  I still can't wait to go, even with all I still have to do!

Cosplay Update – Maria Ross, Akari Mizunashi, and Other Cosplays for Con in May

My Maria Ross State Alchemist pants are almost done.  I just have to add a bit of fabric to the bottom because I forgot to calculate in ease X_X, attach the cuffs, and sew in the hook and eye closures.  Then it’s on to the waist coat and killer jacket.  I’m seriously saving the jacket for last.  It scares me.  I’m not good at jackets and this is no ordinary jacket, it’s secretly a monster in disguise.  Shhh.

My Akari cosplay is getting closer to completion.  The dress is done so I just have to make the fuku, glove, bracelet, and boots.  I might make the hat too.  If have time and resources I’d like to make a President Aria plushie as well. 

I have a ton of wig styling to do once the wigs arrive.  So far they have been ordered and are being processed for international shipping.  I’m really hoping they come in time.  If not I’ll be up the creek without a paddle to coin a phrase.  In other words, I won’t have any cosplays to wear to the con. 

I still have to finish gathering items for all my cosplays.  I have a lot to get for my Temari, Anna, Fio, and Luka cosplays and I still don’t have every thing for my Akari or Maria cosplays yet.  @_@  I feel like I never stop having to get stuff.  I also have to help my friend with his cosplay and style his wig.  @_@  I seriously hope I can everything done in time for the con in a month.  Then it'll be on to the next set of cosplays for my August con.  So much to do and not much time. 

Second Guessing

I really need to stop second guessing myself.  My intuition is often right when it comes to modifying patterns/clothing.  I often have everything planned out and working out well until my analytical mind comes in and second guesses the modifications.  Usually I’ll change the pattern to match the analytical observations instead of going with my original modifications.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my analytical mind, I just wish that I would incorporate the analytics with the intuitive hunches better.

You’re probably wondering why I brought that up.  Well, it’s because I did it again.  I second guessed my intuition and now I have to fix my mistake.  Unfortunately, I didn’t account enough ease into the length of my pant legs for my Maria Ross cosplay so I have to add at least a four inch strip to the bottoms of the legs in order to be able to sit or walk or bend my knees without splitting a seam.  Gah!  I wanted these pants to be perfect, but they won’t be without the legs being too short and the cuffs not fitting right.  Ah well, I learned.  Now I just have to make sure I don’t do that again.  Pants are turning out to be a lot harder and more time consuming than I excepted. 

Maria Ross Update – It Has Begun

All the hype and excitement from meeting the lady I mentioned in my previous post spurred me to begin working on the pants for my state alchemist uniform on Tuesday.  Since I already had the fabric and thread, I was able to immediately start tracing out the pattern.  I used two commercial patterns for my pants, Butterick 4861 (for the actual pants, I used a lengthened version of view A) and McCalls 6083 (for the pockets since the previous pattern didn’t have the right pockets).  The patterns were easy enough to trace on the fabric and the pants were easy to modify for length and new pockets.  It took me almost 6-7 hours to trace all six pattern pieces and add necessary modifications to three of the pieces (front, back, and cuff).  Time wise it wasn’t bad, but my back hurt afterward. 

On Wednesday, I was able to cut out all the pieces and sew most of the pant pieces together.  It was my first time inserting a frontal zipper with a flap like normal pants have.  I was surprised that it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, especially when it came to sewing it in.  I was able to use a sewing machine this time which was really nice.  I usually have a very hard time machine sewing zippers into clothing, but I found out that if I use a regular foot instead of a zipper foot, the zipper will attach better and without much frustration.  It’s a wonderful revelation for me since I’m tired of hand sewing in all my zippers because the zipper foot wouldn’t work. 

I don’t have much left to do before the pants are finished.  I just have to cut out the interfacing for the waistband and cuffs, and attach and sew the interfaced cuffs and waistband to the pants.  The pattern I used for the pants calls for the waistband and cuffs to close with buttons, but I’m not sure if that’s the best choice for me since I’ll be tucking the ends of the pants into my boots and wearing the waistband under the butt-cape/waistcoat thingy’s waistband.  I don’t know how comfortable buttons would be in this case so I’m thinking of using waistband hooks and eyes instead.  I think I’ll go with the hook and eye method for the sake of comfort. 

There is not much else to say about this cosplay at the moment.  I’m still looking for acceptable boots to use.  I was thinking of trying combat or real army boots, but I’m not sure yet.  I’ll have to see if I can find some at a good price.  If not then I’ll settle for boot covers over a pair of black boots I already own.  There are a few more things for the main outfit that I have yet to get as well.  I still don’t have the right bias tape to use (I have dark gray instead of silver gray), buttons for the butt-cape/waistcoat thing, a gold braid and small ring as well as the lapels (I’m getting them embroidered for me since it will cost less than if I embroider it myself) and pins since I can’t cast them out of pewter myself.  Other than that I’m ready to go.  ^_^

Wigs, Scissors, and More Wigs

I just ordered wigs for my upcoming cosplays today.  I’m really excited to see how they turn out.  I’m trying out new wig sellers this time to find which ones I want to buy from the most.  So far, I’ve bought wigs from Zepher, Wig Fashion on eBay, and Legend Wigs on eBay. 

This time I’m buying a prestyled Akari/ARIA wig and a short brown wig from C.C.-Kids as well as a long curly pink wig and a long sandy blond wig from a Taobao store of which I don’t know the name (link here both wigs are in the 80-95 cm category).  I’m also getting styling scissors and wax from Fantasy Sheep.  My order should be in around May.  I’ll post a review of the wigs and styling products then. 

I’m very excited to get the wigs and totally stoked that I can get everything for a whopping $76 including shipping!  ^_^  It’s a dream come true for a poor college student like myself who has to eat as well as cosplay.  It’s a total blessing that I was able to find a group to order with so I could get the shipping at a discount price. 

I still have a few more items to get before the con and my homemade cosplays still aren’t done (yay, for procrastination and over excessive homework).  I should be able to get nearly everything now, especially if I save a bit more of my money for cosplaying items, like a con badge (which I still don’t have).  It looks like I’ll be able to get most if not all of my planned cosplays for this con done and acquired on time.  I am a very content and excited cosplayer. 

Akari Update 7 - Wig

After much searching and price checking and wig hunting, I’ve decided to buy a prestyled wig for Akari.  I found that I can save more time and money if I buy the wig instead of making it myself.  As this is the case, I found a prestyled wig that I can buy from Clarissa-Kids on Ebay and Taobao.  The Taobao wig is less expensive so I’ll be buying it from there, especially since I know a group of people who want to do a batch order to save on shipping.  The wig will cost around $25-$30 USD including shipping.  I’m really about finding this wig as I didn’t want to style it myself.  I’m new to wig styling and Akari’s hair is at least at an intermediate level so I’m really nervous about styling it myself.  I don’t want to ruin a wig and I certainly don’t want to have a mediocre wig especially if I enter this cosplay in a cosplay masquerade. 

Akari Update 5

I finished the appliqué for the bottom part of the under dress today.  It looks so cool!  The general shape is different then I expected, but I love it nonetheless.  Sadly I don’t have any pictures to share cause I can’t find a camera.  I’ll post pictures of the full under dress as soon as I’m done.  I should be able to find a camera by then. 

It’s almost astonishing that I’m almost done with my project.  I don’t have much left to do.  If I keep at it I should be able to finish the under dress and the fuku, maybe even the hat, by the end of February.  All I have left to do is hem the under dress, finish the slit, prepare and cut out the fuku (which shouldn’t be that hard), cut out and apply the appliqué to the fuku, sew the fuku, make the bow, make the glow, apply the appliqué to the glove, draft and cut out the hat, appliqué the hat, sew the hat, and finish the hat.  Ok, so I have a bit more to do than I thought, but I know I can at least get the under dress and fuku done.  Especially, if school continues to have lax amounts of homework.  I love being able to relax more after last week. 

The hat and glove shouldn’t be that hard though I dread making another glove out of non-stretch fabric.  This time I will include ease.  I’m still having trouble with the last pair of gloves I made.  -_-  Ah well, live and learn to not make the same mistakes again.  I don’t know how to make the gold ring for the glove yet.  I had thought of using craft foam, but I don’t know how well that will work.  I have to get the supplies for the jewel and cast it as well. 

As for the shoes, I might have found a good pair of base shoes, but they’re a bit out of my price range.  I’ll have to keep looking and hope I find the right pair fairly soon.  I only have till mid May to get this and three other cosplays done.  Yes, three.  The con is four days instead of three.  I’m so excited even though I’ll have to sew my heart out for a week or two before the con.  Ah, such is life. 

Sango Preparations – Fabric and Armor

I found the perfect fabric for my Sango cosplay.  It’s a Milliskin Matte (Tricot), Four Way Stretch in black that can be found here.  It’s taken me a long time to find the fabric I wish to use.  I want to get my Sango cosplay as accurate as possible, even with the sheen.  It’s a very hard sheen to match since it changes from picture to picture.  Sometimes it looks like a matte while other times it looks like a gloss.  Personally I like the matte look better.  It won’t glare so much and will have a better effect in photos.  I’m going to send in for a test swatch of my top three fabric choices to double check my decision.  I’ll the fabric know for sure in about a week or two hopefully.

Now that I’ve found the fabric, I have to focus on the rest of the cosplay. I intend to use the same fabric for her boots as the leotard so I just have to get souls for the boots.  As for armor, I’m thinking of using pink vinyl atop craft foam.  Craft foam is easy to use as well as inexpensive while vinyl should have the right feel and look to it.  I don’t know what I’m going to do for the silver/gray edging around the armor yet, but I’ll figure that out as time goes on. 

I haven’t decided what fabric to use for her ties and collar edging.  I was thinking of using red satin or silk, but I haven’t priced that idea yet.  I also need to get the pattern for the leotard.   Overall, I think the pattern is going to cost the most.  I’m planning to use Kwik Sew 3052 as my base pattern.  Kwik Sew patterns almost never go on sale and cost at least $9 for one pattern.  Yikes!  The pattern is worth it though because I can use it for other spandex related projects in the future.

Akari Update 4

I finished the first part of the under dress today.  The lining is in place along with the zipper.  Now all I have left to do is make and attach the appliqué for the bottom of the dress and finish the slit.  I cut the dress too short originally so I have to make up for it by adding fabric to the bottom.  I’m actually pleased that I have to add the add the extra fabric.  Though it decreases the accuracy of the cosplay, it makes it easier to attach the bottom appliqué. 

I’m really happy with the way the dress is coming along.  So far it’s the most accurate cosplay I’ve made.  I love it already!  The dress fits wonderfully.  It’s a bit tight in the hips, but I can live.  I only had to fit it once this time, which is a first.  Usually it takes me three or more times to get the dress or garment to fit correctly.   This cosplay has a bunch of firsts woven into it.  It was my first appliqué project, my first zipper that turned out well, my first easy fitting project, my first total modification project, and my first time working with a vented slit.  I’m so happy with it!  I’ve learned so much so far!  I can’t wait to see what else I learn before it’s complete. 

I have a couple pictures to share.  Enjoy!

Akari Update 3

IT’S HERE!!!!!!  My wig came in the mail today.  It’s a beautiful milkshake pink wig from WigFashion on eBay.  I love it!  The fibers are so soft and the color looks good on me.  The pink even slightly clashes with the blue appliqué just like in the anime.  I also got a pair of extensions with the wig.  Sadly they are blue instead of pink.  I’m going to contact the wig seller to see if I can trade the extensions.  If not then I’ll put them up for sale. 

Nevertheless, I’m really happy with the wig.  I can’t wait to wear it!  I’m even tempted to wear it to school, but I don’t want to cause a ruckus.  Oh!  I also got a free wig cap with the wig.  It’s a nice mesh cap that holds the wig on well. 

I have some pictures of the wig!  Isn’t it beautiful?! 

 

Akari Update 2

Appliqué is a long and tiring process though it leaves great results.  I recently finished the appliqué for Akari’s under dress.  It was a task and a challenge all in itself.  Making the appliqué took 4½ hours while applying it and sewing it on took a couple hours at most.  The hardest parts were drawing the appliqué and sewing it on.  Sewing curves on an appliqué is a huge pain.  The stitching isn’t perfect, but I love it just the same.  I’m really happy with the way it turned out too.  The design looks perfect!  I’m really happy with how the outfit is coming along.

I have a couple progress pictures to share.  Enjoy!

The finished drawing of the Aria Company appliqué before I cut it out.  I drew it on with quilter’s chalk.  Drawing the center oval took the longest because I had to place it just right while keeping the right shape. 

The Aria Company appliqué after I attached it to the front of the under dress with Heat ‘N Bond.  That stuff is a life saver.  It’s totally amazing!  It took me forever to get the oval perfectly centered.

Akari Mizunashi Update 1

Cosplays always take me longer than I expect to complete.  I’ve been working on Akari for the past few days, and I’m still in a relatively beginning stage.  Granted, I have accomplished some minor progress.  So far my cosplay construction has been more of a hit-and-miss training session than an easy pattern modification.  I’ve learned a lot about what not to do when it comes to sizing, scaling, and design/pattern moding.  Hehe…well I know what not to do, for this project at least.

It’s taken me three tries thus far (I’m currently on my third) to get the dress pattern to work and look right.  There’s a big difference between a cosplay looking right and working right.  Why nearly every anime/video game outfit defies the laws of gravity and physics I will never know.  It sure makes the outfits hard to recreate perfectly.  Even near perfection is difficult.  Nevertheless, the reward of a near perfect cosplay is what motivates me to pursue my hobby.  Pretty soon it won’t be too hard to recreate cosplays that nearly defy the laws of both gravity and physics. 

I have some progress pictures to share as well.  So far I have the main part of the dress almost worked out.  I cut the original piece too short so I have to add a bottom piece.  My current bottom pieces need to be redone too.  I cut them at an angle that slopes the wrong way.  -_-

Pictures!!!!!

Front

I’m making it as two separate pieces with a vent to get the slit right.

Back

I’m making two separate pieces because I don’t know how to make the zipper work without the back seam.

Vorfeed Update 4

I finished the second glove.  It looks as good as the first and even better.  I changed the layout of the top ribbon to bunching the lower arm fabric.  The gloves look more like the reference pictures now then before.  In addition, I don’t have to fix the bunching every time I turn around.  I really like how the gloves turned out.  They are still tight and hard to get on and off, but the initial struggle is totally worth getting to wear a pair of awesome gloves.

It’s just under a week till college starts again.  I am totally amazed at how quickly the time passed.  Even though this has been my fastest project to date, it has still taken me a long time, and I have more to do.  I still have to make the boots, cape, wings, and jewels and attach everything.  Not to mention style the wig.  It will probably take me another month to complete Vorfeed since college starts soon. 

I have to wait to finish Vorfeed because I don’t have all of the materials I need yet.  I still have to get the resin and dye for the jewels as well as the feathers for the wings and cape.  I need to get more interfacing too.  I’m having a really hard time deciding what type of resin to purchase, either Easy Cast or the Tap Plastic brand.  Easy Cast seems to be used more within the cosplay community.  It works best for casts no greater than 6 ounces.  The trouble is that Vorfeed’s jewels are at least 8 to 10 ounces each.  I thought of layering the resin, but I don’t know how well that will work.  I know it’s worked for smaller casts for other gem makers and cosplayers, but I don’t know how it would work for jewels of greater magnitude.  I shall look into it more before I actually make my decision.

I have pictures!!!!!!  Top row from left to right: front and back of dress.  Bottom row: my gloves!  I’m so happy with my project.  I really like the bow on the dress and will get a detail picture up next update.

 

Vorfeed Update 3

I finally got my first glove done.  It took me 15 hours, but I finally succeeded.  ~_~  I never knew making a single glove could take so long.  I scrapped my first construction idea just before I started making my glove last night.  Instead of making my own pattern, I decided to modify a premade one I found.  I chose to do so because I realized that tracing my arm myself was harder then anticipated.  So I found my pattern and modified it. 

I modified the pattern easy enough (2 hours) but it took me three tries to get the sizing right.  My seam ripper was very active for the first five hours.  I had to almost completely redo the entire hand.  At first the fingers were to long so I cut them shorter.  Then the fingers were to small and the thumb was too big.  So I scrapped the pattern’s gussets and made my own.  Once that was over, I found that three of the fingers were too big along with the easily annoying thumb.  I was frustrated with the fingers by that time so I switched to the rest of the glove, mainly the ribbon detailing.

I now know that when making gloves ADD THE DETAILING FIRST!!!!  For the sake of your sanity add it first.  It is so not fun to fight with a half made glove hand, that you already mad at, while you wrap it around your knee just so you can get it to ly flat for a few seconds while you fiercely try to not pin your glove to your skin before the glove curls again.  Luckily I only had to do that with the first part of the detailing.  The second part was not nearly as hard or frustrating.  My main problem was trying to get the detailing to look accurate.  Compared to Vorfeed or any anime character for that matter, I have short arms so I had to squish the design without making it look squished.  It turned out quite well.  I even got the bunching to look right!  I love the way the detailing came out.  I might add a few more minor adjustments here and there. 

I was very encouraged over my success with the detailing.  So I sewed up the rest of the glove and tried it on.  To do my delight and amazement, it fit!  I was even able to get the glove on my hand without having to rip any seams out!  I was so happy I seriously spent the next twenty minutes admiring it and wearing it around just for fun.  Once I got the excitement out of my system, I finished the rest of the glove by adding the top puff and fixing the fingers.  The puff was easy enough to make.  I just made an oddly shaped rectangle, added elastic around the top, stuffed it full of tulle, and sewed it to the top of my gloves.  It doesn’t look that puffy, but I’m happy with it.  It looks like the character and goes with the rest of the outfit very well. 

The fingers weren’t that hard to tailor.  It was a bit hard to tailor the glove with one hand while wearing it on the other.  I ended up just estimating the amount to take in and added darts on the inside.  It worked surprisingly well.  I can hardly tell that I added darts to the fingers.  The thumb dart is easier to find though. 

Despite all the trouble and time it took to make the glove, I am extremely pleased with it.  It looks better then I’d hoped.  I can even get it on with a minimal amount of effort too.  Getting it off… well that’s another matter.  Now that the first glove is I just have make the second glove mirror the first.  As best I can that is.

Here’s a picture of my finished glove.  I don’t have any progress pictures though.  I’m going to get them on the second one.  I might even make a tutorial. 

Con Prep

I now understand why most cosplayers don’t sleep the night before the convention starts.  I stayed up nearly all night last night running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to prepare my costumes and materials.  It must have been entertaining to watch. 

I ended up not getting to sleep until 4 or 5 am.  Then, to my horror, I woke 30 minutes before I was supposed to be at the con for staffing.  Stupid alarm wasn’t reset.  I almost died.  Luckily my first cosplay wasn’t complicated so it didn’t take me long to get ready.  I even got to the con almost on time.  I did call to let my boss know I was going to be a little late and why. 

Now I’m sitting at the Help Desk awaiting people’s questions.  The job is fun and I get to have a staff discount which is nice, especially for a broke college student.  Back to work!!!  Stay tuned for more con updates!!!!

Sheeta Progress Report 1

They’re done!!!!!!!  My pink poofy pants are done!!!!  It took me five hours but after careful evaluation and reconsideration of the pattern I planned to use I arrived at my final product.   

Now that Sheeta’s pants are done, I can move on to her poofy yellow top and bright orange belt.  I found a pattern to use as a base for her shirt.  I’m going to guesstimate on her belt, and I still have not idea how to make the silver clasp. 

Medieval Shoes, Camp, and Costumes

The convention is fast approaching and I still don’t have any of my costumes done.  I’ve been busy lately preparing for 4-H demonstrations, fair, and camp.  I was able to help my sister with her camp costume last week.  It was very fun.  She is a fast learner and did a wonderful job.  I was also able to make a pair of Medieval shoes this week as well. 

I started them last Friday, a day before camp started, and didn’t finish them until Wednesday,during the middle of camp.  They were so much fun to make as well as annoying.  I am so thankful for store bought shoes now.  They look soo pretty.  I’ll have to take a picture sometime soon.  Sorry about the other late pictures.  I’ll try to get some pictures up here soon as time permits. 

I have a bit more time now that camp season is over.  I’m planning to get working on my costumes soon.  I only have a week or two until the convention.  So I’m gonna need all the time I can get.