Wigs, Wigs, and More Wigs

It’s been a while since I updated my wig progress so I figured I might as well do so.  I was able to get a hold of a camera today so there will be pictures to accompany these descriptions.  It’s a wig extravaganza!

First on my list of wigs is Vorfeed.  I styled her wig a while ago for a cosplay photoshoot contest at near the beginning of July (you can read more here).  It was a very easy wig to style as I only had to cut the bangs and brush the wig.   It was a very good, though somewhat nerve-racking at first, choice for first wig styling project.  I’m very happy with the way it turned out.  ^_^ 

 

Second on my list of wigs is Temari.  I was finally able to make my Temari wig for a cosplay photoshoot mid July. For my third wig, it turned out extremely well.  I am very happy with it and proud of it.  I almost can’t believe I made it!  ^_^

   

Third on the list is my new Akari wig.  It can as a almost prestyled wig.  I say almost because everything but the bangs were prestyled.  Nevertheless, I love this wig and can’t wait to wear it.  It is one of the ones I ordered via the batch order from C.C. Kids.  It is very smooth and photographs the perfect color.

 

Fourth on the list of wigs is Luka.  This wig is my absolute favorite wig out of my whole collection.  I love it!  It’s so pretty and soft and curly and the perfect pink color ever.  I’m surprised how little it tangles as well.  This is another of the wigs I ordered through the batch order.  This is how it looks after wearing it around con all day, even to a dance, and putting it in a ponytail and a messy bun.  I adore this wig!

 

Sadly, I did get any pictures of my brown wig, but the list doesn’t end there.  My friend, Stephanie, was getting rid of some of her old wigs, nd I was able to get a few.  I got a long curly light blond one that would work perfectly for Tamara, another character from Crown Duel that I hope to cosplay soon, and a short green one that would work perfectly for a Chikorita or Bellossom gijinka and/or Ranka cosplay.  I would just have to make clip extensions for Ranka which would be perfect since her hair is curly for one of her new songs in Macross F: On the Wings of Goodbye (which comes out in Oct!).  Here are the wigs.  The blond one is first, it does need a bit of brushing,  and the green is second. 

 

 

That sums it up for wigs.  I’ll be reporting soon when I start working on the wig for Nee.  Until then, thank you for reading!  Have a good day and an even better week.  ^_^

As Con Grows Near

I am slowly realizing that I might just have overbooked myself a little.  Ok, a lot.  Right now I am trying to get three to four cosplays for myself, two to three cosplays for my friend, and one to two cosplays for my other friend and his daughter done for Fandemonium in about 21 days.  Yeah, I overbooked myself just a little. 

Nevertheless, the cosplay progress is coming along ok.  Other than the fact that I lost my sewing machine foot and spent three hours looking for a new one while crying like a baby out of sheer agony and frustration only to find that my back up machine was hidden along with all my other sewing machine feet which took my another hour to find.  All to say I wasted six precious hours looking for sewing machine feet and other miscellaneous cosplay items today.  X_X  I didn’t have a good day. 

My personal cosplay progress is coming along well.  I’ve added to and changed up my cosplay list to include two new cosplays and cut back, somewhat, one the amount of sewing I’ll have to do before con.  At the moment I’m planning to cosplay Toph in her fire nation disguise, my original steampunk mechanic/engineer, Vorfeed from Lost Universe, and Nimiar Argaliar from Crown Duel in an original party/dinner gown based of the few gown descriptions in the book and fabric I could scrounge from my stash.  I might also cosplay Maria Ross, but due to my lack of time and lack of progress on her (she’s only at 35%-40% complete max) I highly bought she will be done in time and will cease to mention her.

I don’t have much to do before I finish Toph.  Earlier in the month I found, much to my dismay, that my Toph cosplay seemed to have shrunk in the hips (either that or I grew) so I have to let out the seams some and possibly add a bit of fabric.  I also have to redo the wig as the previous bun dismantled thanks to my sister and my lovely cats.  How they do love to play with my cosplay stuff.  I still don’t have any foam or money for foam so her bun won’t be as big as it’s supposed to be this year either.  *sigh*  Maybe next year.  Finally, if I so choose, I have to make her crown (which I think I’ll wait to make until after I finalize the bun), her meteorite armband (if I can find the materials in time), and her shoes (which I highly doubt will get made this year).  Oh, I have to remake her waistband thing too since the last one failed and was turned into my sister’s candy bag for last year’s Halloween extravaganza.  I have more to do before she’s finished than I thought. 

Steampunk wise, my cosplay is coming along nicely.  I already have most of the cosplay finished (bodice, waist cincher, skirt, belt #1, and hairpiece, gloves).  Nevertheless, I still have more pieces to finish before the cosplay is considered finished, for the time being.  I still have to make spats for find period shoes, find the materials for and make goggles, find or make a tool belt, find tools to use as props, and add all the finishing decals to everything.  Yeah, I’ve got a lot to do on that one too. 

Vorfeed, on the other, hand is almost done.  I have the dress, cape, wig, one glove, and the jewels with feathered accents done (though I might touch up the jewels a bit).  What’s left is I have to finish the boots and add a few finishing touches to the second glove.  ^_^  Yay!  She should be done for sure!

Finally, my Nimiar cosplay is proving to be more difficult than I expected.  The under skirt and over skirt are done except for the waistband hooks and eyes, but other than that the rest of the outfit is not near finished.  The corset is taking longer than I expected as I decided to make it reversible and have biased taped edges which I have to hand sew shut due to the reversal effect.  I had to redo it twice as the first time I forgot about the reversible design and the second time I had to tailor it since the pattern was too large.  Nevertheless, it is turning out beautifully and better than anticipated.  I only wish it didn’t take so long to sew.  But, it will be worth it in the end.  The only other part of the outfit I have to make are the bodice/under dress and detachable over sleeves.  According to my design, the over sleeves are going to be sheer and have a beaded, lattice type design on the top of the sleeve nearest the bodice and a beaded design on the two ribbon accents on the cuff and lower bicep.  Finally, I plan to make a headdress type piece out of the skirt fabric to accent the dress.  From what I imagine in my head, it will be gorgeous.  I’m planning to enter this one in the cosplay contest so all my effort and time has been poured into it.  I really hope I can get it done in time. 

As for my friend’s cosplays, I have a lot to do.  As part of our Avatar: The Last Airbender group this year, one of my friends (Theo) is going to be Iroh in his White Lotus outfit and the other (James) is going to be Aang in his Sozen’s Comet outfit while his daughter (Alyssa) plans to be Momo.  They both are going to look amazing.  I’m going to be doing all the sewing and, possibly, wig styling for my first friend’s Iroh cosplay which so far hasn’t been started much less touched.  My other friend is scrounging for as much of the cosplay as he can find so I’ll probably end up sewing half or less of his if all goes well.  I have no idea about what or if I’ll be helping with his daughter’s Momo cosplay (which will be awesome if/when it happens). 

I am also organizing a steampunk group which I know for sure that my first two friends will be joining.  I’ll be helping Theo put his outfit together which shouldn’t be to hard as steampunk is a rather easy dress type to cosplay and put together.  James already has his cosplay done (which looks amazing) and I don’t know if his daughter will be joining or not.  If she does, I will happily help her put something together. 

I might make Theo another cosplay, but I sincerely doubt it for this con since I’m already short for time and scrambling to get the afore mentioned cosplays done (or at least, which I dearly hope does not end up happening, con worthy).  Hopefully, this time I will have my cosplays done at least a day before the con since I also have staff responsibilities to tend to in the midst of this mixed up sewing mess and have school to prepare for, a job and apartment to find, and my last 4-H year to finish.  Yeah, I know for sure that I over booked myself.  Hello sleeplessness.  You tend to be my ever beckoning friend. 

As always, thank you for reading.  ^_^  Have a wonderful day and an even better week.  Ciao!

Third Place Winner!

I won third place in a cosplay photoshoot contest today!  Eeee!  I am so happy!  It’s my first time ever winning an actual prize/contest held by someone besides my friends!  *^_^*  Vorfeed was the lucky cosplay.  I literally chose to cosplay her at the last minute when Toph fell through, but I am so glad I did, even though I was cramming to make her up until the last minute.  A big thank you to all who helped me with finishing Vorfeed, getting me there, and being encouragers along the way.  I couldn’t have done it without you.  ^_^

Progress Pictures

I decided to post my current progress pictures in one post so you could see what I’m currently working on.  Every time I get a lot of progress done I’m going to make a recap post like this one.  That way you can easily see where I am with my cosplays.  Enjoy!

First I’ll start off with Vorfeed.  I’m putting her at 50-55% complete.  So far her dress and gloves are done.  I still have to make the shoes and cape.  I also have to style the wig and cast the gems.  I need to get supplies for her forehead markings and neckband.

 

 

My other current project is Akari.  She right between 45 and 50% complete.  I already have the first part of the dress done.  I have yet to finish the second part of the dress and make the fuku, shoes, and glove.  I have to style the wig too.

Vorfeed Update 5

My feathers came in the mail today.  I really like them.  They are really soft and the perfect length for her shoulder feathers.  I still have to get the rest of the feathers for here wigs, but I’m happy that I have these.  ^_^

I have pictures of the feathers and the wig.  I didn’t post pictures of the wig sooner so I’ll post them now.  I love how the feathers add to the costume.  I also love that the wig is the perfect color.  It’s a bit thin so I might add to it, but this is what I have for now.  Enjoy!

Cosplay Goals for 2011

Every year I set goals for myself and my hobbies.  Cosplaying is no exception.  A day ago I realized that I forgot to outline all of my cosplay goals in my previous post “A New Year, 2011”.  So I’m going to go over the goals I mentioned in the previous post and add the rest of the ones I forgot.  Mind you, these are not New Year’s Resolutions, these are just goals that I hope to accomplish for cosplaying this year. 

First on my list of goals is to make at least three new acquaintances this year.  This can be at cons, the fabric store, or on my way to a photo shoot.  Either way I want to meet more cosplayers and costuming enthusiasts.

My second goal is a singular goal with multiple sub goals that correlate to whom I will cosplay this year.  Granted some of my cosplays will not fit into one of the sub goals, but the goal of this goal is to make new cosplays, learn new skills, and have fun doing so. That said, here’s the next goal, its sub groups, and possible cosplays that correlate to each.

Second on my list of goals is to make at least four to five new cosplays.  Notice I said at least.  Knowing my love for sewing I will probably exceed this goal by the year’s end.  To make this goal easier to attain I made sub goals for each cosplay.  These sub goals will make it easier to choose cosplays as well as help me learn new sewing and cosplaying skills. 

My first sub goal is to make a cosplay that utilizes at least four intermediate to advanced sewing techniques.  I chose this goal because I want to learn more about said sewing techniques.  I want to get better at sewing since it is the basis of most, if not all, cosplaying.  I already have my cosplay chosen for this sub goal and have gathered most of the needed materials.  It is Maria Ross from Fullmetal Alchemist. 

 

My second sub goal is to make a cosplay based on a literary character.  I chose this goal because it is an adequate challenge.  I don’t know for sure who I’m going to cosplay, but right now I’m planning on Countess Meliara Astiar from Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith.  It’s one of my favorite books and Mel is one of my favorite characters.  Since there is no artwork in the book, I’ll have to design an outfit for her if I choose to cosplay her.  I only have tentative plans on this goal, there are no pictures to share at the moment.

Third, my sub goal is to make a cosplay that incorporates some kind of armor.  In addition there have to be two types of armor used.  I made this goal more complicated because I want to try my hand at the new armor techniques I’m learning.  I’m anxious to see how I’d do at making foam armor though I haven’t got the second type of armor making process worked out yet.  I’ll decide the second method to use after I choose the cosplay to base it off of. 

Fourth on my list is to make a cosplay using fabric with a moderate to high spandex content.  This is were Sango and Raven come in.  I have to decide between the two for whom is going with this goal.  Though now that I think about it, I could just use Sango for goal three and Raven for goal four.  That’s perfect! 

So for goal three I’m going to make Sango from Inuyasha in her Demon Slayer outfit.  I’ll use the foam armor for the body armor and shin guards and a different type of armor for the shoulder, elbow, and possibly knee guards. 

 

I might even make her kimono if I have the time and money. 

For sub goal four, I’ll make Raven from Teen Titans Animated.

Now that sub goal three and four are taken care of, I’ll continue.  

Sub goal five is to make a cosplay with a newly learned skill that does not apply to the rest of the sub goals.  I chose this goal because I wanted to use one of my new sewing skills I’m learning, machine appliqué.  For this sub goal, I chose to make Akari Mizunashi from Aria the Animation.  I’m working on her currently. 

My last sub goal is to make a cosplay from a modified or self-drafted pattern.  Knowing how to draft patterns is a very helpful skill to learn since most cosplays don’t have prescribed ready-made patterns.  Right now I know how to modify pre-made patterns.  For this project I chose to make Sophia Forrester’s Vice Captain Uniform from Last Exile. 

 Depending on how long I have till cons and fair, I might use Vorfeed from Lost Universe for this project.  I’m already working on Vorfeed, and most of what I’ve made is from a modified pattern.  It will be a while till I am able to make fully original pieces without the aid of an outside pattern source.

Now that my second goal with all its sub goals are fully explained, I’ll move on to my last goal.

 

Third on my list of goals is to attend at least one new con.  It is an ongoing goal that will continue till I either I stop going to cons or run out of new cons to attend, which ever comes first.  Either way, I am excited to see what cons I’m able to attend this year.  There are three local cons that I know about so I’ll stick to the local cons this year.  It should be really fun.  I can’t wait to debut my new list of cosplays too! 

Thank you so much for reading this humungous post. 

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. 

Vorfeed Update 2

The dress is done.  It looks beautiful and twice as good as I thought it would.  I was initially worried that it wouldn’t look right or even recognizable with my modifications, but everything worked out better then planned.  Also I set a new record for dress making, around 21 hours total.  My last record was around 22 to 23 hours total.  ^_^  I keep getting better and faster each time I make a new cosplay.  Practicing perfectly makes a skill even better. 

Now on to the hard part, the gloves.  I have an idea for how to make the pattern work around the non-stretch fabric.  I trace my arm and half my hand.  Then make a separate thumb piece.  I add a seam allowance, cut the pieces out, and sew it all together.  Then I make, cut out, and sew the puffs to the rest of the glove.  It should work.  I’m using a pattern and tutorial to make sure I get the construction and basic shapes right.  I haven’t quite worked out when to add the ribbon detailing.  I don’t know if I should appliqué it on or tack it on after the gloves are done.  Other than that, I have most of my glove problem worked out.  I’m sure it’ll work too. 

Vorfeed Update 1

I’ve been working on my Vorfeed cosplay for the past few days.  It’s about 45% complete.  So far, it has taken me around 14.5 hours to make this cosplay.  The main dress is nearly done, and I don’t have much left to do otherwise.  I just have to scrunch the bodice, make and add the bow, finish fitting it, and make the hem.  Then it’ll be time to work on the cape, shoes, and gloves. 

The cape shouldn’t be hard.  I just have to make sure I get the layering and feather work right.  I still have no idea how I’m going to make the back feathers.  I have a couple ideas, but I don’t know how well they’ll work.  I still need to get the feathers though.  I need to find a good place that sells good feathers in bulk for a reasonable to good price.

As for the gloves and boots, they are going to be a bit harder.  Ok, a lot harder.  I’ve never make gloves before, much less full arm gloves with large puffy add ons on the top.  Not to mention, I’m using satin that has little to no stretch whatsoever.  I know the gloves are going to be the biggest challenge of the entire cosplay.  Even the wig looks easier. 

The shoes on the other hand look relatively easy, especially compared to the gloves.  I still have to find good base shoes and maybe a couple zippers, but other than that I have what I need.  I even have a pattern halfway worked out.  I just have to test it. 

Finally, the wig looks like it’s going to be one of the easiest pieces of the cosplay.  I’m really glad I chose it for my first time cutting a wig.  I am really nervous but calm at the same time.  I know I can do it.  I know it will turn out fine. 

Oh! I almost for got about the jewels!  I’m going to cast the two jewels myself as soon as I’m able to get the supplies.  I really hope it’s soon because I’d like to get a photo shoot before my friend leaves for college again if it’s possible.  She takes amazing photos.  I’ve wanted to do a shoot with her for a while.  If I don’t get the jewels done in time, I could always improvise…but I don’t want to do that unless I have to. 

Beside my minor aforementioned dilemmas, my cosplay is coming along beautifully.  I’m really happy with the way it’s turning out.  I can’t wait to see the finished project.  I don’t have any pictures to share yet, but I’ll get some up with my next post.  So far it’s nearly perfect with just a few quirks that the laws of physics won’t let me change.  Trying to make a shirt drape and split and fall at a slightly tilted angle just isn’t going to happen no matter how much I wish it would.  Anime characters are known to defy the laws of physics and this cosplay is not without it’s exceptions. 

A New Year, 2011

With 2010 at it’s close, I am excited to see what the new year will bring.  A I reflect over the last year I’ve found that 2010 was a good year overall.  Sure it had its bad times, but there were pleasant times as well.  I was able to make four costumes for myself as well as for others.  I was also able to make new friends, meet lots of awesome people, and become a better seamstress.  In the grand scheme of things, I am happy with how 2010 went. 

But this post isn’t just about reminiscing 2010, it’s about looking forward to 2011 as well.  This new years gives me a chance to make more friends, acquaintances, and cosplays.  I am excited as I think about what I hope to accomplish this next year.  Mind you, these are not resolutions.  There is no need to make resolutions that I will forget and not accomplish.  Instead these are goals with game plans that I hope to accomplish in 2011. 

My goals for next year are simple and attainable.  Though they may take lots of time and/or finances, I know that I can accomplish them if I really try hard and work toward their completion.  It may not be easy, but I am up to the challenge.

First on my list of goals is to make at least three new acquaintances this year.  Whether that be at the fabric store, a con, or just on my way to a photo shoot, I know my goal is attainable even if I am on the introverted side. 

Second on my list is to make at least four new costumes/cosplays.  With my nigh constant additions of costume/cosplay possibilities, it should not be hard to pick out some suitable prospects.  As I’ve said in previous posts, I already have a definite and planned cosplay list for this year.  As always, it will change in some way or ways, but I plan to keep it pretty close to the following list as possible.  Of course, time and finances will play a deciding role in whether or not I am able to make any of the below listed costumes/cosplays. 

Planned List

Vorfeed from Lost Universe

Akari Mizunashi from Aria the Animation (Summer Uniform)

Maria Ross from Fullmetal Alchemist (State Alchemist Uniform)

Toph Bei Fong From Avatar:The Last Airbender (either her Earth Nation outfit, her Ba Sing Se dress, her noble dress, or her final dress)

Sophia Forrester from Last Exile (Vice Captain Uniform)

A princess dress of some sort

Possible List

Lacus Clyne from Gundam Seed (either her first dress, civilian dress, captain’s dress, and/or an artwork version)

Kaylee Frye from Firefly or Serenity (Mechanic Outfit)

Raven from Teen Titans the animated series (White Version)

Nausiccaa from Nausiccaa of the Valley of the Wind (End Outfit)

Sophia Forrester from Last Exile (Orange Dress)

A female Final Fantasy character or two (so far Aerith and/or Porom)

And I know there’s at least a couple others I can’t think of yet

Others as time and finances permit

I will include a couple picture albums of my planned and possible cosplay lists below. 

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