September 26, 2012

So, more progress on my Idris costume to share. :) Skirt and bodice are all sewn, now, except for putting in zippers. Still have to make sleeves and the bit of sheer stuff at the neckline. I have the bows all put together, too.

Here's a picture of it with the petticoat underneath. :)

Obviously, some work still needs to go into changing (lightening) the color of the bodice, but so far so good... ^___^

Idris

Finally making some progress on my Idris costume...and I wish I was happy about it, but my back aches from hunching over, pleating yards and yards of fabric for trim. BLECH.

Still...it's starting to actually look like a costume, and not just a pile of fabric, so that's good. :)

Back at school. Classes start Monday, so...I'll probably feel like sewing and projecting-ing right about then. lol. Anyway, I have three amazing roomies this year, who all also cosplay. Our living room is going to look like a Chinese sweatshop exploded, come con-time.

I'm actually excited about this. lol.

I sort of did some steampunking this morning with a friend. We went antiquing, and I brought a sketchbook for ideas...but didn't wind up drawing anything. I did find a SUPER cheap Victorian-style walking skirt, which was awesome.

Also, I have my Idris costume bits all spread out right now, trying to motivate myself into actually working on that costume, since I think it's probably going to be my most difficult. UGH. So many fancy seams! River isn't going to be any easier. :/

Anywho, I'll try to be better about updating. I barely sewed over the summer, so there wasn't much to talk about, but I'm hoping that changes with my school schedule this fall...I have really easy Tuesdays and Thursdays this term, and no classes at all on Friday. Three day weekends full of costumes!!!

(Well, so I keep telling myself...)

Success!

No pictures, as of yet, but I recently stumbled across the PERFECT fabric for my Idris costume in the red tag section of my local JoAnn's, as well as some fabric for my River costume (though I'll need to dye that...).

I had been previously looking at an online source for the Idris fabric, which sold the actual fabric used for the episode of Doctor Who, "The Doctor's Wife," but they were selling it for $150 a yard! I'm a poor college student. $150 is absolutely not in my budget. I thought I'd never find another resource, but Lady Luck had her eye on me it seems, because not only was the fabric I found in the red tag section, my good friend who works there let me use her 20% employee discount. ^___^ The color of the fabric isn't perfect--it's too dark, and I'll have to figure out how to turn it from brown to blue-ish, but the pattern is spot on, and it was around $3 a yard, so who am I to complain?

In other news, I bought some lovely tea this morning, and a really neat tin to put it in. I'm excited to go home and try some!

JAFAX 17

So, JAFAX was this past weekend. :) Wound up doing two guerrilla cosplays instead of anything with lots of sewing. Princess Celestia from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (which I'll be revamping with a better wig in November) and Quinn from MTV's Daria. I don't have any pictures, myself, but a friend took one of my Celestia, so here that:

 

You can find the rest of her photography at AmeZaRain on Flickr. :)

The wig I had ordered didn't get here until the day after the Con, so in November I'll have a better, more character-appropriate wig, and the horn will be less wonky. We had to kinda just loop it through the hair, because it's supposed to be Velcroed in place, but I couldn't sew Velcro into this wig. :/

World Steam Expo Things

So, I have...two weeks until World Steam Expo? SHIT.

I'm make home from college, but life's a bit crazy right now, what with my mom's house having sold, and all of my stuff being in boxes, and not having a good work-space at my dad's for costuming. But, we'll see. Two weeks. I can make this work.

I hope.

I have a few things left, and I haven't even started getting my packing list together, unfortunately. Have to finish my ballgown (a hem, a few stray stitches, and an underskirt--then it'll be finished), and have to finish my Steampunk Artemis (which mostly means a lot of work on my bow, more than anything, and figuring out how to make a quiver, and also I need to attach a shoulder strap to the dress).

Um, other than that, though, I think I'm doing good for WSE.


Packing List:
1. My green corduroy outfit (finished)
2. Swishy brown skirt outfit (finished)
3. Airship Captain with Jodhpurs outfit (finished)
4. Artemis (not finished)
5. Ballgown (not finished)
6. New walking skirt (not finished)

...so, I'm half-done? Yeah, more or less. Two weeks? Definitely do-able.

Random Thoughts

So, I should probably be studying Chinese right now, but with my ballgown all but finished, my mind has now moved on to ancient Greece. I'm really excited to begin working on my Steampunk Artemis costume for World Steam Expo's (rumored--the Events page on the site isn't updated yet) costume contest. Supposedly, the theme is mythological figures, and I really hope it's more than rumor, because my persona's name is Artemis Grey, and it'd be nice to show off her namesake. Lol. Either way, though, I'm super excited to be working on this costume, as I've had it in mind for a while now, even before I heard the rumors.

I think right now my main concern is making it steampunk enough without sacrificing the Grecian element, or going overboard. I have my initial design (seen below), and I'd like to stick fairly close to it, but at the same time, I've since had some good ideas that would change things a bit...the sleeves look more and more complicated, the more I try to think about how to do them. Lol. I'm also concerned about finding a corset I like well enough, and with enough time to ship, and for a price that I can afford. Right now I'm thinking I'll forgo the traditional pins at the shoulders, and maybe rig some leather straps with cool buckles, instead. I also will need to make the hip-quiver pretty soon. My dad gave me a bunch of old arrows to use for crossbow bolts, but I'm planning on making most of them dummies, just in the quiver for show. I'll have one or two I can take out and pose with, I suppose, but so as not to offend convention weapons rules most of 'em will be fake. The eye-thing...well, I don't really know. I have an old brass decoration from a horse harness that's a few crescent moons, and I'll probably try to work that in, somehow. ^____^

In other news, I've decided I really can't call my dress form anything other than Idris (sorry, Mom, no "Lenore"!), since she time travels. Last week she was preparing for a Victorian ball, and this week, it's Ancient Greece, so you see, "all of time and space" really suits her quite well. ^..^;;

World Steam Expo -- One Costume Down!

 So, I've nearly finished my ballgown for World Steam Expo...basically, I just need to whip up an underskirt (super easy, shouldn't take more than two hours, if I'm taking my time, but I don't have the fabric yet), and it needs to be hemmed. But, I thought I'd put pictures up anyway, because I'm really excited even though it isn't technically finished. :)


Here's the font and back. It's gonna have a red underskirt to match the corset, and I want a red lace fan, but I don't know if I'll be able to find one... I have elbow-length gloves somewhere, and also a dark red hair net which, if it looks right, I'll probably wind up using, since my hair is so short right now. :) In terms of jewelry, I have absolutely NO idea what I'm going to do.
The busk on the corset is silver, so I'll probably try to match my jewelry to that, rather than going with something more "steampunk" like brass or bronze. Dunno what I'm doing for shoes yet, either, which is another reason it isn't hemmed yet. Lol. Honestly, if it comes down to it, the fabric doesn't fray much and I might just leave it not hemmed if I run out of time. I already have my next project draped over my dress form (whom I have decided to call Idris, since she's blue like the TARDIS, and I'm a nerd that way), and I'm really excited about it...but I think it's going to be more challenging than I initially expected, because the fabrics involved are tricky. Gotta go look up some Grecian art, I guess, to find a style of chiton that I like...

Thrifting

Went thrifting with Jamie, Kiki, and Lindsey (and briefly Kaeli) today, and Craig joined us later. I think out of everyone, Lindsey probably got the most stuff purchased, but we came up with some good ideas for Jamie, and I bought a crossbow which I'm super excited about!! It's not really in working condition, but that's fine because I'm planning on steampunking it with Craig's help into something AWESOME for a semi-secret costume I've decided (last minute) to throw together.

...and I have no idea where my tea dress from 2010 has gotten to... :(

Petti-troubles

So, I have a petticoat all cut out and pinned to my dress form (she still needs a name, btw, but I can't seem to decide on one...all dress forms need names), and I have the thread I need for it...but not the zipper. I need to go get one in the appropriate color and preferably one that will be more or less hidden when in place. Also, I'm not sure if it would be best to cut the hemline before or after the side seams are sewn. It's supposed to be higher in the front and lower in the back. Additionally, I didn't use a pattern, and I'm trying to decide whether or not it'd be smarter to lay these pieces out on the fabric I'm using for the over-skirt, or if I should just BS that skirt the way I did this petticoat...

Dilemmas, dilemmas. *sigh*

The fabric store is open for another two and a half hours, so I have plenty of time to go get that blasted zipper...but then I'll actually have to start sewing and come to decisions on all the other things, too, so I keep procrastinating. Also, I have homework I should be doing (though it isn't due till Monday.........it feels like it's already Sunday, though, which is throwing me off), and probably an essay I ought to write. Ugh.

Here's what I have so far:

Despite my various hesitations, I actually really like how it's shaping up. The fabric is super lightweight, so very sheer, but I'm inclined to use this as an actual skirt for World Steam Expo, provided I make some additional, white petticoats to go under it.......................but what this is really for is the bottom-layer petticoat for Idris, for Youmacon. Her lowest petticoat is striped, from what I can see in pictures, and so is this, though really subtly. Part of the way it hangs is due to the bum pad I rigged out of quilter's batting, though as of right now it's merely pinned in place, too, not sewn into a wearable piece of underclothing yet.

Also, did I mention that I'm pretty sure the original calls for a ruffly bottom edge? I hate ruffles, for one, and I'm not actually sure I have enough fabric to make ruffles that go all the way around. And I don't know if I'll like the finished product as much on its own as I do now. I love Victorian fashions, I really do, but I also like clean hemlines, I guess.

Dunno what I'm gonna do. Just thought I'd post and try to straighten my headspace out a bit.

I'm getting really excited for World Steam Expo, and it's only February, lol! I'm especially excited to help Lindsey and Jamie thrift for Steampunk stuff. :) It's probably my favorite thing, thrifting and exploring antique stores...

...which is exactly what I spent all yesterday doing! I found a really cool Japanese-themed tarot deck. I got it for $10, but I looked it up and found out it's worth something like $145, because it's out of print and never been opened. This is a double edged sword, because I really wanna open 'em up and see all the pretties, but at the same time I want to conserve the value of the cards (because I collect tarot decks). They're really lovely, the images from the deck I've been able to find online, and I wanna play with them, but that would destroy their worth (though, even used they're worth almost $60...).

But, anyway, back to thrifting for steampunk. Jamie wants to go for something really equestrian (of course, this is Jamie we're talking about after all...lol) which I think is basically going to come down to having the proper jacket and the proper boots, and then going steampunk with other elements, because a classic riding jacket is key to preserving the look she wants...I'd love to find a hat we could mod into a coachman's hat, too...in fact, I might have one already in my costume box. I'll have to double check, but I won't be able to do that until spring break (goodness, I hope they need me at work--I'm flat broke!), so for now I'll just maybe do some concept art. Jamie didn't realize how many outfits she would need, and so far that's the only thing she's mentioned specifically, so I think it'll wind up being a lot of just "generic steampunk" clothes shopping.

The only thing Lindsey has mentioned specifically is a sweet looking corset she found and wants to use as the key piece in an outfit, so I'm not really sure where she needs help, other than second opinions and the like...? I linked her some of my favorite "accessory" sites and stuff, so hopefully she's got an idea of what she's aiming for... :)

That said, they can both probably raid my closet for things like fun belts and hats and stuff... ^____________^

Some Mild Annoyances

I've been putting off sewing. It's really hard to find the inspiration to post about anything when it feels like no one is reading, which in turn means I rarely feel like actually working on any of my costumes. Combined with the epic amount of homework I feel like I have, there hasn't been much time. This weekend I either did homework or slept, which some episodes of White Collar and some Harry Potter fanfiction thrown in to break up the monotony.

Ultimately, though, I've been trying not to look at my dress form, and see my less-than-half-finished River shirt hooked over the neck.

'Cause here's what's happened: C3 (Cherry Capital Convention) was supposed to take place the last weekend of April. This was perfect. I'd get done with exams, head back up north, and go more-or-less straight to the con. This is what was supposed to happen. And then, due to popular demand or some such, C3 changed their dates. They changed their dates to the last weekend in May.

This, for me, is the worse thing they could have done. I have WSE (World Steam Expo) that same weekend, and I've already registered for WSE, not for C3, so I'm having to bail on my C3 group--my Firefly group. I'm so upset about this, because I was really excited for that group, and I feel like an ass, copping out like this, but when one has already put $120 down for a platinum badge at another convention, well, you have to go where you put your money.

In the end, we're doing the costumes again at Youmacon in November, so I'll still get a chance to wear River this year, but I'm mad that I've had to shuffle my costumes around, and January not even over yet! I feel like I should finish the River shirt, and then worry about my WSE stuff...but I don't actually have a lot that I need to make for WSE. I tend to thrift a lot of my steampunk wear, after all.

So, here I am, still avoiding sewing, and now I'm also avoiding homework. Lol. What's a girl to do?

Well, Shit.

I was just skimming back over last night's post, and started actually doing the math...

I guess I've never really sat down and thought about how much I spend on costuming in a YEAR. I tend to go costume-by-costume. But let's look at this, shall we? What follows is predominantly estimations, rather than literal costs, so bare that in mind...

Steampunk Stuff. Much of what I wear to steampunk conventions is thrifted, which cuts down on costs quite a bit. However this year I bought a very nice corset, as well (gonna be the coolest pirate outfit, when I've actually made it!). So.

Random thrifted bits: $50
Corset: $200.
Random full-price bits (hats, goggles, shoes, etc): $75
Value of all steampunk costume stuff: $325

Anime Related Costumes. Only two last year, but they were both full of fiddly bits and both had wigs, so...

Kallen Cosplay:
Wig: $30
Tan fabric: $30
Red for the leg warmers and shirt: $12
White for the sleeves: $8
Belt materials: $12
Threads, buttons, Trim: $25
Total for the costume: $117

Sailor Pluto Cosplay:
Skirt/Bib fabric: $10
Leotard fabric: $20
Red for the bows: $10
Wig plus shipping: $50
Boots plus Shipping: $40
Tiara: $11
Gloves: $15
Trim and thread: $10
Staff: $40
Total for Costume: $206

I'm literally feeling sick to my stomach, looking at how much I've spent in costume stuff...and I'm not even finished. I haven't done the Hogwarts Four, yet! Luckily, those were costumes I was able to cut some massive corners on with a lot of pre-owned fabrics.

Hufflepuff:
Black fabric: $25
Yellow fabric: $25
Threads: $10
Cup: pre-owned
Total: $60

Slytherin:
Green fabric: pre-owned
Grey fabric: pre-owned
Fabric paint: $6
Threads: $5
Locket materials: $15
Total: $26

Ravenclaw:
Blue dress: pre-owned (in fact, the dress was already made, for an SCA event)
Bronze overrobe: $30
Diadem: $10 (had to buy special glue, and the gems to put in the center, but the copper was from my dad's garage)
Total: $40

Gryffindor:
Tunic:  $20
Cloak:pre-owned fabric
Cloak Pin: $10
Boots: pre-owned
Fabric paint: $15
Sword: pre-owned
Total: $45

Hogwarts Four all together: $171

Which is significantly higher than I had previously estimated, shit. O__O I'm terrified to add up all the totals, but...well...here it goes.

*drum roll please*

$819. Eight hundred and nineteen dollars.

I think I might throw up. *takes deep, calming breaths* Well, at least I stayed under $1,000, right? That has to count for something.... Shit. Definitely gonna have to keep better track of my spending this year. I have some receipts I should probably gather up from the fabrics I've already purchased towards this year's bunch of costumes...

Ugh. The worst part is that this doesn't even take into consideration Convention registration fees or hotel costs. When I think about that... We're looking at an additional almost $300, which does put me over that 1K mark. SHIT.

2011 Costumes: A Recap

Last year, I was a busy cosplayer. By which I mean I made many more costumes than I usually do in the space of a single year. Six costumes. I made six from-scratch costumes (only three of which *I* wore),  in addition to some thrifted steampunk outfits. The two anime-related costumes I made last year turned out much better than anticipated, so I thought I'd share them with you...code for "I'm avoiding homework right now."

The first one:

 This is Kallen Stradfeldt, from the anime Code Geass. I pretty much had to do this cosplay at least once, because she and I share a first name! And with a name as uncommon as "Kallen" that's pretty much never going to happen to me again in my lifetime, that I find a character with my name. Anyway, this costume was SUPER uncomfortable, and not terribly well tailored, because it's the first thing I got to make with the aid of my dress form...it was a learning experience, to say the least. All that sucky black trim you see? Yeah, around ALL the edges? Took so. Damn. Long. Also...I forgot about putting on the belt loops until the day before the con...and then I was like "Screw it! Close enough!" Around...oh, $150 went into making this? I wore this at JAFAX 2011.

Super Sailor Pluto, obviously. Photography by TotallyToasty.com, and boy are those ladies amazing! Costume consists of a wig (purchased), a leotard with attached Sailor-bib/cape-thing, a skirt, two bows (small on front, large on bum, both pinned in place so that the costume could be more easily washed), a pair of modified boots (had to add the white around the tops), a pair of gloves, a pair of earrings (cardboard, with the bow fabric glued on--a college budget solution if ever there was one!), a tiara (found on Etsy), a heart-shaped brooch made by my friend Kristine, and the staff (which my lovely boyfriend made for me). Basically, this costume was a ton of little pieces, and a pain in the ass (and the feet--those boots suck!!), but wearing it was probably one of the most rewarding cosplay experiences I've had to date, because Sailor Moon is such an iconic show. I'd say $200+ went into this costume, easily. Worn at Youmacon 2011.

The other four costumes were these (the photo on the steps was taken by Kristine), which we wore to the midnight premier of Deathly Hallows pt. 2. I'm Ravenclaw, my friend Mads is Hufflepuff, my friend Ame is Slytherin, and that's my boyfriend as Gryffindor. ^..^ We all had our "Founders' Artifacts" with us too! Cup for Helga, Sword for Godric, Diadem for Rowena, and Locket for Salazar.The writing on the diadem is even in Old English (thanks to the help of the Livejournal community "Linguaphiles"), because I do not agree with it being easily read as it is in the novel. I debated putting it in...well, I forget what my second choice was, but based on the clues in the books as to Rowena's origins, it seemed likely that she'd have also spoken Old English, so that's what I went with. My friend Travis did the inscription and pressing of the diadem for me. ^___^ Together these four costumes (not counting accessories) were probably around $300-$400 worth of fabrics, but most of the materials were left over from previous projects, so only Hufflepuff needed to be bought from scratch, as well as Gryffindor's cloak and some things like fabric pain and threads. I think we only ended up spending around $100.

Anyway, I think I've procrastinated as much as I can reasonably get away with, so I'm gonna post this (now that it's after midnight--yikes!) and try to get back to my school work.

<3

College Costuming

Sewing in my dorm room presents a bit of a challenge, but as I'm in what is technically an "on-campus apartment" it means I have my own bedroom, and since all the furniture is against the walls, it means I have a nice open space to spread out fabric. I should probably invest in a cutting mat, but that requires money...of which I have none. Lol. All my fabrics are Red Tag at JoAnn's, and tend to be bought with gift cards or holiday money. The brown fabric above was just $4 per yard, and I don't know if it's visible, but tucked under the left side of the fabric is a brown lacy dress, cut away from a truly awful thrifted sack dress. This is the beginning of my River costume.

 I started cutting out the shirt this afternoon (after this picture was taken) and I realized that I actually can't really tell how the seams in the shirt work...there are some in some very strange places, obviously more for decorative purposes than for simple construction reasons. The thing is, those crooked seams really lend to the "whimsical in the brain pan" that is River. I really feel like I need to keep the crazy seams, but they scare the hell outta me. The pink under-dress has similar crazy sideways seams, as well as many vertical ones that had body and swirl to the skirt, and I can't even bring myself to start thinking about the construction of that dress, yet. Well, I have four months, so...hopefully I'll think of something.

<3

Costume List 2012

Well, my actual New Year's resolution is to write more (off to a BAD start, as my computer has, until an hour ago, been off being repaired), but I'm also trying to be more organized with my costumes. Things like keeping better track of how much they cost, how much I actually paid to make them (I tend to record the full price of the fabrics, as well as the sale price that I buy them at, so I know how much I'm saving), and I want to be better about taking in-progress pictures.

So!

My list for this year:

April:
    1. River (Serenity)

May:
    2. At least one new Steampunk outfit (aiming for a sweet mash-up of proper Victorian lady and Chinese pirate)

June:
   3. Photo Finish (My Little Pony)
   4. Taichi (Digimon)

November:
   5. Idris (Doctor Who)
   6. Psylocke (X-men)
  
And...I think that's the complete list. There are a few costumes that fall under the "Maybe, if I have time..." category, but since they probably won't get done, I'm not gonna list 'em. :)