Some fabric I used to sew.

That about sums up how I feel right now. I finished the cape. One corner needs to be fixed. Otherwise it's done and looks pretty good. I cut out most of the pieces of Abel's cassock and then....ran out of fabric. Of course. I think we've spent around $100 on fabric for Abel now. It's driving me nuts! I hate running out of fabric right when your ready to sew. I miss my sewing machine. The holiday season is upon us. Which means I won't be able to buy fabric next week as stores close early, winter weather is also a big factor. Hopefully we get some fabric tomorrow. I've decided not to line Abel's outfit because of the cost so far. And I feel so badly about it. I'm beating myself up about lining.

I think I've become addicted to sewing.

I may have an issue and may seek (yeah right.) help.

There is still so much to do. I want Abel's cassock done as quick as I can make it. That's without rushing. I do better with some time to take breaks and go play Rune Factory (This game is great!). I still have a shit ton to do. Four months (almost three.) is very daunting. I have everything planned out. I just hope we stick to the plan and get everything done on time. I'm looking forward to waltzing around as Seth. It'll be a dream come true.

I'll have another post really soon with pictures and more info later on.

Thanks for reading!

Arrowhead making machine

I am tired. How about you? I'm sure those who also have a deadline for cosplays are tired too. I've been focusing on making a shit ton of arrowheads for Abel's clips as pictured below on his collar. I'm using a technique as Xaljira Cos(tumes) has used. 

The progress of making 68 of these is very time consuming. I'll be using a whole pack of 100 mini glue sticks but it'll be so worth it. I'm getting excited about finishing all these as they are looking pretty cool. I'll admit these were one of the things that made me very scared to make Abel's outfit at first but now I'm not too worried about them as everything is going pretty well. I have a lot finished but am not quite done yet.

I stopped today to make a wreath with my mom. Otherwise I've been busy working on the arrowheads. I'll be sewing a little today after I finish eating (I'm doing that while writing this.) I'm feeling much better now that I wrote up a goal per month for these costumes. I will be done with the cape by this weekend. So I can start on the cassock. 

I want the cassock, cape and all Abel's armor done this month. That's 17 days. I can do it! Hopefully. It's a lot but, hey you gotta set high goals for yourself if you want to improve.  So I better go now to finish eating.

Thanks for reading!

Monthly goals.

I've been dreading doing this but I have to in order to keep my nerves in check. This is a huge project. Now saying that can still not bring across how challenging it is. So far it's cost us...around...$200. Maybe. Normally that's for both cosplays.

So here is my goals for the next four months.


December 

• Finish The cape (Fix three corners, finish bias tape on collar.)
• Finish Abel's cassock (Patterns cut out. Fabric is next.)
• Finish Abel's armor (Not including painting.)

Maybe

• Finish Seth's armor (Three pieces.)

January 

• Finish Seth's dress 
• Finish Seth's armor (If not done this month.)
• Boot covers for Seth
• Make resin gems for Seth
• Start on Seth's hat
• Start on the trim and fabric painting on the back of the train.

I would love to be finish with all major work by the end of January. Now if that doesn't happen there will be no time to make the wings. Since we will have to construct a very complex harness for Abel's large feathered wings it will take time to figure that all out. Seth's wings will also take a lot of planning. Of course besides the wings there are things we still need to buy. Wigs, contacts, shoes, corset, make-up, ect. That is very important for both cosplays. 

If we aim to finish most of the construction by January that leaves us a lot of room to fix things. Because something always happens right before con. So by giving myself time to sit back and return to the cosplays later on, I can find and fix anything I find before con. 

The most challenging thing will be the details on Seth's train. I will be hand sewing all the gold trim as well as painting the details on both the hat and dress. It's a lot of work in a very little time period but I really want to get the more complicated sewing done soon. Which shouldn't be an issue if I work on it everyday. 

I am so excited for Sakura-con. We are most likely only going to cosplay Seth and Abel throughout the whole weekend. That's it for now. I will update later on with more progress pictures. 

Thanks for reading!

update and Rune Factory 4.

 First off there is four months 127 days. I'm freaking out over that but I am on my way. The cape is almost done, thank goodness as it normally takes me about two months to finish a major costume. That's the sewing part. I've never done fabric painting or a shit ton of hand sewing trim. So this is going to be a big challenge but if I have to hand sew trim while in the car I am okay with that. Although I'd much rather not. So tomorrow after we get a few supplies (Mainly new fabric scissors.) I'll start cutting out the pieces for Abel's cassock. I finally figured out how I am going to shut the front of the cassock so there will not be any big challenges with this outfit. No custom patterns or modifications. Which is a huge relief after making this cape. 

The cape still needs...

• The collar trimmed 
• To figure out how to tact down the collar to get it to stay up and firm.
• Clean some of the edges (Some were cut too short and I need ot use my iron on stuff to make them neater.)

The cassock involves:

• Rounded high collar (Very short, easy to make.)
• Long sleeves with large cuffs
• Modified to be a bit shorter.
• Three slits added to the bottom (Sides and back)
• Hidden panel with eye and hook closures.

Pretty simple. The bias tape may kill me but that's okay. I can deal with that....hopefully. I have learned quite a bit from the mistake I've made with the cape. So I'll just need to try really hard not to remake those mistake when working with the cassock. The cape will be finished within a day or two. I am going all out on making Abel's cassock. I cannot have two months to make it. I'll have to get my butt in gear to get it done. The design is easy so if I work on it every day it may be done in a month. Which would be my goal.

 Then...starts work on Seth. But that's another story. We'll save that for a later post. I promise it will be a long one.

Onto Rune Factory. Ermahgerd. Just got it today and I am in love~ I'm still figuring it out but I really am enjoying the game. It's very interesting. I have played the first one but for some reason stopped playing. This one has a very strong plot that runs the game. Which I personally like in a game, even if its a "casual" game. I'm used to playing computer games so it's a nice break from the more serious games I play. I'm enjoying it so far. 

The female character is okay...I wish we could customize the characters. The hair is too...childish for me. I like more mature characters that are a bit stronger. Strong females are always better in video games than cutesy and helpless maidens. Yuck! So she isn't my favorite. The top....of my god. 

It's hard to see on this picture but there are two strips RIGHT ON HER NIPPLES! Come on! This is just plain stupid. Girls are most likely going to be playing the female character. Why would you ever put strange thingies on the boobs? Where is all the pretty lace and girly things? That's what girls like characters to look like in these fantasy type games.

Not a good idea guys. 

Ruins the character. I'm sorry. I'm guessing a guy designed the character. Sorry for being sexist but I have to. It's just tacky. If it's supposed to be a breastplate or chest armor there would be no loop to attach things. That doesn't make sense. Armor should cover the full stomach to protect the major organs not just the breasts. 

However I do have hope for her. There supposedly more outfits you can buy. Either that or I'm just going to wear the wedding outfit all the time. 

Over all I'm not a fan of the main character girl version.

However, the rest of the characters are pretty nice looking. Although one or two of them appear to be based off well known anime characters, such as Armstrong from FMA. Once you play the game you'll know who I'm talking about. Another issue I have is the design for Leon. I haven't gotten him unlocked in the game yet but I've watched videos of his character online (He's the second to the last on the right.) 

Is he Egyptian or Japanese? Mixing a Jackle and Kitsune does not work. Those two cultures are so different it's like night and day. Jackles are more like dogs. Kitsunes are foxes. He looks like a wolf. Come on. Enough with the lazy designs and lack of research. Pick one or the other. And what the hell is with the fan? Could you please not have them hold anything ALL THE DAMN TIME?

Alright. I'm done ranting over the flaws. This game is pretty good minus what I mentioned. But no game is perfect. I do enjoy it very much. In fact we may cosplay from it.

I'm thinking about Dolce.

I wish the main character look more like this. I really do. I hate it when I'm wishing to play a random character more than the main character. I love the look of Dolce. She's a bit darker but the outfit is very cute and mature. Plus Pico is just darling. 

I may or may not cosplay her, depending on our what we pick for the end of the year. We may have to carry some of our already planned cosplays over to 2015 depending on how quickly I can finish up some of the planned cosplays for Kumori-con.

So that's it for now. I was going to talk about armor and stuff but I've made this post long enough for now. I have a bit more writing to do tonight. My novel is almost to 60k and is coming to an end so I have to kick it into high gear to get that done as well as our cosplays. I'm sorry I was ranting so much but it bothers me a lot when characters who should be girly and sweet look so....ugh. It's just annoying. Luckily the game's graphics are tiny so I don't have to stare at those ugly details all the time. If you like to share your thoughts on Rune Factory 4 and how the characters look, act, ect please do. I'd love to hear what you guys think. 

Thanks for reading!

Progress

The collar is sewn on! I am so happy I did not give up on it. It was a really hard and challenging process of creating a pattern (made two.), fixing the flaws, making a inner cover to make the edges neat. There has been way too much time spent on this cape and I'm glad the construction is done. I have already started re-pinning the bias tape on the edges. It looks amazing with the silver satin lining the black broadcloth. It's really taking on the Trinity Blood look. Which is great because if it didn't I have to tear it all apart again. Which I am not willing to do at this point.

I will sew the bias tape on tomorrow and hopefully get it all done tomorrow. So I can start cutting out fabric for Abel's cassock. I have five months to finish both Seth's dress, hat, Abel's cassock and the wings. It's a lot. But I'm loving making them. Even if it is stressful. My fiance is helping out a lot more this time around. He did pick out these costumes (I chose Seth, we always take turns picking series but chose our own characters.) that he needs to help me and pull his weight more. So he's doing great with making his armor pieces and even with making bias tape with our bias tape machine. It's so nice to have him helping out.

Once Abel's outfit is finished it will be ten times more challenging. Seth's dress will be fairly easy. I have all three patterns ready to go but after they are sewn together comes the real challenge. Between hand sewing yards and yards of trim and painting on fabric, I'll have no time to do anything. So I'm hoping my novel will be done by then. It's going to be a ton of work but I'm very excited for it. I love hand sewing. But am nervous about the painting since I have never done it on fabric before. I want the details to be exact. So it'll take some time. Hopefully I can finished Abel's outfits before the end of the month so I can get Seth's dress done as soon as possible.

If I can find fabric...

Did you know finding green fabric is hard? Not lime. You can find that everywhere. There are two typical shades in the fabric stores around my area. Lime and forest green. It's so hard to find a sage green. Something that isn't too light or doesn't have cheap looking sparkles on it. I may have a good lead but it depends if they have enough when we go back. I wish I could find some online but...none. It'll be worth it in the end I'm sure. I said before that we were only going to enter the contest at our next con if we get the wings done on time but now, with all this work and planning, I think we'll do it either way.


Anyway, I doubt anyone will read all this. Let's be honest, you guys only read my posts if I have pretty pictures. I don't blame you. I like pictures too. So I'll forgive you. There will be pictures very soon. My camera sucks the life out of batteries so I will have to borrow my parents' camera. My dad uses it a lot so I have to wait. Since we are taking pictures of some stuff we're selling I'll also take pictures of...

• Abel's cape
• The progress of the arrowhead clips so far
• The armor pieces 

Thanks for reading!

Moving forward

Finally. A day where I got a lot finished. Thanks to my mom for helping me with Abel's collar. Without her support and advice I would have easily given up and switched from Abel's normal manga version to his Empire uniform. Which in the end would have been more work. Luckily with her help I figured out how to sew on the collar of the cape. I will take pictures tomorrow when I take pictures of some stuff we're going to be selling.

Which brings me to the next topic. Today I also cleaned up our very first cosplays in order to sell. We're hoping to sell Break and Sharon (Pandora Hearts) to fund the rest of our Trinity Blood cosplays. This will help us a ton. So we can go out and buy all the supplies we need right away. We'll also be selling Alice and Oz's wigs that have only been worn once. I'm hoping all these items go to people who love them just as much if not more than we did. It's hard selling our very first cosplays but I will be making new outfits for Sharon and Break and I need the money and closet space. So it's their time to find new homes.

                                                                      Good times!

Tomorrow I'll iron them, take pictures, set up prices and post them online. As I'm taking pictures I'll make sure to take some pictures of all the progress I've made with the cape. And hopefully I have time to get the bias tape remade. Some strips were uneven which messed up the bias tape when I was pinning it on. I want the collar to be finished tomorrow so I can get busy on sewing the bias tape on. Then the cape will finally be finished and I can FINALLY move onto the cassock.

While my mom and I were planning out the collar I asked her about how I should shut Abel's cassock.As you can see in the picture below Abel's cassock is normally shown as being shut but shows no signs of a zipper, buttons or anything else really. It's rather annoying as it makes planning hard for cosplays. And since I couldn't find a Abel cosplayer who was willing to give advice, my mom and I came up with two ideas.

Her idea was that it didn't shut. It was held together by the belts. But that didn't make much sense to me because gravity would pull the top open and you would see more skin peeking through. It isn't like that. Although it was a good try.

My idea is to add a hidden panel (My mom later agreed that this was a good idea.) and have hook and eyes down the front of the cassock. Either that or buttons with ribbon loops. So I don't have to sewn on hundreds of button holes. Which my mom and I could not figure out with our sewing machine. It's very old and isn't good with that sort of stuff. So it will either be closed with hook and eyes or buttons with ribbon loops. That solves one of the issues I had.

I am so glad my mom helped me out today. I was ready to throw in the gloves. It was so nice having someone to help talk things over and discuss ideas. It helps me get all that stress and doubt out. So I feel so much better about being slightly behind. There is five months to the mark. I'm very excited about Sakura-con. But there is still a ton of work ahead of us. 

So I hope everything goes okay and I am able to make these on time. I can't wait to show you guys what I've done so far. Thanks for reading!

Stress

The collar on Abel's cape is going to be the death of me. It's horrible. I have it cut out, the interfacing on and it is all sewn together. But now I have to get sewn on neatly. It's very challenging. It just seem off somehow but I can't figure it out. It is taking too much time. So I'm going to try and finish up the bias tape. I have one row ready to be sewn on right now. Once the bias tape trim is on I will put away the cape and focus on Abel's cassock. Because if the cape is not finished it will be okay. We'll just have to make sure to make the wings instead. I hope the issue solves itself with time to think it over.

The main pieces are Abel's cassock and Seth's dress and hat. So I have to get things into gear and start working harder. I may start waking up earlier to help kick myself into shape. We have five months on the spot. I don't want to waste any time. The details on Seth are going to be a lot of work. Hand sewing and painting, it's going to need a lot of time to focus on it. So I hope I can have a month to do that all. So the main pieces must be finished soon.

I hope by keeping myself inspired I can do this. Once I get new batteries I'll update with some pictures.

The arrowhead clips

Arrowhead clips. No idea what the real term of these are but that's what I'm calling them for now. These are a very important iconic piece to the cosplay. We are going off of the manga which means these are even more important. They are on the cape (the collar) and the cassock (collar and cuffs). 

First step is creating a mold. The master will be made out of Model Magic air dry clay. If that does not work we'll be getting a air dry clay. Hopefully the Model Magic works. I'll be making the master tonight but will make two or three differently to see which will work best. 

Second step, once the master is dry and coated with Mod Podge to smooth out any flaws, I will mix Mold Putty and make the mold by surrounding the master with this molding putty. Curing will take about twenty minutes. Once it is finished drying I'll remove the master and see how the molds turns out. Hopefully it will be smooth. 

Third step is filling these molds with hot glue. Once all of them are made it will be time to draw on the arrowhead clip body on Wonderflex and start cutting those out. They will be heated and molded over a pen to give it a upright bend. Then the hot glue sculpt will be glued onto the clip base.

How many of these am I making? 

I just did the math. (These are the full count including the back pieces)

Cape:

• Cape sides :16 (32)
• Cape collar: 9 (18)

Cassock:

• Collar: 9 (18)
• Cuffs: 5 (10)

Grand total:

Without counting cassock collar (back pieces): 68

With cassock collar backs: 78

I may not add back pieces to the cassock collar because it may become bothersome to my fiance since they will be surrounding his neck. But it depends on what he wants so right now I have two grand totals. 

I got the idea from Xaljira Cos(tumes) 

Thanks for reading!

Five months

There is so much to do. And I feel as if I don't have done nothing. I keep finding issues and I am going crazy! I have five months until the con. And my list is just growing. I got the cape made but now I need to fix the front and make the high collar but I have no idea how to make the collar. Which is slowing me down. I posted a thread for help on Cosplay.com, hopefully someone replies and helps me out. Otherwise sewing the bias tape on is proving to be pretty simple and won't cause me any problems.

My to-do list is as of right is...

• Finish the cape 

The circled part is the front corner that I need to cut out. I have the full cape finished but can't do this until I make the collar to make sure the length is correct before cutting the cape.

If you have made this cape before please comment on my thread and help me out!

http://www.cosplay.com/showthread.php?p=4793267#post4793267

• Start on the cassock + Scarf

This should be pretty easy. The pattern looks just like it. The only issue is figuring out how to get it to shut without buttons showing. I may make a hidden panel underneath so it hides the closures. 

This will include finding the following...

• Two wide belts
• Combat styled boots
• Gold trim for the scarf
• Red fabric (For the cross details.)

• Seth's dress and matching hat

Again, not too worried about making Seth's dress. I have patterns for her upper sleeves and dress. I'll be making the longer sleeves myself as well as make short bloomers to wear under the skirt. I'm making those without a pattern by using online tutorials. 

I'll need...

• Boot covers (I'm making them.)
• Gold trim, lace, resin gems, fabric paint, green and white fabric.

• Make armor

We have made two of Abel's armor pieces. The collar piece and the long piece that goes under that. Those are being painted and will be attached by Velcro or metal clips. We still must make...

* Four small plates (These will go on Abel's cassock's sleeves.)

*Two plates for Abel's cuffs

* Shoulder pauldron for Abel

*Plate that goes under the pauldron with red lining underneath

*New rosary (if we have time.)

*Shoulder plate with raised bars (Abel)

*Large back piece with four tubes

*Boot armor plates (Maybe.)

*Seth's breastplate 

*Seth's shoulder armor x2

*Armor crown piece for hat

*A shit ton of the arrows for Abel's outfit

I also need to make...

*Resin gems for Seth (Red,blue, green)

*Silicone mold for the arrow clips for Abel

Seth needs a wig and Abel will need another if we make everything and are doing his crusnik wig. My head is spinning. I'll have to start waking up early to sew my butt off. If I can't figure out the cape and no one helps I might just finish up the bias tape and move on to the cassock until I come up with something. I'm still searching for the perfect shade of green fabric for Seth. I might have found some and will get it if I cannot find anything else which I doubt I will be able to do. I'm going to make bloomers for Seth with the extra fabric from the skirt. I may make a cami or slip with it too if I have enough just for comfort during down time in our hotel room. 

So much to do. I'm going insane. I feel like I am doing nothing even through I've been writing a novel and planning and out lining. It's just stressful. Hopefully my fiance gets his butt in gear and starts making more armor pieces. That'll help keep the stress away. That's it for now. I need to go write and paint the two armor pieces we do have. 

Thank you for reading. Please comment on my thread if you have made a Abel cosplay. Thank you!

Beads, beads and more beads!

I think I may have a new obsession. Okay, I used to love beads when I was young too but it's been rekindled as of today. I love adding some type of beading to my cosplays. It gives it a personal flair. On Sharon's dress (The one pictures below.) I had sewn on gold seed beads on the tails of the bows on her dress. It shows it looking this way in the manga so I thought why not. It turned out to be a ton of tun and is now something I try to do to each cosplay.

                                                         You can't see the beading. Sorry.

Luckily for me Seth has a lot of detail so I can work in some beading. I have already added pearl beads onto the inner train that is on her underskirt. I'm hoping the light on stage will catch them and make the inner train pop more. I'm also planning on adding some beading (not much.) onto the back of her train and maybe on the lace of her sleeves.

And of course the bead strands on her hat...

It's hard to tell but there are two bead strands on the edge of her hat and on the edge of the breastplate as well the bottom of her sleeves.

So I have a ton of beading I will get to do. Today we bought some of the gold beads that will be used for those strands. I looked for round red and round blue (one large and one medium sized bead strands.) but didn't find any of the right color. Nor did I find the long teardrop green beads.

I'm trying my hardest to stop focusing on Seth but it's not working. I am just so excited to cosplay her finally.








In other news Abel's cape is almost finished. I need to hem the slits on the sides which I already cut and pinned. Sewing those won't take long. Then start on the bias tape. Then it will be finished. I decided to sew on two snaps on the top to keep it closed as well.

Once I am done with that I can start on Abel's cassock then on Seth. I cannot wait to get these done. I just wish I had more time. Due to the fact I am currently writing a novel my focus has been else where. But now that we have a few more pieces for these costumes I'm getting more excited to work on them. I think tomorrow I'll sew most of the day in less we go out to look at more supplies.

I hope these will in fact be done by Sakura-con. Otherwise I may not cosplay and instead may just wear lolita and take lots of pictures. I'm not too sure. I really don't want to bring Alice or Yuuko as her kimono did not fit right and I couldn't figure out how to tie the obi. And I'm hoping to sell Sharon by then. I hate being stuck in between having cosplays we are going to sell and not having any we truly feel passionate about done. It's scary. But I'm sure I can get it done. If I have to I'll have to let my mom help me out.

So that's it for now. I have a lot to do. Thanks for reading!

A new blog title

We have changed our cosplay name from Black Cat cosplay to Equus. After a lot of thought we decided it was best to change our name. Equus was chosen because it has a strong meaning to both Nicolas and I. Pandora Hearts was the first series we cosplayed from. I began reading the manga when it first came out and instantly fell in love with it. Equus is Sharon's chain. He is seen as a black unicorn with a purple/black mane. We picked Equus because Sharon and Break are not only our favorite characters but they are two characters we can't stop cosplaying. We didn't cosplay them this year and it felt strange. We really didn't have any fun without our two favorite characters. So we're bringing them back for 2014.

Now our name has strong meaning to us. Although our name is only used for when we join contests, it will be our reminder of the passion we have for the characters and series that we love so dearly. Now instead of a black cat, Equus will cover the front of our progress binder. He'll be our icon for now. Unicorns were seen as proud and noble creatures way back when. We'll use that to inspire us to keep our heads up and face any challenge we might encounter while working on our cosplays.

So if you notice the name has change, don't be alarmed. Now you know.

Black Cat cosplay is now Equus Cosplay.


See you soon~

Plans for December

November is coming to an end. And since I didn't get as much work done this month as I had hoped I'm going to be waking up earlier to get more done. I am working on finishing up my novel I have to make sure to have enough to write and sew in one day. Sewing is a lot of fun. I'm improving a lot too! So I'm hoping to speed up and get more done. So here is the progress for each character so far.

Abel:

1.Cape 40%
2.Cassock 0%
3.Armor 10%
4.Wig Crusnik ver. 70%

Seth:

1. Underskirt: 100%  (may re-do the train.)
2. Dress + train 0%
3.Boot covers (Maybe) 0%
4. Hat 0%

Wings:

Abel's black feathered wings: 0%
Seth's butterfly wings: 0%

Need to buy:

• Fabric for Seth's dress (Might have found some today!)
• Seth's wig
• Another wig for Abel (Only if we do have time to make the wings. Otherwise we will not style the one we have.)
• Shoes for both characters 
• Green and red contacts (Green for Seth, Red for Abel.)
• Wing supplies 
• Resin and supplies for gems
• Thick foam for Seth's hat
• Notions for both Seth and Abel

For the month of December I would like to get done both Abel and Seth's outfits and maybe either start on the hat for Seth or at least start painting and hand sewing the trim on Seth's train. If I get all that done we will have lots of time to get the wings done as well as make all the details for the costumes. And armor of course. So my goal is to get the sewing done. Since these costumes are heavily detailed I'll need a lot of time to focus on those. There will be a lot of hand sewing involved for the trim on Seth's hat and train and I would rather not be sewing it in the car up to Sakura-con. 

The armor I'm not too worried about. Although Seth's breastplate will be the biggest piece with most detail. So that might be a bit nerve racking. So the more time we have to focus on that stuff it will be help us figure everything out a head of time. Which we want. Hopefully we get everything done within two or three months so I can start on our Don't Starve cosplays.

So, I have a ton to do. I better get going as I have lots of writing to do. Thanks for reading!

The cape

It is super chilly here. It has been for the last few days. I guess it's a record low for this time in the season for this area. It isn't snowing or anything. Just VERY windy. Today I've been fixing issues with the cape and sewed the pieces together. I am horrible with cutting out fabric. I'm not if its because my eyesight is bad and I have issues focusing them or because I was just too tired while doing it and didn't think before rushing to cut the fabric. But, lesson learned. Next time I will make sure I do it right and have a second pair of eyes to look over the pattern before I cut the fabric. 

Another issue with fabric is finding green fabric for Seth. I have looked high and low. From Joann's to Fabric.com. There is lime green, light green that almost looks white, dark green and brown-green fabric. But not anything in between light green and grass green. It's so annoying. It's the holiday season. What two colors are most known for this time of year? GREEN AND RED. So why is green fabric so hard to find? Why is it all dark green or lime green? 

I really don't want it to be dark green nor lime green. It can't be shiny. So that crosses off satin. I'm hoping to find a taffeta but I think I may just go ahead and get broadcloth if I can find the right shade of green. It won't be what I had pictured in my head but it's better than getting a cheap costume satin. Or lime fabric. Yuck. I can't stand lime. It looks so off for Seth. But I guess there isn't a high demand of a fabric that is more sage colored. 

There is a lot to do. But we do have a few months to try and get it all done on time. Or ahead of time which would be amazing. I feel so bad when I stop sewing to go write. But right now I'm more likely to make money by writing then sewing. I just cannot help but to feel bad. Sakura-con is this spring. I really want to wear these amazing cosplays. I'll have to start waking up earlier to work harder on finishing these outfits. 

It's a lot of work and lots of planning but I know if I am focused I can do it. My batteries are dead right now but I will upload a bunch of pictures once I have new batteries. So thank you for reading. Sorry for the rushed post.  

It's time to sew once again.

We spent yesterday making and ironing bias tape strips. I'm now ready to start sewing once more. I'm very excited about getting Abel's cape and cassock done so I can start working on Seth. If I can find a good green fabric by then. Once I'm done with Seth, we can start making wings. Which means we will have time to do Don't Starve cosplays. I hope I have time. I'd love to be able to bring two cosplays (one big, one casual.)

The cape is what I'm starting on first. It's pretty simple. I just need to modify the pattern to create the slits on the sides and back. Which shouldn't be too hard. I'm more worried about getting the bias tape on nicely around the sharp square corners on the top. Hopefully I can figure that out.

I'm also worried about the high collar. I will have to make up a pattern on my own. I plan on using firm interfacing to keep the collar folded nicely. I don't want it flopping down. So hopefully having the interfacing helps keep it up. 

After the cape I will work on the cassock. I'll need to modify this pattern as well. There will need to be a slit in the back and on the sides I believe. Otherwise it's perfect. Slits are very easy to make. I can make them on the seam line. Abel's outfit is rather easy besides all the armor pieces. I've decided we'll make a mold with silicone for the arrow pieces since there will be so many of them. 

We have the armor plates for his cuffs (Shown in the picture. Bottom right.) ready to be molded with Wonderflex. We'll do that later though. Today I need to focus on sewing since I haven't sewn in a while thanks to that bias tape maker. I'm behind on schedule. And if I want to get Abel and Seth and their wings done on time I gotta hurry my butt up.

I have so much planned for these costumes so I need to work hard on them. As with Seth's underskirt (Which I sort of want to remake the train now.) I want to try and make it as neat and clean as possible. So this will be an adventure. So I'm going to try my hardest and work nonstop. 

I'll be updating with pictures whenever I get new batteries. It may be a while.

I'm also writing up my list of supplies. I'll post that once it's finished. 

Should arrive by 11/18 but is delayed until 11/18

Makes a lot of sense right? Well, that's what Walmart told us about our bias tape maker. It was due to arrive today (it did.) but was delayed until today. My fiance and I had a good laugh about it. But it did arrive all safe and sound. I didn't have time tonight to set it up and start making silver bias tape so tomorrow I will start making the bias tape. Tonight I'm going to do some research on sewing bias tape on neatly. I've never worked with bias tape so I'm pretty excited to work with it. I will also be starting on Abel's cape tomorrow. I cannot start on making the collar pattern until I have the cape made so I can measure how wide I need to make the collar.

                                                      His collar is ridiculously high.

Thank the cosplay gods for firm interfacing. I have a ton of it so I'm more than ready to create the collar and cape. It won't take me long. The cape is a very simple pattern. Now that I have the bias tape maker nothing really stands in my way. I can finally start sewing once more!

This is the silver fabric we got for the bias tape. Since they do not sell silver bias tape in stores (yet they sell gold.) we decided to make our own.

I forgot if this fabric is stain or taffeta. It's very soft and metallic. It's not too shiny like cheap satin. I love the color. It's much prettier in person. It also looks great against black which it will be sewn onto.

After getting this fabric I sort of want to make a silver dress. It's so pretty.

 Nicolas working on his armor. The two pieces that are covered in Wonderflex are shown. Both will be going on his chest/collar. The pink pieces will be glued together and covered with Wonderflex to make the armor plates for Abel's cuffs. We're getting the easy pieces out of the way before we start on the large shoulder piece.

He's making a mess in my sewing room. >:c

I have been wanting one of these for the longest time. No idea way. As you can see (Two aren't on the racks.) I don't even have enough thread yet. But I love having somewhere safe to put them. I used to hide them in my desk so my cats can't find them.

It just makes the room look like a sewing room I guess. I don't know. I just love it. It's very handy. We just bought the black, silver, white and the invisible thread.

Invisible thread is seriously the coolest thing ever. It's sort of like fishing line but thin and more flexible than it. I will be using it for the holes on the back of Seth's dress that the wings will come out of. If I have time to make the wings.





Thanks for reading!

Hotels, wings and armor.

I don't think we have ever been this organized. Not only do we have Sakura-con fully paid for and our hotel booked earlier than normal but we have a hotel booked for Kumori-con too! Our friend and her girlfriend have decided to have us room with them and we are so thankful and happy to be able to spend K-con with them. Their like family. We've known them since high school and couldn't be happier. Last con we found it very depressing to be alone and didn't have that good of a time but we know we'll have a lot of fun rooming with them. Again, I cannot thank her enough for letting us room with them. I'm so excited. This is the same friend we're taking with us to Sakura-con in the spring. She's very awesome.

We are still waiting for the bia tape maker. It should be here on Monday. If not there will be hell to pay because I cannot wait a moment longer. I HAVE to get started now if I want to finish before the end of next month so I have enough time to work on Seth. I'm going to go modify the cape's collar today since that's all I can really do right now. The cape won't take me long to finish. It's pretty simple. And the cassock appears simple as well. The modifications I need to do are very easy. And are just a few slits on the sides and back. Not much work to be done to it. I'm more worried about Seth and the wings.

Finding the perfect green fabric is hard. They are either too light or too dark. I'm hoping to find something at the big fabric store in Portland but I think I may have to order online which it may turn out to be a lighter green than I wanted but I'm okay with that. It'll be cheaper. I will also need to get a white fabric that isn't shiny like the satin I have. This is because the white fabric will make the outer train. If used the same fabric as the inner train they will blend in too much. I don't want that to happen.

I'm very hopeful we will get the costumes and armor done on time. However I'm starting to worry about the wings. If we finish and there isn't enough time for me to comfortably make them I won't. We won't be entering the contest but like I told my fiance it will still be fun. We'll have a ton of fun walking around in cosplays we both love dearly and with our friend by our side there is no doubt we'll have a good time. So right now I'm not going to worry about it.

The armor is coming along fine. We found out painting Gesso and Mode Podge on Wonderflex before you sand is useless. It gummed up and made more trouble then anything. So I stripped it off and am now repainting mode podge on before painting it silver. It's pretty darn smooth thanks to the tool we used as well as the Mod Podge. So there isn't a ton of sanding to be done.

As for Kumori-con's cosplays we may change it up a bit. But we will do at least three, including our Trinity Blood cosplays I'm making now. With wings.

Right now our ideas are...

Only firm one right now is..

~Sharon and Break (Pandora Hearts.) *For a panel/s.

Maybes:

~Willow and Wilson (Don't Starve) *If we don't get them done by Sakura
~Madam Red and Grell (Black Butler)
~ Cowslip's Pokemon Gijinka (Grimer and Muk) 

Let's be honest...Cosplay is for everyone.

It is this sort of stuff that makes people afraid to cosplay. This makes not only the community look bad but makes women look bad. Hot Topic came out with these shirts "Cosplay. 1.Do it right or not at all." That is total bullshit.

Cosplay is for everyone. Doesn't matter your skin color, race, gender. Who cares! Luckily Hot Topic is smart. Well...smart enough to listen to the hundreds of cosplayers who requested thsi vile shirt be removed right away.

And it will be removed within 24 hours. Thank you who stood up for people like me and got rid of this eye sore. We don't need people believing cosplay is just one big contest. It isn't. It's for fun. You like a character, you dress up as a character and have FUN. We are geeks, nerds, normal people with jobs who work hard and use conventions as a break from our rough realities.

As I've said many times before.

It doesn't matter what you look like, if you want to cosplay then cosplay. Have fun with it. It isn't about being a model or a sport. It's a hobby, a lifestyle and a way to break free from normal everyday stress. This crap has to stop. Its harming a lot of people. I'm glad they removed it.

Upcoming posts

Since I am STILL waiting for our bias tape maker (Thank Walmart for NOT updating your tracking. Seriously what's the point in giving us a tracking number? And saying should arrive by Monday the 18th and the Monday the 18th makes no sense but it did make us laugh.) I've been thinking of some fun ideas for new posts for the blog. But before I get to that we finished Abel's collar armor plate today. It is looking grea.t We got the lip on. The seams were pretty easy to smooth down. I don't see why people complain about the seams and gauze on Wonderflex. It's going pretty darn well for us and this is our first time using it. I'll post pictures later if my camera batteries hold up.


The posts I am thinking about doing are...

• A safety guild for conventions

A few tips and links for you to know how to be safe and to avoid having a bad con. Everything from keeping your stuff safe in a hotel room to avoiding creepers. (These tips will be based off my personal experience.)

• Video game tips and walk through

Don't Starve is my favorite game right now. Since I'm trying to beat my best score of 56 days why not do a small walk through about how to play the game and survive. Just something for fun since we are planning on cosplaying Wilson and Willow.

So those will be coming soon if I decide that I have enough time. I will start taking some screenshots for Don't Starve and I have already gathered some good sites for con horror stories.

Thank you for reading. If you are interested in seeing these posts please comment below!

Tonight's crazy cosplay planning.

New journal= cosplay planning. Of course that's the reason why I'm finally starting to do the heavy planning that I should have done earlier on. I love journals. It an obsession.  Any whooooo! I've been a lot of planning today not just for Abel but also for Seth's outfit. 

 I've been writing away all sorts of major details including how many yards of fabric we'll need for Seth's dress and hat. 

Its hard to tell from what I wrote but I have a to buy list, a list of fabric paint we'll need, yards of fabric, Which part of the outfit will be sewn with what color fabric. 

As well as some doodles about how I will modify the dress pattern I will be using.

I got a lot done. In the end we will need 20 3/4 yards fabric for Seth and her hat. That is a light green fabric and a non-shiny white fabric. I decided on not using the left over white satin I used for the skirt and inner train so the inner train will stand out more. The ref picture shows only the skirt as a shiny. So the rest will not be. Expect the green which I cannot be picky about. Light green fabric is hard to come back and for some reason the fabric stores near me do not sell Sateen fabric. :(

So...

There will be 11 yards for the white fabric which will be used for...

• Outer train (Goes up to waist.)
• Cuffs
• Lining for the entire outfit
• Edges of hat

And a 11 yards of green fabric 

• Front dress skirt panel
• Sleeves (Upper fluff sleeves too.)
• Torso of bodice
• Front and back of hat

We may need more green fabric for the hat but right now I will wait until I start making Seth's outfit. But thats not all for Seth...

• Lace (Rose venice) for sleeves
• Lace for collar 
• Gold trim
• Black fabric (I already own some that I will be re-using.)

Seth is a hassle but she's an empress so she deserves it. I'll have to make the pattern for the lower sleeves but that shouldn't be too hard. The shape is very simple. Its Abel's collar on his cape that will be the biggest challenge. I'm starting on sketches trying to figure it all out. Hopefully I will as its a pretty imporant piece of his outfit. 

So that's it for now. I've got Once Upon A Time to watch! 

(I'm really wanting to cosplay Belle now.)

Thanks for reading!

Armor, Wonderflex and patterns

I'm starting to sew again. I just finished the beading on Seth's skirt. Although I am still thinking about adding seed beads to it, I just haven't figured out how I want to pattern them on the lace. We are still waiting for our bias tape maker which is way I have yet to start sewing pieces together. I have cut out the pattern for Abel's cape and will start modifying that very soon. I was going to do it today but my model has to work. Yesterday we started working with Wonderflex. And oh my goodness that stuff is amazing. So easy to work with. It heats up easy and molds nicely.

We started by making the top armor plate as shown above (The one closet to his neck.) We also found out this will be a joint project to get the armor done. He held the heat gun while I molded. Although later one it may be him doing it all by himself because I do have a lot to sew. But it was fun.

This is our collar piece. We decided afterwards to add a lip around the base but did not have time to finish it because it was so cold outside the Wonderfelx would not stay heated for long. And my feet were freezing. But that's what I get for being lazy and not going downstairs for some shoes. Over all I am very pleased with how well Wonderflex is to use. It hardens quite nicely. I have read online that some people were annoyed with the gauze showing but I didn't see that issue arise for us. It did show on the back near the edges but no one is seeing the back but us. Yes, there is a slight texture but its not bad. It will be coated with Gesso and Mod Podge before being painted. So the texture wont be an issue. There were some dents and a spot where my nail cut into the Wonderflex making a impression but armor should never look brand new...in less it hasn't been fought in.

Abel fights very hard. His armor is shown being rough with dents and marks all over it so we decided to leave them as they'll just add to the character. I'm really happy with how it turned out. We also made the larger armor plate as seen above under the collar piece which was very easy to cover with Wonderflex as well. I'm very excited to get more done with Wonderflex. Its really opened a lot of doors and I feel very inspired to use it.

That's it for now. I have a lot to do today. I hope you guys had a wonderful weekend! Be safe. And thanks for reading!

It has arrived! CosplaySupplies review

 Site bought from: CosplaySupplies
Ordered on: Monday November 4th.
Items ordered: Wonderflex (Large) + Friend Plastic 4.4oz Jar 
Total paid: $58.50 USD (Free shipping)
Date arrived: Friday November 8th


Our Wonderflex has arrived!!! I am so excited to use this stuff. As soon as I heard the UPS truck I ran upstairs. The guy left the large cardboard wrapped tube on the porch. I thanked him and quickly pulled it inside. I was a bit worried because we also ordered Friendly plastic and I didn't see it since it was just a large tube.

It was safely wrapped. Nothing wrong with it. No tears or rips. It was fairly heavy, obvious there was a lot inside. I was very happy with not only how quickly it arrived but how well UPS tracking kept the tracking updated so I could check up on it. Although I wasn't worried about it arriving on time. But I have had issues before (Not with this site.) so it was nice knowing it was safe.

The Wonderflex! This will be the first time for us to work with Wonderflex but I saw no flaws or anything wrong with the item. It was taped, very secure. And inside the tube was the Friendly Plastic. It wasn't in a jar but a cardboard tube with instructions. Which I am perfectly okay with. The Friendly Plastic came sealed in a plastic bag filled all the way to the top. I'm glad they included instructions as well as it will be our first time working it as well. Although I do know how to use thanks to tutorials online.

As you can see its full. We might get more later but it'll be enough for now. Over all I am very pleased with our order from Cosplay Supplies.com. They had some great deals, free shipping and quick delivery. We will 100% be ordering from them again and again. I am so happy with their service. I'd rate them five out of five. The products we ordered are high quality. I couldn't ask for more. I'm 100% pleased with this site.

I hope this helps you if your interested in buying from Cosplay supplies. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Another update

Hey guys! I'm really happy right now. Not only has our Wonderfelx and Freindly plastic left Utah and is on its way to Oregon, right on track. It should arrive on Friday, the eighth. But I found another cosplayer who descried how they made Abel's armor. I'm so happy I found someone who made it so nicely who's willing to answer other cosplayer's answers. As I know me and fiance will need some advice at some point. It also helps me feel more at ease with crafting the armor molds. We'll need some tracing paper before we can start on cutting out the foam pieces although I may just start tonight anyway if I have time because I'm inpatient.

The other reason I'm really excited and happy is...

Hotel reservation opened today! Sakura-con is a lot of fun. We never have a bad time. It's our break away from everything plus Seattle is amazing. Its a fun trip, everything from the car ride to checking in. We have so much fun. Last year was the first year we brought our friend and we're doing so again this year. The three of us had so much fun it would be dumb to pass up the chance to have more fun again.

We did book our hotel today. We're staying at a hotel we have not stayed at before. The hotel we stayed at the first year was way too far of a walk. I was wearing heels, a hoop skirt and a large dress and a wig with a heavy clip on ponytail. Up and down a hill. It was not fun.  When we stayed the second year the elevator was so bad and shaky we were afraid to ride it. Which sucked because we were on the 15th floor I think. It was not good for my anxiety.

This year we stayed at the Renaissance. It was a really nice place. The staff didn't all know what was going on so there was some communication which was super annoying. But the worst part was the fact the fridge was locked. Luckily we brought our large cooler and ice was free. The room was really nice. A bit small but not bad. But for the price it really was not worth it. So this year we chose a different hotel that is only a block away. You turn down, cross the street and your there. I won't post where we are staying yet. Not until after con most likely. For personal reasons. 

But the hotel is booked, tickets paid for and I am feeling very excited about con. Now to get our cosplays finished. I feel very confident our Trinity Blood cosplays be finished on time. I'm more worried about the wings and how I'm going to make Abel's harness for his large wings (Not to mention how we're going to get them into the car.) Modifying the costumes has been going great. If we don't get the wings done on time we will wear our normal versions instead of the Crusnik versions. Which means we most likely will not do the contest. But I'm okay with that. 

If everything goes well we'll get the armor, costumes and accessories, wings and wigs styled for our Trinity Blood cosplays done two months before con. That way I can make Don't Starve cosplays!  I can't wait. Kumori-con 2013 wasn't the best for us so I'm looking forward to Sakura-con a lot. 


I can't wait!

But right now I need to go bead and write. Speaking of beading....

Here is a picture of some of the beading so far on Seth's inner train which is attached to the back of her underskirt. 

I finally got the hang of beading it. I'm loving how well they stand out against the lace. It's very regal. I think it'll look great on stage.

For every costume I make I add my own personal touch and this was mine for Seth. :)



Any who.... Time to write!

Thank you for reading!

Remember to like our facebook page for more pictures and updates


https://www.facebook.com/pages/Black-Cat-Cosplay/169389529916223?ref=hl

Small update

Not much news as I am waiting for things to ship. We ordered Wonderflex and Friendly Plastic just yesterday and we just got an email saying they have shipped it and it will come on the 8th. That's crazy. Its free shipping too. If you guys want some seriously good deals, order from CosplaySupplies.com. This is our first order and I'm very pleased. We did not pay over $60 for the two items we bought and I'm very pleased with this company so far.

Our bias tape maker has also just shipped. I'm not when it will arrive. But I am hopefully it will either be by the end of this week or early next week. I cannot work on sewing together Abel's cassock until that arrives. I'm trying to make the trim look professional and not messy like normal. I'm not doing short cuts this time around.

I am itching to sew again! I have a lot too modify with Abel's cassock and cape so I'll wills tart playing with the patterns soon. I do have some muslin fabric and some scrap fabric I'm going to use to make a mock up to help me figure things out.

That's it for now.

Thanks for reading!

Seth's underskirt finished

It's done! Not 100% but the construction is finished. I got a lot done today. Sewed the two layers of the lining finished with the lace trim. I am so proud of myself of how my skills have improved. I'm not taking any short cuts with these costumes and so far I'm really happy with how it has turned out. I hope Abel's cassock will go as smoothly.

The train! The train is just how I wanted it.  A lot went into making it and I'm very pleased with its outcome.

Close up on the edge.  Every time I work on a costume I try to make a goal for it. And this time with these Trinity Blood cosplays is clean edges.

The full view of the skirt.















Over all I am very pleased with it. It was tough and had its challenges but I'm more focused on well I've improved since my first hand made cosplay. I can't wait to start working on Abel's cassock. We just ordered the Bias Tape maker machine. I will cut out the fabric and modify the patterns but I cannot start sewing until I have the machine and the fabric that will be used for the trim.

So that's it for now. I have lots of beading to do!

The inner train

First off...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

I had a blast today.  It was so much fun. And gave me an excuse to wear full lolita. Any time I have an excuse to wear my rocking horse shoes I am happy. We carved pumpkins, roasted pumpkin seeds and got all dressed up to hand candy out to kids. It was great.

We also got more lace for the train so I can finish it tomorrow! I'm thrilled. The train is the first piece I have made a pattern by myself for. I'm really loving how it has turned out. I plan to finish it tomorrow, sew the lace on and sew on the pearls. I can't wait. I love beading. Once the train is sewn onto the skirt it will be finished. Then I can move onto Abel's cassock.

The reason I won't be making Seth's dress or hat is because I had planned on making Abel's outfit first but we round up finding satin on sale for the skirt so we went ahead and bought it. So once I finish Abel's cassock and cape I will start on Seth's dress and hat. I'm hoping to keep going at the speed I am so I can finish a few months before con to work on our Don't Starve outfits and props. Of course after the outfits I do have two sets of wings to make as well. So that won't happen in less everything needed for our Trinity Blood cosplays is done. As they are first priority. And I would love to have them both 100% finished by Sakura-con in April.

I've also noticed that my skill has improved a lot. I'm really proud of myself. I'm sticking to my goals and am not taking any short cuts. And I'm noticing a difference. I really hope I can keep up and do as great as I have so far with the skirt.

We do have to order our Bias tape maker and some Wonderflex in the next few weeks so we can start making armor as well.

Thank you reading!

Five hours later...

And it's done!

I'm so happy! I've never made something like this but I really am proud of myself how much I've improved my skills. I hope everything else will go as soothingly as this skirt did. It took five hours to hand stitch the outer skirt upwards onto the lining. It was very time consuming and overly annoying but I'm glad I took my mom's advice and did it. Hand sewing a big area is very annoying but it worked really well for this skirt. It bubbles perfectly.

You can see the bubbling a lot better here. The skirt fits very nicely. It's comfortable and stops mid thigh just as it should. Now I am starting on the train that will be sewn onto the back. The train won't be finished until this weekend when I can get interfacing (To help make the train stiff.) and more lace because I miscounted and got a yard short of lace.

The lace I got is a Venice lace. It's very soft and delicate with roses. I also decided that I will use pearls instead of seed beads to add onto the lace. This will add a little shine to the inner train.

I always like to add my own touch to my cosplays and this is that little something that I've decided to add to this one.

 The inside of the skirt. This shows how I sewed the outer skirt up onto the lining to make it bubble. It worked really well. You can't see the stitches.

I was very wary of hand sewing it and dreaded but it worked out perfectly and I love how it looks.

This is of when I cut the first piece for the train. I will be lining it so I can sew in the lace in between the layers so it will look clean.

The lace shown above is the lace that will be lining the train.

The other piece. I made this pattern myself. I hope it works out. Before I will sew it all together I will double check with Alice's dress to see if the piece still will fit inside the outer train.

This is how the train will look behind the skirt. I had only pinned it on so it's drooping a bit. It won't be that way once sewn on. The train will have interfacing inside so it will be stiff.

This will be to make it flair outwards instead of being limp and have the risk of tangling in my legs during contests. The outer train will not have interfacing so this will also help the outer train flair out more.

A skirt for a Empress

Seth's skirt is almost done. I've started the dreaded task of hand sewing the bottom upwards onto the lining. I'm trying to make it as neat as possible so I can brag about it later. Normally I would have just sewn it on and not cared but I'm trying my best to make it neat and clean for contests. I want to make this as I had always seen it in my mind. So it doesn't matter that this will be for a contest or two, it's my dream cosplay. I want to make it so I never want to take it off. And having it have neat edges and seams is the first step.


Since hand sewing this is time consuming and annoying I may not be finished until tomorrow. I need to finish my synopsis for my new novel for National Novel Writing Month for next month. Today I went went to a group job interview and I am beat. But I really want to get this skirt done so I can start on the train and finished this piece. The cassock is my main goal. I want it done as soon as I can. As well as the matching cape. I want it done because that means we are almost half way finished. I'd have to make Seth's dress then start on all the details. While I do that hopefully my fiance will start on the armor. We are getting Wonderflex for all armor pieces. It'll be our first time using Wonderflex and I'm pretty excited about it. I've done a lot of research and it seems like the best material to make armor out of.

We should be getting that in a week or two. Depending on when my fiance is ready to get it. Of course he'll need to make the molds first but there'll be lots of time while we wait for the Wonderflex to ship.  So that's it for now. I'll update once I work more on the skirt. No pictures tonight. I'm by far too lazy to put the camera together.

Thanks for reading!

The next two years + my goals

Wow. I don't think I have ever been this organized for our cosplays. Normally we just pick as we go but since patterns were on sale we sort of planned ahead of time this year. I've really been motivated to do my best which includes being serious about my goals but before I get to those Here is our line up for the next two cons.

Sakura-con

Our whole line up is pretty firm. If our main cosplays, Seth and Abel from Trinity Blood are finished before a month or two before con we will be adding on Willow and Wilson from Don't starve and hopefully Chester to wheel behind us.

Firm
Seth and Abel- Trinity Blood

Maybe
Will and Wilson- Don't starve
Yuuko and Watanuki- xxxHolic
Alice and Oz- Pandora Hearts

PH will only be brought if we do not get our TB cosplays done on time. xxxHolic cosplays will only be brought if we are not doing Willow and Wilson.

Kumori-con 2014 will be four days long. We're taking advantage of the extra day to bring....four different series of cosplays. Which I'm thrilled about. Besides Seth and Abel and Willow and Wilson we will be bringing...

Grell and Madam Red from Black Butler.

And Muk (Nicolas) and Grimer (Me) Cowslip's Pokemon Gijinka.

Our main cosplay is unknown. We will be entering one into the cosplay contest which will be our hidden cosplay until that day. Willow and Wilson will most likely be our day zero and down time cosplays.

Which cosplay for which day depends on the contest so we won't know until next year. For now I'm just excited to have such a wide range of cosplays for once.




2014 is going to be blast for cosplay cons. I have been very motivated lately, not only because of these huge cosplays I'm making but because I have a interview this Monday. So it's kicked me into gear. My goals have been refreshed. So besides getting everything done on time I want to focus on myself a bit more. Losing weight for one thing. We pay the gym for nothing so its time for us to go back and work our butts off to get into shape for Sakura-con. I want to get Seth's outfit done then try it on and realize I have to go back and take it in. I'd love that. So I'm going to try my best to improve myself not just my skills.

I'm excited for a new year. This year hadn't been the best, I won't lie. but next sure will be even better. It can only get better from here.