Hemming is finished!

One step to go and Alice's dress will be finished. Tomorrow I have to measure the bottom of the dress so I can start cutting out the chiffon for the ruffles. I'll have to double whatever the length is because the way I make the ruffles is by gathering the top so whatever I cut out will become shorter due to the gathering on top. Hemming took me about four hours and boy is it hot upstairs even with the air on. It reached about 91 today, I hear it got to 134 in Cali, which is their highest recorded temp. One more point and they would have broke the record, which is pretty cool. I'm glad I don't live there. No way could I survive in such heat.


Anyway, I did the hemming panel by panel which is way it took so long. I had to iron, fold and pin then sew one panel after another instead of just doing the whole thing and wind up having to re-do half of it. This way, although slow I could make sure I made a straight line all the way around since people will be able to see the thread. I'll be able to sew the ruffles on that line so there is not two line and this way the first line of thread can lead me for the ruffles.

I managed to get the line pretty straight for the most part so I'm very pleased. I can fix the mistakes when I do the ruffles. Besides the hem I also got pictures of the sleeves I finished and the props I have been working hard on.

They look great when worn, nice and flowy. I keep forgetting that I will have tea length gloves on (Those reach over the elbow.) so I won't need to show much skin. I'm not used to showing skin so it'll be new for me and I'm not too happy about it but I'm so happy that I will be wearing gloves so I wont have to be competently out of my comfort zone.

                                                         The new chain for Abel's rosary.

                                               The white piece is the start of the center piece.

                                                           Caterina's new armor plates.


There is 62 days until the con. Now that Alice's dress is almost done I have good faith in myself that I can get everything done on time with time to spare. I'll be starting on Oz's waistcoat and coat next week. Alice and Oz's wigs are also on their way!

We still need:

~ Shoes for Alice and Oz
~Find heels for Yuuko
~ Contacts for Alice and Oz
~ New wigs for Abel and Caterina
~ Pants for Oz
~Finish the scythe, armor plates and rosaries


Not too much left to do. I will have to style Abel's wig which will be a fun adventure (I'm still new at styling wigs.) am while doing all this I'm thinking about opening commissions on small props and accessories so I can help pay for everything while I seek a job. I'm almost 100% sure we can get everything done on time now that Alice's dress is almost finished. I cannot wait. It's going to be a blast.

Sleeves are done!

Yes, the sleeves on Alice's dress are FINALLY done. That means the whole bodice is finished. There are some small things to do, hand sewing in the back to fix the fabric that is near the zipper, I also need to put on some Steam A Seam to get the ruffles from sliding downwards. I'm so glad to be finished with the sleeves as I hate cap sleeves and they were a bit troublesome. But, I am happy with how it has turned out. The chiffon looks really nice.

I would have started on the hemming of the skirt but it was so hot today! And I don't do good in heat due to my health issues. So I couldn't stay upstairs for very long. But I did get them done and I'm quite happy about that. So now all that is left are the same fixes and the hemming plus ruffles. Then I will be done. I'm guessing it will take me about two-three days to finish depending on the heat. Then I can start on Oz and hopefully get him done before August so I have lots of time to get everything else done.

Right now I'm working on getting the missing piece of Abel's rosary done so I can put on the new chain. As seen below, the piece is in the center with spikes. I made this piece right before Sakura-con but I made it too big and didn't have time to re-do it so I'll be making a smaller one so it will fit nicely and wont look crazy huge.

Reminds me of a spider. 

The larger picture shows the full rosary and shows just how important the piece is since it is in the center and is a main view point. We will be entering our TB cosplays in the contest at Kumori-con for the last time. As next year our new TB cosplays will remove these ones. So it may be the last time we wear them for a while. It will be the last contest, that is for sure.

Today's work, tomorrow's to-do list

I could have gotten a ton done today but due to my health acting up I had to stop. I'm pretty sure I am anemic, because of the dizziness I feel often, I'm hoping to get a blood test for anemia this week or next week to finally figure out if I am or not. If not...Who knows what's going on with me. Any way, today I got both strings of elastic tightened on the bottom of the sleeves. One sleeve is all done, ruffles and all. Once I finish the other sleeve tomorrow I'll be done with the bodice and can finally work on the bottom hem. I also hemmed the back of the bodice.

Like I said not as much as I would have liked to have gotten done today but there is always tomorrow. Hopefully I can get the sleeve done and start or maybe finish hemming the bottom of the skirt tomorrow. Then if I do all that all I will need to do is gather the ruffles and sew them on. Although I'm pretty sure I will not be able to get the ruffles done tomorrow. Especially since I want to focus on writing a bit tomorrow as well.

I have until the end of August to finish the dress and Oz's waistcoat and coat, plus the props and everything that goes with the cosplays. As well as get the new wigs for the TB cosplays and updating their props. Yuuko only needs heels and our xxxHolic cosplays will be done.

So I'll update tomorrow. Hopefully with more news!

Prop update. With pictures!!

Finally! I found the camera and was able to take some quick pictures of what I'm currently working on. I have my hands full right now. We just got fabric for Oz's coat and waistcoat and I am still not done with Alice's dress or her accessories.

So to start off with today I decided to dye some lace for the sleeves buuuut of course I messed it up. My adventure in fabric dying turned out so very wrong. I got some red dye (Rit), did everything it said to and everything was going great until I forget about it and left it in too long.

                                                Purple! Oh....it was supposed to red? Darn.

As you can see the lace has turned out more of a purple color. It's a lovely color and I do like it but its all wrong for the dress since the color is a deep red and not a plum color. I think I'll use it for the sleeves of one of my sweater instead since there is no way I can use it for this cosplay.

As you can see, this is why the lace will not work. The dress is very red. But anyway, this is what I've been working on. I got the top row of ruffles sewn in. The sleeves have become rather short because I put in elastic so since I cannot use the lace I will just sew on ruffles onto the bottoms so the length is a bit longer for my own comfort. But I'm pretty happy with it so far. I just need to iron it. It's so wrinkled! Sorry for not doing so before!

Another side project I've been working on is updating Abel's rosary. I am not good at making jewelry so it's something new for me to do so I did run into some trouble. Since I had some free time I did a few things, using Mod Podge to smooth out my mistakes. Adding ink to make the bots look like metal, ect. It's looking much better.

There are still a few mistakes that I need to fix but it's coming along alright. I just need to do a few more touch ups to it then repaint it. It wont be much longer til it's finished. I may re-make it later on but I'll figure that out later.

Another TB prop I'm re-doing is the armor pieces for Caterina and Abel. They both needed some major updating. But since they were my first armor pieces I'm not surprised that I saw some flaws with how I made them. These are for Caterina. I'm going off the artbook version this time, instead of just having two strips of craft foam, which of course ended up looking like craft form. This time I molded the pieces, by placing them on a very hot lamp (Please be careful when doing so!!!! You can start a fire/melt the foam.)

I etched in the cross by tracing it on. When you do this, don't use pen or a knife, just use a wooden clay wool that has a good edge, that's what I used and it turned out great. I coated both pieces with Mod Podge afterwards, do not do this before you mold it with something hot. Tonight I'll start painting it gold. The cross will be red.

Here are the materials for Oz. I'm in love with the black fabric. It's light and airy and will be used for the waistcoat, belt, cuffs and the collar. We also got gold buttons for the outfit, only 80 cents per button! Such a deal. I'm excited to start on it! There are still some things to get but we wont be getting those until later.

On ward! Sorry this is so rushed, I need to get started on working on props.

Last and not least, the scythe! Almost done with the top piece. I just need to glue on the last two pieces and start sawing down the edges so there is a nice slop. The pole needs a new paint job. The paint I mixed the second time around is too dark for my liking.


So that's about it for now. I'm super busy, rushing to get everything done. Kumori-con is going to be great. I really cannot wait. Hopefully I get everything done on time!!!

My biggest project ever, Trinity Blood 2014

It has been decided! 100%. Next year I will be focusing on two major costumes for the entire year. These will both need lots of time to finish and lots of creativity. I may be rushing into making such detailed pieces but I feel I can do it or at least try and start them. This is a huge step for me, sewing wise. By the time I am ready to start on these pieces I will have only made four costumes. It's a huge step for me and I'm going to learn a lot while making them as both will bring new challenges.

As I've mentioned before, I am firmly going to make Seth from Trinity Blood. This is one of my dream cosplays! And I cannot explain how excited I am to be finally cosplaying her. I am almost 100% sure this will be the outfit I will be making. And as you can see, it's going to take a lot of work. That's why I'm giving myself the whole year to work on it. I do wish however that it will be done for Kumori-con in the late summer. If not it will have it's debut at Sakura-con 2015.

I will be re-using the same pattern I am using now for Alice for the base dress. The sleeves and petticoat will all be using other patterns or patterns that I will be making. The armor, of course will be craft foam. And yes, I do plan on making the large golden "wings" she has on. If I am unable to come up with a stable way of making them, I will instead make her crusnik wings.


And big drum roll....

My fiance has decided on a character! And that character who will be joining our TB group (Our friend is making Ion for our Sakura-con group.) Will be...

Suleyman! The other night I gathered a bunch of male characters from TB, since he said he's more than willing to do another TB cosplay (THANK YOU DEAR!) but wasn't really sure if he wanted to do another version of Abel since we all were being different characters and he wanted to be a new one too. So he took a look through all the pictures and became stuck on three choices. Cain, Suleyman and Radu. He said he does want to do Cain int he future but for now wasn't sure if he felt like cosplaying him and already crossed out Ion since he feels he's too weak of a character or a girly boy as I put it for him. Lol. So he decided on Suleyman since not many males have cosplayed him and none have ever been to Sakura-con. He has a very interesting look and my fiance really liked the outfit as well since it is much different from what he has worn before. Plus we can re-use Oz's white pants for this cosplay.


So we have three characters from TB all from the Empire. I think we may have a winning shot at the contest now. We all will have props (Not sure about Ion. That's up to her.) Suleyman will have his uniform hat and ring that I hope my dad can make light up for a special effect (S-con sure does love their LED lights!!) Seth will either have the golden wings or her crusnik wings and her tuning forks which I am super pumped about making.


So, for those who have not heard of TB or have but don't know much about these characters (All of which we are basing off of the manga. The anime was horrid. Which is just another reason I normally only read the manga and ignore the anime.) here is a bit about each character that will be in our group, starting with the powerful and mysterious, Empress Augusta.

 Seth (Augusta Vradica.) is a powerful character. When I first saw her in the anime I wasn't liking how they drew her as this weak little child. She looked horrible and sounded worse. In the manga she is sassy and mysterious. She is seen popping up randomly, always there in a way, protecting Esther and Ion through their journey.  She rules the New Human Empire. And is highly respected among the Methuselah she rules over.

She may appear childlike but has a hidden power. She is the third child of the Nightlords and is Cain and Abel's younger sister. Putting her ten year behind the twins. She is close to Abel, who she asks to join her living in the Empire "As brother and sister." You can tell there is a hidden sadness within her at time but she always puts on a smile and encourages others to do so too.

There was something that I connected with right off the bat when I first saw her in the manga, even in the anime I admired her. That love I feel for her will be my pushing force behind getting her outfit done. I'm sure there will be no other moment like the one I will feel when I first walk out of the hotel as Seth. I cannot wait.

Challenges:

• Details on dress and hat
• Armor pieces (I'm used to working with small ones. There is tutorial online luckily.)
• Hat (Base will be craft foam, thank goodness there is a tutorial online for this hat.)
• Shoes (First time I will be making shoe covers.)
• Giant props

Suleyman is the third highest ranking royal in the New Human Empire and is the Duke of Tigris. He and Asthatoshe have known each other since they were young.  He is a well respected war hero and is a deputy of the Imperial Secret Council.  But was used by the Rosenkreuz Orden (led by Cain.) and was killed by Astha as he stood before the Empress, threatening her life.

He has mentioned that he has lived in the Empire for over three hundreds years, making him very old for a Metuselah, as mentioned in the manga.

When he betrays Seth she offers him nothing but comfort as he lays dying in her lap. I always thought that scene was so beautiful.


Challenges:

• Styling his wig 
• Making the props (I will be making the ring.)
• His hat

I won't be posting about Ion as I have no idea what my friend is planning for him. She has her plate full, cosplay wise right now and is also holding off Ion until later. I can say Trinity Blood is an amazing manga. One of a kind. I have read some of the original novels. This series is one of kind. It's for just about anyone as it has fighting and gore, hints at romances and romantic feelings, War, Supernaturals, Royals, Revenge and betrayal, hints at steampunk technology. It is well detailed (One of the best I've ever seen.) but sadly no longer sold in the states. And the artist is always pushing it to the side to work on their other manga. The real creator of TB sadly died at a very young age. I can feel his love for this story, these characters whenever I read the novels. It's a powerful story line. 

You can read more about the manga and it's crew in the links below.

http://newhumanempire.weebly.com/the-author.html

Cosplay fever

Oh my gosh I am so excited about the up-coming con its crazy. We'll be spending lots of time with our friends and hopefully have some photoshoots as well as (hopefully) the PH panel. We just bought the wig for Alice (Which was the only one for sale online with twintails) and we still need to...

~Buy a wig for Oz
~Buy a new wig for Caterina
~Buy a new wig for Abel
~Finish the scythe
~Finish Alice's dress
~Start on Oz's coat and waistcoat
~Finish updating TB armor plates

Not so much to do if I put it that way. Of course sewing takes time. I hope to get the sleeves done on Alice's dress tomorrow (And dye the lace.) Then start on hemming the bottom so I can get to work on those ruffles. I'm so excited to wear Alice's dress. There are going to be some issues like what to do about keeping "the girls" in. Can't do straps, gotta find a way to keep them in a strapless bra. Oh the troubles of being a lady. Lol.

I cannot wait until I start on Oz's coat and waistcoat. Alice's dress has given me so much trouble it's driving me nuts and I am so ready to finish it so I can move onto Oz. The details on his coat are amazing and although it's somewhat simple I love the red/white combo with the ribbon and roses. I like small details and the waistcoat and coat have lots of small details. Not sure when we are going to get fabric and supplies but it's going to be soon. I think we will head over to the big fabric store since the one nearby didn't have any that I like that would be good for a coat.

Right now I am working on updating and remaking the armor pieces for our Trinity Blood cosplays. Which they really needed. I sort of rushed them last time. I cannot wait to get all these projects done with. Right now I'm searching for photographers so we can finally get some good pictures of all the cosplays.

So much to do and so little time.

What a night!

There is nothing better in this world than having friends and having someone to love, and of course pets eagerly awaiting your return. Tonight I went out, something I rarely do due to my anxiety and I had a blast! I went to my first bar (I'm twenty one mind you.) and played pool for the first time and never have I felt so free  from all my worries. I feel refreshed, ready to go and slightly drunk still. Thank goodness for water.

Anyway since we went out with two cosplay friends we talked a lot about our shared hobby. I've realized that cosplay is more than just a hobby or a skill, it brings people together and creates a bond. That's so important. So amazing that something like cosplay can do. I'm so glad for my friends, and for the first time in a few years I can say I have real friends. I'm ready to face my fears and move on, because my life really is just starting.

So tomorrow I'm going to get up slightly early and work on getting Alice done. I only need to finish the sleeves (The bottom holes are too big and need the elastic to be tightened.) and hem the bottom, then finish it off with the ruffles which will take another day as there is lots of gathering to do. Over all I feel good. Its nice to something other being depressed for once. I showed myself I can let lose and have fun, enjoy my friends and my love.

I'm hoping it will take only a week to get Alice done. Hemming will take a few days (maybe.) to get done. I know I'll be making some mistakes or make the line uneven in some spots as it is such a long area to hem and hemming is my worst enemy. Tomorrow I will work on the sleeves and start hemming. I really want to improve and stop cutting corners as I would love to win an award for this piece next Sakura-con in spring.

It's only day two of summer and already I'm having a great time. Hopefully this keeps up and I can get a ton done, maybe I'll be lucky and get a job too. Who knows. I'm just going with the flow of things right now. There are so many doors to be opened still. I'll open one at a time. Slowly I'll make my life one that I can be proud of.

And make some wickedly awesome costumes along the way.

The next costume I will be making is one of Seth (Trinity Blood) outfits. I'm not sure which one yet, nor do I know who my fiance will be. He loves TB too so I'm sure he'll pick a character soon. Maybe I can get him to be Ion or Cain. XD

Anyway, enough of my blabbing. I'm going to go write! I've never felt so inspired. And in case you were wondering....World War Z is awesome! Go see it!

Prop night

Been busy working on cosplay and props all day. Today I've finished putting in elastic on the sleeves of Alice's dress. The bottom part is still too big even with elastic so I need to cut them open so I can pull the elastic tighter. I also put in the very first row of ruffles on the dress! It took me a few times to figure out how to do it but once I did I'm really pleased with how it looks. And I think it will be even better once it is all over the bottom hem as well. I just need to fix the bottom of the sleeves, dye the lace, sew on the lace and hem the bottom which of course will take a full day to do.

Tomorrow we're going out to see World War Z and go out with some friends so I wont be working on it. Besides that my fiance traced out the third piece of the scythe and once that's cut we can shave down the edges and start getting it all together.

While I just finished re-painting the wooden rod I was thinking about re-making the armor pieces for Abel and Caterina. Just to spice up their outfits for the contest we entered at the end of August.  The armor pieces (Pictured below) were sort of rushed and were so annoying during the con.

So instead of just having plain golden strips I'm going to base them off the original artbook/novel picture )(below.) Caterina's armor pieces are a different shape than Abel's with a red cross on them as well as two bots on each side. Abel's, however are plain strips with lots of bots and layering. I'm going to play around with some ideas tonight since I have a HUGE amount of craft form begging to be used.

So much to do today!

Besides going out to see a movie and to the gym later on, it's a work day. I'm going to go upstairs in a minute to sew. I want to get something major done with today so I'm aiming for the sleeves or the bottom hem. Not sure which yet. The sleeves give me a major headache I might mooch some help from my mom to get those done later.

I'm also hoping to dye the lace for the sleeves today and maybe get the whole bottom of the dress done. That means cut out ruffles and sew them on. I have to hem the bottom first of course. There is so much to do yet so little. It's almost done. Which is good because I'll need to start Oz's coat soon if I want it done by the end of August.

While I work on the dress my fiance will be finishing up the last piece of cardboard for the scythe. I'll post pictures later if I remember. So much to do today! It's crazy. So I better go get started!

Thanks again for stopping by and viewing my blog!

Another last night blog post

Haven't updated in a while. Been busy because of Animal Crossing. It's seriously additive. I've been lacking on writing and on sewing. But only because I got bit by a spider and am having signs of a allergic reaction. My joints of my left hand hurt badly and the bite is swollen so if it gets bigger I'll have to go to the doctor.  Hopefully that doesn't happen as tomorrow I want to dye the lace and start sewing! We're helping someone move tomorrow but afterwards I hope we have time so I can sew before going to the gym.

It's been so busy lately. I've been bumping up my search for a job and playing way too many video games. We're shopping for Oz's fabric this Friday so I want to get Alice's dress done this weekend. Even if I have to wake up early and stay up late working on it.

I need to...

~Dye the lace for the sleeves (Using lace to cover up a hole in one of the sleeves.)
~Put in elastic on the sleeves
~Hem the bottom of the dress
~Start sewing on ruffles

Done!

Not much to do. Hemming will take a long time though and I'm not looking forward to it. I am, however very excited to start on Oz. The details on his coat are wonderful. I can't wait. I'll update more often and post pictures of the prop progress soon.

The scythe is looking great. We were going to use foam but it didn't end up well. Non of the pieces we cut out fit together (It looked bad, didn't stick and so on.) so we switched to more cardboard. We have the second piece on and it looks great. It is heavy but I was expecting that. The wooden rod is amazing. It's coming to life and looking cool as heck. We have one more layer to put on then have to figure out how to get it to stay on the pole. I'm thinking of creating a base out of cardboard and foam but we'll see.


Stay tuned for more!

Thanks for viewing!

More things to do

Tomorrow I'm planning on doing some serious sewing since I still have so much left to do on Alice's dress. My dad used the camera today so I have no idea where it is, so I'll post picture of what I'm talking about later on as well as some updates on the props and dress. Since I hit my 30,000 word mark in my novel I'm going to take some some time to work on the dress tomorrow and try my hardest to get it done in the next few days.

That means I need to...

~Fix the sleeves

Add elastic to the upper and lowers parts so they do not fall down. They are by far too big. There is a small hole on one of them and today I got some accordion lace to sew on to them so the hole isn't seen.

~Dye the lace

There weren't any good red laces or trim. They were either too pinkish or too dark so I decided to get some  red Rit dye and white lace that I thought was very unique. I have a thing for lace so I was super excited when my mom came up with the idea after finding the hole.

~Sew on the lace

 ~Start on hemming

Hemming is serious. You will see the line of thread on the bottom so it must be straight and neat. You have to fold once, then twice to give it a nice edge. Or so how I was taught. I find this super hard and way too tricky. If you are doing a small hem it can be super hard. Luckily since its the bottom I can do it a little bigger since the ruffles will around the hem.

~Start measuring for the ruffles

Haven't decided if I am going to do the ruffles piece by piece on each panel or by one huge piece. Since I have lace for the sleeves I will have more material so I can make bigger and longer ruffles. I found a great tutorial for ruffles which you can read here.

~Sew on the ruffles

The last part of the dress. I'll be finished with it 100% when I finish this. I will need to make a matching choker but that'll be easy.



Today we got duct tape (for the bending parts on the scythe top.), Lace, dye, and more Model Magic. So we have plenty to do in the next few days. Although I'm really excited about this con I'm also so worried and stressed I've been dragging my feet. Hopefully tomorrow I can catch up a bit.

Sewing day! + Obi

57 views...in one day? 0_o

Thanks! That's a lot. I'm guessing it's because of the link I posted on DA. I'll update with more pictures on there later. Today I'm taking a bit of a break and am focusing on hemming Alice's dress so I can start on the ruffles. Those are the last two things I need to do to the dress than I can focus on making the matching necklace and I will be done. I will need to get red gloves later and add some ruffles to those but for now the dress is almost done.

I'm still really tired from my late night prop building session. But I got a lot done. This morning I coated the Model Magic clay on the rode in Mod Podge to get it firm. This also helps keep it form being damaged later on. Then I put another coat of it on the scythe top piece. I need to cut out the second piece too today but I'll do that later.

I got my obi today!

Pretty, huh? I'm in love with it. It's nicely made and well taken care of. It was so cute! They gave me a note with my name written in Japanese. I'm so happy with working with the site I'm planning on getting another kimono from them some day. Instead of making another for Yuuko I think I'll just buy from them.

You can check them out here http://www.ichiroya.com/index.php

The prices are great and they are super nice people. Products are amazing.

Today I'm trying to focus on writing and sewing but I'm REALLY excited as the store I love and want to work at just opened up some spots and is hiring. I applied and plan on calling them in a few days. Hopefully I get the job! That'd be awesome. I'm also thrilled about the obi. I need to practice tying it with my kimonos on. I can't stop going in my room to look at it. It's so pretty. I love roses and I'm so glad I found an obi with roses on it. Plus it's purple. It's a win-win.


I'm going to try and finish all the hemming today. It's going to be a lot of work but I want it done so I can focus on the ruffles. Mainly so I have a reason to touch the chiffon because it's so silky and smooth. It feels like water against my skin. I'm very fond of it.

The best thing about finishing a costume is seeing the out come. Trying it on for the first time with it being 100% done is amazing. You feel so happy and so proud that you made it by hand that it's crazy. I'm ready for it to be done so I can start planning Oz's coat and waistcoat. We most likely wont be buying the supplies for that for another two weeks.

Anyway. Lots to do today. I'll update later with pictures again.

Scythe- day two

Oh my gosh. What a crazy day. It's 1:40 A.M and I just finished up doing the work on the scythe. Typical cosplayer. I'm tired so I apologize if I make a mistake or am talking crazy. We got some more supplies, tape (Four rolls from the Dollar tree. It's good but doesn't stick at the ends.) and sand paper for later, some gold paint and black paint plus jute string.

While my fiance cut out the  second piece of cardboard I focused on getting the jute glued onto the rod to create the spiral texture. I used three rows then added another onto some to give it an uneven look.

Like our mess? Lol. It was a crazy day. I'm glad we didn't wait until the last minute to do this scythe. It's rather challenging and time consuming. And HUGE. Oh my gosh.....It's huge. People will see when we come walking down the street to the con. That's for sure. It's big as can be and that's how it should be. The second piece shown above the finished piece will be covered in tape (To keep it from bending in certain spots.) Since this tape is sort of bad with sticking I'm going to coat in Mod Podge so it stays together. The reason I'm using tape it to keep it strong.

The finished piece coated in tape and M.P. I felt like I was mummifying it. And it was fun but annoying because of the size. It's huge. But I'm liking how it's coming together so far. I know for a fact this thing is going to take up a lot of space so I guess it's time to clean out my closet. Did I mention this is my biggest prop? It's huge.

This is what the wooden rod looks like. I coated the jute in Model Magic clay to keep the fuzziness from the jute from showing. Before I did that I smoothed it down with Mod Podge.  It will create a smooth but an uneven surface. I've found out that paint sticks really well to Model Magic clay so this will make it easier to repaint the rod. The color will be a darker red with a dry brushed black "aged" look to it.

More tomorrow!

Today's plan

holy cow! Lots of views int he last few days. 38 the the other day and 32 yesterday! Thank you everyone! Thanks for taking the time to check out my blog. Means a lot to me. Any who. There is a lot to be done today.  We will be working on the scythe for our Pandora Hearts cosplays again. This prop is pretty cool because both of our characters have used it in the manga so if one person gets tired of holding it the other can use it.


We have to....

• Cut out the second cardboard piece
• Trim both pieces so they have clean edges
• Maybe wrap both in tape (Dollar store here we come!)
• Start cutting out foam patterns to construct onto the cardboard pieces
• Cut out all those pieces
• Iron the foam into the shape we want
• Start gluing the pieces on
• Create the texture on the wooden rod

I doubt we'll finish it all today as we normally get pretty distracted by computer games and I have to take breaks away from the heat because of my health. Over all I'm pretty sure once the foam has been cut out and applied it wont take me long to finish it. My fiance is helping with this prop and is doing most of the construction in the beginning. I'll be doing all the painting and final touches. So we will both have a equal part in making the prop. My dad will be helping us with making the top of the scythe be able to be detached from the rod, this way we can easily transport it in the car.

I'm getting more and more excited about Kumori-con. There is still a lot to do but I have a feeling it will all be paid off when the con comes around. I'll update later with pictures showing the progress. 

Pandora Hearts- The scythe PT.1 (Pics)

Hey guys! Finally got around to taking some pictures today. After writing everything out and figure out how many yards of fabric we'll be needing for Oz's coat and waistcoat we decided (Since I can't work on it right now anyway.) to start on the scythe. So we went out to the art store after throwing around some ideas and got cardboard and lots of craft foam. We gathered our tools and headed out back to take advantage of the daylight.

                     Of course my super "helpful" kitty Maggie (Just turned 13!) came out to help us.

We set up outside in the shade and began to discuss how we would make the scythe (As pictured below). We were going to make it around seven feet tall but since we already had a wooden rod (Used  for Syaoran.) but was only five feet. So instead we talked it over with my dad and decided that the base of the scythe top had to be at least twelve inches. 


So with that in mind we went straight to work!

                                                           Told ya, she's super helpful.

                                                 

                                                                          It's alive!

It was a messy process but so much fun. Expect for cutting out the rounded parts. It looks great. We both worked together for the first time making this prop and will keep the team work up on this project so my fiance can help me out more with props. I'm really excited to get this scythe completed. We need to cut out the second cardboard template tomorrow, clean up the edges of both pieces and glue them together. Then comes the craft foam....

                                              Four packages...Think I have enough? XD

Since EVA foam is way too much for one little square (17.99!) We decided to go with craft foam since it's cheap (7.99) and is easy to mold and paint over. Unfortunately they do not sell thick pieces in my area and since this is the longest pieces they sell we got four packages just in case. If we have left over I can re-do the armor pieces for Abel and Caterina. But anyway, These will be glued around the cardboard. I may use some paper mache at the very end to seal all pieces together (you can easily make paper mache paste at home with water and glue and of course lots of newspaper.) to make sure everything is firmly in place at the end.

String will wrapped around the wooden rod to give it that twisted look. This is by far the biggest prop I've made. It's going to be challenging but I like a good challenge. Plus Seth's tuning rods will be big as well. So it's good practice.  I'll be updating as we get more done!

Lots to do before K-con

~Get last piece for xxxHolic cosplays (Heels for Yuuko.)

~Cut Yuuko's wig

~Get new wig for Caterina (Abel too?)

~Get wig for Alice and Oz
~Find shoes for Alice and Oz

~Fix rosaries

~Make new armor plates

~Finish Alice's dress

~Start on Oz's coat and waistcoat, top hat (Buying supplies today.)

~Start on scythe

~Figure out how scythe can be taken apart into pieces for an easy car ride

And maybe more....that I can't think of right now. After I finish up writing my novel for the day I'll be focusing on fixing the two Trinity Blood rosaries that had started to come apart during Sakura-con. I didn't start using Mod Podge then but I wished I had otherwise they wont have fallen apart. Hopefully I can save them. I did a lot of work making them.

I'll update later with pictures! So check back soon!

Progress!

Finally getting somewhere with the Pandora Hearts cosplays. Today I got the sleeves on and in the right spots so I can wear them and still move my arms comfortably. Which is important since I will have a huge scythe to carry around.  I did take some pictures of what I did today with my 3DS but I guess you can't upload the pictures with the cord or email them so I can't post them. My computer does not have a SD card input so I'll have to wait until tomorrow and will just upload them later on.


So anyway. Today I fixed the sleeves like I mentioned as well as put elastic into the bodice top so it wont fall down. Which is important obvious. Lol. Really all I need to do now is hem. The sleeves need hemming as well as the bottom of the skirt which I will need my mom's help since there is so much. It'll be pretty tricky. But I can do it. It might take two or more days but it will get done. I'm not looking forward to it because of my hatred of hemming. Not sure if the way my mom taught me is a hard way than most people use but it's rather challenging. I might cheat a bit and only fold the fabric once instead of twice like my mom taught me. It will go a lot faster.

Tomorrow we are going shopping for the supplies for Oz's coat and waistcoat. I'm super excited to make these pieces and see how my fiance looks in them. For fabric I'm hoping to find something light weight so he wont get overheated. I'm using this pattern. The coat I'll be using is B. This coat is short in the front, rounding  upwards at the bottom just like Oz's. I was so happy when I found one that was spot on. I wont have to do any big modifications to it. I will have to make it longer but the pattern luckily has seam and hem allowances so it should be pretty easy to add on length.

I'll be making:

~Coat
~Waistcoat
~Jabot
~Mini top hat


Of course I have to add on fabric for the length, as well as the top hat and get black fabric for the cuffs and front collar. Right now my list is at...


I still have to measure my fiance so I can't list how much of each fabric I'm getting yet.

• Red fabric for coat/waistcoat/top hat
• Black fabric for cuffs,collar,belt (Waist ties)
• Gold trim
• Gold buttons x7
• White fabric for jabot/ruffles/bow
• Red ribbon (An arse load of it) for Oz and Alice (may wait on this.)
• Black see through fabric (Alice. May wait on this too.)
• White ribbon- very little needed.

So that's my big list for Oz (And some for Alice.) that we'll be shopping for tomorrow. Oz, it turns out needs more than Alice did. Silly Oz, such a drama queen. I'm super excited about going for it. We most likely are going to the larger fabric store. since the store near me doesn't sell good plain colored fabric (It's mostly  costume-y stuff that feels and looks horrible.) 

So I'll do a little post with pictures tomorrow.

See you then!

What manga I'm reading now.

I haven't been reading any manga for a while due to sewing, cons and writing I've been busy, busy. But I had the urge to read some manga the other night so I decided to see what all the talk was about of Attack on Titan or Shingeki No Kyojin. I'm not that into anime as they usually aren't as good as the manga (FMA brotherhood is the only exception. xxxHolic was pretty good too but quite off.) Anyway I normally read manga first then if in the rare chance I decide I must see the anime I might go watch it.

I may only be on chapter four but I'm very impressed. The plot is very different from manga I've read that are "similar" I really don't think there is anything like it. The plot centers around the last of the human race as these giant "Titans" have taken over the world by eating almost all of the humans, yet don't eat animals or other species. The one pictures above was the largest they've seen. It appears male, with no skin and a great amount of strength. I can see how they could wipe out the human race.

These are from the anime. I haven't seen it yet but I'm liking what I see so far. The detail is pretty good. I'm not normally into these types of manga. But I'm liking it more and more. Now after reading it I can see why there is so much excitement going on about this manga. I'd say go ahead and read it. It very interesting, different and most of of all thrilling.

My next post will either be about the manga I currently own (Gotta clean my bookshelf anyway! Good time for some quick pictures.) or about my top favorites. The post about how to start cosplaying is still being written. As it will be a huge post. Please check back soon! As many new things will be posted weekly. Make sure you watch the blog and share it with your friends!

Thank you for reading.

Cosplay facebook page question.

I'm pondering the idea of starting a page, mainly to get connected with other local cosplayers. But I'm still pretty on the boarder about doing so or not. If you are a cosplayer and have a cosplay FB page that you are very active on, please message me and tell me some pros and cons about having the page and why you think they are important in the cosplay community.


I'd to hear what you guys have to say.

You can find out where to contact me at here

Thank you!

Three months

So behind! I slept only three hours yesterday due to an invasion of ants in my room. I spent all day yesterday cleaning my room so my dad could spray it. Luckily no more ants are in there and I finally got a good nights rest. I really feel like I'm behind on Alice's dress although I do have lots of time left. I still need to hem the sleeves and bottom of the skirt, put in elastic in the bodice and work on the ruffles. It's about three-four days work. I'm going to try and sew a bit today but wont be able to do some of the things until my mother's day off so she can help me with the hemming. I seriously suck at hemming and since the skirt is so long I'm going to need a little bit extra help.


We'll be getting some supplies for Oz soon as well as some wigs or contacts. I'm having issues finding a good wig for Alice. Since her wig has two twin tails. Super hard to find! It's annoying but I like the hunt. I should be getting my obi soon too! It's been shipped and is on its way. No idea when I should get it but it should be soon! I can't wait.

We'll also be starting the scythe soon as well. I'll update later on once I have more to talk about. I'm really excited for all our new cosplays! Kumori-con is going to be a blast.

Busy, busy.

Haven't written on here for a while. Been super busy with writing and working out that I haven't had much time to blog. Or sew for that matter. Now that I'm feeling good about my writing again I'm going to take a few minutes to do a quick update post. I took the lining out of the Alice's dress as it had made the dress way too tight and made my bust look very strange and squished. So when I tore it out the sides came undone and the dress was a mess. One sleeve fell off too. I fixed both sides and tried the dress on. Everything fits again. It's a bit too roomy! Guess I've been doing good with losing weight so far. It'll take me a while to get to my dream weight but I'm very pleased with how it's going so far.

I'm going to work on Alice's dress tomorrow. Get that sleeve back on, hem the sleeves and start putting elastic in the bodice so it stays up better. After that I just need to hem the bottom and start on the ruffles. Then I'm done! Well, I'll need to make the matching choker....But that'll be easy. We were wanting to start on Oz's outfit (Getting fabric, ect.) this week. So I need to hurry and get Alice done. I've whipped through the dress and petticoat and am quite happy with it so far. Hopefully making another coat won't be too much. I'm pretty excited about making the waistcoat. No sleeves! YAY! I'll also be making a matching top hat for Oz's outfit. I already have the base started. I just need the fabric and roses to finish it. That might be all hand sewn.

We do want to make the Scythe as well. I really want to start on this as it's going to be a blast. I plan on making the scythe about seven or eight feet tall. I want to make it so we can detach it so it will fit into the car without taking up too much space. We may use EVA foam for the top or cardboard. Which ever I feel I can work with easier.

So lots to do and only three months to go. Not bad. I'm VERY excited for Kumori-con. Can't wait!