Tacky glue to the rescue!

So I tired two things last night on a old wig, one was with teasing and hair spray which didn't look too good but stayed up overnight. The other spike was made with a mixture of Tacky glue and water. It worked amazingly! Not only did it stay up but its hard. It worked really well. So I think for Abel's wig (The reference picture is posted below.) will be coated in this mix of Tacky Glue and water then hung upside down. Hopefully this works. The wig won't be able to be washed afterwards but I wasn't excepted it to be. It wont be worn for very long anyway. Mainly for contests and photoshoots. Otherwise he'll be wearing his normal silver wig.

                                                   Think of all the detangler he has to use.

I'm happy I finally figured something out. I just need to finish sewing the welts in and buying a new bottle of Tacky glue. I'm pretty eager to get this wig done as I fear it may be a pain in our butts later. The earlier I get it done the better. This way we can fix the issues and make it ideal. Of course my main concern is making it comfortable and for it able to stay standing up even if walking. Since our hotel will be a few streets away from the convention center where Sakura-con is held. It has to stay up without breaking or tipping. So since we have lots of time we'll practice, make sure its at its best and everything stays up.


But I'm taking the night off from sewing in those welts. I've been very tired today. And damn, it has been stormy. Lots of people don't have power. So I'm glad I still have it. Although the lights are flickering a lot and who knows if it will go out tonight. I heard down at the coast there were reported winds of 59! Its pretty crazy out there. So I'm taking it easy, watching some shows that are starting up for their new season and maybe play some more Animal Crossing.

Tiring day

Man, styling wigs is so tiring. I'm beat! Last night I cut apart a wig to use for the welts. Today I started sewing them onto the other wig. So far its going great. I was a bit worried at first because the wig I tore up looked lighter but once I held the welt up to the wig I noticed it was just the light tricking me. They blend together well. I couldn't even find the welts I sewn in. They match perfectly.

I'm going over some ideas of how I'm going to get the wig to stick up. Since having a long wig standing up will be hard, I just have to use a foam core base to keep it up. But I'll go over my ideas in a minute. On my ruined Watanuki wig I'm testing two methods, 1.hair spray and teasing. 2.Tacky glue mixed in water painted on.  Teasing is rather messy. It'll be hard to make it neat but it does stick up pretty well. I'm not sure how the tacky glue mix will work as it is still wet and needs to dry overnight.

If I use a foam core base I will have to glue the welts onto the foam base I create int he shape of how I want the hair to raise. Then glue the base onto the wig and use the fibers on the wig to glue to the base to make it appear as one and not two pieces. This might make the wig very heavy and stressful to wear. I'm afraid of it falling backwards, pushing the wig off, even if its clipped down.

The other method would be to do what I'm doing now and sew in lots of welts and style it up with lots of teasing and hair spray. This might be the easiest way and may wind up looking better. I just don't know if it will work and stay up while walking at con.

I did message two cosplayers whom have mastered the crusnik wig. Hopefully they respond and give me some much needed advice. I would love some advice as I'm not the best with crazy wigs. Although I seem to be drawn to them. Lol.

I'll keep testing different methods and do more research. Luckily nowadays its super easy to find help and tutorials. Thank goodness for that. I'll need lots of advice if I want to make this wig stand up even when walking for a short period of time.

Any who, I'm tired. Its been a long day. And very stormy. I think I'll go settled down and read some manga or something. Night guys!

I'll be picking up stray wig fibers for weeks

Last night I started working on deconstructing the Arda wig that didn't fit my fiance. We'll be using this wig to add to our new Abel wig to create the gravity defying crusnik wig. It took me about an hour and half to get the welts and boy I was tired after wards. I did however take some pictures!

First I cut the wig out of its ponytail. I never noticed just how fluffy and full this wig was. It's so pretty! But I had to take it apart!

I never realized how thin welts are. It's sort of insane how full they can make wigs with thin welts. There weren't that many welts to began with. I guess I learned more about how wigs are made.

I wasn't sure if I should have started on the bottom or top so I started on the top since the bottom was a bit strange and I couldn't really see what was going on.

I sectioned the top part up, pinning it back. This part I haven't cut the welts out yet as they are sewn onto a skin top. Cutting the welts out was pretty easy. I'm glad I have the chance to learn how to cut them out and sew them into another wig. I have the feeling this will be very useful for the future.

See? It's pretty simple.

Arda wigs (At least this one.) had netting under. It was a bit confusing at first but once I got the first welt out I started to get the hang of it.

See my nice top knot? Lol. That is all the extra welts on the top. I haven't gotten to those yet. I might not need them. I'm very happy with my overall turn out.

Now I just need to start sewing the welts onto the other wig. Did I mention its very hard to do this sort of stuff since I have no wig head clamp? I use my desk drawer as a clamp. Lol.












I thought I had a picture of the welts in a box but I guess not. It was really dark in my basement last night and I was feeling pretty tired. So I'll have to take more picture later on before I start sewing them into the other wig. Besides working on the wig I'm also doing lots of research on the outfits, asking other cosplayers how they made the outfits and bookmarking lots of tutorials.

There is a bad storm coming over from Japan (Sorry about the typhoon you guys! I hope everyone is safe and there isn't much damage!) and it's pretty yucky over here. Hopefully our internet and lighting stays strong tomorrow as the bulk of the storm is coming tomorrow. I doubt much will happen as we're used to strong winds down here in Oregon. I'm more worried about the rain.

But anyway. I am still pretty worried about these cosplays. But I think I'll be making mock patterns out of Muslin fabric since I might be making a pattern for Abel's cassock too. Which I'm more worried about than Seth's outfit. I'm trying to figure out how to close the front without using a zipper as my sewing machine hates zippers.

If you have any ideas, please message me or comment on this post. I'd love to hear your ideas how to close the front. It closes a little bit above the knee. I'm thinking about using closures but not sure what kind as they will need to be small but strong.


Thanks for reading! I'll have lots more to update later on! My goal this time around is to take a ton of progress pictures so check back soon!

A big change, 7 Months and one huge hat.

If the "and one huge hat" didn't give it away we will be starting on our big Trinity Blood cosplays next month. Nicolas decided he would rather cosplay Abel all weekend for Sakura-con than Break. And of course I couldn't be more excited and nervous since Seth is my dream cosplay. This means there will be a lot more to do and focus on.

Some of the things we'll be doing soon are as such...

~Making stencils 

~Practicing styling Abel's air defying wig

~Start testing out how to make patterns (For Seth's top.)

 ~Starting to make the foam templates
~Sketching out the armor pieces as well as the outfits
~Make a list of all materials we need
~ Get our portfolio set up (I'll explain this in a minute.)
~Researching how to make patterns, more armor techniques
~Ask for advice from other cosplayers


See? There is a lot we can do now. Today we're going to sit down and talk about the finer details. As mentioned above we are making a portfolio for our bigger cosplay projects. The cosplays we plan on entering into a contest will be in the portfolio. It will mainly be filled with progress pictures, explaining in full detail how we did this and that, ref pictures and notes about our plans. I'm mainly making one to keep me organized while working on two major cosplays. We'll do it for the wings and the props as well. It'll include the patterns we used as well.

I hope I can get my paws on some tracing paper soon so I can start working on the designs for the armor and for the costumes. I'm nervous to be starting such a big project but it would be a lot of fun to wonder around as our favorite characters at Sakura-con instead of waiting until fall. We don't know if we'll enter them into the contest or not. It depends on how well the costumes are going and if the wings are done on time. So I won't know or not until later on.

I will upload some pictures of the "portfolio" we're making later. Nicolas has already printed off the pictures we will be using for our references. Thanks for reading! We'll update often as there is a lot to work on with these cosplays.

Fall has arrived

Fall has arrived. And I don't know about you guys but the weather here has changed so much within a few days. It's chilly and dark and very obvious winter is on its way. I am waiting to hear back from one place to hopefully get a interview. I love fall. There is this feeling I get. It's hard to explain. But I have always loved fall and winter. Its the ending of the year, the trees are going to sleep, leaves are falling, pumpkins on people's front door steps and it's almost time for Halloween. I love it. Ever since I was a child I've loved fall and winter. It inspires me. 

I'm working hard on finishing up my novel and figuring out if my next one will be third or first person. There is a lot of work to do with that. But my mind is already on cosplay. I really miss sewing and its only been a month since I finished our last cosplay. Our new Pandora Hearts cosplay, which we decided to bring back after we had people at the panel ask where the characters were, will be my way to improve myself. I'm using them as my chance to practice my skills and make my work much cleaner. So when I start on our Trinity Blood cosplays I will feel very comfortable making them. Those will also be testing me with new challenges such as....

~Making my own patterns

~Styling a gravity deifying wig

~Making wings

~Using fabric paint

~Making armor out of Wonderflex or Worbla

And lots more.

I should be nervous but I'm excited.  I like challenges which is way I want to work hard and fix the problems I have. I know I'm still new with sewing. I've only made four cosplays but I want to strive to be the best I can. I'm not afraid to push myself. Luckily the local cosplay community is great! I've had lots of people tell me they'll help when I have any questions which is awesome since I'll need some advice when I start making my own patterns. 

I will be starting on a few Trinity Blood projects soon.

~Abel's wig (I'll be working with two of my old wigs so I can get some practice before tearing apart the silver wigs we have.)

~Molds (For the armor pieces. I'll start by cutting out some of the armor pieces and seeing if making those in clay would be easier than making 3d craft foam molds. )

~Seth's pattern (I'll be using a pattern I have for the lower half but will be making the upper half by scratch.) 

So I do have some things to work on. We could also start by cutting out a template for Seth's tuning forks. Which I have decided to make! I will be doing something very special for them too! But that's a secret  for now. There is a lot to do and I am so glad I have a LOT of time to finish everything. 

We will be starting on Break very soon. I'll post a ton of pictures when I do so just look for the post that says PICTURES! Lol.

Outfit break down

Getting ready to start sewing. This is my way to keep track of what I will be needing. As you will see there is a lot to making one outfit. I'll also make a list later one about what materials we're going to get and how much everything will cost.

Break

• Navy blue or dark purple fabric 
• Light purple fabric (For hat /jabot.)
• Four buttons on each sleeve (Eight.)
• Three-four buttons on front
• Coat is fitted, tight around waist.
• Flairs at bottom.
• Torn and ripped at bottom (Two circles shown.)
• Piece of paper with written words in hat
• Aged yellow/gold flowers on hat
• Black shoes (Oxford?)

Sharon

• Stripped fabric for gown (Darker color, light strips.)
• Light colored fabric (Cape, Bows, wrap skirt.)
• Light colored lace and trim
• Light colored roses (x2)
• Matching non stripped fabric for headdress 
• White fabric for underskirt (If I don't use the one I made for Caterina.)
• Low heeled shoes
• Three-four buttons on front of dress
• Thin trim on sleeves
• Corset (Will also use this for Seth.)

Abel

• Light-Medium weight black fabric (Cape +cassock robes.)
• White fabric (long scarf.)
• Red fabric (For cross details on scarf + pads under armor plates.)
• Gold/silver trim (depending on which version we do.)
• Long armor plate on collar
• 12 silver pieces each side of cape (12 together. No idea what to call these!)
• Armor plates on both cuffs
• Shoulder armor
• Two wide belts
• Armor plates on shoes
• Feathery black wings

Seth

• Hat "crown" with two beaded strands +gold armor piece
• Shoulder armor
• Green fabric/white fabric
• Black fabric or trim
• Gold trim
• Red fabric/blue fabric or fabric paint
• White lace
• White boots with gold buttons/gold armor tips
• Corset (Important! This is what the wings will clip onto.)
• Wings
• Black wig

As you can see there is a LOT to do. It will cost about $200 for two costumes. Abel and Seth may cost a bit more if we can't find the fabric at Joann's. But $200 is our normal ending price not including wigs and shoes, ect. Or prop stuff. Which will be a whole different post.

I'll be making the costumes in order. Since Break and Sharon are going to be our main cosplays for Sakura-con we want those done first. Otherwise they would mainly be used for Kumori-con for the panel but we decided we missed cosplaying them. Right after Sakura-con or when I finish the other two cosplays I'll start on Abel. Then Seth. We might just do all the armor at the same time depending on how much I will be involved as I'll be busy with sewing. I have decided if I have extra time I'll make Seth's tuning forks. And yes, they will glow! Green just like her "lightening" as seen in the manga. I'm so excited! 

Things are looking up.

Sounds like I may get the job. I'm going in today to do a test. Which I guess it isn't uncommon. I am liking the idea the more I think about it. It really cuts down on all those questions on a normal app. I'm nervous but my drive to get a stable job is much more intense and I don't feel too bad. Which is pretty surprising to me because I'm normally a bundle of nerves at this point but I'm trying my best to stay calm and have a clear mind. No stress, no fuss this time around. I really want this job so I'm going to work hard for it.

One thing I hope to buy myself is an embroidery machine. I'm hoping to buy one that is also a sewing machine so I can finally have my own machine. I'd rather it be a two in one but if I can't find one that isn't computerized I'm going to have to buy a embroidery machine first as I want to practice with it for Seth's outfit.

But first of all I need to start on Break's Mad Hatter outfit. The fun part will be working on my wedding gown while working on four cosplays. What a work load. It's going to be insane. I might just buy a wedding gown from a thrift store then cut it up and make it my own. Which might save me a lot of time and be under my goal of $100. Yup, I'm a cheap bride! Lol. Our wedding will be a small gathering in my parents' backyard, just like they did when they got married. Seeing as our anniversaries are very close, it just seemed fitting.

And no. Being married will not stop us from cosplaying. If anything it will make us want to cosplay more. We'll still go to Kumori-con in the summer and Sakura-con in the spring with our friend just like always. Nothing will change really. Cosplaying has become a part of our lives. It's not a hobby anymore. It's a lifestyle. I really look forward to cosplaying with our children in the future.


Lots of things will change. But I'm excited. There is a lot to do for 2014 but I'm just happy it will be a good year. We'll just take things one step at a time. I'll be starting on Xerxes Break's Mad Hatter outfit within a few weeks. I miss sewing. I can't wait to start on it. I want to focus on improving my sewing skill so I'm hoping to make it neat and will be doing full lining, expect in the sleeves.

So there is a lot to look forward to. 2014 will be busy as heck.