Cosplay waiting list

Oh, come on now. Every cosplayer has one. I'm hoping to speed up my making time of costumes so I can make more within a year's time so I can get my list smaller. So here are some of my main cosplays I want to make within the next few years.

These are in no order.

                                              Clara and the Eleventh Doctor (Doctor Who)

~I haven't gotten to this episode yet but I loved Clara character when she first appeared in episode 1, season 7. I saw her in this Victorian dress and knew I had to cosplay it.

                                                          Anastasia (1997) Final gown

~One of my all time favorite movies from my childhood (Still love it) This dress is one of my favorites. Since it is more historically correct (The real Anastasia's mother and sisters and grandmother wore gowns likes this.) I'm a huge history buff so it excites me to be able to wear something like this.

                                           These were worn by the real Anastasia's older sisters.

                                                     Alexia Tarabotti from Soulless

~Not only do I love her sassy and smart character from the novels and manga. I love her style and would love to make that black and white stripped outfit. It'd be great for Steam-con too!

                                     Trisha from FullMetal Alchemist (Family portrait dress)

~I love Trisha and Hohenheim's relationship. You don't see enough of these guys at cons so we really want to cosplay them. They'd be great to cosplay as parents in the future too!

                                                          Astharoshe from Trinity Blood

~I love bad ass women. And Astha is one of them. She's strong and proud but is also beautiful. I want to make this outfit but I want my skills to become better before hand.

                                                              Ozma from Return to Oz

~My all time favorite character from the Oz story line. She's the queen of Oz and is wise and kind. I love this outfit so much. This was from my favorite movie as a child. 

                                                        Undertaker from Black Butler

~Who doesn't love the Undertaker? Nuff' said.

                                                          Lacie from Pandora Hearts

~Lacie is very important in PH but since I don't want to give out any spoilers I wont say much about her.

                                                    Lumpy Space Princess- Adventure Time

~"Oh. My. Glop." Would be a fun simple cosplay to wear during down time.

                                                            Dinah from Bizenghast.

~I want to do this one so bad! I love Bizenghast so much and this outfit is to die for. I have a feeling it'll be a lot to make because of the feathers so we're holding off until later.
                           

                                                           Regina from Once Upon A Time

                                      Lizzie Liddell "Queen of hearts" American Mcgee's Alice 2

                                                                     American Mcgee's Alice

The list- Kumori-con 2013

Oh, I've been dreading this list. This is the "need to buy" list for Kumori-con. Last time we weren't able to finish buying the stuff for Yuuko and Watanuki. So our goal is to get everything, including the items needed to finish both of our new cosplays.

Our plan is as such (days are not sure just yet.)

Yuuko and Watanuki
Alice and Oz
Caterina and Abel (Contest only)

Lolita during down time.

Yuuko +Watanuki

Kimono/s [X]
Obi/corset []
Heels []
Yuuko's Wig [X]
Watanuki outfit [X]
Watanuki wig [X]
Pipefox [X]                (We got an amazing Pipefox from Sakura-con.)
Yuuko's pipe [X]

xxxHolic over view: We basically have everything we need. I just need a pair of platform heels (I want to be taller than my fiance) and I still need to figure out what to do for the last piece of the costumes for Yuuko. I'm trying to decide whether or not to get a Obi or use a underbust corset. I was also thinking of a headpiece but I really can't find one that would work so for now I'm not putting it on the list. I may make something later on.

Caterina + Abel

Re-make the armor pieces []
New wig for Caterina []
New wig for Abel [] (Maybe)


Alice + Oz

(Besides the costumes)

Alice wig []
Oz's wig []
Red flats []
Boots for Oz []
Contacts []
Lots of red ribbon []
Roses []    
Scythe []

Our new Pandora Hearts cosplays are our main cosplays. Since we will be in a (Kumori-con's first!) Pandora Hearts panel (If it is accepted) and I will be matching my firend's Will of the Abyss's outfit so they have to be finished and have most of our attention.

Tulle is evil!

                                                               Tulle monster rawr!


I've come to the conclusion tulle is evil. Oh my gosh this stuff is so hard to work with. It may be because I have 6 plus yards to work with and I can't cut it to shorten it. I have only one of the sixteen pieces cut out right now. I sort of gave up but am going to go upstairs so I have more room to work on it in a bit. I love the feeling of tulle but I can't working with it! It's hard to pin, it keeps shifting because it's light.

Ugh...

So this is what I have right now. Tomorrow I'll start sewing when I have time. If my fiance doesn't have the day off we'll be going to zoo and maybe getting supplies for the scythe. The pattern on the far left is the lining of the skirt and the piece next to it is the skirt yoke which is just the waistline. Then one sad, lonely once piece of tulle. The pattern I'm using is for a tutu so it'll be nice and fluffy.

                                                                               Link

I have to say using Simplicity patterns is so much better and easier to use then the other two brands I have. The back is easy to read, plain and simple and they explain (almost) everything. So it's great for beginners like me. I won't be customizing this piece so it should be finished within a week, maybe sooner if I get all the tulle cut today or tomorrow.

First batch of supplies

Surprisingly enough I got Alice's fabric today instead of supplies for props and roses. There was such a great sale today we couldn't help ourselves. So I got a taffeta fabric for the dress (Bottom towards my knee) A cotton fabric for the lining of the petticoat (Top right) and red tulle for the petticoat. As well as some supplies needed for both. I am in love with the red taffeta I found today. I was going to do a satin but I couldn't find the right color. They had a nice red but it had sparkles on it and I didn't like how that one looked. I hate sparkles. Work at an art store for a while and you will too. They NEVER go away. I'm still finding some.


The taffeta fabric would have cost around $90 because I needed 9 yards but since we had a coupon it only cost $30! That's a great sale. My fiance and I saved a ton and have a lot more coupons for sales starting soon in May so that's when we'll buy fabric for Oz so we can save even more. I thought at first these costumes would cost more but they are costing less so far! Which I'm happy about.

Tomorrow I'll start on the petticoat. Last time I realized having the hoop skirt to design the dress around was much easier rather then starting on the dress first then having to make changes later since the dress is larger and more complicated.

We might buy the materials for the scythe tomorrow as well. Depending on how much EVA foam costs. I'll be doing research on that later tonight. I just got home from the gym and am super tired so I'm going to sit back watching some Alien Hunters, drink my Mike's hard lemonade and play Guild Wars 2 later.


Thanks so much for viewing my blog! I've been getting a lot of views lately. Thank you so much guys! I'm so happy people are checking out my rambles. There will be so much more coming to this blog in the near future so stay a while and check back often. Don't be afraid to comment!


Ta-ta for now!

The scythe and the rose

Tomorrow I'm starting on the props. Alice's B-Rabbit scythe as well as the first batch of ribbon roses. The roses are going on both Oz's coat and Alice's dress/ foot wear.  So I'll have to make at least....

Fourteen for Oz and at least four for Alice. I may make more for the back of the outfits but right now I don't know for sure. I got some great coupons for the nearby craft/fabric store so I'm going to pick up the first round of supplies. These roses will be sewn by hand. I hear they are hard to make at first and need a lot of practice to make so I'm going to do a test version tonight with scrap ribbon I'll post pictures later.

The main prop and largest will be....

Alice's scythe. Since we're going to enter these costumes into the cosplay contest at Sakura-con next year we wanted to do a big prop.  Alice's scythe was perfect since we're doing red costumes. It's large, easily recognized and awesome. I've been wanting to do larger props for a while. This one will be a bit smaller because of the car we use plus carrying that HUGE thing would be horrible. I did plan on making the scythe so the top part is detachable so it will be easy to put into the car. Both Oz and Alice can use this prop so I want to make it right.

I may use foam since I can crave into that easily. I know my grandpa left my dad a lot of wood working tools though so if my dad is willing him and I might make it out of wood instead. I was going to use the pole I have but I want to do the details on the scythe's handle so I may just get a thinner wood dowel to use for it. They're cheap anyway. Good thing I have a HUGE thing of red paint. I'll be needing a lot of it. I may start this tomorrow but I don't know if my fiance is up for that or not since this project he'll be helping me on.


But anyway. I'm not feeling 100% tonight so I'm going to go rest now. I can't wait to get started on all this. Should be a lot of fun and will get a lot off my mind.

Goal one: Weight lose

Weight lose is super important to me, not only because I have health problems but I want to feel more comfortable in my own body. Cosplay is a great motivation for pushing myself  to lose weight. My main goal is around 140 which is healthy for my height at 5'2. I also have a wedding in the near future. Of course it's not health to lose so much (Not saying how much I weigh, I will once I am near my goal.)  weight so quickly. My goal is to lose 500 calories per week, which is healthy. I'm trying to do this as safely and healthy as I can due to my health issues.

I have a condition (Don't know how to spell it, it's a French word) that causes me to have bouts of strong migraines. These can last all night and I will wake up with it in the morning. When I was found to have it I was also told I have hyper sensitivity. Between the two of those I can get weak quickly. So I try my hardest to do things safely. Health is important obvious. So I'm staying away from crazy diets (We have a very little amount of food, I can't be picky or eat all greens.) diet pills and eating too little.

I read a great article from WedMD that has helped me a lot with knowing how many calories I  should eat, how many I should lose. Being healthy you should eat about 1,050-1,200 calories per day. Last time I used my Cal counter I ate about 1,400 or 1,500. So cutting down shouldn't be too hard. I normally eat a small breakfast  skip lunch or have a small snack and a large dinner. I do get bored and eat. That's my main problem so I'm going to try my hardest to avoid that by walking the dog or doing yoga or even walking the cat outside.

When I was at the gym last I lost about 130 cals. That's pretty good. If I keep that up I have to go to the gym around four days a week and I'd lose about 520 cals. That's great! I'm not going to say how many weight I'll lose since my body is strange. Sometimes I can lose weight quickly and sometimes it doesn't. So I can't say what will happen. All I care about is become more healthy so I can feel more comfortable. I have to say making Alice's dress really has pushed me to focus on this goal. Since I will be showing my legs and arms, two areas I  feel uncomfortable showing. For Yuuko's outfit as well, losing the weight will help.

Losing weight will take time but I'm confident I can lose enough to feel much more comfortable by Kumori-con. It will take a lot of work but maybe it'll help me get out of my lazy rut. So, if you are trying to lose a lot of weight and want to do so healthy and safely, I'd suggest reading that article and talking to your doctor. Tomorrow I'm starting my new healthy choices. So when I'm bored and feel like munching I'm going to clean my room instead. Truth be told its long over do. My room is a mess!

So good luck on your goals. Nico and I are going to be going to the gym after his work and on his days offs so we can push ourselves to become more health. I'll be needing lots of music and maybe some Doctor Who to watch but I think I can do it. Wish me luck!

May brings...And 2014

May might bring flowers and rain but I'm more excited about starting on our Pandora Hearts cosplays. These cosplays will really bring some new challenges into light. For that I'm most excited about. We will be getting fabric and the first round of supplies the first week of May. I will have about four months. As the con is at the end of August/beginning of September. I have two cosplays to make plus props. That's an okay amount of time. I like to be finished and done with a week before the con so I can focus on packing and getting ready to leave. So hopefully I can get them both done on time.

I've decided to go big and make Alice's scythe as well. I have to figure out how to make it so the top part is detachable from the pole. One, so it pack into my fiance's car without taking too much room. Two, so we can undo it while walking in small hallways. Since the prop will mainly be for contents, we'll only be walking around with it for a short period of time.

Instead of using cardboard or craft foam I'll be using EVA foam for the main piece since I will need to be some major detail work on it. I found a great tutorial about how to do so online. I'll be doing mine a bit differently since I already have a wooden pole I'll be using that instead of a PVC pipe.Although I may change my mind later.

For Alice's dress I'm planning on doing matching my friend's dress and am using a satin fabric. For Oz's coat, most likely a twill or cotton depending on prices. The dress will be long, as I am short, and will have a fluffy petticoat under to make the shorter shirt in  front flair out more. I am hoping to find some chiffon on sale so I can add that onto the dress. I love how chiffon moves. It's very soft and delicate. It's perfect for the dress.

I'm talking about it because later today I'm going through the patterns to write down what we need. Oz's coat pattern is being customizes so I'm going to be using the pattern for Abel's coat for the length. Since Oz's coat is long but as long, I'll be getting extra juuuuuuust in case. Last time I messed up and had to go back to the fabric store three times and the fabric kept being moved and it was so stressful trying to find it, no one really helped (lazy!) so I'm going to make sure I do much better this time around.


For 2014 the plans have been set. I am so excited I can barely control myself. This project is going to be big! Big as in super detailed, huge and eye catching. I'm not sure if it will be done on time for Sakura-con but it will be done on time for Kumori-con. Why? This project is going to be the only one I will be working on for myself (My fiance is still deciding on a costume.) But here is my biggest costume yet.

Seth from Trinity Blood. My all time favorite character. There will be a lot leading up to making this outfit. For example I MUST find a job before hand. And I plan on losing a lot more weight, I've been enjoying my nightly work outs so far. And will have to work slowly, there are a LOT of details. I'm guessing by  the way my fiance was talking the other day that he will be doing crusnik Abel but I don't think he's 100% yet. I am still deciding if I want to make the golden "wings" as pictured above or do the green fairy wings. Might just do both. I do this outfit will be huge. I may use the same pattern as I'm using for Alice's dress since it is short in front and long in back. The train will have a ton of detail on it and I'm very excited but nervous to make this piece. I chose a different outfit but for now this is my goal.

Alice and Oz- Patterns and challenges

This is the dress I'll be making for our new Pandora Hearts cosplay. Since we were invited to be apart of a panel (The first ever PH panel I believe) for Kumori-con 2013 we decided early on that we needed a break from Sharon and Break.

So since our friend who is hosting the panel as Will of the Abyss I decided that I HAD to be Alice. Since we rarely have an Alice and Oz in our groups. My fiance likes Oz and was excited to snatch the role of Oz.

This red dress will give me a ton of new challenges which I'm most excited about. It'll be my main cosplay for Kumori-con.








Challenges:

Losing weight:

This is my biggest challenge but I'm willing and motivated ! I want to slim down so I feel as comfortable as I can while wearing an outfit that shows a lot more than I'm used to. I'm going to make the skirt a bit longer in the front so it sits right at my knees. There will be a very fluffy petticoat under and I'll be wearing naked stockings so it helps make me feel more comfortable.

Corset boning:

The lovely pattern I got today while out with my Will of the Abyss luckily has boning in it. But I've never worked with boning and I've heard it's annoying. I'm still thinking if I'll use steel or plastic, I already have some plastic so I might just use that. I want to get into making corsets since I love them and the look they give a woman.

The leg "brace":

Pictured on Alice's right leg it appears to be metal but not only am I allergic to most cheap metals but finding a metal cheap enough that bends but doesn't break, while having it to where it wont hurt us, is next to none. So I think we'll do what a few other cosplayers have done and use ribbon or fake leather straps. I'll have to see what the larger fabric store has in stock when we go in a few weeks.


I'm so excited to be making outfits that have so much color! Last time I made two white costumes. I really hate white. These both will be red. The best is Alice's hair isn't done but in twintails so not only will the wig be stable but I don't have to worry about my eyebrows!

This is the outfit my friend, who is going as Will is making. I love this outfit! It's super cute, very decorated. I can't wait to see how she makes it! And walking around as her twin will be so much fun! I can't wait! I think the plan is to have these entered into the Sakura-con 2014 cosplay contest. Of course if we do I'll be making Alice's scythe cause they love their props!

Note the leg "brace" is on the opposite leg. I think she wanted me to make these since I'm used to making props so I'll be trying to figure out how to make them sooner than later.

This will be the outfit I'll be making for my fiance's Oz cosplay. He's so excited about having a short wig. I love this outfit. It has a lot of detail and flair to it. It'll be a challenge to make but I think I'm up for it.

And yes....

He picked it out himself.











Challenges:


Elongating the pattern:

The coat pattern we got is very short. It's, I'd say eighteen century style coat and waistcoat. Oz's outfit is rounded in the front so you can see the waistcoat. I've made sure to find a pattern that has that shape since it is so important.  Making the coat longer should be the easiest challenge.


Ruffles and roses:

The ruffles inside the coat and on the sleeves is something I haven't done before. It should be fun though.  It, I think is what gives the coat so much character. I'm planing on using a rougher, more firm fabric for the red part and a soft fabric for the ruffles. The roses I plan to make by hand with ribbon. Mainly because I have never seen roses made from ribbon look good pre-made before in stores. So since I'm picky I want the roses to be hand made as well. It'll be a huge challenge mainly because of how many I have to make and how time consuming it will be. There are few roses on Alice's dress as well that I'll be adding so that's twice as many.


Hat:

I've never made a hat before and am super excited to make one! It's cute and detailed. I'll properly start and finish it in one day. I love working on pieces like these because they are small but detailed and give me something to do with my hands while watching TV with my dad is watching a nonstop Doctor Who marathon.



Overall I'm very eager to get started on these new projects. There is a lot to do within three months of making them but I'll be so into it I bet I can do it! And if not I have a friend who will help kick my butt so I finish on time. It's hard making two costumes instead of one but I can do it! We wont be entering these into Kumori-con's cosplay contest or walk on as they call it. We'll be entering our Trinity Blood costumes for the last time.

Next month

I'm so excited for the up-coming month. I'll be starting on two new costumes and will be doing some touch up details to our Trinity Blood cosplays. One thing I must fix is our rosaries. I'm guessing they just got too hot and some parts of the paint were bubbling up. My rosary prop that had resin on it was okay expect the top that slipped out. I'll covering both in resin as well as doing some detail work to them. Another thing I need to fix is the armor plates. I want to make them strong, more firm so I might try to remake them and use Mod Podge to sand them down.

I'm really torn on the costumes. I sort of want to make something bigger, more known like Seth but I know my skills aren't quite there yet. It's driving me nuts. Hopefully Alice's dress gives me a chance to improve my skills.

I'll be doing at least one tutorial although I do not yet know which it will be about. It might just be something small like Oz's hat. Or something....I don't know.

Baby, The stars shine Bright Starlit Star JSK review (Pictures)

It's been a long and stressful road to getting this dress and when I woke up this morning and saw that box sitting on my desk I was so excited I didn't really care about all the stuff we went through to get it. But when I opened the box and took out the dress I realized quickly that not only had the sent me the WRONG color but it was much too small and the sizing they gave is not true. So here is my short review on a dress I'll never be wearing. 

Starlit Sky stock picture. 

This is the color I ordered.

This is the one they gave me. 

The magical box I've been waiting pins and needles for. Sadly it was a great disappointment. Packing was top notch. Everything was neat and orderly, safe and sound. 

The famous pink tissue paper!

The BABY pink shopping bag. With the dress peeking out from underneath.

WhiteXblack not NavyXwhite like we ordered. Huge disappointment. But I love the design so I told myself I'd overlook the color.  

The dress looked small right off the bat. There is no way a woman with a 104 chest could fit into this thing. I'm 105 and the can normally fit into 103 but this wouldn't even zip. I didn't bother trying there was a huge gap.

The fabric is soft and nicely made. It's light weight perfect for spring and summer. There is a bow on front (I believe you can remove it) The top part is darling! It has pearl and star shaped buttons with lots of lovely lace. It isn't cheap lace either.

Bottom. Lots of lace and layers. Very pretty. Would look great with a full petticoat underneath.

The only see through part is at the very bottom. The dress is extremely short. I'm 5/2 and 1/2. This dress came up above my knees. Very short for a lolita dress.

The stars are black, not navy. So I knew we didn't mix up the order. The fabric has a nice shine to it because of the little strips of silver sewn into it. Very cute and summery.

Close up of the top.

I love the lace they used. Very soft. I love this dress. I'm just sad that it was the wrong color and size. But I think its better it isn't the navy or I would have been heartbroken.

Cute bows sewn onto each side where the skirt picks up. Very cute!

The dress is lined. Its a thin lining but it isn't seen through. So it does its job. Its a very light weight dress. I wish I could have worn it since its so perfect for summer.

Close up of the collar. I adore this part of the dress so much. It's super cute. And those buttons! I'm in love with those. Everything was sewn on very well. No lose threads, no lose buttons. Well made. Good job BABY.

The back. Partial shirring. Corset ties and removable ties.

The side bow.

The full back.

The ties are removable and have cute little star buttons holding them on. I love those buttons!

Lace lines the top.

Strap is very cute. Has matching lace.

The top is lined with satin. Satin isn't as easily stained  by sweat so it's a bright idea to line the top and underarm area with it. Plus it will make the dress smooth and cool.

Packed away. I'm hoping I can find it a new owner or trade it. I still love BABY's brand but most likely wont be buying from their online site again for clothing.











Dates:

Bought dress: First week of March Can't remember

Payment info received: March 26th (We literary just arrived in Seattle for the con!)

Paid in full: April 1st

Shipped: April 10th

Arrived:April 13th

BABY store bought from: Japan


Communication: 4/5

We didn't find out until later that they were short on staff and had a TON of orders from the sale and were backed up. In the end they were great. But it would have been nice to been told that so we didn't keep emailing them. Keep us updated!

Product quality/sizing: 3/5

Wrong color, size listed isn't true to size. Fabric and construction of the dress is perfect. No lose threads, no lose buttons, no lace falling off. It was well made.

Shipping: 5/5

Great! It shipped out April 10th with tracking. Accepted at Japan's post at 6:23 pm, processed at 10:22 pm and shipped by 11:33 pm! That's great service, super fast. It arrived in the US at April 12th 12:19 AM in San Francisco and was in Oregon by the 13th.

Packing: 5/5



Overall, it's a lovely dress. For other plus sized lolitas I would suggest getting the JSKs that are above your size. The bigger the better. If its a little roomy that's better than being too tight and getting a package in the mail (After waiting a full month for it). So make sure you pay close attention to the size. I should have gotten a different dress but I thought the bust would be big enough. It wasn't. I still love BABY so don't get me wrong. I have nothing against the company. They really should make different sizes. They'd have a ton more people willing to buy. But that's not up to me.

I'm currently selling/ trading the dress. Hopefully it finds a new owner soon. It's too pretty to be sitting in a box. Maybe I'll be lucky and find myself a dress I can wear and enjoy too.




You find the listing for this JSK on egl sales here http://egl-comm-sales.livejournal.com/21011878.html#t371032486

Who knew?

Finding a tutorial with full step by step instructions for a rabbit plushie could be so dang hard. Sure, you can find a million (Most of the same) for tiny keychain sized rabbits but nothing for a medium sized rabbit. Its driving me nuts! I decided to just wing it and try different things on my own. I've gone through two heads and two different bodies. So many things went wrong! Once I got a good head I made a body but once they were connected...everything went wrong so I've started over.

One, I didn't know how to connect the two pieces.

Two, the body turned out smaller, even through I had made sure it wasn't. Guess I was wrong...again.

Three, the back looked sloppy.

So this time when I made a pattern I made sure the head and body were already connected so all I have to do is cut an opening for the ears, arms and legs later on. I found out about doing it this way from   http://www.allcrafts.net/pdfs/Bunny.pdf

This was the ONLY page I found with east to understand step by step instructions. I'll be uploading pictures later tonight. For now I'm focusing on sewing the body shut.

Night all! And thanks for viewing. I've gotten so many views lately. I think it may be time for a tutorial or something fun to say thanks for all the views.

Upcoming review BTSSB JSK

Got the good news today. My BABY, the stars shine bright JSK (Starlit sky) has been shipped out! As some know I will be reviewing things other than cosplay and lolita is one of those topics. Lolita is NOT cosplay. I'll be reviewing the JSK later on once I get it. Can't wait!