衣装製作中 2012年版

Hello-ho! It's time for my annual WIP post before Connichi.

Most of my WIP can bee seen on my tumblr, but once in a while, especially for bigger projects, I think it's nice to have everything neatly in one place, so you can actually see the progress happening.

This year's Connichi (which is the biggest con in Germany, by the way) cosplays are rather simple compared to previous years, mostly because I seriously lack time due to my upcoming graduation.

Nonetheless, both my new cosplays are very dear to me, because I've been looking forward to sewing (and wearing) them for quite some time.

Here's my lineup:

Friday: Margaret (Persona 4)	Saturday:  Wonder Woman (Odyssey)	Sunday: Frog Queen (Original)

MARGARET

Margaret is a costume I've already worn at Leipzig Bookfair. Refer to this post for in-depth information.

WONDER WOMAN

I've been a huge fan of the TV show with Lynda Carter when I was a child (I watched the re-run of the re-run of the re-run in the early 90ies), and loved the Superman movies with Christopher Reeve as well as Tim Burton's Batman movie adaptions (although, admittedly, they totally freaked me out when I first watched them). Live-action TV-series and Hollywood movies -  that was about all of my "exposure" to comics.
Until recently, that is. I think it was last winter when I was re-introduced to US comics through Aera and Boa, who's talking about the Batman series, the DC universe and the reboot got me curious. So I started reading. I began with Batman (pre-reboot; about #655) and found myself really enjoying the dark stories, twisted villains, witty dialogues and the interesting page layouts. I'd been reading manga for so long that I'd almost forgotten that there are other approaches the the medium of comics.
Remembering of my childhood heroine, I started reading Wonder Woman (#600), as well. Neither the storyline nor the art were my cup of tea, but I liked the modern approach the writers had taken. Later I read some earlier WW comics, as well as The New 52 series and was glad to see these were of  a much higher quality.
It wasn't until one fateful day and a Halloween episode of  The Big Bang Theory that I made up my mind about cosplaying Diana.
 
I would've wanted to cosplay her iconic starry-pants outfit, but I seriously lack the guns to pull off an amazon princess. Therefore, I decided on the Odyssey costume, which comes with long pants and a leather jacket, which not only is a good thing to wear on a con in September, but also would conceal the fact that I'm nowhere nearly as well-toned as Wonder Woman.

Design-wise, I decided to use Alex Garner’s cover artworks as a main reference, because it is more detailed.

On to the actual WIP pictures:

My first try on the pants. Considering this was my first time working with stretch vinyl, they came out quite good. Still, they were nowhere as tight as I wanted them to be, but I also couldn’t sew them any tighter, because then I wouldn’t be able to walk (let alone sit) anymore. Why? Because, although the vinyl I used is 4-way stretch, it’s too thick (read: not stretchy enough) to really do the job.
The failure made me rethink my fabric choice in general.

I was looking for nice, affordable fabric that would arrive in time for me to sew it. Instead, I found a pair of high-waist lycra leggings with a leathery look. Perfect. I cut them up to put in some decorative seams and then sewed them back together (tightening them in the process). It took me almost an hour to unstitch the factory serger seams alone, so I’m a bit unhappy about how the finished seams I put in are almost invisible in pictures. On the other hand, the pants are very comfortable. Extraordinarily so.

The top is made of two layers of 4-way-stretch fabric (because the red one is really thin) and has a shitton of decorative seams, as well. I couldn’t help but feel reminded of Spider-Man’s suit when I looked at the result, but at least these seams are visible, because I used a darker thread.
Putting on the golden straps and bias tape was a pain, because I made them myself out of stretchy golden vinyl. Anyone who's ever sewed a tube out of thick fabric and had to turn it right side out knows what I'm talking about. Nonetheless, I'm quite happy with the result.

The bulletproof bracelets (which are actually gauntlets in this version of her costume) are made of thick craft foam I covered with the red fabric I used for the top. I decided to make the actual bracelets and the glove part seperate pieces, so it’s easier to put them on (they’re closed with hooks and eyes, btw.). The golden pieces of armour are craft foam, as well. I love them!

The belt is made out of craft foam, as well, and covered in multiple layers of golden paint. I wasn’t quite happy with the outcome, though, because it looked too costume-y (even for a cosplay). What I really like about Wonder Woman’s Odyssey costume (in contrast to her signature starry pants costume), is that it looks like something you could actually fight in, so I wanted my costume to look more like real, worn clothing and armour. Therefore, I tried my best at giving the belt a slightly rusty, weathered look. I used the same weathering technique on the other armour parts and the tiara, too. The belt is closed with poppers (covered by the big red star in the back).

While buying the pants was a spontaneous decision, I had wanted to purchase a jacket instead of sewing it right from the start. I felt vindicated when I came across this pleather jacket on ebay, which I bought for 1€. Then, I shortened it, removed the zipper and collar and attached a new collar. I finished it with another set of decorative seams in the back and on the shoulders and by attaching the star shaped gems.

The shoes were another bargain, but much, much more comfortable than they look. I know, high-heels on a  costume meant for combat don't make much sense, but the artwork shows different kind of shoes and -more importantly- I'm not going anywhere wearing skin-tight pants and flats. Nuh-uh. The spur-thingies are craft foam. As are the tiara and the Wonder Woman emblem. Surprise.

Make-up test. On Garner's artworks, Diana's make-up looks rather gothic-y, but I decided to tone it down and go for a more classical, yet dark look.
Oh, and I love the wig. I was a bit sceptical, because I know dark hair not always works for me, but I really think it suits me this time.

The full costume at 100%. Or 99%. The lasso is still missing. I hope the one I ordered will arrive in time. If it doesn't, I have a plan b, which you can see in this picture.

FROG QUEEN

The Frog Queen costume is another costume I've been dying to do. Although I have already done it. Back in 2007, I was part of a cosplay group of original design fairy tale characters as the Frog Prince. The group was awesome, but everytime I looked at my costume, I felt I could’ve done so much more.
Now, 5 years later, I decided to revamp this cosplay. First, I wanted to salvage as much of the original costume as possible, but as it is horribly crafted and I didn’t like the fabrics anymore I chose back then, I instead started all over again from scratch. For the design, I researched different types of male and female fashion from the 17th-19th century and pretty much included everything I liked plus some pin-up style high-waist panties for teh sexiness.

I started with the panties and they were quickly done. They fit nicely and I like the colour of the fabric. I added some leftover lace for fanciness.

The stockings were a pair of tights, which I turned into stockings by cutting them and attaching some elastic. I’m really happy to have found those tights, they were exactly what I needed and I lovelovelove the design!
To cover the elastic I sewed in, I sewed some garters out of this really cute lace I found. The ribbons were a spontaneous purchase in a nearby penny goods store, but I loved the stripey-green one so much I wanted to use it on this costume, so I put little bows on both the garters as well as on the sleeves.

I had some beautiful leftover fabric that I wanted to use, but unfortunately it was pristine white  - much brighter than what I was looking for. I was about to buy new fabric, but Feder convinced me to try out tea dying first - which I did - and it came out great. On the upper left you can see the original colour, on the right is the new, champagne-coloured result. The difference is very subtle, but the shade is perfect now. Later, I also put some more laces on it. They’re leftovers, too, so I could only use them on the front, but the back is covered by the coat, anyway.

I had a hard time finding nice shades of green and red that would go well with each other, but on my second fabric quest I found this beautiful taffeta in light green and a nice, coppery red. The tailcoat is fully lined and hemmed with gold trim. I also love the buttons with the little crowns on it. I hate sewing button holes, by the way.

Some details: I'm not entirely satisfied with the sleeves (although I can't put my finger on why that is), but I love the lace and ribbons.
I hadn’t planned to use lace on the neckline, but when I found this one, I couldn’t help but to put it everywhere - same goes for the golden trim.
The fake pockets and the... er... bar in the back (no idea what they're called in English) are made out of leftover brocade.

The crown is one of the few things I salvaged from my old costume (see left), but I spraypainted it to a more brass-y look and also changed the fabric. Then, I added the veil (which used to be the jabot for my old costume, by the way) and pearls. Threading pearls is an oddly calming pasttime.
The whole thing is still abit lopsided, so I will work on it just a bit more.

The gloves and detachable cuffs have been part of my earlier Frog Queen costume, as well. The gloves aren’t made by me, but a hand-me-down from my great-aunt. They’re actually bridal gloves (I was told). I added new buttons (to match those on the tailcoat) and -surprise- even more lace to the cuffs. They’re easily my favourite part of the costume.
On the right you can see the accessory: A neckband (made out of the same fabric as the pants; the "gem" is an old button I painted) and two rings. I'd have fitting earrings, as well, but they'd be hidden by the wig, so I'm not going to wear them

Make-up: I had loads of green body paint along the edges of my face down to my jawline to give it a more fantasy-like feel. Unfortunately, 40% of the make-up became all but invisible due to the unexpectedly good lighting on my balcony, another 50% are covered by the wig. Oh, well…
Wig: The wig is actually my Garnet wig, which I sewed together out of two wigs (see WIP here) last year. I just slightly pulled it up to give it more volume in the back.

This is the almost finished costume. I still need to work on the crown (see above) and I want to glam up the shoes.

Phew.

It feels somewhat surreal to have all costumes finished three weeks before the actual con, but I certainly won't complain!

衣装作り中 2011年版

It's time for my annual Connichi WIP post!

Connichi 2011, one of the biggest conventions in Germany, is still 2 1/2 weeks away, but already I'm feeling a little bit stressed out, because this year not only uni but also work keep me away from my favourite hobby.
I guess I should be upset about that, if it wasn't for the fact that I love my job: I'm working at the Japanese-German Centre Berlin as a librarian. It's exactly the kind of job I'd want to do after graduating, because it combines my two majors -library science and Japanese studies- so well, but unfortunately they can only afford student assistants, so once I graduate (which should be around next March/April) I'll have to say good-bye to the wonderful people there.

Anyways, let's move on to this year's costumes for Connichi.

Friday	Saturday	Sunday

From left to right:
Friday: Fuu Hououji (Magic Knight Rayearth OVA) with Maddi as Hikaru Shidou and my sister as Umi Ryuuzaki. (old)
Saturday: Terra/Tina Branford (Final Fantasy VI) with Maddi as Relm Arrowny and my sister as Kefka. (new)
Sunday: Howl Jenkins (Howl's Moving Castle) with Maddi as Sophie Hatter and (maybe) my sister as Michael/Markl. (new)

Fuu is 100% finished of course; it already debuted at Bookfair Leipzig this spring.

On to the new costumes:


I - Terra

First, I have to admit that I'd never cosplay Terra if it wasn't for my sister, who' s been constantly pestering me with pleas about how much she'd love to cosplay Kefka one day. Two years ago, I drafted a pattern for Kefka as a birthday present for her, but it wasn't until this year that we've finally found the time to make a start on this project. We've decided to use Yoshitaka Amano artwork and in-game graphics as referende rather than the Dissidia designs by Tetsuya Nomura, simply because that leaves us with more creative leeway.

Nonetheless, Terra is a challenge. Not only because of the ridiculous amount of detail (which looks different on every other artwork!) and colours, but also, because I've decided to combine the cape she has on most of the Amano artworks with the shoulder armour parts she has in the game. Just because I've never done any kind of armour before.

Here are some WIP pictures:


The left one was taken about two weeks ago. Never mind the carelessly draped scarf/belt thingies and the cape. They weren't finished yet and I just put them on for visualisation purposes only. Please note my beautiful bed hair. As you can see, I chose burgundy red tafetta for the dress, which I lined with twill because it was too thin. The vent is not only for aesthetic purposes but also an admission to my mobility, because the dress is very close fitting.
On the right are more recent pictures: The gradient dyeing on the capes (I love it!) and the painting are finished and I attached golden braid along the hems. Later on, I will paint the boots, as well.
My sister is helping me a great deal with these, because I'm busy sewing her Kefka costume. I'm currently contemplating attaching some small gems on the flowers, but for now I'd rather wait until I know what it all looks like with the capes and scarfs on. I definitely don't want to end up looking like an art supplies shop threw up on me.


These are the shoulder armour pieces. As I said, first time doing this and it's mostly trial and error. I've read several tutorials but still I have no idea, what exactly I'm doing. I just hope it will work out somehow in the end. The armour is made of craft foam and coated with papier mâché for better durability.


The wig. I wasn't sure whether to use a blond or a turquoise wig, but I went with turquoise in the end, because I love how it looks together with the brugundy red of the dress. This was my first attempt on pulling up a wig into a ponytail and I was surprised how well it came out.


These are the most recent pictures of my Terra costume. What's still missing are the scarfes, the shoulder armour parts, some jewellery and some red and gold paint on the shoes.
Don't I have the most lovely animu face you've ever seen?
I also want to do Terra's sabre. I've actually already bought wood and paint for that, but I don't know if I can make it in time. For now, there are more important things to finish.


II - Kefka

As I said before, this costume is meant for my Kefka-crazy sister. She even bleached her hair for this.
I drafted the pattern for this about 2 years ago, so I could start sewing right away now. Luckily, my sister didn't gain nor lose any weight in those month, so the measurements are still correct.


WIP picture from a couple of days ago (left) and more recent close-ups of the paintings on the pants, the collar and the sleeves (right).
The stripes are bias tape I sewed onto the shirt. I usually like working with bias tape, but lately, my sewing machine is having trouble with the thread tension so this time around it was just hugely unnerving and frustrating. The pants looked like tracksuit pants first, I know. The costume ist still missing the gazillion scarfs and the ridiculously huge collar. And a lot of paintings.


Close-up of the shirt. We mainly used tafetta for Kefka, as well. We're a group after all and want everything to match, don't we? I love the blue fabric with the check tucks. It kind of reminds me of fish scales and the interesting texture really adds to the overall impression of the shirt.


The Kefka costume is currently about 55% finished. The main parts are finished, but the many (painted) capes and scarfes still leave us with a lot to do.


-----UNHELPFULLY CURIOUS CAT INTERMISSION-----


These are some of the things are still waiting to get used on our Final Fantasy costumes: More colourful fabrics, beads, gems and even some feathers for Kefka's hairdo.


III Howl

Howl, on the other hand is nearly finished.
But let's start with some WIP pictures:


Sewing the jacket. NEVER AGAIN will I sew patchwork diamonds. It's such an unrewarding thing to do. I mean, overall, Howl's costume looks really simple, right? Before sewing this I couldn't even fathom how difficult it really is - at least for me, who simply sucks at sewing neatly and at geometry. And I guess hardly anyone would acknowledge the effort I put into it, because it looks so plain. No fancy ribbons, laces or gemstones. Meh.

To crown it all, I kind of messed up the sleeves. I already sewed in some shoulder pads, but the jacket still looks ... strange. Which really bugs me, because the jacket looks just fine when I wear it properly. Unfortunately, however, Howl doesn't wear his jacket as such, but more like a coat and that's where it starts looking baggy.
I really do like the collar, on the other hand. And the overall impression of the different colours, fabrics and proportions.
The blouse was really, really easy to sew - I finished it in one afternoon. It's really comfortable! I'd wear it everyday if it didn't have huge press buttons on its shoulders. (I had to attach these to keep the jacket from slipping down.)


Close-up of the jewelery I did. I really like the outcome. As you can see, I also did the rings. It's just a tiny detail, but I really wanted to have them.

Howl's costume was 80% finished and only missing the pants, when Maddi and I wanted to have some pictures of the (yet slightly unfinished) costumes for promotional purposes. If we pass the interview on Connichi Saturday, these'll be our costumes for the German WCS prelim and we thought it wouldn't hurt to have some pictures of these costumes in our portfolio. So, two weeks ago, we climbed up a nearby hill to take some pictures:


I have to say I really like us. I think we look good together and do the characters justice. Especially Maddi is such an adorable Sophie. I really look forward to our skit, I hope we get the chance to perform on stage. BTW, I lovelovelove my wig. It's so soft and full and has exactly the right shade of blond. When it arrived it had some lovely little curls in it and it almost broke my heart when I had to straighten the wig.

Oh, some of you might've already seen this:




Demon Within by ~y-o-s-s-i on deviantART

While we were at it (putting on our costumes and having pictures, that is), I thought it'd be nice to have some dark Howl pictures as well.
So I sewed a hooded cloak with feathers on it and pasted even more feathers on my face with spirit gum (which is not as fun as I'd have imagined, BTW).
One thing on Howl's make-up: I know, he's a guy (duh), but with his feminine traits and huge, shiny blue eyes "normal" guy make-up (read: contouring) wouldn't suffice. So, after I put a lot of shadows and highlights on my face (which are all but invisible on pictures it seems...), I put on (short) false lashes and bright blue circle lenses. How do you like it?


I finished the pants two days ago. And I love them! They fit really nicely and are super comfortable. I even wore them at work yesterday. And yes, that's my sexy face.




Not WIP related, but it might still interest you:
came to Berlin last month so we grabbed the chance to finally have some photo shoots we've been looking forward to for a long time.



(Clicking on the pictures will take you to the respective gallery on Animexx.)

On to something else:
Some of you already know this, but I've started using tumblr a few weeks ago. I will use my tumblr blog for general nerdage and cosplay (WIP) pictures, so if you're on tumblr, please follow me. It's a lot more up-to-date than this journal (well, it's hard not to be...). Here's the link: Picture this

衣装作り中 2010年版

Insert boring introductionary text here




Connichi 2010, one of the biggest conventions in Germany, is coming up in two weeks, so the last couple of weeks I've been busy sewing my new costumes, some of which I've been wanting to do for ages.

First costume:


Yuuko Ichihara from xXxHoLic ♥
I love CLAMP's designs for Yuuko, it was reeeaaally hard to pick one for cosplay. So this is what I'll be wearing on Sunday for the WCS prelims together with Maddi, who'll be my charming Himawari ♥


Here you can see the back side of the kimono, the green lining and some details on the sleeves.
I originally wanted to sew the garment using a real kimono pattern (read: rectangular shapes and open sleeves), but close fitting, low neckline and kimono patterns... just don't work together. So I took my kimono, closed the sleeves and added some darts, which makes it an evening dress with kimono sleeves, I guess...
One note on colours: This kimono I decided on is worn by Yuuko only once during the manga (in Tsubasa, actually), so I only had a b/w reference.
I've been pondering about what colour scheme I should choose for it and did some research on different kimono patterns, keeping in mind that Yuuko's style of clothing tends to be rather flashy. I decided on red (it's somehow Yuukos image colour, right?) with green lining, white obi/corset and orchids in white, silver and bronze-y gold and I think it matches quite well.
It's really subtle in the pictures, but I also gardient-dyed the sleeves and the bottom part of the dress in black. First time gradient-dyeing, but I'm really pleased with the outcome.


The orchids. They're made out of satin and I appliqued each and every one of them OTL
Once that was finished (1000hrs later??) I painted the contours with metallic fabric paint ... for another 1000hrs (I'm not really good at this kind of stuff...)
I suppose they could look better, but at least they're recognisable as orchids...


The corset. I couldn't find any nice (and affordable) gold laces or chinese buttons, so I bought white ones and dyed them myself. Yes, a lot of dyeing on this costume... orz...
And yes, I know there's no bow in the reference but with the low neckline and the long skirt it just looked... as if something was missing. So I made a obi-esque bow (detachable for conveniece) as well. Deal with it XD


Left: A wig test I did ages ago. The wig looks quite different now, but I'm too lazy to put it on again and to take some pictures. I also painted the orchids in a better fitting white and gold. You get the idea XD
Right: My contacts. Yuukos eye colour shifts from red to lilac to amber on different artworks. I would've loved to get red ones, because they'd fit the kimono best and would have the most impact, but there are no red contacts with prescription and I need to be able to see on stage (-6.00 dioptres here...).
So I decided on light brown contacts. They look kind of ... not brown... on my light blue eyes orz


This is what it looks like on me. I'm wearing another (selfmade) long black dress underneath, btw.
It's at 95% because I still need to paint on those tiny crests onto the sleeves and I also want to do something more about that choker. I already replaced the original lace and some of the beads, but I still don't like it.
So, what do you think?
I can't wait to wear it, I just hope it doesn't rain that Sunday >_>

Second costume:


A costume I've been wanting to do since two years now. It's an artwork out of a set of gem stone themed artworks by Nao Tsukiji. She is a mangaka/illustrator I like a lot and when I first saw her "Garnet" design I instantly fell in love with it.
This'll be my costume for Saturday.


I'm still in the middle of sewing, so there's not much I can show you.
Above you can see what will be the sleeves some day (left side) and a part of the head piece (right side). I really love the combination of green, gold and champagne ♥


Elaborate designs like this ask for a lot of beads, gems and laces... I've started to glue, paint (again, no buttons and laces in the right colour) and bead... First time doing this kind of jewellery. And I'm nowhere close to finish, but I like it. You can see in the bottom left corner that there're still a lot of beads, pearls and laces waiting to get attached >_>


This is what the dress looks like now. I spent a lot of money on beads, gem stones and laces, but I didn't need to buy even one yard of fabric! All of it are leftovers from my Euphemia costume, namely taffeta and chiffon. XD
You can't see the bottom part of the costume in the reference picture, so I'm free to do what I want ♪
I've decided to go for something like the court dresses during Napoleon's empire, with a high waist, a train (still missing in the picture, but I'll have one!) and light fabrics ♥
I think I can finish this dress until next Friday.

Third costume:

This is where it gets tricky. I've already decided that I want to do a Belle costume for Friday. Maddi is going to wear her beautiful Ariel costume and my sister Melli'll wear my Aurora costume. So far, so good.
BUT
I can't decide on a dress!! OTL
I already narrowed it down to two. This is where I need your help:



Left is Belle's "library dress" (she's wearing it for ... 10 seconds in the movie?? XD), right is her "Something There" dress (minus the cape). I really like both dresses, which is why it's so hard for me to pick one now, so please help me:
Which of these dresses should be my costume for the first day of Connichi?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
I'll go fabric shopping next Friday (September 3rd), so I need your advice until then. Thank you in advance!!

EDIT: Thank you very much for your votes! In the end it was still a tie between both dresses orz (I've been asking for opinions outside of this blog, too). I went fabric shopping today... for dress A. Dress B is still on my list. Maybe I'll do it later this year.