Though we haven't made an official post here on The Streak, our staff will be attending the Chicago Comic Con in August this year and we're super excited! This will be only the second convention I, personally, have attended and the first convention were I'll be cosplaying. Alchemilla, B@girl and myself will be making our own costumes from the Avatar: The Last Airbender series along with some other friends. Now, Alchemilla and B@girl are much more craftier than me and are pretty experienced at making their own awesome stuff, but since I'm knew to this I thought it would be fun to document my experience and share with you guys the ups and downs of my first major project.
To start off, I'll going to share some tips with you about how to go about starting a project. If you're anything like me, it always sounds like the best idea ever until you try to make it happen and then you have no idea where to start and what comes next. If you're not as fortunate as me to have a super women friend like Alchemilla to guide you though, hopefully this project series helps you out!
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| Great Toph referance: shows headgear, structure and detail. |
To start, what I've learned my first week:
1. Do your research. Find a character you like and will be comfortable playing in a public setting. Nothing says you have to go all out and learn an accent or anything (though that can be fun!), but you want something within your ability range, so you don't get frustrated and quit, and you want something you love so you'll be motivated to finish and see your final project. For me, It's Toph. Her costume is fairly straight foreword with enough elements to be a little challenging and I love her character - spirited and opinionated with enough sass to sink a boat.
2. Reference Images! Don't be like me and just assume you remember the right shade of green or purple you need for that cloak. Trust me, you don't. Find as many detailed, full body shots as you can, from various angles. Fanart, though not always 100% accurate, can give you some ideas on how to make an element of your project more unique to you, how to make it better or better for a real world setting. (Just don't change it up enough that no one will recognize you.) Don't be scared to see how other people have done something too: Cosplay.com is full of fantastic costumes people much more talented have made functional.
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| I'm not sure I'd call that zing... |
3. Find your pattern first. Bring your reference images, go to you local fabric store and look for patterns that suit your needs. If you're an inexperienced sewer and don't have your own Alchemilla to help you frankenstein something together, look for patterns as close to what you need as possible. (Don't forget to check the cheap pattern section either - you might find something that will work just as well at a quarter of the price.) Write down the brand and number of your patterns for reference later as well. The back of the pattern envelop will tell you how much fabric you need to make it, so you can estimate how much you actually need before you go hunting for your fabric.
4. Buy things on sale or with a coupon. That might sound condescending, but it's totally true. You might think you don't need that much for your costume, but those bracers alone need 5 different things. Fabric itself is something that can become exceptionally expensive, very quickly. Also, patterns can be ridiculous, though they occasionally go on sale, so always be on the look out. If it's not on sale or you don't have a coupon - don't buy it! Most fabric stores have sales flyers they send out all the time, and they usually have really great coupons, so sign up to get them in the mail or email. Also, most fabric stores have a clearance section - look there frist! Both Alchemilla and I found at least one of our fabrics there for our projects.
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| So much damn thread... |
5. Don't forget the small stuff. You'll need thread to match every color fabric in your project. Also, think about: do you need ecstatic? Do you need any sort of button or attaching material (like Velcro)? Do you need any specific jewelry or adornments? It might help you to make a list before you start shopping, since missing one crucial thing can be a big pain.
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