Cosplay USA

Ahhh…

Half a heart attack, some tears, and weeks later I have finished a commission outfit for someone.

It was very challenging due to the size and detail. You can’t tell by this photo but the outfit is actually twice as big as I am. The shirt looks like a kimono when I put it on. The skirt, well I didn’t even try that.

The blouse is pink satin. It is detailed with ruffles. I completed the snap closures after this photo. The goal of the outfit was to bring back the nostalgia of an outfit he had as a child. I thought the pearly white snaps were adorable and brought back the childhood feel as if this were the same outfit, only adult size.

The skirt is a red velvet circle skirt with hot pink satin waist and trim. The outer edge of the skirt is 180″ circumference. That’s 180″ of handmade ruffles at the bottom. I really wished I could buy ruffles instead of handmaking them. That sure as hell would have saved time, but making them this way is custom to the color of the waist so they match. The reference actually called for a dilluted lavendar hued pink. I found that the fabric store is not big on that color so I used my best judgement. I think it worked out beautifully. *_* The blend of the light pink, hot pink, and red is a dream to me. Oh how I love the red end of the color spectrum.

Here is the reference photo:

And here it is brought to life:

What do you think?

Areas for improvement: A ruffling foot would be nice. More time to snip loose threads and fray check. (Used 1/2-3/4 bottle of fray check) Smaller sleeve ruffle would look better but I had to make it that large to achieve the required sleeve length. The client expressed to me that the biggest concern was getting shirts and blouses with long enough sleeves.

Inspiration: This outfit inspired me a lot. I would like to make ruffly girls’ dresses. I’d also like to do more gothic lolita stuff like this circle skirts. Circle skirts are RAD! I can’t imagine if I had made a double circle skirt in this size……… It would have needed 360″ of ruffles at the bottom. That’s 10 yards. {Insert OMFG here} I also became inspired to make lingere. I used to be mildly afraid of doing lingere but it’s basically the same thing, just smaller, quicker, and less supply hogging.

Then I had to make a smurf hat. I guess I’ll post that some other time. No matter how many times I call for costume commissions there’s always someone that expects something last minute from me. This time I couldn’t say no because it’s my mom. My mom is really cool. I’ll have to talk about her here someday. She does so much for others, I had to do this for her.

Now I don’t want to see my sewing machine for a week.

I have 1 more commission to complete, then it’s all me :D I can sew whatever I want.

What’s Next: 1 more commission *yawn*, Flyff Pang Plushies, and my fashion line. Speaking of which I’m running behind. Need to finalize the name and order woven tags.

Good times, good times.

Haha :D Don’t you love how vague the title is!

I finished something recently so I figured I’d post it here. I seriously wish I had more time or more me’s so I could accomplish more. I have some really really great ideas. This happens to be for someone else.

It is a pink satin blouse made plus size for a man. Making the pattern was extremely tricky. It was hard to decide the proportions since I’m used to making smaller garments and the cut had to fit a man while still being feminine. When I put it on, it is like a kimono. It’s so soft, shiny, and pink it makes me want to keep it! I have extra material left over but I already planned to make a Marilyn Monroe dress out of it. That’s a completely different theme; classic, clean lines vs. ruffles.

Satin is also tricky to work with since it frays a lot. I used about 1/2 a bottle of fray check on this. I got a good deal on the satin from E-bay. I had about 6 yards to work with. I didn’t keep track of how much I used on this but I should have. My guesstimate is 3-3.5 yards.

I really love ruffles. I’m going to hate ruffles though after I have to spend forever making ruffles for the skirt.

It was actually a LOT of work in the detailing. It took longer than anticipated and I lagged forever. I dread attaching sleeves for some reason. I just absolutely hate it. I truly thought I conquered that months ago but the feeling is back again. Damn you, sleeves.

Here you go, take a look.

Yesterday was an exciting day. I spent most of it plagued with a bad migraine which is how I live most my days due to a medical problem. I left work early and since I was already in San Francisco I stopped by to visit a woman who owns a salon and showroom in San Francisco. It’s quite a bit of a hike; near Geary and 22nd Avenue. Yes, Avenue, not Street. That’s far. She specializes in weddings and special occasions so she is looking to carry dresses, accessories, and anything wedding related. I feel I have to switch gears a bit from what I was doing before. I was planning on moving from costumes to casual-wear. Now it seems like I need to upshift my gears back into elaborate pieces. For now I’ll start on some veils, headpieces, and garters. Well, actually for now I need to finish what I have on my plate. Robbi and Zhae are still waiting and I feel horribly guilty. I have “seamstress’ block.” It’s like writers’ block where for no good reason I feel no inspiration or ability to sew. This puts some heat and motovation in me. The last thing I need to do is decide my brand name. I’d rather not use my name in it since I know I will mature in my designs over the years. Time to decide and order up some tags. Get ready world! :D

With September coming, Halloween is starting to cross all the minds of the young at heart or just plain dark hearted. I dress up so much all year long, Halloween is usually my day off. If anything I dress up for work or for a few hours for contests or to humor people.

I will also be accepting commissions again this year, but make your requests now please. If you are unfamiliar with my commissions process, here are some details:

1) Send photo of desired costume for a quote.

2) Quote is provided for 2 installments; Materials and Labor. Materials fee is required before anything is bought or started. Labor costs are due upon pickup/completion of costume.

If you are far away, that’s fine; I can provide you with the measurements needed to complete your project. The measurements are then sent to me by email or IM and the completed costume is shipped to you for the cost of shipping. If you are local, it’s a simple pick-up or delivery.

All patterns are custom made to fit YOU and look like the design. I also do costumes for babies, children, and animals! Those are really fun. With all the new babies around, I’ve been making a new baby costume every year. These include a baby sorceror Mickey from fantasia and a baby Goofy. Animals are also adorable to dress up although some like it and others won’t tolerate it for any amount of extended time. At my last office job, someone had dressed up their guinea pig. :)

The costs are actually pretty modest considering the costs at Halloween shops. They overcharge and you get a low quality costume that likely another person will also be wearing. With my designs you get a custom, quality outfit and you’re sure to be one of a kind. This is especially good for Halloween balls or themed parties. The costumes can cost between $50-200 depending on what you’re looking for and the quality of the fabrics used.

Another option that’s available is buying costumes on E-bay. Unfortunately there is no way to guaranty it will arrive on or before Halloween. Case at hand; I’ve always wanted a costume made by one of those seamstresses in China. The pictures always look so nice… The prices are always low although the hefty shipping makes up for that. They get charged a percentage of what they make on the item, so they sell it at a lower amount to pay less and have you pay it in shipping so they cannot be charged for the excess. I ordered my costume for last Halloween about 1.5 months before Halloween. It took about 1 month to realize it was either lost or never sent. Then I had to wait for a refund although there was no time left and I clearly got nothing. So I had to fork over another $100 to have another seller sell me “the same costume” using the same exact picture. That one showed up about 2 weeks after Halloween, so you can see why I advise against this method. The end product was not impressive either. What I wound up with is a poorly maid Chibi Usa costume with the skirt length down past my knees. I honestly don’t know what they were thinking except they must have had a heavy-set person or man in mind… One with a 25″ waist…? Some of the parts like the bow were made from paper-like cellophane material which I don’t even feel is suitable for wear. The bow is crunched up and not attractive. Needless to say the costume has sat and I never wore it. I may as well finish the Chibi-Usa I had started years ago and do it right. I was thinking I’d save myself the time, labor, stress, and it would come out looking picture perfect. Wrong. Other people may have had better experiences ordering this way, but I for one don’t recommend it.

For more information on having a costume custom designed and made for you, just drop me a comment or send me a reference photo and I can get you a quote today. Don’t delay, time is wearing thin and I do fill up quickly during this season.