Con Planning
Jan. 11th, 2009 11:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyofthethreadWow, it’s been a long time since I posted. ^_^;; Lots of rambling ahead…
I’ve gotten out of my lazy rut so I’m finally sewing stuff again. But I’m not going to Katsucon and it’s highly unlikely that I’ll go to NYCC. So, I’m currently planning and working on stuff for Costume Con in May.
I’ve been talking to the masquerade directors there to get an idea of how things work there since it’s considered an international level competition and the rules vary somewhat from what’s typical at anime cons. Both have been quite helpful and suggested I enter at Journeyman level. (Only Costume Con and World Con awards are required to be counted for international competitions so it’s sometimes possible to compete at a lower level than you would at regional anime cons.)
I’ve started working on Ekaterina’s disguise outfit from Le Chevalier D’eon for the Historical Masquerade. I’ve been researching a bit about 18th Century clothes and finished my chemise as well as a first mockup of the corset. It mostly fits me but it seems too short since the tabs at the bottom are sticking out about an inch and a half above my waist. Have to see if I can lengthen it somehow. (The corset pattern doesn’t have lengthen and shorten markings.) Here’s the chemise; not very exciting to look at but I did all flat felled seams so it’s very neat on the inside. ^_^;
I haven’t decided how I’m doing the panniers yet. The one in the Simplicity pattern I’ve been using is like a big oval hoopskirt but it would be cumbersome for sitting and moving. Plus, I don’t really imagine Ekaterina having a huge set of hoops with that outfit, considering the place of that costume in the plot. I’ve also seen a surviving pannier, which looks like a truncated version of the pattern I have, and pairs of smaller bustle-like pieces which can be tied to each side of the waist. I might do one of those options rather than the whole hoopskirt.
And I think I’ll finally take a stab at building a prop phoenix so I can wear my 19th Century D for the Sci-Fi and Fantasy Masquerade. I almost never enter a costume again after winning an award with it but the masquerade director was fine with the idea. (Although some people in the anime community seem to get upset about the idea of costumes being entered again if it has already won an award somewhere, the ICG guidelines have some leeway allowing costumes to compete again.) I was originally thinking I’d make something new if I did this contest but then I realized 19th Century D is still my favorite costume and it would be nice to finally give it a proper showing onstage. Also, I figure this would be the only way I’d ever make the phoenix. It’s already hard enough to walk around in that costume with all the beads and layers plus the heels I need to wear to be tall enough; trying to go around the halls at a con with a huge bird on my arm, too, would be too much.
D’s artbook kimono is getting pushed back since I don’t think I’d have time to make it and finish all the designs on top of the masquerade projects. Maybe, I’ll do D’s vampire outfit from the latest Japanese volume to go with the con theme since it won’t take as much detail work and should be quicker to make. I’ve already registered and booked a hotel room so at least that’s a couple less things to worry about.
Not that sure about what I’m doing for Anime Boston yet since I don’t have any groups planned and I’m probably not competing this year; it’s only 3 weeks after Costume Con so I doubt I’ll have time to finish anything else in between. I’d apply for cosplay chess again though since I haven’t done one for a long time and they’re usually fun.
Hmm… Since I’m planning stuff it might be a good time to ask... Would anyone be interested in seeing a panel/workshop on seam finishes? I always try to make the insides of my costumes neat and some have told me that I should consider teaching panels but I never seem to get around to actually planning anything. ^_^;; I’d cover things like French seams, flat felled seams, bound seams, and making your own bias tape. So far, the best way I can think of to do this would be to charge a few dollars as a materials fee and make booklets with instructions for each type of finish and glue in fabric samples showing the techniques step by step. I don’t own a laptop so Powerpoint and such is out ^_^; and there’s no way I’m hauling a sewing machine to a con. >_>;
I’ve gotten out of my lazy rut so I’m finally sewing stuff again. But I’m not going to Katsucon and it’s highly unlikely that I’ll go to NYCC. So, I’m currently planning and working on stuff for Costume Con in May.
I’ve been talking to the masquerade directors there to get an idea of how things work there since it’s considered an international level competition and the rules vary somewhat from what’s typical at anime cons. Both have been quite helpful and suggested I enter at Journeyman level. (Only Costume Con and World Con awards are required to be counted for international competitions so it’s sometimes possible to compete at a lower level than you would at regional anime cons.)
I’ve started working on Ekaterina’s disguise outfit from Le Chevalier D’eon for the Historical Masquerade. I’ve been researching a bit about 18th Century clothes and finished my chemise as well as a first mockup of the corset. It mostly fits me but it seems too short since the tabs at the bottom are sticking out about an inch and a half above my waist. Have to see if I can lengthen it somehow. (The corset pattern doesn’t have lengthen and shorten markings.) Here’s the chemise; not very exciting to look at but I did all flat felled seams so it’s very neat on the inside. ^_^;
I haven’t decided how I’m doing the panniers yet. The one in the Simplicity pattern I’ve been using is like a big oval hoopskirt but it would be cumbersome for sitting and moving. Plus, I don’t really imagine Ekaterina having a huge set of hoops with that outfit, considering the place of that costume in the plot. I’ve also seen a surviving pannier, which looks like a truncated version of the pattern I have, and pairs of smaller bustle-like pieces which can be tied to each side of the waist. I might do one of those options rather than the whole hoopskirt.
And I think I’ll finally take a stab at building a prop phoenix so I can wear my 19th Century D for the Sci-Fi and Fantasy Masquerade. I almost never enter a costume again after winning an award with it but the masquerade director was fine with the idea. (Although some people in the anime community seem to get upset about the idea of costumes being entered again if it has already won an award somewhere, the ICG guidelines have some leeway allowing costumes to compete again.) I was originally thinking I’d make something new if I did this contest but then I realized 19th Century D is still my favorite costume and it would be nice to finally give it a proper showing onstage. Also, I figure this would be the only way I’d ever make the phoenix. It’s already hard enough to walk around in that costume with all the beads and layers plus the heels I need to wear to be tall enough; trying to go around the halls at a con with a huge bird on my arm, too, would be too much.
D’s artbook kimono is getting pushed back since I don’t think I’d have time to make it and finish all the designs on top of the masquerade projects. Maybe, I’ll do D’s vampire outfit from the latest Japanese volume to go with the con theme since it won’t take as much detail work and should be quicker to make. I’ve already registered and booked a hotel room so at least that’s a couple less things to worry about.
Not that sure about what I’m doing for Anime Boston yet since I don’t have any groups planned and I’m probably not competing this year; it’s only 3 weeks after Costume Con so I doubt I’ll have time to finish anything else in between. I’d apply for cosplay chess again though since I haven’t done one for a long time and they’re usually fun.
Hmm… Since I’m planning stuff it might be a good time to ask... Would anyone be interested in seeing a panel/workshop on seam finishes? I always try to make the insides of my costumes neat and some have told me that I should consider teaching panels but I never seem to get around to actually planning anything. ^_^;; I’d cover things like French seams, flat felled seams, bound seams, and making your own bias tape. So far, the best way I can think of to do this would be to charge a few dollars as a materials fee and make booklets with instructions for each type of finish and glue in fabric samples showing the techniques step by step. I don’t own a laptop so Powerpoint and such is out ^_^; and there’s no way I’m hauling a sewing machine to a con. >_>;
