To those of you that still follow this blog, thank you.
I know that many people who read this little journal of mine are not here for the sci-fi or the cosplay. They are here for the historical garments, and my recent deluge of modern sewing projects might scare some readers off.
I have a wide array of interests, and too many online profiles to make yet another journal just for the sci-fi, fantasy and burlesque sewing. Personally, I feel that it all falls into the same category with the historic sewing since it's all part of the same hobby.
Take heart; I have 6 months before Dragon Con in Atlanta to finish all 3 to 4 costumes, so somewhere in between I might be able to squeeze in some historical stuff.
Yet another from my to-do-list for Dragon Con 2014; Gem, one of the Sirens from the 2011 Film
"Tron: Legacy".
Already, I have materials arriving on my doorstep. Namely the shoes.
Footwear for a costume has all-too-often been one of the last things I take care of, sometimes not by choice. This time they are the first thing I have acquired toward this very complicated cosplay.
Like my Elsa cosplay, it's another frosty blonde look, which I'm thankful for.
After my drastic haircolor change for my Empress Elisabeth (Sisi) of Austria impression, it's nice to not have to worry about fake hair, wigs, or dye to cover up my own hair.
I like to choose characters that I already have at least an 80% resemblance to, as it not only makes it easier to do costuming and makeup for, but it also makes for a bigger impact when people see me as a character. People can choose to play who they want, regardless of what they look like. It's what makes cosplay innovative and so much fun. But for me personally, the art form is not to just have a similar outfit as a character. It's to be the character and to make those moments in a film or TV fictional universe come to life again in the minds of those that see me.
While my shoes are not exactly like the shoes in the film, they are the right color and made with the right materials, and they could have easily been seen in the Tron universe.
I like to think this is Siren Gem's other pair of go-to heels.
Should I end up with the time to modify a pair of shoes to look exactly like the ones seen in the film, that would be fantastic. And if not, then I have these babies already as an equally impressive backup:
The ones with the original costume have a little built-on upper in the silver grey rubberized fabric. That will be an easy addition.
For my own bit of flair on the shoes I have, I may add an LED light underneath the 'ledge' of the heel aiming downward, but it's a maybe. It could look awesome, or just weird if they are too bright. Either way, it could be a fun experiment.
So..I might have a sheepish look on my face as I write this entry.
Yes, I am once again deviating from my historical costuming path here, to start another random costuming project...or rather; projects. Sorry folks, please bear with me as I prep for Dragon Con 2014, and all the events leading up to it, between now and mid September.
In the vein of the Star Trek Romulan Commander costume from the last BayCon I attended, I am once again veering into the realm of fantasy and sci-fi. I guess this makes me an official cosplayer now.
Here's a breakdown of what I'll be working on, in the order of which I'll be starting first:
1. 'Frozen' - burlesque/cosplay of Elsa's snow queen gown (and possibly the coronation gown and cape). I will be buying a disgusting amount of Swarovski crystals for this, mostly for the bodice and sleeves, but some for the sheer train as well.
2. 'TRON Legacy' - Siren Gem costume, complete with LE Wire and LED lighting effects.
3. Caprica Six - (Battlestar Galactica) Remake the signature red dress from a nicer red knit fabric. The first one I made is a bit too heavy and 'plastic', for lack of a better term.
4. Vintage Star Trek - Romulan Commander Charvanek costume.
While I have this done already, I might need to make repairs and find some good thigh-high black boots.
Or,
make another pair of thigh-high 'spats' out of a heavier faux leather
instead of matte PVC. Lesson learned last time, as I spent most of the
evening constantly pulling them back up.
Still deciding on weather or not I'll have time to build one or two more costumes, but here are some hopeful candidates I've been contemplating:
As promised, some photos from the past weekend's sci-fi convention, Baycon 2012. Plus, a link to more of the trouble we got up to.
With the Doctor?!
Thanks to Jean Martin for the photos. More photos are still surfacing of my two Romulan accomplices, and I'll post those as I get them. Until then, here's what happened Sunday night and the photos we took. We didn't end up having our Archer show up, but we did have a blast!
While we're on the subject of personal sewing projects, this is what I've been working on over the last few days. Yes, it's a sci-fi costume and for those who might know what they are looking at...it's Star Trek related.
Never in my life did I ever think I'd delve into the world of the Trekkie, but there's a first time for everything, right?
I'm personally not that interested in Star Trek, and would never consider myself remotely the Trekkie type. But I somehow LOVE the kitsch of the classic 60's Star Trek series. It's like Mad Men in space; everyone looks fabulous, their hair is perfect and so are their clothes, they are breaking rules and getting laid. Constantly...well...at least Captain Kirk is ;-D
So what is this insanity I am working on?
My fiance and another friend of ours were at a loss as to what to do this year for the local annual sci-fi convention (BayCon). We jumped at the idea of doing classic Star Trek, because everyone else does the modern version...and we wanted something that was ever so slightly obscure. Or characters that, while recognizable upon sight, were rarely seen in the early series;
Romulans.
Romulans were the balance between the ultra war-like Klingons and the ultra logical Vulcans. Needless to say, I'm playing the female Romulan Commander. I get to woo Spock and watch Kirk go mad, all while wearing pointy ears, crazy eyebrows and the shortest dress possible. So awesome.
Here is my version of the dress so far. I have yet to hem the skirt to the final length, since I haven't even put the sleeves or the back sections of the dress on. Once all the layers are in place and fitted properly, I'll hem it.
I'm using a light weight rayon stretch suiting material for the dress itself (both the black and red sections are the same fabric), and a large fishnet that is layered over the black. This black mesh is getting a few coats of metallic spray fabric paint before being pieced onto most of the dress shell.
The red sections are also getting a paint job with a stencil to create the triangle pattern on the right sleeve, bodice front and sashes. I'm not using a pattern for the dress, and just draping on my dress form. The only pattern I'm using as a guide is for the sleeves.
While it is a 4-way stretch, I still need to put darts in the mesh for the two back pieces to keep it from bunching at the waist. My back has a bit more curve inward. These will be painted a metallic pewter tomorrow, then layered over the matching solid black pieces:
I'll post photos when it's complete. I'm really looking forward to this event, in all its silly geek glory.
