Egypt at the con

It's been a while. But then, it feels like the world has been on hold over the last several months with COVID-19 restrictions. Before it all came into force in Australia, I attended Supanova on the Gold Coast in April - the beginning of what would normally be our convention season. My brother and I drove down to attend for the Saturday of the con weekend. The event itself was on the slow side of things, not as many attendees and quite a few of the usual sellers missing in action.

But, I took the opportunity to finally make a costume that I had planned a few years back - Evie Carnahan from The Mummy. In particular, the library outfit:

It's a relatively simple costume to break down - skirt, blouse, necktie, wig and props. I butchered a 1930s reproduction skirt pattern to come up with one similar to the movie costume, made out of a sand coloured linen. I did change the design a little, adding in a pocket and side placket opening as zips were not being used in women's clothing at the time (they were considered to "easy"). My shirt was made out of a quilting cotton in a similar print to the film version. Again, I altered a couple of patterns to create a mens style shirt. And I made a necktie out of some brown silk in my stash.

My only purchases in preparation of the costume were a belt, glasses and key prop. Though, I had purchased the fabrics for the shirt and skirt a few years back. It was a spur of the moment purchase that I made online when I was watching the movie. I thought it would be a fun one to do.

I was right. And my cousin took some fantastic photos for me at the event.

  

Brisnova 2019

Then came Supanova.

This time, I’m not too far off on the backlog. We’re in the same month. Supanova is the biggest pop culture convention in Australia, and the Brisbane event, the last of the year is generally the most well attended of all the cons across the country. (There’s a lot of loyalty in Queensland). But it came around far too fast this year, or rather the year seems to have run far too fast and I wasn’t overly prepared for it all. But I did manage to put together two (yes two) new costumes.

It was a hard choice, deciding what I was going to wear. The con fell only two weeks after I had surgery to remove endometriosis. I was still recovering and healing from my surgery, and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to do my usual costumes which involve corsetry. The thought of compressing my tender belly for a few days was too horrific. So, I decided on costumes that aren’t in my usual wheelhouse. I should also mention, that while the con runs for three days, Friday was hideously hot and humid and there was no way I was putting on a costume, so I went along and shopped (a bit too much) in shorts and a t-shirt. Most of my cosplay friends had the same idea.

But that brings us to Saturday. I dressed as Supergirl from the DC cartoon Super Best Friends Forever. 

This costume is one that I have wanted to do for a long time, but I put it off because I was uncomfortable with my weight. Ironically, I ended up doing it when I was still bloated from surgery and a bit heavier than I have been in the past. But I reached a point where that seemed like a stupid reason for putting off this costume. It was actually a pretty easy to put together. I already had a pattern drafted and mockup cut out, so I whipped that up and made some necessary pattern adjustments. From there, it was just a matter of sewing it all together. The parts that I was most nervous about was sewing with spandex, the logo and boots. I don’t normally do a lot of stretch sewing so I was thrown a little out of my element on this, but my Bernina 570 machine is a blessing. With its fabulous stretch stitches, it all came together smoothly (I will admit that I put the zip in four times before I was happy with it). As for the logo, it came out beautifully. I fused the layers together and used a tearaway stabiliser to stop any stretching and it all worked so well. Then there were the boots. I watched a number of online tutorials on how to go about creating spandex boots using ballet flats. They seemed to turn out well. It’s just unfortunate that the shape of them means they don’t stay up on their own, but I just whip stitched the front points to my dance tights for the day and they held up really well.

 

  

As for Sunday, I decided to go for something more in my comfort zone. My vintage comfort zone. I designed my own version of a human form (or Gajinka) Pokemon. My favourite little pink thing, the Jigglypuff. I turned her into a classic vintage lounge singer, pulling together a pink evening gown, pink wig and retro microphone. The gown is one that I have made before, so it was a matter of simply finding a pink fabric that worked – I grabbed a great satin backed crepe from Fabric.com. Thankfully it was the perfect shade of pink when it arrived. Of course, the weekend before the event I decided it would be a great idea to add some beading detail to the bodice. A rather silly last minute decision that saw me up to the wee hours each night beading my heart out. It was worth it in the end, but next time I’ll do my best to plan ahead a bit more. The best thing about this costume though, is that it doesn’t have to be a costume in the future. It’s just a lovely dress that I get to add to my wardrobe.

  

 

(Photos are all thanks to the fabulous cousin, Trinnyt).

Stay tuned though, there is more to come this year. (It feels like my sewing mojo may have returned after an extended break).

Catchup Time

It has been some time since I last posted on here. All I can say is that life changes. I haven’t done a whole lot of costuming since I last posted. In fact in 2018, I only made three new costumes and one of those was simply finishing one that I had started two years prior. It’s not that I gave up sewing, in fact my wardrobe is a testament to that fact as I have spent rather a lot of time sewing up general clothing (for work and the like).

So to catch things up:

In September I attended OzComicCon. Things were a little crazy at work as I was acting in another role, and packing to move house at the time and I didn’t have the inclination to make anything new. So I polished off a couple of my older costumes and wore those: my Beauty School Dropout from Grease and my Ravenclaw Uniform and Robes.

   

Then came Supanova in November. Still acting in another role at work, but finished moving house, this time I managed to whip up a new costume. Based on artwork by Savannah Alexander of human form pokemon (Gijinka), I dressed as her 1930s style Ivysaur. I had originally planned to turn the plush toy into a bag but he was just too cute to butcher.

  

Since then, I have only been working on my own outfit sewing. I spent quite some time making new pieces to take on my recent trip to Japan. I was there for three and half weeks in March. Now, I do plan to make a start on some new Cosplay projects.

I also attended Supanova on the Gold Coast this year. It was a few weeks ago in April, and as I was freshly back from Japan I didn't have time to whip up anything new. So, time to pull out a previous costume, I wore my Saber Lion.

  

After moving my stash of fabric twice recently, I definitely want to have less of it next time I decide to move house. So, my goal this year (and in those to come) is to sew up the fabric that I have there. Everything that I made for Japan came from my fabric stash, so that’s been a bit of a blessing. But I have big rolls of fabric tagged for historical costumes and large chunks of fabric for cosplays.

On top of it all, I have been trying to downsize the rest of my stuff. Moving house really hits home that you have too much stuff. But part of this are my costumes. I have some that I am still attached to, but they don’t fit anymore. Is it any wonder when I made them five or more years ago? Health issues and weight gain, plus the general changing of my body shape means that these costumes just don’t fit me the way that they were made to do. So, I have slowly been listing onto my Etsy store. I plan to go through everything again and pull out the ones that I have been hanging onto despite not being able to wear them.

So despite not costuming for the last few months, I have been busy enough to keep myself going. But stay tuned because more costuming is to come.

GC Supanova

Once again, April saw Supanova return to the Gold Coast. Due to my crazy study / work commitments, I could only attend the con for one day – so I chose to make the trip down on Saturday. Things were a bit stressful at the time, so I didn’t exactly have the motivation or timing to make a completely new cosplay to wear, but I did want something new instead of just bringing out an old costume.

Thankfully, what I did have time for was finally finishing the Steampunk Belle costume that I started making two years ago. Everything was cut out, parts had already been made, I just had to finish it. The costume is based on artwok by Amy Mebberson. And while Belle is not my most favourite of Disney Princesses, I did fall in love with this design. I had originally started the costume to wear to a Steampunk event, but when my plans to attend fell through, I just put the costume aside and moved on. With my current intention to make some dents in my fabric stash, what better thing to do than finally complete the costume?!

As a re-enactor, I already had the undergarments ready to go – chemise, drawers, socks, boots, stays and bustle frame. I had previously made the dickey, hat, underskirt and partly sewn the apron overskirt. Unfortunately some hideous weight gain meant that the apron did not fit my current measurements. I pulled off the waistband, added an extension and re-pleated the fabric to fit. Then came the Jacket. It’s cut from a small piece of silk velvet from my stash. Unfortunately there was no more left so I had to make do with what was cut. I stitched up with tiny seams and thankfully it fit! I was incredibly pleased. So it was simply a matter of completing the bodice sewing, finishing the edges with silk bias binding, adding boning and closures. It all came together in a remarkably short amount of time. And after some wig styling and last minute prop shopping, I was able to debut Steampunk Belle at Supanova.

And the wonderful Paul took some fabulous photos of my costume. I’m pretty sure that nobody recognised who I was supposed to be (the nature of artwork costumes), but I love how it turned out and I look forward to bring able to wear it again. Maybe to a steampunk event.

Brisnova

I know it’s the new year already, but life has caught me by surprise and I’ve been rather busy of late. So busy in fact that I have yet to post about a couple of events that I attended towards the end of last year. The first – Brisbane Supanova. It’s our biggest convention in Brisbane and one that I attend every year. 2016 was no different. It was a weekend of catching up with fellow cosplayers, taking photos, browsing the shopping hall and trying to stay cool. Nathan Fillion was probably the biggest draw card in terms of celebrities. I would have loved to get a photo but I refuse to spend my entire weekend in line. His panel line was bad enough – snaking around several times and down three halls of the centre. Not my cup of tea. But it is an event that I love to cosplay for.

The convention begins on Friday afternoon and runs through to Sunday evening. It all started out at 1pm on Friday. I took myself into the city in my brand new costume. I didn’t have time to make a big costume but I did have the time and energy to throw together something a little cult – A Beauty School Dropout Angel from Grease. And I was lucky enough that my bestie dressed up as Frenchie to match. The most stressful part of the costume was waiting for the rollers to make the headdress arrive (Australia Post took its sweet time about it). It was an incredibly comfortable costume to wear and even though be slightly obscure, we were recognised by other attendees. It’s definitely a costume that I will be bringing out again.

Come Saturday, the heat had set in for the weekend. Spring had decided to treat us with an early weekend of heat and humidity. Makes for a lovely time when you are trussed up in costume with layers of fabric, undergarments, wigs and makeup. Again, my bestie and I teamed up for the day and dressed as DC Bombshells. Gael Storm as Cheetah and myself as Black Canary. They’re certainly fun costumes to wear.

Lastly, Sunday rolled around. This time, we dressed as Disney Princesses – Aurora from Sleeping Beauty and Ariel from The Little Mermaid. I have to say, I love cosplaying as a princess. There is nothing like the look on a little kid’s face when they realise that their favourite princess is standing in front of them. It’s a good feeling. And it was certainly a day of hugs from children.

But at the end of it all, we quickly slipped into some regular clothing and hit Coffee Club for dinner on the way home. It’s become sort of a tradition for us to stop for a good meal after the convention before heading home to crash into bed. And before we know it, the next convention will be upon us. I really should get to sewing.

Brisnova

I spent the remainder of November working my fingers to the bone getting my new costume ready for our last convention of the year – Supanova. This year, it brought the summer heat and storms to our Queensland shores. But despite the heat and hail, the event came and went with a plethora of costumes on show. Various friends were in attendance over the weekend, but I just could not resist costuming it up and attending the entire weekend.

It started on Friday afternoon. I arrived with my sister Jeannie (DianaDaring) freshly dressed for our meet and photo with Barbara Eden, the original Jeannie herself. She was lovely to meet and Abi and I were so pleased that we were able to see her in person and especially to have our photo with her – a special memory to keep. Our afternoon was filled with visiting friends at stalls and chatting the afternoon away to our Jeannie best.

Jeannie photos below by Rebecca Burton Photography:

Saturday dawned and the heat was here to stay. The humidity had risen overnight and it wasn’t getting cooler. But between a Disney fairy costume and some much needed air-con set to Hoth, I lasted out the day. My fairy costume of Periwinkle was quite appropriate for the weather for once and I didn’t overheat too much. For my second wear of the costume, I had made a new corset to support everything and I was wearing my new fairy wings which weren’t quite ready to wear at my Birthday party. Oooh, and some furry pom poms on my shoes just to take it up that next level. I love this costume and how well it turned out. Now, I kinda want to make the rest of the Disney fairies.

Photo below by Pandom Images.

The weekend rounded out with another hot day on Sunday. I was excited to wear my completely new costume that I had spent the last six weeks desperately sewing and was relieved when it all came together smoothly. The costume is the Disney princess Merida in Art Nouveau style – based on artwork by Hannah Alexander. I tried my best to completely replicate the artwork in fabric – quite a challenge when I am so much shorter and differently proportioned to the art, but my historical experience came in quite handy. I started with a longline corset to give my figure the correct shape. Then it was a matter of applying a number of new and different techniques to finish it all – beading, ombre fabric dying, freehand machine embroidery, adding colour wefts to my wig, wired headdress, making the arrow (sculpy tip and feathered end) and the bow, shaped, sanded and oiled timber finished with leather and padded hand grip (the best prop I have ever made). It was a hell of a lot of work to get done in six weeks but I somehow managed it all and love the results. I just need to dedicate a whole photoshoot to the costume, but I do love some of the photos that did get taken.

The comparison:

Photo below by Kristabella Photography

Photos below by Pandom Images

It was another full day of sore feet and keeping out of the heat before it was all drawn to a close with a hail storm. It was a great weekend and I was so pleased to have the Monday after off to recover. And finally, below I have included my phone snaps. I’m amazed each convention at the number of costumers in attendance. We now far surpass the regularly clothed people in numbers and there are so many amazing costumes out there.