Sometimes, you can’t buy all of your fabric at once. Or you didn’t buy enough the first time around. Maybe you found an old remnant that will work perfectly for your new costume, but you need to match the color.
Because these things happen, it’s incredibly important to bring swatches with you not only when you go fabric shopping, but even when shopping for clothes to alter, beads, and accessories.
What is a swatch? A swatch is a ‘little’ sample of fabric used to facilitate the exhausting process of matching color, pattern, or texture. They also help out with testing fabric quality and more.
How big should a swatch be? I like for my swatches to be big enough to cover a not insignificant portion of my palm. Sometimes the swatches that fabric stores provide (do not be afraid to ask for a swatch!) are not big enough for my liking, but when you’re cutting swatches from your own fabric, do your eyes a favor and cut the swatch on the larger size. This will make it easier to compare color, fabric composition, etc.
If you are buying fabric online, be sure to plan ahead enough to allow time to order swatches. No computer screen can substitute for feeling and seeing the fabric in front of you (and you can’t throw your monitor in the washing machine to see if the dye bleeds!)
Quick Doodles: Swatch it Out
Quick Doodles: Beads and Such
Pet Peeve: beads that come in multicolor packages.
I don’t have anything against the fun packs of beads you can pick up at Walmart or even Hobby Lobby. But when I’m going out of my way (a.k.a. going online to a specific store) to find a specialty bead with a distinct sheen, shape, material, whatever, nothing ticks me off more than finding that bead only comes in silver or gold, and then mixed multicolor—to me, totally random—packs.
This is because if I’m cosplaying, chances are that the character has a very specific color, say… green. Green isn’t random. Not random at all. And cosplay is such an expensive endeavor, it's not fun to hand over your money and only get 1/10 of it back.
Also. In the catalogues, the price is usually what I see first. So if I see an awesome amount of beads for an incredible price, I get excited. Then I see that they’re mixed or multicolor, and I get sad. It happens.
Quick Doodles: Getting Your Seam Allowance Right
When I was a little girl and I absolutely hated to sew, my mom taught me how to sew on the Singer that eventually became such a pain that we traded it in for an Elna.
But while I was learning to sew, my mom made me use a seam gauge. In my experience with sewing, I have run into two kinds: one that screws onto the machine itself, and one with a very powerful magnet that is placed up against whatever seam allowance is called for.
Being tight-budgeted cosplayers, I know that everyone is asking the same question: is it worth the money? If you’re a beginner, maybe.
The magnet seam guide that I talked about is made by Dritz and costs maybe five bucks at the most. Like the screw-in seam gauge, it works by providing a physical barrier that keeps the fabric, ideally from moving past a certain point. But what I’ve noticed is that if a beginner (I did this too) has a tendency to press fabric too far to the right of the seam allowance, the fabric nestles up against the barrier that seam gauges and guides create, sometimes allowing a situation in which the needle sews this second layer over the first. And when I was a beginner, I remember that ripping out my seams and starting over from scratch ticked me off more than anything.
If you’re learning how to sew and you do the same thing I did, use the guides marked on the plate or, if necessary, place the edge of a piece of tape along the desired seam allowance. Don’t get too crazy with the pedal, and go slow. There’s plenty of time to go fast when you have more control over your machine.
Dining Hall: That Super-Fancy Encrusted Gems Effect
Buy a bunch of shiny seed beads in the color you need and pour them out on a paper plate. Find a nice, cheap and plain version of, say, that belt buckle. Coat the area you need decorated with E6000 (please do this outside with proper ventilation and safety precautions) and dip.
After your item is covered, coat the beaded surface with polyurethane and leave them somewhere nice, like your garage, to dry out.
I like to add a few seed beads that are lighter and darker to give this effect more depth. Also, you can buy undrilled miniature gemstone chips and do the same thing if you’re looking for a different texture than seed beads can provide.
Quick Doodles: Cosplayer’s Eye
This is not a disease that can spread from person to person with direct contact or ‘exchanging bodily fluids’, and some people find it easier to embrace this and call it a ‘condition’ rather than a disease.
If you find yourself immediately mentally drafting a piece list for any character art you lay eyes on, even if you have no intention of ever cosplaying that character, then you’re one of the infected. There is no cure.
Other symptoms include, but are not limited to:
1. On sight, matching a garment in a store with a random character from the last manga you read.
2. After looking at a piece of fabric, you can immediately think of at least two different characters that you could use it for.
3. Instantly dismissing an innocent bolt of fabric you aren’t even interested in because it would look terrible photographed.
4. Judging the quality of hairpieces on MTV and VH1.
Even if you are infected, you can find comfort in the knowledge that many cosplayers who have contracted ‘cosplayer’s eye’ continue to experience long, fulfilled and enriched lives, even if they do take longer to go shopping for shoes than ordinary because they are so easily distracted, or... 'focused'.
Quick Doodles: Washing and Steaming
Please wash or steam. I’m thinking about you. If you think that your fabric feels gross when you run your hands over it, your rash is going to feel disgusting when you spend an entire air conditioning-deprived convention with the preservatives, over-saturated dye, and sizing that kept your fabric company on the lonely, bug-infested cruise from China.
Bulletin Board: San Japan
If you are in Texas and you are a cosplayer, you should seriously consider attending San Japan. It's not a large convention, I'll give it that, and for walking the halls, you'd be better off limiting yourself to only the most breathable of your costumes because you do spent a great deal of time outside and the dealer's room/artist's alley areas are quite stuffy.
I just returned from this convention. Many of the panels are cosplay-related, geared towards construction and presentation. If you really wanted to, you could practically spend the entire convention doing nothing but cosplay activities.
(And who can resist a photoshoot on the non-commercial section of the Riverwalk?)
Hall Meeting: Guest Lecturer!
Watch as Sea Lion-sensee demonstrates improper convention behavior:
1) no inappropriate glomping
2) no disturbing others with random shouting
3) no pushing and shoving!
(This movie belongs to me.)
Hall Meeting: My Real Name
Let’s flash back to Anime Matsuri 2. I’m working the game room, making sure everyone is being nice and civil when beating each other to a pulp in SSBM. And I’m wearing Duo Lon from King of Fighters, because I needed another costume last minute and it had to fit both the gaming theme and my tastes in cosplay.
You are doing the game room thing. And you ask for my name. How nice. So I tell you: greyrondo. You have a creepy kind of look in your eye and you sound really sleazy when you ask for my real name.
I fork it over, wondering if possibly you’re new to this whole thing and you’re uncomfortable with the concept of a cosplay name. When in reality, no. You’re just a creeper.
Unless I have struck up a long conversation with you and I intend to speak with you after this convention, if you ask for my name in costume, I will tell you greyrondo. If you ask me outside of costume, I will likely tell you my birth name.
What’s the difference? Giving you my cosplay name will give you a way to find me on the forums and is much easier than printing ‘business’ cards. When I’m in costume, telling you my real name is ridiculous. No one recognizes me out of costume. Ever. I have stared people in the face. I have embarrassingly waved at people in packed restaurants and made a fool out of myself.
And they still didn’t recognize me.
Quick Doodles: What Do I Do Now?
Now is a dangerous time for me. My costume for both San Japan and Nan Desu Kan is done. I have nothing to do. And I can’t do anything right now, for the sake of a) my wallet and b) the fact that I’m moving back up to school in a week (which is why I’m using the same costume for two conventions.)
This is dangerous because I really, really want to make a costume right now. So I’ll tell myself, ‘okay, maybe I’ll feel better if I do something like put together a supplies list and leave it at that.’ Which never works.
So next, I’ll latch onto some other character and start seriously considering cosplaying him or her. And I’ll tell myself, okay, give it three days. If you still feel this way in three days, then maybe…
And of course, I do. So I’ll tell myself, ‘well, we’re just going to read the entire series, watch the anime and the OVA, until you stumble across something you hate about this character so you can get this out of your system.’
Because there’s no way that works, I then go off in search of another series to fixate on, one specifically chosen with the idea that I won’t find someone I want to cosplay in it. And surprise, not only have I found my New Favorite Series (OMG optional), I’ve found someone I want to cosplay.
Can the English version of Dissidia please come out already?
Quick Doodles: I Heart Ribbon
I do. Bias and hem tape from the package can only get so bland, and making your own can only get so tedious, before you give up on both. Ribbon, if wide enough, is awesome because it can step in and function perfectly well as tape as long as you do a little bit of ironing beforehand to get the sharp crease. And everyone loves a sharp, finished hem.
Wire ribbon can get a little fussy, though. If the fabric isn’t heavy enough, the ribbon tends to one-up the laws of gravity and make that hem stick out and up. But if that’s what you’re going for, then the wire will help nicely.
Hall Meeting: When Acting in Character Becomes Downright Anti-social
In all my years, I don’t think I have cosplayed a single normal, entirely socially-adjusted character. So I get it. Your character can destroy the world with about as much thought as it takes for me to make a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich. And because your character can do this, he/she/it/all of the above looks down on the rest of society and either says nothing or only opens their mouth to be a jerkface. And because you’re a dedicated cosplayer, you act in character.
Normally, I’d tell anyone who acts in character that they’re awesome for being so committed. But frankly, I don’t want to tell you because you’ll respond with something like, “heh. You humans are dazzled by the most pathetic things. Go drown yourselves in the slime of your own inadequacies.”
If your character is belligerently anti-social, for the love of cosplay, turn it on when you’re posing for a photo or when you’re role-playing. For the rest of the world, just be neutral. People will remember you as the amazing cosplayer who could effortlessly go between their character and real life.
Instant Noodles: Impromptu Sleeve Board
Sleeve boards are really useful for pressing seams on, you guessed it, sleeves. And everyone likes crisply pressed seams!
Warning: this is not one of those DIY projects that are going to be super-awesome and you’ll immediately integrate it into your collection of sewing-related equipment. This is more along the lines of, “I need these seams pressed this time five days ago” emergency.
You need: 1 yardstick and 2 volumes of your choice from Harry Potter, vols. 4-7.
Lay the yardstick perpendicular on your ironing board and put the Boy Who Lived on top. Drape your sleeve on the bit of yardstick that sticks out. Stabilize the yardstick with one hand and iron with the other.
(In a pinch, Harry can be replaced with vampires or hobbits.)
Quick Doodles: Don’t Glomp Me
Please. Don’t look at me like that. Can’t you see all the hand-beading on my sleeves, or for that matter, the fact that I have more skin than fabric going on, especially in an essential area below my waist?
No, I thought I said—
Okay. Ohhh-kay. Um… uh, yeah. I’m glad that Kuja’s your favorite character too.
Don’t glomp me. The fact that you made me feel violated really puts a damper on conversation.
Quick Doodles: Emergency Wig Maintenance
Don’t do it. I see you there, sitting on the floor in front of panel room #2: your wig’s all tangled and your out-of-costume friend has one of those awful hairbrushes with the plastic bubbles on each bristle. Just once, you think. Just once can’t hurt it too bad.
Please, just use your fingers. If you really feel like some combing apparatus is necessary, go steal a plastic fork from the food set-up. Use a pair of chopsticks for all I care. Just don’t—
*sigh*
The Lounge: Matchmaking
There’s a pair of them in practically every series. You know who I’m talking about. They are the two who rack up all the M-rated fanfictions on ff.net, the ones with the most angst per square inch of memory in their brains, and the ones who, by The End, would die if you separated them.
They are also the two who hate each other's guts at first sight.
Isn’t it the best feeling in the world to look back and crack open the first volume, DVD, or cutscene, and watch them trade death-glares when you know full well that they’re great for each other? I imagine that’s what a matchmaker feels like. You see the squabbling couple in front of you and know that with a little dash of apocalyptic chaos, they’ll turn into a match made in heaven (or in a yaoi fic.)
Instant Noodles: Who Owns a Bodkin?
Elastic waistband pants are a nice, comfortable option for cosplay, if applicable. But shoving elastic through its casing is really time-consuming and sometimes impossible without a bodkin.
Who has a bodkin?
If you don’t, use a tip I learned this spring: take two safety pins and use one to attach the end of the elastic to the beginning of the casing. With the other, stick it parallel onto the elastic itself and move the safety pin through. As long as the safety pin fits through the casing, you’ll be done in no time.
Quick Doodles: The Mysteries of Staystitching, Unveiled!
Or, why staystitching isn’t a waste of your life. I spent about two years of my cosplay life in the dark before I figured this out, because prior to my costuming class, I was self-taught and knew nothing about fabric other than woven/knit/doesn’t fray.
When you cut out your fabric, you free it from the selvage edge. This is somewhat less than cool, because it allows the potential for the weave of the fibers to slip this way and that, particularly at the bias or any curves. Staystitching rocks because it keeps this from happening.
So even if you have two days to finish the costume, staystitch where you’re supposed to (in general, that’s along the collar, sleeve, and the hem). It only takes an extra two minutes and you don’t even have to backstitch, I promise.
A Good Fit
Today on a whim, I pulled my old Fai D. Fluorite cloak down from the top shelf of my closet. After almost losing myself in the purposely-oversized cloak, I smiled.
Which got me to thinking: forget what the costume looks like, how does what a costume feels like affect the cosplay experience?
I know cosplayers out there who can put on anything—and I mean anything—and not sweat it. But for me, the feel of the costume affects my plans from the very beginning. It determines what fabric I use, my makeup, and depending on the time of year, what costume I choose to take to the convention (with all those feathers, Trance Kuja can be quite cozy if it’s nippy outside!)
I do this because sometimes, even the good memories and experiences that happened while wearing that costume aren’t enough to overcome the simple impression that the costume leaves behind.
In strange ways, wearing the costume reminds me of the character. My Fai cloak is warm and reassuring so that I could practically fall asleep in it without worry, while my newest Kuja costume gives me the curious impression of being held back and liberated at the same time, thanks to contradictory pieces like the jacket with the tightly-belted front and almost completely open back. But then there’s a costume like my Super Smash Brothers Brawl Marth.
Marth always seemed a bit uptight to me, and that somehow got translated into my costume. Even though I had the chance to use a lot of my favorite materials and the first pair of boots and sword/sheath combo that I’m proud of both belong to my Marth costume, I’ve never worn it. Putting that costume on just made me want to take it off again.
But if you believe xxxHolic (or any craftsperson), then something that you’ve made has a part of yourself in it. So if you’re making something based on an interpretation of someone, then will that interpretation work its way into the physical final product? I don’t see why not.
Hall Meeting: The Other Side of the Lens
If you’ve already taken photographs of cosplayers and you haven’t yet been mauled, then you’re already doing mostly everything right. But here are a few more things to keep in mind to make the cosplayers like you even more (yes, we remember who you are.)
Do ask before you take your photograph. Don’t groan just yet: ‘asking’ can mean different things depending on the context. I won’t hold it against you if you’re the more shy type who looks hopeful and then points to their camera while making eye contact, or if someone else is already taking a photograph and you take a shot yourself without a peace offering.
I feel that this is important because it gives the cosplayer time to prepare. Particularly with cosplayers like myself who wear less rather than more, I feel much more comfortable when you ask before taking the shot. If I hear the shutter noise and I turn around to find you facing me but closing up your camera, I’m going to assume that you were taking a photograph of my backside. If you ask me beforehand, even if it’s your intent to take a picture of say, my wig or some pattern on my skirt, then I’m fine with what otherwise would have seriously peeved me.
If you consider yourself a more serious photographer, please treat the cosplayer well and, if possible, give direction. I’ve known a more serious and famous cosplay photographer or two who will more or less take their shot, demand ‘what other poses have you got?’ and then take their kill and stalk off in search of more, as if their status puts them at the same level as, say, Miranda Priestly of Devil Wears Prada fame (who everyone in the novel secretly hated, I might note.) We both know that you’re going to upload all of these photos to cosplay.com at the end of the weekend, why not take a few more moments to offer assistance and make the photograph look better for both parties?
And for cosplayers: please take the two seconds to acknowledge the people who took your photographs after all is said and done. I like to maintain character and offer a flourished bow with a vampiric smile. Flash a victory sign, a salute… whatever works!
Quick Doodles: But it’s 50% off!!
I hate, more than anything, going into stores like Hobby Lobby or Michaels. Because I see something that reminds me of, say, Yuuko Ichihara or a bauble on an Amano design, and it makes me want to divorce Kuja and spend $300+ dollars on some random costume that I don’t even really like. But it’s sooo perfect, and it’s on saaaallleeeeee….
It’s okay, I tell myself. Do what your D.A.R.E. officer taught you in elementary school. Just say no.
Instant Noodles: I Don’t Have an Overlock/Serger and My Fabric Frays Whenever I Stare at It!
Nothing works quite like an overlock machine, but if you're in a tight spot, then don’t worry. It’s not you, it’s your fabric. If your fabric is fraying like crazy, put away your Fray Check and run the guilty edges through your machine with a zigzag stitch. Problem solved.
