Cosplay!

owlion

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Yes! But I'm not great at sewing so I only make simple costumes :(
 

theelfchild

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I keep meaning to get into it, but I'm a poor university student. I am going to pull a costume together for this years Anime North though, I swear!
 

Filigree

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I love watching great cosplay, but don't indulge much in it. I dress other people. I've done jewelry design, leatherworking, and theatrical and couture sewing since college, so I have strong aversions to hot glue guns and bad fabric choices. Still, some of the best outfits I've ever seen were spur-of-the-moment creations by inspired amateurs. Some of my own favorite costumes were based on thrift-store finds, and re-engineered.

I'd still caution that spandex is a responsibility, not a right. And cotton broadcloth will only drape like linen or microfiber about five minutes before it shreds in a rotten mess.
 

roseangel

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I love love love to look at cosplay, would love to do it myself but don't have the cash.
When I do have the material I like to make dolls that cosplay, anime, video game, historical and so on.
 

kuwisdelu

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Does it count if I make absolutely nothing and only use stuff from clothes I can wear as everyday clothing, too?

If so, then I make a damn good Ryouji Kaji.
 

Alessandra Kelley

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I love watching great cosplay, but don't indulge much in it. I dress other people. I've done jewelry design, leatherworking, and theatrical and couture sewing since college, so I have strong aversions to hot glue guns and bad fabric choices. Still, some of the best outfits I've ever seen were spur-of-the-moment creations by inspired amateurs. Some of my own favorite costumes were based on thrift-store finds, and re-engineered.

I'd still caution that spandex is a responsibility, not a right. And cotton broadcloth will only drape like linen or microfiber about five minutes before it shreds in a rotten mess.

I hate cotton broadcloth as a main fabric. I've used it to interline a 17th century man's coat (between the wool damask outside and the silk taffeta liking) and interface collars in a pinch, and of course I use it for muslins. But yeah, it has no drape or swing or life.

Cut and shaped and sewn right, spandex is fun. But you have to shape it, not rely on it shaping you.

I never use a hot glue gun where silk floss will do.

Does it count if I make absolutely nothing and only use stuff from clothes I can wear as everyday clothing, too?

If so, then I make a damn good Ryouji Kaji.

Sure, no problem.

I've gotten compliments on my "costume" when wearing my everyday clothes (ruffled blouse, velvet vest, big silk sash, leather skirt, boots, that sort of thing).
 

Anna L.

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I keep meaning to get into it, but I'm a poor university student. I am going to pull a costume together for this years Anime North though, I swear!

I really miss Anime North but it's hard for me to take weekends off the job these days.

And I've no new costume to wear! I last cosplayed as movie-version Alphonse Elric, with my short sister as normal Edward Elric. Fun times.
 

Filigree

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Most recently, at the 2011 North American Discworld Convention, my best costume was a cobbled-together Steampunk-Edwardian hybrid consisting of brown cargo pants, black lace-up boots, ruffled white shirt, tooled leather belt, purple and brown openweave coat, and a rebuilt brown hat with poufy veiling and brass rivet trim. The only things I made were the belt, the coat, and the hat. I got several hall costume awards.

The coolest sort-of-cosplay item I've made in a while is my TRON necklace, whipped up for the TRON 2 movie premier last year. Using an air-dry jewelry clay, I made a three-part crescent about 1.5"x8", with dimensional swirly 'carving' on the crescent and the toggle clasp. Then I covered the front of both with a very concentrated, professional-grade luminous paint. I sanded the top when dry, floated a little blue-green acrylic wash over all four pieces, varnished them, drilled out stringing holes, and put everything together with waxed tan linen cord and some glow-in-the-dark glass beads. In daylight, the piece looks like celadon porcelain. When charged, it appears to glow from within, in intense blue and blue-green shades. I wear it out to parties now.

I tend not to cosplay as a specific character, but as myself in cosplay-friendly universes. It sucks that the 2012 CostumeCon will be in Phoenix, and I'm not going to have the money to go.
 

theelfchild

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Thought I'd share the cosplay I finally got around to making for Anime North - not for me, though I did cosplay as Pinkie Pie, but for a friend. It's Fang from Final Fantasy XIII, and got a lot more attention than I was expecting. Probably because my friend is drop dead gorgeous, but also maybe because I have some skill? lol
http://fav.me/d51jbit
http://fav.me/d51jbak
 

Mutive

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I've wasted far too much time and money on it. Oh well. I really need to spend more time sewing clothing that I actually wear. (Vs. costumes I wear once then put in a chest forever.)
 

Hummingbird

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Theelfchild: That is an awesome cosplay! I do believe you have skill. xD

Mutive: Why would you want to do that? It seems so much fun to have a chest full of costumes. ;) Nah, I understand. I'm not sure what to do with mine now either, but I can't bring myself to give them to anyone.

I want to get into making cosplay! I know the basics of sewing and have been studying different costumes and materials. I just need the money for the materials. ;) That and money and transportation to get to a convention so I can enjoy it. ;D

The only cosplays I have been able to make were one of Kairi from Kingdom Hearts 2 and Rinoa from Final Fantasy 8. They were by no means professional since I used what materials I could afford, but they worked well enough people could tell who I was. :D

I was thinking for my next one either being Sheska from FullMetal Alchemist or Quistis from FF8, because I wanted something that goes with my glasses. ;)
 

Lycoplax

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I'm a 'retired' cosplayer. Not that I lost interest, but there's just no affording it. I'm still scratching my head over how I managed to fund 3-4 costumes a year while going through college (no student loan, either. My scholarship only paid a portion of tuition, and all my of insanely priced textbooks were out-of-pocket), on a waitress' income.

Hubby keeps telling me I'm allowed to take cosplay back up if I want, but we're only just making ends meet as it is. I would love to earn money through sewing commissions. I've done some of that before, it's just a bit tough to stir up customers where I am now. I used to live a stone's throw from five conventions, and a lot of my friends cosplayed, making it easy for me to earn some money from those who weren't adept at sewing.

Nowadays, I'm on a Navy base, and there really isn't a local convention scene to work off of. Sure, my friends back home still cosplay, but they can call up other sewing-savvy friends who are still there, and don't have to ship things back and forth.
 

Haikujitsu

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I've dabbled...meaning made a lot of grand plans and succeeded in putting one or two of them together. I'd love to do more, but I hate sewing with a passion and prop-making gets expensive.

I have the same problem as Lycoplax--no cons and pretty much no social scene for cosplay + broke + hard to take off weekends for a road trip = not much going on, unfortunately.

-Hj
 

srgalactica

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I love it. I always go to comic book conventions dressed up. I'm not good at sewing or anything though. My last costume was a character from my boyfriends unpublished novel. It consisted of a green wig with pigtails, a motocross chestpiece, which my extremely talented brother spray painted black for me, padded snow shorts and tall boots.
 

Kyra Wright

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I've cosplayed at a few anime conventions. I'd prefer to wear a Gothic Lolita outfit over a cosplay costume, but for the past couple of years my friends and I have been doing group cosplays.

I don't sew clothing, but I have made headpieces and accessories for a few of my outfits.
 

TMCan

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I am currently knitting a sweater Martin Freeman wore as John Watson on the BBC Sherlock series. Hopefully it will be done in time for con season.
 

maxmordon

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I'm finally working on doing some. Mostly, as Kuwi does, combining regular clothing into new and creative ways.

My latest is Gravity Falls' Grunkle Stan. Why? Because I got a freakin' fez, that's why.

When you have a fez, you make excuses to use the fez.