What I'm Doing - Sewing Things Up

The days are growing warmer and the first hints of spring are in the air. It’s that magical time of year when fan boys and girls have just one thing on there mind; costuming.

Some people get bitten by the bug and run around looking for something to wear while the veterans have been planning for months and are gathering final material to make their work just right. This may not hold true for all but convention season is just around the corner and this is crunch time for the dedicated costumers and cosplayers

I fall some were in the middle since I do very little costuming for myself. I’ve been costuming in one form or another since I was a child. As a teen I fell in with the renaissance fair crowd. In the last decade I’ve been doing mostly sci fi and recently Cosplay. I can’t begin to count the number of costumes I’ve done. This last year I made 17 costumes: the most ever in a single year. I’d only planned to make three but I kept getting requests and volunteered and the number kept growing. My sanity was sorely tested. I’m determined to keep the number of costumes I make this year to a minimum.

I was in the Los Angle Fashion District with a friend shopping for this year’s projects when I met some young people planning to do a group cosplay of power rangers They were very enthusiastic about their project but hadn’t settled on a season yet. It was fun to talk with people new to costuming. The girls had been to Comic Con International and wanted to make group costumes for this year.

The same day I kept running into a hardcore cosplayer as well. When you pick a fairly obscure anime such as “Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn!” that's nothing short of dedication. Unlike the younger group I found myself talking shop with this woman and her friend. It’s good to hear other’s opinions on the merits of different materials and commiserate over wardrobe malfunctions. We both share a desire to improve our metal working skills.
Metal working?

Yes, metal working. Forget those images of effeminate nerds hunched over sewing machines; the modern costumer is a jack of all trades. As one progresses in costuming the attention to detail increases. Little things like belt buckles can make or break a costume. Ask anyone who does Star Wars costumes about belts and you’ll get a Homeric tale to rival the search for the Golden Fleece. As for storm troopers that would make the Odyssey seem like a trip around the block. So a word to the curious if not wise; start small.
How to get started will be one of the many things I’ll be covering. I plan a running theme we’re I’ll give hints and resources to aspiring costumers. I hope to do interviews with old hands and novices to help flesh-out what costuming entails.
Till next time.
-CJ