Flashback

A'ight.
So I'm not gonna lie, this bloggin' thing isn't my first attempt at getting into cosplay. ;3 I've tried before, and with help from my amazingly-talented grandmother, gotten some impressive pieces out of those attempts. However, there was something missing everytime, and no cosplay was finished 100%. Hopefully, this place will help me fill in that missing piece--a group.

I'm not expecting to find a whole bunch of people just by posting on something like this. That's a little ridiculous, and to be honest, if I wanted to do that, I would head on over to cosplay.com or one of the sites like it. Nope, this is for me, and maybe for the few people I've met along the way who have the same love and respect for cosplay that I have....who may or may not poke their heads in once in a while.

So let's go into a short flashback--one without pictures so use your imagination for the pieces themselves...

The first cosplay attempt was a modified Urahara from Bleach.

The only things to survive that attempt were the hat--bought by a parental and still a favorite accessory--a green shirt made from a karate outfit pattern...that actually fits really well. I just need to figure out how to get the thing to /not/ open at random, and the overcoat. The coat itself I'm very pleased with even now, although it does need a bit of stitching to keep the pattern on. Its basic design is similar to his actual outfit, although its considerably longer with different sleeves.
It billows out fabulously as well, and is great for wandering around in when its cold. The biggest difference is the insignia on the back--the flaming skull with a basic cutlass and Kisuke's zanpakuto crossing.
The whole design for that outfit needs a bit of modification. I think one day I'll get it right...but for a few years ago...I think it was a nice attempt. xD Failed, but nice.


The second attempt was Princess Snow from MAR.

This one was kinda last minute, a panicked--oh shat I didn't even think about anything--result about a month before the con itself. Surprisingly, however, it came out incredibly well.
The shorts are actually a pair of white denim shorts purchased from an Academy store that we dyed maroon. They fit well, look good, and look pretty damn close to the actual things(in an unrelated side story we stole and tie-dyed one of my grandfather's undershirts in this adventure and put two rubberbands on the chest so it looks a bit like breasts....).
The undershirt--not the tank top but the dark pink zip-up--was totally cheated on. Its made of a thin material that looks like the right stuff, but doesn't feel like it. Its lined with white on the collar so it looks like it is double-layered, but it ain't. It also is only a half shirt, so it comes to just below my ribcage, and sleeveless. When worn beneath the overcoat, however, you can't even tell. Its great...and so much cooler than it would have been.
The jacket itself is my pride and joy. My grandmother did a lot of the most advanced work--she has a bad habit of taking over if I ever ask how to do something--but I'm pleased to say that I did a hefty chunk of it myself. We didn't cut any corners with this one, and it is fantastic. The outside fabric is almost identical in shade to the color, and also of a perfect material. It is lined with a simple white on the inside, with as close to the right plaid as we could find for the sleeves and sailor-collar. It is tailored to fit my body, and looks really accurate at first glance. My favorite part? You can actually zip the sleeve off. That's right. They. Zip. Off.
Unfortunately, that's about all that got finished. I made some shoes for this one, but they weren't sturdy enough. I need to figure out how to do that better. >>;
The legwarmers didn't get finished either, namely because my puppy decided to gnaw on half of my fabric...and my string...so they were hot-glued at the last minute and torn up the moment the con was over. xD Violently, I might add.
As for the ARMS...well, I actually had a pretty accurate set going...but something went wrong when we baked the polymer clay. Unlike the FMA chess-pieces I'd made previously kinda as an experiment, we made them in a different oven...and they didn't bake right. I'm assuming its because my crappy, from-the-dark-ages oven has nothing on the fantastic one my grandmother has. The clay was incredibly weird--varying from brittle to hard to strangely squishy--and no matter how many times I retried, nothing changed...so yeah. They all died.
I do hope to revive this one soon though; its definitely my favorite so far.

So there you have it--a less-than-brief "cosplay from the grave" history. ;P