Good evening, my dear readers! This update comes late Sunday night because I spent this weekend with some of the precious people in my life (and drove four hours one way to see them). One of those people was my beloved sewing goddess. I had a lovely weekend with my beloved friends, but I did not forget my wonderful readers, and thus you have an update! Just a small note though - I will not be updating Farm Work and Cosplay Thanksgiving weekend, for I will be spending the time with my friends and family. Updates will resume as usual following that weekend. If you all are very lucky, I might post a few pictures I have not shared with you yet. That is, however, quite up in the air, and I cannot make any promises.
Now for a tip on basting!
Many patterns and projects require you to baste two pieces of fabric together, loosely stitching them so that they stay for a neater, tighter stitching job. Now, in basting, you have a few options. First, you can just pin the two pieces of fabric together and forego all the sewing. The problems with this are that the fabric can slip and - the usual problem with pins - you have to be mindful of pulling them out as you go rather than running over them and risking breaking a pin or your needle. Your next option for basting is machine basting, which is often the preferred method. For this, you crank your machine to the longest stitch length and let 'er go. This is often extremely quick and easy (though for this and hand-basting you'll need to pin anyway), and tends to be a preferred method. The third method is hand-basting, in which you take a hand-sewing needle and your thread and you make big swooping stitches just meant to tack the two pieces together. All these methods are made for easy removal later, because these basting stitches won't be in the finished project.
Now, here's where my tip comes in. Machine basting is tempting and handy in a pinch, but MAKE SURE THE FABRIC FORGIVES NEEDLE MARKS BEFORE YOU MACHINE BASTE.
Did I get your attention? Okay, here's the deal. When you sew on a piece of fabric, you leave needle marks wherever the needle pushed through. You're probably not going to notice these marks very much when they're part of a seam in a garment, and you'll just see the thread. The trick comes when you rip out the stitches, as you almost always do with basting. As soon as the stitches are removed, the holes are revealed. In some fabrics, these holes don't show up much. They're practically invisible, as though you never stitched in that spot. These fabrics are forgiving. Other fabrics hold nasty, nasty grudges. As soon as you rip the stitches, you see these holes that almost seem gaping, and no matter how gently you take the stitches out, they're still there. The soft, simple cotton I used for Belle's bodice is not very forgiving, as I discovered after machine basting the inner and outer shells together and then ripping the stitches to find noticeable marks in the fabric. Thankfully, in that case, a wash made them far less visible (and you can't really find them now), but I still freaked out when I first saw the marks.
If you want to test how forgiving the fabric is, take a scrap of it - doesn't need to be big - and run a stitch down it the way you normally do. Then, take it out the same way you normally would and see if there's any damage. If the marks are too visible for your preferences or you see any other problems, just hand-baste or pin it all together. Trust me, that's better than freaking out over holes in your fabric.
This has been a tip on basting from your friendly neighborhood cosplayer! Have a lovely Thanksgiving, dear readers, and I'll see you again the week following! Remember, I will be taking Thanksgiving weekend off to spend time with friends and family (and possibly have a photoshoot). I send to you all my love and best wishes! Goodnight, and safe travels!
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Sunday, November 17, 2013
A few bodice tips
Hello, dear readers! So, at present, I'm working on a bodice for a friend. Yes, Jae-ha is on the back burner at the moment, but I promise he'll get done, and he'll be worked on soon. Mostly I was waiting for my first paycheck from the new job so that I have more funds to buy nice fabrics and materials so I can make him as pretty as his vain self deserves to be, and I already have the materials for the bodice. In the spirit of my current task, I offer you some tips and tutorials on bodices!
The pattern I'm using at present isn't really a pattern, per se, but rather a set of instructions for making a custom bodice. This is the same set of instructions I used when making Belle's bodice, and it can be modified for use with any bodice or corset shape. Plus, it's not as hard as it sounds! This post on Confessions of a Seamstress details how to make Belle's bodice, skirt, and blouse. The bodice is described in the most detail, and if you plan to make any sort of bodice or corset, I do recommend at least reading this tutorial. It helps a lot, and there are photos of almost every step in the process. For the skirt, though, my sewing goddess found this fantastic tutorial on full, gathered skirts which even includes links to tutorials on invisible zippers. I do recommend the above link, as I found it pretty easy to follow and it turned out the lovely skirt you see in my Belle cosplay. I intend to use the same tutorial for making a skirt for the same friend, but I'm going to be a wretch and make her do part of the sewing on that. She said she wanted to learn how to sew, after all....
Anyway, a few tips I've gleaned! First, use this tutorial to make a custom pattern for your bodice. Make sure you have a full roll of duct tape, two if you think one won't be enough, and a ratty old shirt. Also, I recommend wearing the bra you plan to wear under the costume so the fit is just right. Be mindful when cutting the pattern off because you can slice your own bra by accident. This did happen to me, but my sewing goddess repaired it. You WILL need a friend if you want to use this on yourself.
Second tip! For the inner layer of lining and interfacing, it doesn't matter so much how visible your marks are on the lining. Make the lines very visible on the interfacing, and as long as you have enough lining fabric, you should be able to line things up just fine. Use those crisp, clear marks on the interfacing (chances are they'll look better than the marks on the lining no matter how you do it) to pin correctly. Pin with the marked side out so you can easier sew along it when you're putting pieces together.
Next, boning! I used plastic boning, the kind you can machine-sew over. Make sure your boning curls in towards your body, or you could risk wearing a hole through the outside layer of the bodice. It also can look a little tacky if it's always curving out. Also, before you put the boning in, I recommend soaking it in hot water and then flattening it overnight under heavy books. This will help some with the curling and make it easier to work with. And MAKE SURE you leave room for your eyelets between the boning and the bias tape on the front of your bodice. You don't want strangely spaced eyelets that look too far in on the garment. I also personally would err on the side of more boning than I needed, just because it helps with the structure of the garment.
Lastly for now, if you're gonna put in eyelets, don't use that little kit that comes with some boxes of eyelets. Splurge a little and get an eyelet punch. Trust me, they're worth it. I've used mine for plenty more things than just adding eyelets to garments, and it's definitely paid for itself many times over. Eyelets punches are wonderful.
That's all I've got for you at the moment, but I have a little project in the works. Hopefully that will come to light soon and I can start sharing it with you all! (And since the first paycheck has officially come in, methinks a trip to the fabric store is in order soon.)
The pattern I'm using at present isn't really a pattern, per se, but rather a set of instructions for making a custom bodice. This is the same set of instructions I used when making Belle's bodice, and it can be modified for use with any bodice or corset shape. Plus, it's not as hard as it sounds! This post on Confessions of a Seamstress details how to make Belle's bodice, skirt, and blouse. The bodice is described in the most detail, and if you plan to make any sort of bodice or corset, I do recommend at least reading this tutorial. It helps a lot, and there are photos of almost every step in the process. For the skirt, though, my sewing goddess found this fantastic tutorial on full, gathered skirts which even includes links to tutorials on invisible zippers. I do recommend the above link, as I found it pretty easy to follow and it turned out the lovely skirt you see in my Belle cosplay. I intend to use the same tutorial for making a skirt for the same friend, but I'm going to be a wretch and make her do part of the sewing on that. She said she wanted to learn how to sew, after all....Anyway, a few tips I've gleaned! First, use this tutorial to make a custom pattern for your bodice. Make sure you have a full roll of duct tape, two if you think one won't be enough, and a ratty old shirt. Also, I recommend wearing the bra you plan to wear under the costume so the fit is just right. Be mindful when cutting the pattern off because you can slice your own bra by accident. This did happen to me, but my sewing goddess repaired it. You WILL need a friend if you want to use this on yourself.
Second tip! For the inner layer of lining and interfacing, it doesn't matter so much how visible your marks are on the lining. Make the lines very visible on the interfacing, and as long as you have enough lining fabric, you should be able to line things up just fine. Use those crisp, clear marks on the interfacing (chances are they'll look better than the marks on the lining no matter how you do it) to pin correctly. Pin with the marked side out so you can easier sew along it when you're putting pieces together.
Next, boning! I used plastic boning, the kind you can machine-sew over. Make sure your boning curls in towards your body, or you could risk wearing a hole through the outside layer of the bodice. It also can look a little tacky if it's always curving out. Also, before you put the boning in, I recommend soaking it in hot water and then flattening it overnight under heavy books. This will help some with the curling and make it easier to work with. And MAKE SURE you leave room for your eyelets between the boning and the bias tape on the front of your bodice. You don't want strangely spaced eyelets that look too far in on the garment. I also personally would err on the side of more boning than I needed, just because it helps with the structure of the garment.
Lastly for now, if you're gonna put in eyelets, don't use that little kit that comes with some boxes of eyelets. Splurge a little and get an eyelet punch. Trust me, they're worth it. I've used mine for plenty more things than just adding eyelets to garments, and it's definitely paid for itself many times over. Eyelets punches are wonderful.
That's all I've got for you at the moment, but I have a little project in the works. Hopefully that will come to light soon and I can start sharing it with you all! (And since the first paycheck has officially come in, methinks a trip to the fabric store is in order soon.)
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Singleness [and moving updates to the weekends]
Good evening, dear readers! I'm sorry for the late update. I'm officially moving updates to the weekend for the time being, as they're hard for me to keep up with during the week. Until I get myself acclimated to my new schedule, weekends are much easier for me to manage. Thus, you should look for updates on Sundays! I won't guarantee I'll get them up any earlier than that, so just check in on Sundays (or whenever you see the tumblr or facebook mention of a new post). I plan to try to return to a middle-of-the-week update schedule later, once I'm more settled in my new job, but until then, I'm going to do what it takes for me to keep things going.
All that housekeeping aside, this week I hope you'll indulge me as I talk about something that's been on my mind lately: Singleness.
So as many of you know, I recently started a new job! This is a wonderful step in my life since I'm now an editor officially. The schedule is taking some acclimating, but I'm adjusting gradually and learning to better budget and manage my time. At any rate, in this job, I find myself surrounded by young women in the same age bracket as I. Many of these women, in their early to mid twenties, are already married. This, along with a comment made by a single young woman in conversation with me, got me thinking. The young woman said she didn't like the film "Brave" because Merida did not have an actual love interest; the movie had no "Disney Prince" to sweep in and create a romance. She made it clear that this was the sole reason she didn't like the movie.
The strong, independent female was the POINT of "Brave". Merida didn't need a man to make her interesting. She had her journey to travel and character development to undergo, and she didn't need a man for any of it. She stood on her own, and that was the point. To throw in a prince as her love interest would have undermined her agency as a character. She wanted to choose her own fate rather than have it chosen for her by a marriage she did not desire.
We as women are told so often through the media, through other people, women included, and through the overall attitude of society that we need a mate to be validated. We're told that yeah, it's okay to be single, as long as you're aiming towards getting a significant other eventually. It's okay to be single...for now. But you're eyeing up every guy as a potential romance, right? You're assessing whether or not he could be your Special Someone, right? This eliminates the idea that any guy can be your friend. Never mind that an excellent foundation for a relationship is friendship. Every guy has to be a potential relationship.
This idea that a woman is less valuable when she doesn't have a man is extremely prevalent in Christian circles, and since I'm a Christian I kind of tend to run in those circles. The local Christian college, where I now work, was known in my old school and in the community at large as a place girls went to get an "MRS" degree. It was a college you went to in order to get a boyfriend, and eventually a husband, not an education. This whole attitude, this whole mentality, frustrates me to no end. Bettering yourself should not be the means to the end of gaining a husband. Educate yourself. Learn, grow, experience the world, and don't do it just so you can be a better girlfriend or possibly meet this great guy. Do it for you, because you're worth it. If you happen to meet someone and fall head over heels, great!
Ladies, you're valuable with or without a mate. It's okay to be single. It's okay if you never find someone you want to settle down with. It's okay if you never want to settle down. It's okay if you find the idea of taking on a romantic relationship nauseating or unappealing. Make friends with guys and girls. Form meaningful, long-term relationships of the platonic variety. Forge friendships that will last a lifetime. You matter for you, not for your potential as a wife or mother. By the same token, if you find the person you want to be with in high school, great! If you find that person in college, fantastic! If you find them walking down the street one day outside the local Gamestop, excellent! You're valuable whether or not you're in a relationship. For the Christian young women out there, don't ever let anyone tell you that you have to be married to have value. In the Old Testament, we remember Deborah the prophetess for her prophecies and for accompanying a warrior into battle. Her husband is mentioned once, and only once. In I Corinthians 7, Paul encourages men and women to remain single, not to pursue marriage. Read it for yourselves if you have any doubt!
In conclusion.... Please, my dear readers, don't take your value from your relationship status. Don't look down on someone because they're single, or because they're not single. When you enter a relationship, you're not joining with your other half. You're an individual, complete and whole as you are, choosing to be with another individual. And if you never enter a relationship, you're not missing half of yourself. You're whole the way you are. Your significant other can improve you, yes - I'm not disputing that - but they are not the source of your value. Dear readers, please remember that whatever state you're in, you matter. Work on yourself. Don't rely on someone else to shape you or magically transform you into a better person. The power is in your hands, not someone else's.
All that housekeeping aside, this week I hope you'll indulge me as I talk about something that's been on my mind lately: Singleness.
So as many of you know, I recently started a new job! This is a wonderful step in my life since I'm now an editor officially. The schedule is taking some acclimating, but I'm adjusting gradually and learning to better budget and manage my time. At any rate, in this job, I find myself surrounded by young women in the same age bracket as I. Many of these women, in their early to mid twenties, are already married. This, along with a comment made by a single young woman in conversation with me, got me thinking. The young woman said she didn't like the film "Brave" because Merida did not have an actual love interest; the movie had no "Disney Prince" to sweep in and create a romance. She made it clear that this was the sole reason she didn't like the movie.
The strong, independent female was the POINT of "Brave". Merida didn't need a man to make her interesting. She had her journey to travel and character development to undergo, and she didn't need a man for any of it. She stood on her own, and that was the point. To throw in a prince as her love interest would have undermined her agency as a character. She wanted to choose her own fate rather than have it chosen for her by a marriage she did not desire.
We as women are told so often through the media, through other people, women included, and through the overall attitude of society that we need a mate to be validated. We're told that yeah, it's okay to be single, as long as you're aiming towards getting a significant other eventually. It's okay to be single...for now. But you're eyeing up every guy as a potential romance, right? You're assessing whether or not he could be your Special Someone, right? This eliminates the idea that any guy can be your friend. Never mind that an excellent foundation for a relationship is friendship. Every guy has to be a potential relationship.
This idea that a woman is less valuable when she doesn't have a man is extremely prevalent in Christian circles, and since I'm a Christian I kind of tend to run in those circles. The local Christian college, where I now work, was known in my old school and in the community at large as a place girls went to get an "MRS" degree. It was a college you went to in order to get a boyfriend, and eventually a husband, not an education. This whole attitude, this whole mentality, frustrates me to no end. Bettering yourself should not be the means to the end of gaining a husband. Educate yourself. Learn, grow, experience the world, and don't do it just so you can be a better girlfriend or possibly meet this great guy. Do it for you, because you're worth it. If you happen to meet someone and fall head over heels, great!
Ladies, you're valuable with or without a mate. It's okay to be single. It's okay if you never find someone you want to settle down with. It's okay if you never want to settle down. It's okay if you find the idea of taking on a romantic relationship nauseating or unappealing. Make friends with guys and girls. Form meaningful, long-term relationships of the platonic variety. Forge friendships that will last a lifetime. You matter for you, not for your potential as a wife or mother. By the same token, if you find the person you want to be with in high school, great! If you find that person in college, fantastic! If you find them walking down the street one day outside the local Gamestop, excellent! You're valuable whether or not you're in a relationship. For the Christian young women out there, don't ever let anyone tell you that you have to be married to have value. In the Old Testament, we remember Deborah the prophetess for her prophecies and for accompanying a warrior into battle. Her husband is mentioned once, and only once. In I Corinthians 7, Paul encourages men and women to remain single, not to pursue marriage. Read it for yourselves if you have any doubt!
In conclusion.... Please, my dear readers, don't take your value from your relationship status. Don't look down on someone because they're single, or because they're not single. When you enter a relationship, you're not joining with your other half. You're an individual, complete and whole as you are, choosing to be with another individual. And if you never enter a relationship, you're not missing half of yourself. You're whole the way you are. Your significant other can improve you, yes - I'm not disputing that - but they are not the source of your value. Dear readers, please remember that whatever state you're in, you matter. Work on yourself. Don't rely on someone else to shape you or magically transform you into a better person. The power is in your hands, not someone else's.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Important tools in a seamstress' arsenal: numbah 1 (and a little catch-up)
Firstly, dear readers, let me say that I am so grateful to you all for sticking with me through my two-week absence and my last attempted post. There will be a short version (tl;dr for those more versed in chatspeak) and a long explanation version of what's going on in my life at the bottom of this post.
For now, my loves, we'll turn our attention to cosplay! I'd like to point out a tool that those newer to sewing don't always know they should have in their arsenal:
The seam ripper! I'll admit, when I first started getting tools for my newest addiction hobby, I didn't think I needed a seam ripper. I mean, I'm trying to sew things, not rip up the stuff I sewed! Right? Wasn't long before I proved myself wrong on that particular opinion. I sewed a seam on my Howl shirt far too long and had to rip part of it out, which broke my little amateur heart. I've sewn many seams since then that I've had to rip out for one reason or another, whether it be that the fabric puckered, I sewed the wrong two pieces together, the finished product fit too snugly, or I sewed it to my own pants. (That last has happened on several occasions, but only while hand-sewing.) Seam rippers are essential to the inventory of any seamstress or gentleman seamster.
Things to consider when purchasing a seam ripper:
For now, my loves, we'll turn our attention to cosplay! I'd like to point out a tool that those newer to sewing don't always know they should have in their arsenal:
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| This is the seam ripper I have! It's served me well. Link is the image's source. |
Things to consider when purchasing a seam ripper:
- They can come very cheap. The one pictured on the side can be found at the link provided for $3.65 at the time of this posting. A quick search of JoAnn's website found the same seam ripper normally listed at $3.79 but currently on sale for $1.89. They range up and down the scale from the prices listed. Shop carefully!
- Many have special features designed to make them more comfortable...but really, do you need all that special stuff? I've seen them with comfort grips, padding, all sorts of things. If that's important to you, then by all means, find a tricked-out seam ripper! For me personally, it's best to go simple.
- Seam rippers also come with a variety of features meant to make them more effective. These range from built-in lights to folding to having an attached magnifying glass. (All of those referenced can be found with a quick search for "seam ripper" on JoAnn's website. Click through a page or two. You'll find them.) If these things are important to you, go for it! Just remember that when you're in a hurry, you may find that magnifying glass gets in your way rather than helps you see the seam, or that the battery on the light goes out and you have a horrid time trying to replace it. Extra bells and whistles, while shiny and wonderful and nice, also increase the number of ways something can go wrong. Bear that in mind.
- They range in size from a couple of inches to scissor-sized. I find the tiny ones too small to be comfortable and prefer my larger, fits-in-my-hand seam ripper. If you're going to be ripping out long seams but also trying to get in tight places, you might want to consider getting a large and a small seam ripper. I like my mid-size perfectly fine, but that's just me.
And that's about it! Seam rippers are, for the most part, simple. If you don't have one in your arsenal, I strongly recommend acquiring one (or three - backups are also a good idea if you lose things easily) - you won't regret it. I do believe you'll find yourself using it quite often, too!
Now, dear readers, for the catch-up!
Short version (tl;dr): We put my horse Stinger down two weeks ago Monday. I'd had him over ten years and I mourned him before and after I lost him. I'm still mourning him. The week preceding was a very difficult time. I also started a new job this Monday (four days ago) as a Course Editor! This is very good, happy news, and though I'm adjusting, I'm very happy about it! Also, J-Jo Cosplay, my partner in crime and a master of mayhem, spontaneously decided to take a bus to visit me on Friday and just went home today.
Long version: Three weeks ago this weekend, my horse Stinger's condition started to deteriorate. As mentioned before, he's struggled with cancer in the past and was being treated for it at the time. Last Sunday I noticed that his left hind leg, which he'd been favoring for a while, was significantly swollen and the swelling was fairly firm. This boded ill. I called a different vet and got a second opinion since I already knew what the original vet would say. She gave me the verdict that the swelling resulted from lymphatic drainage and the firmness of it meant it could not be reversed. She gave me options, but none included any real long-term improvement. I made the difficult decision to make him as comfortable as possible for a week and at the end of that time put him down. During that week I cried daily and went through all the stages of grief. It was...rough. I couldn't see past the day we'd put him down. I just walked in a haze of pain and crying. I didn't want to lose him and I couldn't imagine life without him. When Monday rolled around at last, I cried several times that day. My family and friends rallied around me both in person and online. Without their support I would have been lost and floundering. One friend spent the day with me and we watched a movie and gamed some. It still hurt, but I could see forward again. On Wednesday I received a phone call from a lady with whom I'd interviewed a few weeks prior. She offered me a position as a Course Editor, which I naturally jumped on! She said I'd be starting this Monday, which was fine with me though there was a bit of job overlap. J-Jo Cosplay decided to hop on a bus and come visit me because she's wonderful and wanted to make sure I was okay and cheered up, so I picked her up from the bus station Friday. She's been with me through today and on Monday we had an impromptu photoshoot with my Belle cosplay (cape included) out behind my house. She outsourced the editing to the incredible HS Media Cosplay Photography and Videography as a Christmas present to me (her birthday presents to me were incredible too), and even though the shoot was far darker than optimal conditions, several photos came out fairly well! I need to work on expressions more for future photos, however, as I'm far from satisfied with my own expressions in the shots. Still, J-Jo did an amazing job, as did HS! Again, dearest readers, thank you so much for sticking with me and being here for this blog post. I appreciate your patience and loyalty! The update schedule may be changing due to my new job, but that's not for sure yet. I'll keep you all updated.
Here's a little teaser from the shoot for you beloved folks.
Now, dear readers, for the catch-up!
Short version (tl;dr): We put my horse Stinger down two weeks ago Monday. I'd had him over ten years and I mourned him before and after I lost him. I'm still mourning him. The week preceding was a very difficult time. I also started a new job this Monday (four days ago) as a Course Editor! This is very good, happy news, and though I'm adjusting, I'm very happy about it! Also, J-Jo Cosplay, my partner in crime and a master of mayhem, spontaneously decided to take a bus to visit me on Friday and just went home today.
Long version: Three weeks ago this weekend, my horse Stinger's condition started to deteriorate. As mentioned before, he's struggled with cancer in the past and was being treated for it at the time. Last Sunday I noticed that his left hind leg, which he'd been favoring for a while, was significantly swollen and the swelling was fairly firm. This boded ill. I called a different vet and got a second opinion since I already knew what the original vet would say. She gave me the verdict that the swelling resulted from lymphatic drainage and the firmness of it meant it could not be reversed. She gave me options, but none included any real long-term improvement. I made the difficult decision to make him as comfortable as possible for a week and at the end of that time put him down. During that week I cried daily and went through all the stages of grief. It was...rough. I couldn't see past the day we'd put him down. I just walked in a haze of pain and crying. I didn't want to lose him and I couldn't imagine life without him. When Monday rolled around at last, I cried several times that day. My family and friends rallied around me both in person and online. Without their support I would have been lost and floundering. One friend spent the day with me and we watched a movie and gamed some. It still hurt, but I could see forward again. On Wednesday I received a phone call from a lady with whom I'd interviewed a few weeks prior. She offered me a position as a Course Editor, which I naturally jumped on! She said I'd be starting this Monday, which was fine with me though there was a bit of job overlap. J-Jo Cosplay decided to hop on a bus and come visit me because she's wonderful and wanted to make sure I was okay and cheered up, so I picked her up from the bus station Friday. She's been with me through today and on Monday we had an impromptu photoshoot with my Belle cosplay (cape included) out behind my house. She outsourced the editing to the incredible HS Media Cosplay Photography and Videography as a Christmas present to me (her birthday presents to me were incredible too), and even though the shoot was far darker than optimal conditions, several photos came out fairly well! I need to work on expressions more for future photos, however, as I'm far from satisfied with my own expressions in the shots. Still, J-Jo did an amazing job, as did HS! Again, dearest readers, thank you so much for sticking with me and being here for this blog post. I appreciate your patience and loyalty! The update schedule may be changing due to my new job, but that's not for sure yet. I'll keep you all updated.Here's a little teaser from the shoot for you beloved folks.
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| HS Media Cosplay Photography and Videography here: www.facebook.com/HsCreatives J-Jo Cosplay: www.facebook.com/JJoCosplay |
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Blog post forthcoming!
Sorry it's not up on time, dear readers. As some of you know, I've had a lot of....stuff going on. I'll tell you more tomorrow when I've got the post done, and I'm so sorry for the wait.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Cosplaying on a budget?
So am I!
Cosplaying on a budget can be hard. I know, I'm on a pretty darn tight budget. I work as a server at the local Olive Garden. I make good money some nights, okay money some nights, and downright poor money some nights. It all leads to an extremely variable income, also very dependent on what nights I'm scheduled to work. So I have a slim budget that changes week to week and no shortage of cosplay goals and projects. I'm no expert at cosplaying on a budget, but I will gladly pass on some tips and tricks gleaned from my own experiences!
Cosplaying on a budget can be hard. I know, I'm on a pretty darn tight budget. I work as a server at the local Olive Garden. I make good money some nights, okay money some nights, and downright poor money some nights. It all leads to an extremely variable income, also very dependent on what nights I'm scheduled to work. So I have a slim budget that changes week to week and no shortage of cosplay goals and projects. I'm no expert at cosplaying on a budget, but I will gladly pass on some tips and tricks gleaned from my own experiences!
- Plan ahead. I know, I know, you just had to do that character from that one series for the con that's in two weeks so you just couldn't plan ahead! That's all well and good, and you might be able to do it cheaply. But when you can do so, I STRONGLY recommend planning the cosplays in your lineup well in advance. This way you have more time to scout, plot, shop sales, etc. After all, if you can purchase something at half price, there's no sense in rushing and buying it at full price.
- Connect with your local fabric store. Most fabric stores have newsletters you can sign up for. My local JoAnn's sends me coupons and sale notifications in the mail, via email, and via text. All of these have helped me keep track of sales and purchase fabrics and materials as inexpensively as possible. Unless what you're buying is cheap anyway, always use coupons when you can. I just bought 5 yards of a dark blue micro-suede fabric for 40% off because I shopped sales. If I hadn't done that, the darn fabric probably would have broken the bank. Oh, and the fabric for my Belle cloak? 50% off because I stumbled upon a sale. It's so worth it, and if you've planned ahead, you'll have time to shop sales and wait to purchase fabrics until your coupons take effect.
- Check out Goodwill. Sometimes you won't believe the things they have at Goodwill! If you're planning a modern cosplay, Goodwill is especially useful. I bought all the pieces for my Murasame cosplay (other than the wig) for less than $10. (The wig itself was a lucky find on ebay for $18.) That's far cheaper than making it myself. Additionally, check Goodwill for fabric options. They sometimes have bolts of fabric and don't realize just how valuable what they have really is, so sell it for cheap. Also, if you see a shirt with fabric you really like at Goodwill, why not buy it and use it for fabric scraps? If you're on a budget, you have to think creatively. And remember that since Goodwill is funded by donations, different Goodwills will have different stock. Check more than one for the best chance of finding what you need.
- Always carry reference images when looking at fabric. This isn't as important with characters like Murasame, who doesn't have an in-color reference available. But for characters like Belle, or Tulio, or anyone who has multiple in-color references, you need to make sure you're buying the correct color of fabric the first time. I bought several yards of the wrong color fabric for Belle the first time and had to buy more. Luckily I wasn't on quite as tight a budget then, but that still wasn't an expense I needed.
- Measure twice, cut once. Why does this point belong in tips for cosplaying on a budget? Simple! If you cut before making certain of your measurements, you run the risk of ruining the fabric beyond repair and forcing yourself to purchase more. If you're cosplaying on a budget, you probably can't spare the extra expense. And remember, it's ALWAYS better to make something too big than too small. You can always hem it shorter, or sew it a bit tighter, but adding material? That's far more difficult and can look downright awkward. So always double-check your measurements before you cut!
These are definitely not all the ways to save when cosplaying on a budget, but I hope these tips will help those of you on budgets like me to save some money where you can! Now if you lovely, dear readers will excuse me, I'm going to actually eat lunch.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Procrastination
Good evening, dear readers! In this week's blog post I want to talk about procrastination.....the very thing that caused this blog post to be so late.
It's the bane of all of us, from cosplayers to writers to students to professionals. Across the board people struggle with procrastination. It drives us nuts and drives the people around us nuts as they can't figure out why we're not just starting on that project already. I certainly haven't figured out how to destroy my habit of procrastination, but for this week's blog post, I want to look at the roots of procrastination and give some tips that have helped me combat it.
1. The root of procrastination is not laziness. I've seen different theories about the roots of procrastination. This article, using Netflix as an example, points out that people go for instant gratification over long-term planning. Is it instantly gratifying to start that project you know will take weeks to accomplish? No, it's way more instantly gratifying to start playing a video game or watch an episode of Family Guy. And as this article says, procrastination is "a neurotic self-defense behavior that develops to protect a person’s sense of self-worth." I strongly recommend reading the article, especially skipping down to the section titled "The real causes of procrastination." It goes on to say that, for procrastinators, failure and criticism are very painful, and the prospect of encountering either one makes the procrastinator hesitate to do anything reflecting his or her abilities. In a nutshell, procrastinators are often perfectionists and hesitate to start for fear of messing something up.
2. Find the root of your procrastination. I procrastinated doing this blog post because I couldn't figure out what to write about. I discarded topic after topic after topic, pushing most into the realm of the future because I thought "How in the world could I possibly tackle that? I'm not ready. I'm not good enough." I read over the posts I've made already and cringed, nitpicking details and seeing mistakes that may or may not even be there. I thought, "If I tackle this or this, I'll muck it up. If I write about this, I'll just be ranting. If I work with this, no one will find it interesting. If I go this route, I'll bore everyone to tears - including myself! What can I do???" The root of my procrastination with many cosplay-related issues is the fear that some sloppy stitch will be seen, or that I'll cut this wrong, or I'll pin it wrong, and it will be a failure. I don't want to mess it up, and - even worse! - I have money invested in it.
3. You found the root of your procrastination. Now tackle it! Remember the bodice I made for Belle? I was TERRIFIED of making that bodice. I had to work with boning, and interfacing, and bias tape, and all these things with which I had NO experience. I just knew I was going to suck at it and ruin it. So, I bought twice the amount of almost everything that I needed. No embarrassing trips back to the fabric store. And then I told myself the inner lining and interfacing shell wouldn't be seen by the world. Pfft, it's always hidden by being against my body, and the absolute inside of it won't be seen ever once I sew the outer shell on! So I could make that part without fear of failure, because the only one who'd ever know was me. No one else ever had to see or know I'd messed up if I did. I was able to do that. Then with the outer shell, all the stitches were on the inside. They wouldn't be seen either! In this way, I talked myself through each step and convinced myself there was nothing to worry about one piece at a time.
4. Buddy system. What honestly helps me the most is being with someone else who is working on something creativity-oriented. I can hold them accountable, and they can hold me accountable. I like to sew with friends because it helps me actually get stuff done and not just re-watch an episode of Ouran on my laptop. It also helps, if you can't have a friend physically there, to just call and talk to them on the phone, or message them online, or something like that. You can have them text you every so-often to ask if you're working on your project. It doesn't fix the problem, but it helps. My sewing goddess - you know who you are - is my biggest resource. If she says "Have you finished this?" and I have to shuffle my feet and say "Erm....well no, I mean I got distracted....." then I feel terribly guilty and I start work on it promptly. Being around her helps me get things done. I sewed almost my entire Belle skirt while I was with her because she is my security net when it comes to cosplay. I felt like I'd be okay as long as I was with her because she could help me if I ran into a snag.
5. Plan ahead. Yes, planning can be a form of procrastination. I know it, because I do it. But I find that if I plan that I will cut all my fabric on Wednesday and I force myself to stick to that plan, I am able to be productive. If I let myself slide by, I'm met with more guilt than before. If you plan to meet a friend and sew all day, then you have another person to hold you to your goals, and you know in advance that you'll be working on the project that day. Routine sometimes helps as well. Getting in the habit of working on something during a particular part of the day, every day, can help ensure that at least a little of it gets done. Additionally, if you start well in advance, your procrastination won't do as much harm. I started on my Belle bodice six months before Otakon and often procrastinated for several weeks at a time, but it got done way in advance.
6. Don't let yourself slide. If you plan to work on something a particular day, put all the fail-safe measures you can in place and have a friend hold you accountable. Don't brush it off unless an emergency comes up. And no, an emergency is not "Ehhhhh I just wasn't feeling it." That doesn't count folks, sorry. (Also, "Oh my gosh this movie will only be on Netflix today!" doesn't count as one either.)
7. Know that you're not in this alone. Procrastination is something that many people suffer from, and it's a serious problem. Procrastination, perfectionism, feeling inferior - these are universal things. You're not the only one. If nothing else, there's me, fighting procrastination daily.
So, dear readers, it is with this that I must leave you. Remember that it is in understanding the enemy that we take the first step in besting him, and we are one step closer to understanding and besting this opponent. We will fight procrastination together! And in all honesty, I fight this battle daily. I'm a perfectionist. I was a very smart kid, got straight A's without trying through high school, graduated valedictorian of my class with a 4.0 GPA, and was punished for getting C's on tests and quizzes. I grew to hate failing and having anyone disappointed in me. I'm terrified of not living up to the expectations of others. I bolt rather than facing that I've hurt someone I love because I can't deal with the fact that I'm not as perfect of a friend as I want to be. So I put off starting things because I don't want to mess them up. I don't want to screw up something that really matters to me. I love sewing, and crocheting, and writing. But I hesitate to start things because I don't want to fail. You're not alone. I fight this battle too. Tonight, I may have only won by a slim margin, but I still won. This post is up. You're reading it. And hopefully, you're a little better armed than you were before. Good night, dear readers, and good luck.
It's the bane of all of us, from cosplayers to writers to students to professionals. Across the board people struggle with procrastination. It drives us nuts and drives the people around us nuts as they can't figure out why we're not just starting on that project already. I certainly haven't figured out how to destroy my habit of procrastination, but for this week's blog post, I want to look at the roots of procrastination and give some tips that have helped me combat it.
1. The root of procrastination is not laziness. I've seen different theories about the roots of procrastination. This article, using Netflix as an example, points out that people go for instant gratification over long-term planning. Is it instantly gratifying to start that project you know will take weeks to accomplish? No, it's way more instantly gratifying to start playing a video game or watch an episode of Family Guy. And as this article says, procrastination is "a neurotic self-defense behavior that develops to protect a person’s sense of self-worth." I strongly recommend reading the article, especially skipping down to the section titled "The real causes of procrastination." It goes on to say that, for procrastinators, failure and criticism are very painful, and the prospect of encountering either one makes the procrastinator hesitate to do anything reflecting his or her abilities. In a nutshell, procrastinators are often perfectionists and hesitate to start for fear of messing something up.
2. Find the root of your procrastination. I procrastinated doing this blog post because I couldn't figure out what to write about. I discarded topic after topic after topic, pushing most into the realm of the future because I thought "How in the world could I possibly tackle that? I'm not ready. I'm not good enough." I read over the posts I've made already and cringed, nitpicking details and seeing mistakes that may or may not even be there. I thought, "If I tackle this or this, I'll muck it up. If I write about this, I'll just be ranting. If I work with this, no one will find it interesting. If I go this route, I'll bore everyone to tears - including myself! What can I do???" The root of my procrastination with many cosplay-related issues is the fear that some sloppy stitch will be seen, or that I'll cut this wrong, or I'll pin it wrong, and it will be a failure. I don't want to mess it up, and - even worse! - I have money invested in it.
3. You found the root of your procrastination. Now tackle it! Remember the bodice I made for Belle? I was TERRIFIED of making that bodice. I had to work with boning, and interfacing, and bias tape, and all these things with which I had NO experience. I just knew I was going to suck at it and ruin it. So, I bought twice the amount of almost everything that I needed. No embarrassing trips back to the fabric store. And then I told myself the inner lining and interfacing shell wouldn't be seen by the world. Pfft, it's always hidden by being against my body, and the absolute inside of it won't be seen ever once I sew the outer shell on! So I could make that part without fear of failure, because the only one who'd ever know was me. No one else ever had to see or know I'd messed up if I did. I was able to do that. Then with the outer shell, all the stitches were on the inside. They wouldn't be seen either! In this way, I talked myself through each step and convinced myself there was nothing to worry about one piece at a time.
4. Buddy system. What honestly helps me the most is being with someone else who is working on something creativity-oriented. I can hold them accountable, and they can hold me accountable. I like to sew with friends because it helps me actually get stuff done and not just re-watch an episode of Ouran on my laptop. It also helps, if you can't have a friend physically there, to just call and talk to them on the phone, or message them online, or something like that. You can have them text you every so-often to ask if you're working on your project. It doesn't fix the problem, but it helps. My sewing goddess - you know who you are - is my biggest resource. If she says "Have you finished this?" and I have to shuffle my feet and say "Erm....well no, I mean I got distracted....." then I feel terribly guilty and I start work on it promptly. Being around her helps me get things done. I sewed almost my entire Belle skirt while I was with her because she is my security net when it comes to cosplay. I felt like I'd be okay as long as I was with her because she could help me if I ran into a snag.
5. Plan ahead. Yes, planning can be a form of procrastination. I know it, because I do it. But I find that if I plan that I will cut all my fabric on Wednesday and I force myself to stick to that plan, I am able to be productive. If I let myself slide by, I'm met with more guilt than before. If you plan to meet a friend and sew all day, then you have another person to hold you to your goals, and you know in advance that you'll be working on the project that day. Routine sometimes helps as well. Getting in the habit of working on something during a particular part of the day, every day, can help ensure that at least a little of it gets done. Additionally, if you start well in advance, your procrastination won't do as much harm. I started on my Belle bodice six months before Otakon and often procrastinated for several weeks at a time, but it got done way in advance.
6. Don't let yourself slide. If you plan to work on something a particular day, put all the fail-safe measures you can in place and have a friend hold you accountable. Don't brush it off unless an emergency comes up. And no, an emergency is not "Ehhhhh I just wasn't feeling it." That doesn't count folks, sorry. (Also, "Oh my gosh this movie will only be on Netflix today!" doesn't count as one either.)
7. Know that you're not in this alone. Procrastination is something that many people suffer from, and it's a serious problem. Procrastination, perfectionism, feeling inferior - these are universal things. You're not the only one. If nothing else, there's me, fighting procrastination daily.
So, dear readers, it is with this that I must leave you. Remember that it is in understanding the enemy that we take the first step in besting him, and we are one step closer to understanding and besting this opponent. We will fight procrastination together! And in all honesty, I fight this battle daily. I'm a perfectionist. I was a very smart kid, got straight A's without trying through high school, graduated valedictorian of my class with a 4.0 GPA, and was punished for getting C's on tests and quizzes. I grew to hate failing and having anyone disappointed in me. I'm terrified of not living up to the expectations of others. I bolt rather than facing that I've hurt someone I love because I can't deal with the fact that I'm not as perfect of a friend as I want to be. So I put off starting things because I don't want to mess them up. I don't want to screw up something that really matters to me. I love sewing, and crocheting, and writing. But I hesitate to start things because I don't want to fail. You're not alone. I fight this battle too. Tonight, I may have only won by a slim margin, but I still won. This post is up. You're reading it. And hopefully, you're a little better armed than you were before. Good night, dear readers, and good luck.
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