Anime Oasis Prep – 5 Days Remain

Working on Tellah from Final Fantasy 4 today. The over top is nearly done and the coat is almost half way cut out. I feel rather accomplished. ^_^

Only 5 days left until Anime Oasis. I cannot believe how fast time is flowing! It seems like just last week is was the beginning of April. Thankfully, I don’t have much to finish.  Young Rydia is all but finished except for a few details. Moonshade needs a shrug, shoes, and details. Sheryl’s dress is a simple make-it-in-an-afternoon project.

There are the few projects for friends. Tifa is finished save for the simple skirt and gloves. Histugaya’s shirt shouldn’t take more than an afternoon. Tellah has a bit more to do, but is manageable. I need to finish the under and over shirt, coat, pants, sash, shoes, wig, and beard.

If I keep my current pace, even pick up the pace a bit, I can finish on time.  ^_^  I’m really excited to see the finished projects worn at con.  Hopefully, they receive positive receptions and nice comments.  ^_^

Time to sign off until next time! It’s project time!

Kimono Making Time

After spending the better part of a week trying to find a good tutorial on kimono making, I started work on the kimono for Susukihotaru.  It took a couple tries to get the measurements right, especially for the sleeves, but all in all it wasn’t difficult to draft.  Fortunately, sewing wasn’t difficult either. I’m pleasantly surprised the ease of  kimono making, once you get the hang of it.  I easily could finish one in an afternoon, hems and all.

Hopefully I will finish Susukihotaru completely before the blossoms leave the trees.  I would love to get photos of her with lovely pink blooms since it would match the series so well.  If not I’ll settle for a June shoot.  The roses should be in bloom then which would also fit the series.

Regardless, I’m excited to cosplay her since she is a neat character.  If all goes well, I may have a Zakuro and Riken with which to pose!  Hopefully we can find the twins, Kei, and Ganryuu as well as the rest of the side characters.  It would be great to have the full cast!

I’ll post more with what happens next.  ^_^  I apologize for the lack of posts recently.  School and life have kept me super busy.  I don’t have as much time to blog as I did in high school, but I will post when I can.

Thank you all so much for reading.  It really means a lot.  ^_^

Some Progress and laziness

11 more days.  Only 11 more days until I leave for Sakura-Con.  I feel like time keeps slipping out of my fingers, and I still have so much to do!

Fortunately, the Mercury dress is complete save for hemming.  I’m so happy it’s finished, but goodness it was difficult.  I’m seriously thinking of swapping dresses with another member of the group since I’m not completely sure I want to wear the dress after everything it’s put me through.  ~_~  That and the design is kinda awkward for well endowed females.  >_<

If all goes well I should finish Toki and Mercury today.  Toki just needs the belt and head wrap while Mercury needs the shoulder gems made and attached and dress hemmed.  I need to find a good pair of heels for her too.

Child Rydia is coming along well too.  Most of the pieces are almost, if not, complete save for minor detailing and beading.  Hopefully, I can finish most of her today except for the leotard beading which I may finish on the way to the con. Hopefully, I will have it complete beforehand.

I haven’t even touched Chie, Shiemi, Sheryl, or Akari.  Thankfully, I have all the fabric I need for each of them.  Chie, Shiemi, and Sheryl shouldn’t be too difficult to complete.  *crosses fingers*  Chie mainly just needs a pleated skirt and jacket.  Shiemi needs a pleated skirt, embellished tie, and modified shirt.  Sheryl needs a red dress with gold necklace and maybe white jacket if I can find the right style at a low price.

Akari on the other hand is a different story.  If I don’t sleep for the next week it will be due to her and Chie’s jacket.  Thankfully, I have experience making her underdress.  The reason I’m not using the previously made underdress is because it mysteriously went missing.  I seriously have no idea where it is. ;_;  That and I wanted to remake the underdress anyway.  Overall, her ensemble shouldn’t be difficult to make though it will be time consuming due to the detailing and shoes.  I have no idea how I’m going to make them.

To sum up this frantically typed post, I have a lot to do before Sakura-Con and probably won’t be sleeping much until then, if then.  A note to the wise, never wait until the last minute.  It’s not worth it.  Always plan ahead what you need to do and how it will take to do so.  It’s never fun scrambling to finish costumes before and/or during the con.

So Much to do Before Sakura-Con

31 days left until Sakura-Con, and I still have so much to do!  Fortunately, Toki is nearly complete.  The kimono is complete and the belt, head wrap, and shoes are on the way.  Unfortunately, most of my other projects are far from complete.  Nevertheless, they are coming along well.

In the Amano realm, Yuna and Child Rydia are still in the process of completion.  I’m beading both projects now and have a way to go before either is finished.  The obi for Yuna is taking about as long as I figured it would, but I will be so happy when I finish.  On the other hand, Child Rydia’s skirt is nearly beaded.  All the bronze beads are attached though the green beads have yet to be added.  I have not started on the bodice beading but that may change in the next day or two.  The design is finalized so I just need to start beading.

Even though the Amano cosplays keep demanding my time, I made progress with a few other cosplays as well.  Chie and Yukiko are currently in progress and Nanako’s dress is complete.  I pleated most of the skirt for Yukiko but must wait for more fabric before it and Chie’s skirt can be finished.  Fortunately, I made headway with Yukiko’s sweater and Chie’s jacket.  The jacket is patterned for the most part and the sweater is in the beginning stages.  It promises to be beautiful.  I even have a wig for Chie in the mail!

Sadly, my other cosplays are lagging.  I have not started Princess Mercury, Shiemi’s skirt and tie still have not been touched, and Akari is a pile of fabric.  I have not even begun Amano Tellah, General Iroh, Princess Saturn or Princess Jupiter.  Regardless, the dress for Princess Mercury is almost patterned, and I found a good shirt to modify for Shiemi so I have not been entirely unproductive with these cosplays.

Unfortunately, I had to drop Dragon Kid from my list since her wig would not arrive in time.  I hope to complete her hero version later this year though I may make and wear her ending casual outfit for Sakura-Con if I finish the garment and find a wig in time.

Preparing for Sakura-Con is very different than preparing for Fandemonium or Anime Oasis.  It takes more time and effort since I won’t be able to stop at home to pick up anything I forgot.  That and I have never tried to make as many cosplays for single convention before.  I have most of the money for the room and am working to get a bit more before the con.  It would be great to have a bit of spending money for trinkets and maybe a professional shoot.  That would be awesome!

I really hope that con will be worth everything I’ve poured into it.  I would hate to get there and the con be a bummer after all the time and energy spent to prepare.  Despite my slight nervousness,  I’m excited to see what happens, especially since this will be my first out-of-state con and time to see a few friends in person.  Better get back to work before too much time passes!  Until next time!

More Beading and Progress

Over the past month, I’ve been beading like crazy in preparation for Sakura Con.  The obi for Amano Yuna is over half way complete though I haven’t started on the skirt or bow beading.  Hopefully, I can finish the obi and bow in time, but the skirt beading may have to debut at a later con.  I am very happy with how much I’ve accomplished over the past month and a half with Yuna’s beading and can’t wait to finish it.  I never thought I would enjoy beading so much nor did I expect my patience to last quite this long.  The life skills cosplay can teach you and help improve are great.  I have a picture of my progress to share as well.

Beading Over Halfway Complete

Fortunately, Yuna has not been the only project I’ve worked on in the past month.  I started work on Child Rydia earlier this month and have accomplished a fair amount of progress.  The leotard is all but finished.  I have to fix a seam and finish the legs as well as finish the beading.  Unfortunately, I found out that my machine hates sewing knit fabric so sewing the leotard has been quite the experience.  Thankfully, the rest of the outfit has been quite simple and less of a hassle.  The cape and tie are finished, the skirt is over halfway done, and the shoes are started.  I have a few more things I want to make (hair ornament, bracelets, and other accessories) and details to add before she’s done, but Child Rydia is coming along quite well.  I have a few pictures to share for Child Rydia as well.

Cape and Tie Complete

I haven’t made much progress beyond the above sewing wise due to a few unfortunate happenings in my life recently.  Nevertheless, I have been gathering fabric and materials for my other Sakura Con cosplays and working on a few smaller knitting projects.  I have a good majority of the materials gathered for Dragon Kid, Amano Child Rydia, Amano Yuna, Chie, Akari, and Amano Tellah.  I getting pretty excited to work on these projects since despite the occasional headache they are going to be fun.

Amano Yuna Version 2 – Beading 2

Woot!  More Amano Yuna beading progress!  I’m about a fifth of the way done if not a bit more.  It’s been about a week and a half since I started and if I keep this pace the obi band will be done in time for Sakura Con.  I really hope I get the bow beaded too, especially with the rest of the projects I’m planning.

(I apologize for the crappy picture.  The camera hates most indoor lighting.  If it gets warm enough, I’ll take a few pictures in the sun once I get a bit more done.)

Pouting Time

Grrrr!  I’m a little, ok more than a little, miffed right now.  It’s my third try to get Yuna’s skirt how I want it.  (Luckily, I haven’t cut the fabric just yet since I have one chance to perfectly make it.)  I’ve tried a circle skirt, but I don’t have enough fabric.  I’ve tried a 10 gored skirt, but I don’t have enough paper for the pattern.  I’ve tried a pleated skirt, but I’m not sure it’s going to lay like I want.  Ho-hum, maybe I must make a pleated skirt since it’s the only skirt that theoretically would turn out well with out more fabric or paper.  I hate sewing sometimes.  >_<  It’s so fun and rewarding yet so annoying at the same time.  >_<  I’m going to pout in a corner for a bit.

Finally, A Progress Update

An hour of sketching the other day finalized my design for Amano Aerith.  I loosely based my design off these two images.

I am really happy with the way my design turned out and can’t wait to start working on it.  Pink, white, red, and possibly gold are the color scheme.  The design is very pretty and elegant almost like something  princess would wear.  I think I have most of the fabric for it in my fabric bin, but I will wait till tomorrow to dig it out since I have other projects I need to finish first.
Speaking of which, the beading for my Amano Yuna obi belt is going really well.  I found that beading four to five seed beads at a time produces a nice result and doesn’t take as long as the painstaking process of beading each individual bead.  I cannot wait to see the finished result.  I took a quick picture of my progress.  I am so happy with how it looks.

Influx of Amano Based Cosplays

The Amano bug has caught me again.  I currently have at least three, possibly four or five, Amano cosplays either planned or in progress.  I’ll be redoing my Amano Yuna to look more like these artwork pieces.

I’m using a darker color scheme for her, mostly blues and blacks and silvers, to play off her name meaning moon.  In addition, I’m using a flowy design to match the above artwork and logo for Final Fantasy X, and I’ll be incorporating numerous hibiscus motifs in the design as well.  I might post a picture of the design later.  I’m really excited to start working on her.  So far I have most of the beads as well as the shirt and materials for the skirt and trims.  I’m so excited!!!

Another Amano cosplay I have in the works is Young Rydia.  I’m really excited to cosplay the little summoner from Final Fantasy 4 as she is a longtime favorite of mine.  I’m using a number of references for her design (see below) as I have yet to draw a final design of my own.  I feel like I’m a kid in a candy store who is constantly pulling wants of the selves to add to the looming pile of candy within the cart when it comes to this cosplay.  I just can’t decide on a final design because I keep adding to the concept in my head.  If I finalize a design, I’ll post it along with my Yuna design (and subsequent amano based designs) if I get the nerve to post my designs online.  Until then here are the references I’m using.

Back to cosplay…I’m using a variety of fun colors intermixed with earthier tones to add a youthful yet refined feel to her design while keeping with the overall feel that she is from a place called Mist.  The colors range from deep purple to bright pink to subtle orange and gold with a wide range of intermixed greens.  I have most of the fabrics and beads in possession with the wig on the way.  The only major pieces of the cosplay I’m yet missing are the shoes.  I have yet to find a pair that fit my ideal concept and may resort to making the desired pair if one is not found.

Third on my rather quickly increasing list is Serah Farron from Final Fantasy XIII.  She is my favorite character from FF XIII and one of my favorite FF characters.  I’m doing an Amano version of her because I love the piece Amano did of Snow and her watching the fireworks.

I don’t have a sketch of my design for her yet, but I know the color scheme.  I often have colors worked out before designs.  I’m using a slightly different palette from her original design, pinks and blues and whites, maybe a red, instead of whites and pinks and reds and blacks.  The design on the other hand is going to be quite different while recognizable.  I’ll post more on her as the costume progresses.

The final two cosplays on my current Amano list are Porom from Final Fantasy IV and possibly Aerith from Final Fantasy VII.  I love Porom’s design and want to play off her amano artwork while possibly incorporating her sprite design.  I have yet to design most of this cosplay.  Aerith, on the other hand, is a longtime favorite of mine.  I have wanted to cosplay since I started cosplaying (there’s even a post or two on her in the back files of this blog), but I have never completely decided on a version of her I want to do.  Since she is a very popular character to cosplay, I want my rendition of her to stand out from the others that litter cosplay sites everywhere.  Not that it’s a bad thing, she is an awesome character, it’s just hard to stand out among so large a crowd.  Hence, why I’ve been leaning more toward an Amano version.  She is another cosplay I have yet to design or even really think about doing so, but when and if I do I shall post more.

Sakura Con Cosplays

It’s official!  I’m going to Sakura-Con!  Woot!  It will be my first out-of-state con so I’m excited yet slightly nervous.  Of course, I’m planning a few new cosplays.  I would like to finish five or so before con.  It would be great to get a lot of photos while there since the locations are so varied and often perfect for characters from larger cities/ metropolis settings.

For my list, I chose characters that I either enjoy or go with groups, often both.  Even though the list is quite long, it is doable for the most part.  As time goes one, I’m sure the list will dwindle, but for now here it is.

To start off, I would really like to finish my Amano Yuna.  She’s been a dream of mine and it would be a great joy to cosplay her, especially at so large a con.  If I conplete her on time, I may enter her in the cosplay contest.  In addition to Yuna, I would really like to finish Amano Child Rydia.  She is another character I have liked for a long time and would greatly enjoy cosplaying.  Further more, there may be a few Final Fantasy 4 cosplayers with whom to take photos.

Next, I am finishing and taking Akari.  Regardless of if I find a group or not, I would love to cosplay my favorite character and get photos of her by the sea.  It would be a dream come true.  Along with her, I want to make and take Toki from Princess Mononoke.  There is going to be a good sized Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli group, and I have wanted to cosplay her for a long time.

Princess Mercury in her silver millennium dress from the Sailor Moon manga is another cosplay I really want to bring.  Mercury has always been my favorite sailor scout and her silver millennium dress was one of the first cosplays I wanted to make.  In league with Mercury is Chie from Persona 4.  Chie was a character I loved even before I started playing the game and watching the anime.  There are plans for a semi large scale Persona 4 group that I’m a part of which makes this cosplay even more exciting.

The list doesn’t stop there.  Along with the above, I want to make and bring Dragon Kid from Tiger & Bunny.  This cosplay would be a part of a planned group/photoshoot.  If I have time, I would like to make her casual ending outfit as well.  Also, I plan to make Shiemi’s school uniform for a Blue Exorcist group.

Hopefully, I will finish Kasumi’s loyalty outfit from Mass Effect 2 in time to bring.  I greatly enjoyed her character in the game and would love to cosplay her there. If I finish her in time, she is another prospect for the cosplay contest.  Susukihotaru from Otome Youkai Zakuro is another cosplay I would like to bring given enough time.

Finally, if I have time I would like to bring Kari from Digimon Adventures.  She was my favorite character from the original series and there may be a small sized Digimon Adventures group.  I may bring Saria from Ocarina of Time as well since she is one of my favorite Legend of Zelda characters.  Ok.  I promise that’s all.  I told you the list was long.  ^_^

In addition to making new cosplays, I’ll be bringing a few previous ones as well.  These will mainly be for photoshoots and may or may not make appearances at con.  So far it looks like I’ll be bringing Vorfeed, Sheryl’s snowman/premiere dress, Miwako’s pink and black sweater outfit, Nora (if I can find her shoes), Temari (if the wig still fits), and multiple steampunk outfits.

I’ll be helping a few friends with their cosplays as well so needless to say I am going to be busy for a while.  I really can’t wait to see how this whole ordeal turns out.  It’s exciting to be going to new place yet the prep work is going to be crazy.  ~_~  Here’s hoping it’s worth it.  ^_^

I’ll be posting more in depth posts about the cosplays mentioned here as time allows.  Hopefully, I’ll have some progress to report as well!   Until next time!