Since it'll be a month or so before I'm working on anything again, I shall post all the progress photos I never posted here before AnimeFest. I hope there's at least one of you who likes looking at my progress shots. e_e

( Better late than never... or not. )

And that's all you're getting out of me.

I want to sew some doll stuff but since I fail at everything in the entire world I don't know that there's a point!

PS- I totally tried to tag this post with "gwen"

Kyoko
-Wig - 100%
-Contacts - Acquired
-Jumpsuit - 100%
-Love Me logos - 100%
-Belt + pouch - 50% (never finished pouch)
-Heart-shaped note pad - 100%

Shino
-Wig - 50% (it's mostly cut, needs to be straightened and re-curled maybe and the bangs need cutting)
-Contacts - Acquired
-Hat - 1% (have material except for tassel bit)
-Collar - 1% (have material)
-Wings - 1% (have material)
-Top - 10%
-Sleeves - 1% (have material)
-Gloves - Acquired
-Shorts - 100%
-Bootsocks - 55% (need heel pieces done, vinyl on toes, the tops finished, garters attached, and to be glued to the shoes.) ON HOLD

Polka
-Wig - 100%
-Contacts - Acquired
-Kerchief - 100%
-Shawl - 100% (lol safety pins)
-Vest/Sleeves - 100%
-Shirt - 99% (need to do something so bottom bits don't curl up)
-Apron - 100%
-Skirt - 100%
-Bloomers - 100%
-Stockings - 100%
-Shoes - 100% (have shoes, need to mod them, cover them, paint bottoms, attach lace, & embellishments)
-Buttbow - 100%
-Petticoat - Acquired (actually have two)
-Bag - 1% (have material)

Not dealing with Polka's parasol for the sake of sanity. Hypnotic swirls! Noooo!

Home Improvement saga continues!?

( Just look at this bathroom! )

My! Wasn't that exciting. Now for MORE EXCITEMENT ( here is a cosplay update. )

The only other thing I've really been up to is failing to do my schoolwork on time. Also my professor has failed to grade anything on time. Grades are due tomorrow (I believe) and class ended Friday and I have a grand total of ONE grade in the class. Whoo. :| Due to being angry at the professor for sucking, I did not put much effort into this class. I'll admit that I may be just a little bit worried about this grade...

WAIT! I checked right after typing the above and I have two more grades! Both 15/15. Three top scores so far... Hope!

Next semester (starting the 24th... not nearly enough of a break here, ugh) I am taking cataloging and "Adult Materials." I admit to having a juvenile sense of amusement every time I tell someone I am taking Adult Materials as a class. For the record, no. I am not studying porn.

Wow my life is not very thrilling! Book log post coming up next!

EDIT: FORGOT TO SAY but Dad's got a new job! He starts Aug. 31 (and is rather looking forward to it, I think).

Despite being tired as shit and having an earache (which has more or less gone away, actually) AND not getting started until after 9:00 I got some sewing done today!

But all I really did was hem + elasticize the bloomers and sew the lace on. e_e But anyway, my first progress post for Polka!

( Two photos )

I'm really torn between thinking I'm doing pretty good progress-wise and thinking that I'm HORRIBLY BEHIND OH GOD OH GOD. e_e

Tentative schedule that I will fail to adhere to!

( Now cut because I noticed how freaking long it is! )

Since I never post here anymore, my rather shifty cosplay plans have now been shifted to doing Polka from Eternal Sonata. e_e In addition to Kyoko and Shino, of course.

However, for Polka's skirt/shawl thing/bandanna I have been having a heck of a time deciding what to do. The color looks to me like it was once red and has faded enormously, but finding cloth that is actually that color? Pff. Moreover, I want to make it out of linen so I can look all wrinkly because I like the texture linen has, so that further limits my color choices.

My first idea was "Well, I'll just get red and bleach it!" Didn't work out so well. Next thought was "They make dye remover!" Didn't really work either.


Exhibit A: I'm sure there's a very scientific reason as to why the dye remover turns red to a barfy shade of yellowish orange... Also bleaching turns it hot pink!

Ali suggested just lightly dyeing pink with red to see how that looked, but the only pink linen they had at Joann's was a rayon/polyester blend (aka not dyeable). So instead I got some white and some off-white and today while I was sitting around feeling sorry for myself (I didn't go to work due to feeling like utter shit) I did some experimentation.


Exhibit B: The top row is the off-white and the bottom is the white, since it's hard to really tell in the photo. I think I like the last one on the off-white best. The only question is whether or not I'll be able to achieve a similar color when using the washing machine to dye the whole batch... The other difficulty is how hard it is to accurately tell what color you've got when the stuff is still wet, because the far right were really dark red until I dried them.

I am going to be completely exhausted until June 3rd... Three week semester, ugh! Why did I think this was a good idea?

Actually, I'm doing a good job of pacing myself so far. I'm trying to keep a day ahead during the week. I've got three projects I need to do this weekend, though (one isn't due until Tuesday but I want to get it out of the way by Sunday because we're having an extended gaming session Monday). Of the three, I've already started on two (really I've just gathered the books I need). The one due Tuesday I still haven't quite decided what books to do. Ideally it'd be something I already read but I just don't read that much multicultural literature on my own (unless fantasy cultures count?)

Beyond that, I'm also trying to do a bit on the Love Me suits every night. I'm doing a pretty good job of that as well! Unless the projects take more time than I'm anticipating I might even finish one jumpsuit this weekend (minus the Love Me insignia... I'll be doing those last). I also have ordered wigs for both Kyoko and Moko. :D My Kyoko wig is for some reason in Ontario. Probably will have progress pictures Friday, depending on how long it takes me to finish the picture book project for class (and I'm helping Dad in the garden also).

Soooo finally getting into motion on this year's cosplay plans. I wanted to start working on this stuff in March but now it's almost May so... at least the month still starts with an M?

Cosplay plans that may or may not have previously been announced are pretty much null and void at this point. I don't even remember all my original plans, haha. We're down to three, possibly four if I decide to still go for Kisa and her abhorrently bizarre hairdo.

Plans:
Shibasaki from Toshokan Sensou/Library Wars (I don't even know if I'll take this to a con... I'm mainly doing it because I feel obligated as a librarian-in-training who cosplays, and I'm too short for Kasahara)
Kyoko from Skip Beat (more on this in a moment)
Shino from .hack//G.U. (contest costume for AnimeFest)

Since Ali's finally gotten off her butt about selling stuff, we'll be spending most of A-fest behind a table and therefore I want to make sure I can sit down in all these costumes. e_e Shouldn't be a problem, though I'll probably end up sitting on a towel or something in Shino so I don't get dirt on my puffy shorts. XD

Also I plan on fixing up Kinon a bit and Chrome (my skirt is still a bit too long and I am a bit too fat)

Obviously my time to make costumes is much more limited than last year, so I'm determined to stay ahead of the game (even if I'm already behind my goal). I'm starting on Kyoko today, actually! Taking these one at a time, partly also because I'm too fat to start on Shino right now. Ohoho. I'll be making an appointment to get myself set up at the local YMCA next Friday, now that my foot's mostly back into full gear again. And I swear to god I'm cutting extra snacks out of my diet again. Still not sure what the hell else to do with my diet, because pasta pasta pasta pasta, but whatever. We'll see where exercise takes me first! My goal is mainly to trim up my tummy and thighs and that's about it.

Anyway, Kyoko!



LOOK! I FOUND HOT PINK (actually it's fuchsia according to my receipt but it sure looks hot pink to me) TWILL!! And I got a pattern for cover-alls yesterday. Needs only a bit of adjustment (the pattern has a yoke and a gathered back, so I need to smooth that out, and take out the pockets, and fix the collar a bit I think). Kyoko's coveralls also magically have no waistband but... um, that's highly impractical according to me so mine will have one anyway. e_e Should be covered by the belt, though.

I am also making two sets of Love Me-bu coveralls. I know I asked both D and Ali if they'd be willing to go as Moko for me, or at least wear Moko for a photoshoot (I just want to get a photoshoot of Kyoko and Moko window-shopping together XDD) so, um, whoever wants to do it? :O I'll probably just get Moko's wig when I get Kyoko's (which is proving to be a pain to find... Curse you and your orange hair, Kyoko!).

Of course if you both want to do it there is a third member of the team now, haha. But I'll have to go back to get more twill.

I also need to figure out the best way to do the Love Me logo on the back and front. What I'm thinking is either persuading Phil to vector the thing for me or finally learning Illustrator and doing it myself (though I don't have Illustrator on this computer so I'd have to go find it somewhere first). Then I want to test screen-printing it (also would need Phil's help) and if that doesn't work, I can just cut it out of plain cotton and iron it on I guess (also the logo is different in the anime and manga. I'm going with the anime version because it's simpler).

Okay, now I need to go clean up around here since Ali's coming over for Higurashi (probably) and I need room to set up the ironing board for when my twill is done in the dryer (I hate prewashing but am doing it anyway!).

( Kinon photos + some Yin and more stupid Misaki pictures. )

We spent a while on Saturday morning wandering around the third floor of the hotel and just going in every unlocked room we could find. Which is why we were taking photos in storage rooms. Somehow I see this as becoming a trend in the future (though how we'll have time for it if Ali gets a table at AnimeFest... but we never did completely explore the second floor where the conference rooms were at the Hyatt! And that garage (where the forklift photo was taken) was so much fun!

We're back from Oni-con now. It was fun... though it was such a dinky con compared to what I'm used to. XD Mostly that just meant we were kind of bored a lot.

We did take photos, but of course 7/8 of them came out badly because we both suck at taking photos and also the GRB convention center has terrible lighting, oh man.

But I am really happy with the above photo of Ali's Misaki, so here you go (actually, Ali, I think this is the one I took while you were in the middle of taking your hand off your hip... but I like it best out of all of them). XD I may or may not post some others later... I'll probably put some of the less crappy Kinon photos on my Coscom, at least.

More people recognized our Yin and Misaki at this con, which was pretty nice! I got plenty of photos as Kinon on Friday when Ali was half-naked, but when I was wearing it Saturday no one took a photo. How to get photos taken of you at cons: hang around with someone who is half-naked and just be in all their photos. XD

Now I'm going to take a nap... I didn't sleep real well last night due to some assholes who were being really loud by the elevators for over an hour. :/ And Ali's snoring. And talking to herself. And making weird noises out of nowhere. BTW, Ali, I actually recorded you snoring on my camera. XD I forgot I did it. So if you want to hear yourself snore...

Still working on Kinon... um, the con is tomorrow. Ha! Ha! Ha!

I should've worked on things more last week but was too busy slacking off. I'd be a bit farther along if I hadn't had to spend all of Tuesday afternoon sitting in a doctor's office to get my physical...

As of now I still have to:
-Slipstitch the trim on the jacket (easy but time consuming)
-Put snaps on the jacket (easy)
-Put gray circle on front of jacket (I have no gray material HAHAHA whoops)
-Hem jacket sleeves (easy)
-Do side applique things on jumper (I also have no gold, whoops again)
-Armband (easy, just cutting it out of the vinyl and putting snaps on it)
-Modding boots (fairly easy, as I'm doing it with double-sided tape and glue, though may end up time consuming)
-Cutting bangs in wig (I will totally screw this up)

Not much left, just kind of a hassle that I have to do it all today. I also have to go to Wal-Mart to get a garment bag and some brown eyeshadow. I never actually got my eyebrows waxed, oh well. I will just be thick-eyebrowed Yin, Chrome, and Kinon this weekend. It's not like I don't have bangs on all three of these costumes... I think it'll only look really bad with Yin. Thinking about trying this, though... I wonder how nice it actually looks up-close in person.

I should probably get ready for work. I got up early so I could finish my hat, but I'm still in my pajamas!

Okay so I totally ruined my Kinon wig. Whoopee. Really it looks okay from the front, but very not okay from, um, any other angle. Though I haven't cut the bangs yet so this could change! It could be all around awful! Lacking the necessary funds/time to get a new wig before Onicon it's just going to have to do, though. I'll probably replace it after the con and save the one I mangled for Xianghua or something.

I know I posted a cosplay for next year list a while ago but of course it's changed since then.

Current plans:
Xianghua from Soulcalibur IV (if I ever get into shape, so who knows)
Shino from .hack//G.U. (or Roots but let's pretend like Roots doesn't exist here)
Midori from .hack//CELL (aka I love cosplaying people no one will recognize... actually as Midori people will assume I am a really badly done Amano Yuna... but I like her outfit! Okay!) (actually really Midori's also in Roots but let's again pretend it doesn't exist, plus her outfit in Roots is really ugly).


After screwing up the wig I of course don't feel like doing anything else. My copy of Riven finally came, but it seems disinclined to let me save my game. So I can either just leave my Playstation on all the time and play nothing but Riven until I finish it, or I could, um, not play Riven. Will probably do the former but if the power goes out I'll cry. I wanted to try to beat it without using any guides but if I can't save I may put a time limit on how long I'll spend failing to solve a puzzle before I give in and look it up...

I smell like wig shampoo. Mmm, wig shampoo.

I finally made a Kinon icon that is boring and ugly and badly framed.



Jumper is 90% done, just need to put those things on the side and finish the back (HOOK AND EYE URRRGH).

I started working on the jacket today, which is to say I failed to make a pattern. And then I failed some more.

Got about a week and a half left for this (well, a week and five days) but I want to have it mostly finished this week. Gonna go out and quest for glasses + leggings tomorrow despite holiday shoppers and lack of money. Ali finally got her new Misaki wig so I'll be getting my Kinon wig (aka her old Misaki wig) from her on Monday and can give it choppy bangs. My orange vinyl should be here Wednesday.

I meant to work on this shit more over the weekend but I am a lazy butt. Also I really wish I'd done some actual serging on the jumper. Also wish I'd lined it. Oh well, oh well. Maybe I'll remake it sometime since I still have five yards of white twill. e_e

Seriously starting on Kinon at last... I was going to line this but now I don't feel like it so I'm not going to. e_e I think I need to take in the skirt so it's not so full, but I dunno. I haven't tried it on me yet because it's a pain to try to close the back up while I'm wearing it. e_e I definitely need to take like an inch or so off in the back which will be fiddly as it fits snug in the butt but is very loose around my upper torso. :/ Blarrgh fitted shit I hate you. I'll probably just pin it on the dress form and mark it to sew and hope it all works out. :D;; Really the thing I'm afraid of on the back is that's where the zipper goes, so if I screw it up I won't really know until I put the zipper in, and then taking it back out and fixing it will be a huge pain in the ass.

Tomorrow I'll get paid... less than a month to find a decent twill for the jacket and make the damn thing. At least the rest is super easy. I want to run up to High Fashion ASAP but I'm sure as hell not going this weekend.

I was thinking about going to Target tomorrow morning to look more for leggings but I only want to go if I leave at WTF in the morning and it's already after 1:00 so I think I'm just going to finish off the jumper tomorrow and call it a day.

Except I can't actually finish the jumper because I don't have a zipper long enough! Which would be fine if JoAnn's hadn't moved. I guess I am going to have to go up to Bay Area anyway I could cry. I guess if I have to go there anyway I might as well look through all the fabric and see if maybe I can find something that'd work for the jacket. I really have my heart set on twill but I suppose it doesn't have to be. XD

I guess I should go to bed, then... Though maybe I shouldn't go shopping tomorrow, as I honestly have no idea when my paycheck's going to go through. Stupid payday being a holiday week.

Bah, I think I'll just sleep in and if my paycheck shows up in the morning I'll decide if I want to brave the crowds or not later. Mostly I just want the zipper because I can't do crap else until I get that. But really I can do something like making a hat pattern and make a test one out of the 53289583295328953205 miles of white twill I bought before (why do I always overbuy fabric). I suppose in that case I can also work on the jacket pattern and maybe make a muslin of that. I guess there is plenty to do!

This post is really rambling, isn't it?

Wound up going nowhere but work due to feeling kind of ill. Feeling better now, probably due to the stream of little girls dressed as princesses and little boys dressed as superheroes coming to the door. ♥



( Some random photos )

Since I actually managed to get ready too early for once, here is a webcam preview of my Halloween costume:



Probably have more later?

JUST FYI:
Tomorrow we are finally doing our photoshoot for Gwen and Velvet~
The place we were going to do the shoot got pretty heavily hurricaned, but we found an even nicer place in Friendswood that escaped severe damage/has already been cleaned up (though until it rains again everything there will be covered in dirt, whoo).

Totally looking forward to it. I am also finally gluing my leg armor back together, ahurhur I forgot about that. Using E-6000 this time so it won't fall apart on me and I won't be too afraid to walk.

In other cosplay-related news, I don't know if I mentioned here but Jenny roped Ali and I into doing a cosplay program at work. It will probably suck, but that's okay. We don't really expect anyone to show up anyway. It's on Friday, 4:30-5:45, at Helen Hall Library (obviously), in the Children's Theater. If you want, show up and make fun of us. I'll be wearing Yin and Ali'll be wearing Emeraldas to make it extra special. Also there will be pizza.

Okay, didn't quite finish today. I have four things left to do on Gwen, and one thing for Chrome. All of these things but one are super quick (in theory), though.

( Photos + bonus '09 cosplay list! )