Reviews – The Geeky Seamstress

Sewaholic Davie

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Happy Friday! If you’ve been following my Instagram, you’ve probably noticed that I was in the Caribbean on a cruise last week. My beau/now fiance(!) and I have been planning this trip since early in the year, and it was a much needed break after the insanity of the early fall semester.

I had grand plans to take the month after A-Fest off and make a bunch of new non-cosplay garments for the cruise, but alas, I didn’t quite live up to my grand expectations. Still, I managed to pack several me-made garments on the trip, including one of my backlog patterns: the Sewaholic Davie!

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I’ve been eyeballing this pattern since it came out back in March. Everything about this pattern appeals to me: the knit design, the A-line skirt, the princess seams, and the minimal number of seams. Nothing about this pattern is complicated, but it’s super cute and very flattering! I’m pretty sure that it took me longer to print and assemble this pattern than it did to complete the FBA and sew the whole thing.

Aside from the FBA, the only change I made to this pattern was making the front portion of the sleeve black. I thought the color blocking went up to the shoulder, but it doesn’t. Herp derp. I thought the grey blocking this way would look more flattering on me, even though I tend to wear most of my dresses with cardigans.

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Since this is essentially a wearable muslin, I opted to skip the topstitching and keyhole. I’m not really a fan of the keyhole on this design, but it’s easy enough to eliminate by just stitching straight up the seam. Alternatively, you could cut the center piece on the fold.

The Basics:

Pattern: Sewaholic Davie

Fabric: Mystery reversible scuba knit. I honestly can’t remember where I got this from.

Alterations:

Added 1.75″ FBA
Altered front to have black sleeve
Added 2″ length

Notions: Clear elastic, purchased bias tape

Make it again?: Absolutely! I’d love to make every variation of this dress for fun and work, and maybe even make some nerdy versions. A Rogue-themed yellow and green number would be perfect for casual con days!

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Favorite parts: A-line shape, speedy to make, and easy to wear!

Changes for next time: I definitely fudged a few details with this make since I kind of wanted a palate cleanser project after A-Fest. For next time, I’ll need to raise the arm hole about an inch, possibly more. I think the FBA lowered this more than I realized. I’d also like to tweak the arm hole finish for next time. I might finish it off with bias tape like the neckline and see how I like it. I wasn’t happy with just folding down the edge. It looks messy to me. I also need to make a swayback adjustment.

Other thoughts: All in all, this was a very fun (and fast) make! I’ve worn it a few times since finishing it up, and I’ve gotten several compliments on it. This one is definitely going into my tried and true collection, and I’m hoping to knock out a small collection of them in the near future! Who knows? Maybe this will be my new Cambie 😉

What’s your favorite tried and true pattern?

Pattern Review: M7217

The Basics:

Pattern: McCall’s M7127 (a.k.a. the Yaya Han bodysuit pattern)

Total Hours: About 4 hours for the first suit and 6 hours for the 2nd one

Fabric: Approximately 1 yard of 4 way stretch pleather for Red She-Hulk and a half-yard of purple milliskin. Approximately 2 yards of heavy white moleskin for She-Hulk, a half-yard of purple milliskin, and scraps of grey for piping. The purple milliskin on both suits is covered with fabric from men’s basketball shorts.

Alterations: Added 2″ of length at the bodice cut line. In hindsight, I probably should have also added a half inch to the crotch cut line. I also ditched the sleeves and made my suits with an exposed zipper, as detailed in the Cosplay by McCall’s blog.

Notions: Thread, zippers, knit interfacing, clear elastic, 3/8″ elastic, stretch cord (regular She-Hulk)

Did it look like the pattern illustration?: Pretty much.

Were the instructions easy to follow?: Overall, yes, though some of the directions weren’t really the norm for spandex suits.

Make it again?: Absolutely. Hoping to make a new Rogue with this pattern soon!

Other thoughts: My main thought when I first saw this pattern was, “How useful is this really going to be for superhero suits?” While this suit is great in a lot of ways, it will still require a lot of alterations for most superheroes, especially any superheroes that have crazy seam lines (looking at you, Carol) or seamlines that don’t match up to this pattern.

That said, if you want a suit that will be a great resource for a tailored fit, this pattern is fantastic. I’ve never had a suit fit me quite this well, especially under the bust. I’m adding that feature on ALL my suits from now on. If I get around to remaking my Batwoman suit, I’m definitely going to use this pattern.

So now that the pre-amble is out of the way, here are a few tips to make your process go a little bit smoother than mine. In order to give this pattern a fair review, I tried to stick with the design as is for the most part.

So first up: directions. For the most part, these are pretty straight forward. But there are a few steps that made me shake my head a little. My main complaint was that the instructions call for a casing in the leg holes. While you *can* do this, it’s suuuuuuuuuuper annoying. Instead, I sewed the elastic directly to the leg holes, which is far more common for swimsuits and is a staple in Kwik-Sew spandex instructions. While I didn’t include arms on this leotard, I did take a look at the instructions and again shook my head. You’re instructed to set the sleeves here as you would a woven garment. Again, nothing technically *wrong* with this, but I almost ALWAYS take the RTW sleeve setting approach in spandex suits.

Next up: fit. I don’t know about y’all, but this suit had way more ease built in than I was used to, especially compared to Kwik-Sew. I wound up cutting the sides a size smaller than my pattern measurements, and I also took out a full 2″ at the waist of the front princess seams. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, no pattern will fit every body perfectly right out of the envelope, and lots of seam lines means you have flexibility with tailoring. Still, I’m very glad I made a mock-up with my go-to spandex undergarments.

Finally, difficulty. I would honestly hesitate to recommend this pattern to a complete spandex novice. My suits each had 13 pattern pieces (double that on Jen since everything is double-layered), which is a bit overwhelming for a newbie spandex sewer. Kwik-Sew’s basic catsuits by comparison have 5 pieces. Pattern matching is a big deal here as well, especially at all the bust points, and that can be tricky for folks not accustomed to sewing with stretchy fabrics. I highly recommend basting before you commit to your final stitches.

Have any of you used this pattern yet? What did you think of it?

Reviews, WIP

Pattern Review: Truly Victorian #103

After months of hemming and hawing, I finally decided to take the leap and get started on Lulu! The first part I completed was the hoop skirt which will act as the base for her belts.

Lots of Lulu cosplayers have gone with a faux apron approach for the belts and created a separate piece that the skirt snaps on. I took that a step further with this project for a couple of reasons: 1) I’ve always like artwork where Lulu had a fuller skirt in the back, and a hoop skirt is a great way to get that effect, and 2) I wanted something fairly sturdy that wouldn’t kill me after wearing it all day. The shape of this crinoline was popular in the mid- to late- 1860s, and provides an excellent base for several pounds worth of floofy skirts. Fingers crossed that it also works out for my belts!

The Basics:

Pattern: Truly Victorian 103

Total Hours: Around 20

Fabric: About 2 yards of fabric (I used duck cloth for the front half and a mystery cotton blend from my stash for the back half).

Alterations: Added about 3″ length and reduced the overall circumference of the hoops.

Notions: Thread, grosgrain ribbon, steel boning, boning tips and connectors, duct tape (yes, you read that right), boning channels, belting, thin ribbons.

Did it look like the pattern illustration?: More or less, given that I pretty drastically reduced the overall circumference.

Were the instructions easy to follow?: For the most part.

Make it again?: If I have a need for another hoop skirt, for sure! Otherwise, not a chance. My fingers are still raw from all the hand stitching.

Other thoughts: The overall construction of this hoop skirt is pretty straight forward. The directions are mostly clear, though there were a few times I had to read over directions a couple of extra times to wrap my head around it since I’ve never made something like this before. If you’re following instructions to the letter, it’s not bad at all, as they provide all the mark lines necessary to give you an even, balanced cage. However, I made quite a number of alterations that definitely added to the overall time for construction.

The one piece I'm still uncertain about. I may go back and reduce the circumference of the middle hoop in the near future. — The one piece I’m still uncertain about. I may go back and reduce the circumference of the middle hoop in the near future.

My big alteration right off the bat was to reduce the circumference of the skirt. That required a fair amount of calculations, and I used this tutorial to determine the circumference for each of my hoops. Ultimately, I decided to go with a 100″ circumference on my bottom hoop, which is almost 30″ smaller than the original pattern.

The base of the skirt is constructed with a bag, which prevents the wearer from walking through the hoops. It’s assembled in 6 pieces. To accommodate my reduced hoops, I removed the back 2 pieces.

Most of the vertical straps are connected in the center back via this crescent piece. Since this pattern is designed for historical costumes, it's intended as a space for bustles. Obviously, I won't be wearing one. — Most of the vertical straps are connected in the center back via this crescent piece. Since this pattern is designed for historical costumes, it’s intended as a space for bustles. Obviously, I won’t be wearing one.

Once the bag is assembled, you add the vertical grosgrain ribbon straps which act as the basic support structure for the skirt. This is where things started getting tricky for me, since I initially added 5″ based on my waist to floor measurement, but then had to reduce that overall length since it proved too long. Figuring out where to place the vertical straps on the bag was also a challenge, since I couldn’t use the original marks on the pattern. My placement changed quite a bit as I started adding the upper hoops.

Still a little fuzzy, but if you squint, you can see the scrap fabric I used to cover the hoop gaps.

Hoop connectors made forming the lower hoops pretty simple. I struggled with the first couple, but then I started using duct tape to temporarily hold the ends of the hoop together. This was a great fix while I clamped the hoop connectors in place. I had the best luck using my normal pliers to do the initial clamping, then using my jewelry pliers to really get a tight fit. The only drawback to this configuration is that I had a hard time getting my boning casing over the connectors, so I covered them with some scrap fabric. Probably won’t be visible once the belts are on, but why not?

The ties on the top half hoops are part of what force the crinoline into an elliptical shape.

For the upper loops, I did have a bit of a coordination challenge sliding the U-tips over the ends. I found it easiest to hold the tip down with my finger and clamp the sides with one set of pliers. While holding the pliers, I grabbed a second set of pliers and clamped the tip and around any exposed edges.

Leveling the hoops was one of the biggest challenges of this project. Again, I couldn’t go off the placement lines from the pattern, so it took a lot of eyeballing and readjusting with pins. Once I was finally happy with the placement of all the hoops, I set about hand stitching the top and bottom of each intersection. I initially tried doing this with a zipper foot on my machine, but my pins kept getting knocked out of place. So I just put it on my sad dress form, grabbed a drink, and went after it. It took about 3 sessions of 3-4 hours of sewing at a time. I think I watched 3 seasons of Parks and Rec while doing this 😛

All that said, I’m pretty pleased with how this project turned out. I’m really looking forward to adding the belts and getting started on Lulu’s other pieces!

Reviews, Tips and tricks

Newbie Adventures in Embroidery

I mentioned a while back that I finally indulged in a sewing machine with embroidery capabilities. This was mostly for Lulu and her insane lace trim, but I thought it’d be fun to learn how to do other things like making patches and such. Almost six months later, I finally got around to turning on my machine for the first time!

To break in my machine, I did a couple test runs of a Superman logo for a 1970s hotpants Supergirl commission. I purchased the logo off of Etsy, and it was pretty simple to transfer to my machine. Once I unzipped the file, I dragged it to the desktop on my Mac. After plugging my laptop to my machine, it was pretty simple to drag it to the machine’s drive and transfer the file. The machine came pre-installed with a bobbin of white embroidery thread, so all I had to do was put my embroidery thread in for the needle and let it go to work!

I did 2 initial test runs of this project on scrap fabric before moving on to the real thing. With my initial run, I mixed up the order of the thread, but it wound up working out anyway since I didn’t like the 2″ size.

For my second run, I went with a 3.5″ logo. This time, I got the colors in the correct order and was overall pretty pleased with how it turned out. No problems whatsoever!

It was only when I got started with my commission that things started going awry. As soon as it started, the white bobbin thread was the only thing showing. Okay, no big deal. I threaded the bobbin incorrectly. Easy fix.

Then the bobbin not only ran out of thread, but it created a huge knot on the wrong side of the project. Okay, deep breaths. Snip away all the extra threads, re-thread the bobbin, and install everything correctly this time.

At this point, my stabilizer was perforated and wonky, but I was also concerned about re-hooping my fabric and hitting the wrong place. So I snapped the hoop back in place and hoped for the best. While the final product turned out fine, it’s not quite as awesome as my second test run.

So here are my main take-aways from this first dive into machine embroidery:

While I wouldn’t call the embroidery interface intuitive, it’s pretty easy to use once you figure out where all the buttons are and what all the symbols mean. I had to stop in the middle of my final project, but once I figured out how to jump to different steps in the embroidery process, I was able to finish pretty quickly. Thanks, user manual!
Stabilizers are your friend! This fabric is a medium weight twill with a touch of stretch to it. I used a cut-away Sulky stabilizer that I had on hand for this project. I do need to pick up a can of basting spray ASAP though. I think that would have helped with my final logo.
When in trouble, double check threading. Most of my final issues were due to user error.

And here are a couple of resources I found super helpful:

BurleySew: Lots of video tutorials on working specifically with the Brother SE400.
Embroidery Library: Some great tips and tricks on embroidery, including information on which stabilizers to use with different types of fabric! They’ve also recently released several video tutorials.

Have you done any machine embroidery before? How did you like it?

Reviews

Pattern Review: TV110

Happy Friday! I’m gearing up for All-Con this weekend, so today I thought I’d share my thoughts on TV110, which I used to make Belle’s top/corset.

tumblr_nkvgo70IeT1sxq29yo1_500 — HRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR… It fits! The shoulder pieces attach to the lining with velcro.

The Basics:

Pattern: Truly Victorian 110

Total Hours: Around 20

Fabric: A little less than 1 yd. of poly satin (matte side), 1/4 yd of rose print brocade (center piece), 1 yd of duck cloth, 1 yd of Disney printed cotton.

Alterations: Removed the busk and tweaked the fit over the bust.

Notions: Thread, eyelets (and all necessary tools), ribbon (for waist stay and lacing), self-made bias tape, German plastic and flat steel boning, boning casing, lace trim

Did it look like the pattern illustration?: Yup!

Were the instructions easy to follow?: To be honest, I barely looked at them, other than to evaluate fitting and troubleshoot a few things.

Make it again?: Definitely.

tumblr_nk349cH13S1sxq29yo1_500 — Main issue with a 3 layer corset: SO MANY PIECES. 36 panels total.

Other thoughts: My initial plan with this project was to go with Simplicity 5006 since I had it in my stash. However, after some digging in the corset community, I ultimately landed on TV110. It’s pretty well regarded as a solid beginner pattern, it has pieces for different cup sizes, and it’s actually meant to be made and worn as a corset. Big 4 patterns add lots of ease to their patterns, which doesn’t work for corsets if you intend to do any waist reduction (corsets are one of those garments that should have negative ease when finished to accommodate lacing and waist reduction). Everything I read on Simplicity’s corset patterns advised cutting at least 2 sizes smaller than your actual measurements. I didn’t want to deal with that kind of headache with my first corset, so TV110 was the winner (plus it’s a good shape for Lulu, so there ya go).

I opted to go with somewhat inexpensive hardware on this project since it was my first go. I opted to use duck cloth for my strength layer rather than coutil. The idea of messing up fabric that runs at $30-40/yd was terrifying. I also used German plastic boning for the majority of the corset. This boning is stronger than standard Rigeline/fabric coated stuff you can get at fabric stores (supposedly it’s as strong as spiral steel boning), but still cheaper than steel boning. Plus, it doesn’t require fancy tools to cut.

unnamed1 — A closer look at the interior hardware on the strength layer. The center bones are 1/2″ steel boning for support, and the rest are 1/4″ German plastic boning.

It’s really important in the early stages of planning a corset to decide *how* you are going to construct it. I knew going in that I wanted the shell to have an appearance more like a bodice than a corset, which mean that I didn’t want my boning channels to show through. For me, that meant a 3 layer corset with a floating strength layer. I used Sidney Eileen‘s fantastic post on the topic as a guide.

tumblr_nk8nhl5BDg1sxq29yo1_540 — All 3 layers ready for assembly. The fashion layer has welted seams for a pretty finish, while the lining does not. The strength layer does all the heavy lifting, so there’s no need to do extra reinforcement unless you want to.

There were only a few areas where I scratched my head and wondered what the heck to do, and they mostly revolved around the eyelets/grommets in the back. First off, if you go with the floating layer approach, you have to trim off the seam allowance of the strength layer so that it can slide in the middle. Kind of a “no duh” moment, but it’s not explicitly written.

Also, I think I mucked up the boning placement in the back. Bones should be placed on both sides of your grommets in order to reduce pressure on the grommets. Either my bones (1/2″ steel) were too wide or I fudged the placement a bit. The 1/2″ bone I originally placed on the outside of the grommet channel pretty much overlapped the plastic bone I used on the seam, so I swapped it out for another plastic bone. I didn’t find much help in the instructions or the tutorials I was referring to, so I’ll need to investigate this more when I work on Lulu.

tumblr_nkb15lS8Ml1sxq29yo1_540 — Self-drafted floating modesty panel. I added tabs at the top and bottom that the ribbon threads through to keep it in place.

All in all, this is a very well-drafted pattern, and I’d highly recommend it for any novice corset-makers. I’m really looking forward to improving my approach to it when I get started on Lulu!

Have you made this pattern before? What did you think of it?

Reviews

Pattern Review: Simplicity 1819

A few weeks ago, Calliopunk over at Gone Catawampus asked if I could help her friend with a bustle skirt for steampunk Alice in Wonderland. The pattern she had in mind was Simplicity 1819, which was a happy coincidence for me, since I’m thinking about using this pattern for NoFlutter’s Sailor Jupiter.

The Basics:

Pattern: Simplicity 1819

Total Hours: 10ish

Fabric: 5 yds. of 60″ poly satin in blue and app. 4 yds. of 60″ black haubute for lining

Alterations: Made the bustle and skirt separate pieces.

Notions: Thread, 9″ zipper, twill tape, ribbon, velcro.

Did it look like the pattern illustration?: Pretty much, though I think I should have gathered the bustle more.

Make it again?: Probably. I’m still leaning toward the bustle piece this pattern with a few alterations if I make NoFlutter Jupiter.

Other Notes: Okay, so there were a couple of tricky spots on this project which prompted this post. Starting from the beginning of the pattern instructions. Yes, you do have to hem the apron front piece prior to attaching it to anything. The instructions call for a slipstitch, but I’m a lazy mofo and would recommend a blind hem on your machine instead. I’m still not great at this, but it’s much faster than doing it by hand. Plus, with the way the apron drapes, you’re not really going to see the hem anyway.

Next up: the side cascades. I ignored the fold lines here. I initially tried to follow them, but it just didn’t work for me. I was able to eyeball them pretty well without the lines. Also, you might consider hand tacking the edges of the drapes if you want them to retain their shape. Mine wanted to flop around a bit, but the bustle covered the wost of it.

One of the biggest issues I had with this project was the overall thickness. There are a TON of layers, and my machine HATED sewing through all the pleats on the apron. I ultimately wound up using a leather needle, but I still had to hand crank through those damn pleats.

A note about the zipper: It’s covered by the bustle, so I have no clue why they insist on a lapped zipper. You could easily do this with an invisible zipper or even with velcro or snaps.

I had zero desire to repeat the pleat fiasco, so when it came time to attach the bustle, I created a separate piece. I created another waistband piece just for the bustle and added velcro to the back so the two pieces would still line up.

Speaking of the bustle, the instructions are terrible when it comes to draping the skirt. The basic idea is to draw the bustle casing up to the loops with ribbon, much like Roman blinds. The instructions say to leave the ends of the casing free, but to stitch the rest of it down. Dafuq? How is that supposed to work, Simplicity? I ignored that instruction and stitched the edges of the twill tape, but left free gaps to thread my ribbon through.

Final verdict: I would definitely label this pattern intermediate. There’s a lot of tricky bits in it, so I’d hesitate to take it on without at least a few projects under your belt. Still, if you can power through it, the result is gorgeous! I can’t wait to see this client in her full costume.

Have you tried making this pattern? What were your thoughts?

Reviews

A-Kon Wrap-Up

10464129_10202807776488507_3939007220015045413_n_Fotor_Collage — Because it’s not a con without costume selfies. With Mia, Peony, and Samurai Pizza Kitten.

In early June, I attended A-Kon 25, which is one of the biggest anime conventions in Texas and held in Dallas. A-Kon will always have a special place in my heart, since it was the very first con I attended three years ago!

This was A-Kon’s second year in their new location, and staff has taken feedback and problems last year to heart. Last year, I attended only on Saturday. Even though I showed up for on-site registration at 7am, I still stood in line for close to six hours. Insane. This year, I pre-registered, but I only stood in line for two hours. It’s still a hassle, but it’s much better than the confuddled lines of last year. Next year, I’ll probably opt for the charity option, which had no wait at all.

Thursday

Lovely ladies! With GlitzyGeekGirl and Morgan as Belle.

A-Kon ran from Thursday through Sunday this year, and Thursday’s main event was the Masquerade Ball. I made a ballgown inspired by Ms. Marvel (original design by Hanie Mohd). I was super excited when ACCosplay asked to do a photoshoot of my gown. He’s posted a teaser of our shoot, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. I can’t wait to share the final results with you guys!

I met up with a few other cosplayers on Thursday, but I didn’t stay late, knowing how busy the weekend would be.

Friday

Gotta catch 'em all! — Gotta catch ’em all!

I hit up the con in the afternoon and evening on Friday. I dressed in my new Pokemon trainer cosplay so that I could wander around and be comfortable while scoping out the con. There were so many fun costumes, but my favorite part of the night was hitting up the Repo! The Genetic Opera shadowcast by Amber Does Dallas. Repo is one of my guilty pleasure movies, and this was my first time watching it live. Shadowcast performances are always fun, so I’ll definitely try to make the next one!

Ran into the lovely Yaya Han while I was wandering about!

Saturday

Cos-ception. A woman spotted me at the con and sprinted to me, asking me to pose with this print. Now I have to buy this print when I move. — Cos-ception. A woman spotted me at the con and sprinted over, asking me to pose with this print. Now I have to buy this print.

Saturday was cosplay day! I had hoped to debut my Sailor Jupiter, but it didn’t come together in time. Instead, I wore my Bombshell Wonder Woman with a few improvements (I’ll post about those later this week) and looked at costumes. I made it over to the DC Photoshoot that afternoon and actually ran into a Bombshell Batgirl, which is my second favorite Bombshell design.

I sat Sunday out since I had a lot of family obligations that weekend. Overall, the con was much better than last year and I had a really good time! Next year will be an interesting challenge, since there’s only going to be a week between Dallas Comic Con and A-Kon 0_o. It’s definitely going to require some costume scheduling and planning!

Nanananananana... Batgirl! — Nanananananana… Batgirl!

You can see more photos on my Facebook page!

Reviews

Dallas Comic Con Wrap-Up

Better late than never, right?

In May, I attended Dallas Comic Con. This was the first time the convention was actually held in Dallas, specifically the Dallas Convention Center. I was absolutely thrilled with this, since the new location is a short taxi cab from my apartment (it’s going to be such a bummer to move).

Friday

The con kicked off on Friday afternoon. I hosted and attended with Mia, and we mostly used the evening to scope out the new location and catch up with cosplay friends. I dressed as a “casual” version of Rogue so that I could wander around and play photographer.

I was immediately impressed by how space was utilized in the new Dealer’s Room. At the Irving location, traffic jams happened on a regular basis due to people snapping pics of cosplayers as well as popular booths. That said, a few locations were less than ideal. Specifically, where comic book artists were located, but more on that in a bit.

The Cosplay Hideout (hosted by the North Texas Cosplay group) was also a welcome addition that we utilized all weekend. It was stocked with lots of cosplay repair supplies, including tape, hot glue guns, bobby pins, and pretty much anything else a cosplayer needed! It was also a welcome place to hang out and relax for a few minutes.

Saturday

Saturday for me is always cosplay day! That’s when most cosplayers come out and bring the costumes they’ve spent months preparing. I wore my Ms. Marvel costume, which was surprisingly comfortable. I had hoped to make flame fists to represent Ms. Marvel’s Binary powers, but I didn’t get around to it in time. Turned out okay, since Aperture Ashely was able to photoshop that effect in for me!

I always look forward to checking out the cosplay contest on Saturdays. I’m stage shy, so I don’t compete, but checking out the costumes is always fun. DFW costumers are a really talented bunch!

me and capt marvel — Still one of my fav photos from DCC. Captain Marvel is Cerberus Productions.

With Glitzy Geek Girl as Lady Thor and Mia Moore as Ramona. Love these ladies!

Sunday

I don’t often attend cons on Sunday (gotta save some energy for work on Monday :P), but DCC was still rocking! Some of their biggest panels were on Sunday, including the Firefly panel at noon. This was the main reason I attended DCC, and as a Browncoat, it made me super happy. Joss Whedon even sent a video to the con saying thank you to all the fans!

10415674_525451260914318_6113140151715770167_n — All the love, Joss, even if you do have a habit of killing characters I love.

My parents also attended DCC with me on Sunday. It was their first con, and they had a blast. I made my mom a Supergirl costume as a late Mother’s Day gift, and she really enjoyed wearing it. Now my dad wants me to make him something. And my brother. And my grandfather. *sigh*

The only really disappointing thing for me was that I’d hoped to meet Dan Slott since I just finished reading his run of She-Hulk. Trying to find him was absurd. He was hidden off in a back corner of the Dealer’s Room and by the time I found him, his line was insanely long. I instead opted to go to a friend’s panel, but it was still a bummer. The space increase was great, but I’d like to see better organization and signage in the future.

I did find LeeAnna Vamp while looking for Dan Slott. She is so pretty and super nice!

All in all, this was a great con. The new location was a much needed improvement, and I look forward to seeing more Cosplay Hideouts at future cons! Also, I need to start hosting friends more often for cons. It’s absurdly fun.

You can see more pictures from DCC on my Facebook page! I’ll get around to posting about A-Kon within the next week or so.

Reviews

Austin Comic Con Recap

Hey-o! So I thought I’d post a quick recap of Austin Comic Con, which I attended this last weekend. The ever-patient BF and I braved the elements to drive in for Saturday. It took waaaay longer than normal, since the rain was insane on our drive to the con. We also opted to leave earlier than expected to avoid the Winter Weather Advisory Warning that keeps teasing me with prospects of a snow day. Gar.

Anyhow, here are some of the pros and cons of the event:

The Good:

Pretty nice facility, given what I’ve experienced at the Irving Convention Center for Dallas cons. Very spaced out.
I really enjoyed the Dealers Room and the Artists Alley. It was a huge space and I didn’t feel claustrophobic like I have at the ICC.
The Facebook costume contest was a neat idea. Very cool way for cosplayers to show off their work.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get there in time to see the panels I wanted (I really wanted to see James Marsters 😦 ), so I can’t speak to that aspect of the con.

The Bad:

Organization was pretty poor, especially in regards to line planning. We pre-registered about a month ago, but there was no separation between pre-reg and on-site. The line was absolutely ridiculous, wrapping around a few times at the front of the line and extending all the way through the building. Yes, the line moved quickly (took us about 1.5 hours. Are you listening, A-Kon?), but when you’re only at a con for 6~ hours and the line takes up 1/4 of that time, it’s not cool. I was also told that lines for VIP were longer than regular registration on Friday.
Add-on to the above point: the volunteers seemed to have no idea what was going on. Better communication with the volunteers could have alleviated a lot of line tension. I saw more than one yelling match happen between angry line go-ers and volunteers (Aside: guys, don’t be dicks to volunteers. Their job is pretty thankless).
Mia brought it to my attention that the programming book failed to mention female fans, but it does say you can talk about comics with other “fanboys”. C’mon, Wizard World, it’s almost 2014. Having a vagina and tits does not preclude one from liking comics. Fun fact: I was actually reading Uncanny Avengers when I discovered this.

Some of my favorite moments:

Little girls running up to me wanting pictures and hugs. I’m not much of a kid person, but those moments melt my otherwise icy heart. It’s one of the reasons I want to get into the 501st and use my costume insanity for good.
Running into the lovely Mia Moore! I’ve been following her Twitter and blog for a while now, so it was awesome to make the IRL connection. She’s also inspired me to cosplay Ramona at some point (go check out her Ramona cosplay! It’s so cute 🙂 ).
I picked up a Fennekin plushie in the Dealers Room! My BF got Pokemon X a while back, and I finally got around to playing. Fennekin is by far my favorite of the starters, and he’ll be a perfect prop for a female trainer cosplay.

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My Belle selfie again, just because I think my makeup looks pretty.

Costume Notes, Reviews

Zoobliez Review

Hey guys, quick post today. Just wanted to show you guys this beauty I got in the mail from Zoobliez. After a bit of searching, I stumbled across them on etsy and commissioned their Angel plushie for a few upcoming Fluttershy costumes. They had pretty good reviews, and a reasonable price of $45 w/shipping. I found some MLP plushie commissions for upwards of several hundred dollars. They were lovely, but seriously, WTF? Stacey was also really accommodating with my request to have a hidden pocket sewn into Angel’s head. I want to use him as a quasi-purse 🙂

He stands about 17″ tall total, 10″ of that being his body and the rest being his ears, which have flexible steel wires in them for posing. His body is made of fleece. He’s very comfortable and lightweight, and will be a perfect accessory for pictures! I’m very happy with this purchase, and definitely will turn to Stacey in the future for more custom plushies.

Do be aware that commissions can take 4-6 weeks, so plan accordingly. I ordered mine in September and got him a week ago, but Stacey was good about letting me know what was going on ahead of time. You can find Zoobliez on etsy and on Facebook.