The Costume/Cosplay Building thread!

Harkonnen, fwiw. Very little, I'm sure.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Harkonnen, fwiw. Very little, I'm sure. ;)

Whatever. The floating fat dude.

Paleocon wrote:
Dominic Knight wrote:

Okay, guys. Enough posting NSFW pictures about cosplayers that do a costume wrong because it's not proper for their body type. Its easy to do the same thing for guys and google Sailor Bubba or Man Fay.

I was being gender neutral on my first comment. I realize your comment was probably not directed at me, but there it is. If you're going to try to cosplay a Spartan from 300, spend 6-12 months hitting the gym every day and eating iceberg lettuce and tuna out of the can. Otherwise, stick to playing Baron Harkonan.

And that makes sense that if you're going to wear a costume that shows a lot of skin, obviously they'd need to lose the baggage. I just didn't want us to derail this by posting pictures of cosplayers that did a bad job because of their weight or body type didn't fit the costume they picked.

Dominic Knight wrote:
Paleocon wrote:
Dominic Knight wrote:

Okay, guys. Enough posting NSFW pictures about cosplayers that do a costume wrong because it's not proper for their body type. Its easy to do the same thing for guys and google Sailor Bubba or Man Fay.

I was being gender neutral on my first comment. I realize your comment was probably not directed at me, but there it is. If you're going to try to cosplay a Spartan from 300, spend 6-12 months hitting the gym every day and eating iceberg lettuce and tuna out of the can. Otherwise, stick to playing Baron Harkonan.

And that makes sense that if you're going to wear a costume that shows a lot of skin, obviously they'd need to lose the baggage. I just didn't want us to derail this by posting pictures of cosplayers that did a bad job because of their weight or body type didn't fit the costume they picked.

Fair enough. I don't know if I could hold my lunch down if I had to endure a Spartan with a BMI of 70.

Paleocon wrote:

Fair enough. I don't know if I could hold my lunch down if I had to endure a Spartan with a BMI of 70.

Ooooooh. Image = do not want!

ARISE THREAD!!!
And let's get back on track, the costumes and the cosplaying! First of all, I'd like to know how all your projects went (the Daft Punk helmet, the Proton Pack, Dominic's Sasword...).
As for me, I'm going to try and make Pax East 2014 (I know, it's almost a year from now), and this morning, a thought occurred: why not cosplay as my avatar? I've been using this one for years, it's a rendition of the main protagonist from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (light side female jedi), and while not particularly original (in fact, very much déjà vu), it suits me and my internet persona. Not to mention that it can still get pretty chilly in Boston at that time of year, I'd imagine; and it'll also be my first con, so I don't want to be groped or anything. =/

Now there are already a bunch of guides out there on jedi costumes, finding pants, boots, the robe, etc, so I guess what I'm looking for is advice if you've already done this kind of costume. My sewing skills are next to non existent, I don't own a sewing machine, so I might buy some parts, but I really want to try and do some things by myself. I'm guessing the utility belt will be handy if I want to store a wallet, hotel room key, etc and not have to carry a purse, right?

Anyway, any advice would be appreciated, I'm a complete novice in this area.

So, I didn't know about this thread last Halloween, or maybe I just missed it. Last Halloween my daughter made this from scratch, BY HAND. She had a bit of help from my wife with the sewing machine. It's even cooler in person. She might wear it to the next Escapist Expo in Durham.

IMAGE(http://imageshack.us/a/img547/2599/dscf1769sm.th.jpg)

Here's a spoiler in case you don't recognize the character:

Building another, better proton pack is a summer project for me this year.

I cosplayed as The Kid from Bastion this past Sakura-Con with help from Momgamer in the armor/costume, and hammer building. It actually turned out pretty fantastic. I'll find a picture and edit it here later.

Eleima wrote:

ARISE THREAD!!!Now there are already a bunch of guides out there on jedi costumes, finding pants, boots, the robe, etc, so I guess what I'm looking for is advice if you've already done this kind of costume. My sewing skills are next to non existent, I don't own a sewing machine, so I might buy some parts, but I really want to try and do some things by myself. I'm guessing the utility belt will be handy if I want to store a wallet, hotel room key, etc and not have to carry a purse, right?

Anyway, any advice would be appreciated, I'm a complete novice in this area. :)

Buy some cheap/inexpensive calico and practice, you've got the time. Use BRIGHT sewing thread too, so it stands out so you can see where you went wrong, or how you got it right when you go back and review your handy work later. Sewing machinery is fine, but hand sewing with needle and thread is still a viable alternative. I hand stitched some custom shaped shade sails for our garden three summers ago. The principles of binding two pieces of material together are pretty much universal.

Cut some odd shapes, sides, angles, then sew them to a straight sided piece and see how areas fall, fold. That would help you customise/fit whatever pieces you buy, make, or modify.

Small practice pieces will keep it mobile/manageable as well in terms of picking up and putting down, especially now your little one is getting more mobile.

Another option is do a search for free sewing projects online, dress patterns, etc. Even if you print them out at 20% of actual size, it will still give you some insight into how to cut and trim, for different panels and shaping later on.

Wow, DevilStick!!!! o_O That's just amaaaaaaazing!!!! I wish I had half the skill you daughter has!!

Thanks for the input, M0k3yboy!! Yeah, the little one is definitely an issue, keeping all those pointy needles away from him is absolutely an issue (he's 18 months and climbing on the kitchen table, for goodness' sake!!). For the moment, I'm still very much in the brainstorming stage, figuring out what I can buy (boots, pants) and what I'll have to preferably sew, or perhaps buy (though I really want the pride and joy of making it myself). Any actual progress will have to wait until October, though, after the next scheduled move (oh joy). I'm not particularly worried, though, the internet is absolutely FULL of information on jedi costumes (who thought Star Wars would be so popular, right? ), so I'm bound to find resources. For the robe, I found very simple patterns, but the tunic will probably be a bit more tricky. And maybe I can borrow my Mom's sewing machine after the move, we'll see. Last thing I hand sewed was my faluche almost 10 years ago and although it was serviceable (and I guess that's what counts), my stitches weren't exactly perfect.

For boots and pants, always check the thrift stores. They are a cosplayers godsend. I've found more items I can easily alter from Value Village or GoodWill than I have trying to make it myself.

Dominic Knight wrote:

For boots and pants, always check the thrift stores. They are a cosplayers godsend. I've found more items I can easily alter from Value Village or GoodWill than I have trying to make it myself.

And if you stuff it up, it's not a big loss either!