The nice guys at The Pull Box give me my own column and how do I repay them? Not doing my job! I’m finally back (this week anyways) with the trials and tribulations of a costumer. I spent last weekend in Corpus Christie, TX for a show called Realms Con. It was a fun show, albeit on the small side, and primarily dealt with anime. Though off in a sub-station, they had all sorts of RPGs and Star Trek on-goings, and James O’barr made an appearance (it was hilarious having to explain to my friend what The Crow was.) Still, I had a great time and got to debut two new costumes.

While at the show, I was asked if I would be attending Anime Weekend Atlanta. Though I would love to, as it was my first anime convention back in 1999, getting the funds together to go on a trip to Atlanta wasn’t something I planned on since I’d be moving a few days after the show ended. Well, said friend offered me a room, another friend offered me a badge, and then gas money was thrown my way. How could I say no?!

Now, the thing is about a show like AWA is that it is a costumers haven! Some of the best anime costumed cuties show up year after year, and it very much is a dog and pony show. I’m not one to compete in contests, but I am certainly competitive when it comes to my costuming. I hate being left out when I can really show off my skills. So, I decided to make a few new costumes for the show.

How does someone go about making four costumes, in under two weeks, without spending more than $20, while finishing up her last few days at her highly stressful and demanding job? I’d normally say booze, but drinking and sewing is a dangerous thing!

Lucky for me, I have about 4 bins full of fabric and a very large “want to do” list of costumes. I finally decided on Velvet from the Playstation 2 game, Odin Sphere and would dress my friend as the “protagonist” Alice. We also both share a love for an anime series called Maria-sama ga Miteru. Full of wonderful lesbian undertones, but it’s really just a show about girls in private school. Mia offered to order the skirts so I would only have to focus on the blouses.

The sewing is the easy part, it can be time consuming, but neither costume is very complex. It’s the mental process I go through that really eats away. Costuming is obviously more than a hobby with me, something akin to an obsession. I spend countless dollars, time, and mental energy on the garments I create and the conventions I attend to show them off. But it’s not a “look at me” mentality at all.

I’m not very creative: I don’t draw, I’m not very good at musical instruments, and my singing is akin to that of a cat in heat. I do write, but that’s my job and it’s also something I have to do every day, even if I enjoy it. Sewing is my one creative outlet, the one thing I can say “I did that!” and take pride in.

So I really sink in when I decide to take on a character and make it reality. I have hundreds of folders, filled with reference pictures, every angle imaginable. If it’s a game character, I play the hell out of that game when I’m not sewing. If it’s a comic book character, I read all my old back issues before bed. An anime girl? Have the show playing in the background while I’m working on the costume. I don’t just pick characters I know, I pick characters I love and I completely immerse myself in them.

It really does make the sewing process easier, to be so eager about the end process, like when you accidentally top stitch a sleeve to a blouse and you need to rip the entire thing apart and start anew. Or when you are trying to figure out how to make a veil cap your head and still flow freely in the back. Or just when it comes down to crunch time and you don’t think you can finish the task at hand, but you look at everything you’ve put so much work into and say to yourself, just a little bit more and it will be finished, and it will look fabulous.

So it’s T-minus 4 days and some odd hours til I leave. Velvet is about 60% done, IU haven’t started on Alice or the Maria-sama blouses. The only whole day off I have is Wednesday. Can I do this? I better, Mia already ordered the skirts!

Next week – What is a Comic Book Character Doing at an Anime Convention?!