2021 Recap + 2022 Plans

Whew.

2021 was another bad year in a growing line of bad years. In a lot of ways, it was worse than 2020. I wasn't sure I was going to do a costume recap, since I did pick at a lot of things and even finished a few but didn't keep track of progress much. But I figured even without much to really *show* I still wanted to just jot down some of the stuff that got worked on.

January was pretty much a month-long mental breakdown so I bought a Heart of the Ocean replica, as one does. It's mostly meant to be a prop for display and "just because," so I don't know how much costuming use it'll get, but it's technically a costuming accessory so it goes on the list (and wouldn't it look lovely with an over-the-top late Victorian evening gown?).

Falling headlong into that was directly linked to my brain deciding I should be hyperfixated on the RMS Titanic and all things related like I was 7 years old again, so I decided the hellscape of early 2021 was the perfect time to start Rose's boarding suit. But to still go easy on myself, I decided to start with just the accessories: mostly pieces that could be customized or used as-is, with just a little scratch building. Over the winter, spring, and summer I picked away at the accessories and got the earrings, tie pin, hat pin, digital file for the hat ribbon, and some hat experimenting done. I also got base shoes for modification and fabric swatches to go along with it. (Still don't have any photos of these things, so hopefully I can get a post about some of that stuff done soon.)

Throughout the spring I was also working on Agnes/Agatha Harkness from WandaVision. Her 1990s tracksuit was a great easy project to kind of whet my need to costume without being overwhelming.

I loved the project and the result, and was really pleased with testing out some new techniques, but I wasn't totally happy with the weird fit of the premade tracksuit. So I'm thinking about making a new one from scratch. Might end up being another fun light project for 2022.

I also finally started on Evie's library/prison costume from The Mummy. I already had a pattern and fabric for the skirt from the year before, and then bought a shirt, earrings, belt, and shoes, and started modifying the shoes. I think I need to replace the skirt fabric with a khaki that's more tan and less pink-y, and at that point I might look at different fabric types too.

In October, I did a project on Instagram where each day on the week leading up to Halloween I posted a sort of closet cosplay of some character. I wasn't at home with my whole costume collection so that made things more challenging, but also more in the spirit of doing makeshift ensembles. I managed to put together a library Evie Carnahan (The Mummy), Janet Snakehole (Parks and Recreation), Morticia Addams (live-action The Addams Family), 1950s Agnes/Agatha Harkness (WandaVision),  Constance Hatchaway (The Haunted Mansion ride), and Mother Ghost (Crimson Peak).

So the 2021 breakdown (heh) was:

• The Mummy: Evie library ensemble (earrings, shirt, shoes)
  
• Titanic: gratuitous Heart of the Ocean, Rose boarding suit accessories (earrings, tie pin, hatpin)
  
• WandaVision: 1990s Agatha tracksuit
• various closet cosplays
  

At this point I'm making almost no definite plans and just continuing to pick away at things and see what happens. But there is something of a list to go along with that:

• French Revolution Zombaes: continue weathering dresses, play with new makeup
  
• Hocus Pocus: continue spellbook 2.0, upgrades for Ice (new pants, new jacket for events), Mary upgrades, start Billy and Winifred
• Indiana Jones: continue Grail Diary pages, Indy pants, Jock shirt, Marian Nepal bar shirt, Elsa desert undershirt
• Kingsman: start Agent Tequila
• Letterkenny: start Wayne
  
• The Mummy: continue Evie library ensemble (shoes modifications, scarf, new skirt fabric, skirt mockup)
• Shadow and Bone: continue Kirigan research and fabric swatches
  
• Titanic: finish Rose boarding suit accessories (hat, gloves, shoes)
• WandaVision: new fabric for 1950s Agatha dress, research on other Agatha costumes
  

Stay tuned!

WandaVision - "Naughty" 1990s Agatha

WandaVision snuck up on me in a big way. I was glad Wanda was getting more screentime, but I hadn't seen much promo material before the show aired and I had no expectations of getting invested in it, let alone recreating any costumes from it. Then Agatha happened.

It really *was* Agatha all along!

While the show has some issues that really don't sit well with me and definitely spoiled my overall enjoyment, I immediately fell in love with Agatha and the problematic elements didn't damper that. I initially planned to do her 1950s dress from the first episode (and that's in the works), but I quickly found myself theorizing and researching *all* of her costumes (and currently planning to do them all, but we'll see how that goes). On mostly a whim, the first I ended up doing was the most gratuitous—it only has about 30 seconds of screentime, if that—but also the easiest: her 1990s purple velour "Naughty" tracksuit from the opening credits of the seventh episode.

I myself have an edgy velour rhinestoned tracksuit, so it was super relatable. And as I'm still in a costuming rut, something easy to make and comfy to wear was also appealing.

Because the costume felt so indulgent and was meant to be a laid-back project, I didn't want to invest a lot of money in it, so I got a tracksuit second hand and some cheaper (but still beautiful) clear resin rhinestones. The lettering could really be done with any uniform size, and that may be how they made hers, but with only blurry references it's hard to tell. So I got 6mm, 5mm, 4mm, and 3mm to give it some variation.

I made a digital template/stencil of the lettering from screencaps and tweaked it to account for perspective. I don't do much digital work in costuming, so it was fun to use a new tool, even for something basic. I sized it based on standard 8.5x11" printer paper and did some (awkward) mock-up tests, and it ended up being pretty perfect.

Using the template as a stencil, I lightly painted the letters onto the pants with silver Jacquard fabric paint. Referring to both the template and screencaps, I started gluing the largest 6mm rhinestones in the places that looked the most prominent, then went down in size filling in more of the letters. I mostly used the larger sizes for the bulk of the letters, and used the smaller sizes to fill in gaps between them and smooth out edges. This gave the letters a really nice shape. I used E6000 for the gluing based on tutorials by the shop I got the rhinestones from, and it worked great. A wax pencil was also very handy.

This was my first time rhinestoning (?) fabric and it was so much fun. I'm already thinking about doing a second Agatha tracksuit but experimenting by filling in the letters with just tiny 2mm or 3mm rhinestones for a more uniform look. 

There are a few wonky spots where I painted outside the lines or had to remove and reglue rhinestones and left some residue, so I might try to disguise that with some purple paint. The tracksuit I bought also fits a little odd—despite being a matching set, the pants are just this side of indecently tight but kind of perfect that way, but the jacket is a good size too big in comparison. So I may take the jacket in so it fits a little more tightly like hers. But it's completely wearable and overall I'm so, so happy with how it turned out.
 

I already have a white t-shirt to wear under it, and I'll likely improvise the shoes with some generic sneakers (I do have an old pair of Reeboks that might fit the '90s aesthetic). This would be a great opportunity to skip a wig because my hair is the perfect color, but it's also too short right now. I'm in the process of growing it out so I may wait and see if it's long enough by the time I have a reason to wear this.

I have no definite idea when or where that'll be. At the very least it needs a photoshoot. A friend of mine does a wonderful Wanda (in many different incarnations) so when I fell in love with Agatha I told her I'd be her evil counterpart, and she was so excited when she found out I was doing this costume specifically. It would also be fantastic for a lazy day at a con or for staying in costume but being comfortable during post-con evening shenanigans. I may even be bold enough to wear it in Real Life.

As silly as it is, I love this costume and I'm super glad it was my first completed costume build of the year (and of the pandemic!).

Stay tuned!

*Tagging this as "historical costume" feels so... ugh. Not just because it doesn't feel like historical costuming or look like any of the other historical sewing I do, but also because I lived through the '90s and thinking of that as "historical" in any sense is jarring. But for the sake of accuracy and tagging continuity...

2020 Recap + 2021 Plans

2020 was an on-fire dumpster of a year for so many reasons. Tallying up costuming accomplishments seems so arbitrary, and finally posting this halfway through 2021 makes the "plans" aspect kind of futile. But looking back on the things I still enjoyed and managed to get done admittedly feels kind of good.

HB Revolution
After distressing the chemise dresses for French Revolution Zombaes at Labyrinth 2019, they were pretty much unusable for anything else (except maybe pirate shenanigans). I hadn't made new ones and didn't have the time or energy to try mocking up something else Revolution-esque in time for HB Revolution, so I went in "normal" clothes. At the time I didn't really mind it, though I regretted the decision just a little when we met up with some friends who were dressed impeccably (and came to regret the decision more as every other costumed event of the year was cancelled, at which point it would have been nice to have done costumes at HB Revolution).





Great L.A. Air Raid
This was the only costumed event of the year, and if I'd known that at the time, I might have done things a little differently. I basically just reused the costume from the previous year: fur-collared coat, red blouse, vintage sailor pants, brass airplane pin. I actually got another pair of the sailor pants that fit better though, and in place of the usual pearls I used a vintage scarab bracelet as a necklace and wore matching earrings. My hair was longer than the previous year and I was experimenting with a new style so the curls and overall style didn't work well or last long or look all that great.

Everything from March onward—WonderCon, Pirate Invasion, SDCC, Labyrinth, and L.A. Comic Con—was cancelled.

So a decrease of events and an increase in stress meant all old plans for the year went completely different, and summer started as a big ol' depressive marathon. I did a lot of other things—puzzles, reading, bingewatching, sewing lots and lots of masks, catching up on posting last year's costumes and events—for a few months, until by July I started working some active costuming back in.

King George
In working on other projects since finishing my King George crown, I'd kind of lost steam on the project. But the release of the filmed performance over the summer motivated me to think about it again, so I started working on version 2.0 of the crown and ordered new materials. I also demolished and then scrapped plans for the livery collar. I'd initially planned to take the original apart and reuse as many materials as possible for a remake, but when I decided to scrap plans for the cape too (or at least postpone it indefinitely) the collar became obsolete. The new plan is for the crown (version 2.0), suit, chest badge (version 2.0), and the scepter, to match what he wears for most of the show.

Hocus Pocus
I didn't mean to fall back into this, but as the Halloween season was approaching I was in my spoopy feels and couldn't leave it alone. Mostly I just did more fabric swatches and the research that goes into that. Nearly all of Winifred's fabrics have been decided and some bloomers and petticoat fabric has been ordered (I'll be constructing the outfit from the inside out for ease and to cut costs), and fabric choice progress has been made on Mary and Billy too. I also started making Winifred necklaces again, more accurate with upgraded materials, and started gathering materials for spellbook 2.0.

1780s/1900s Summer Hat
This is far from finished, but I've been thinking about it for years so I still count starting it as a win. It'll be a light, summery, Provence-inspired straw hat with fabric crown and floral decoration meant to straddle both the 1780s and early 1900s.

Non-costuming craft projects
With events being cancelled and not having any real reason to make costumes, in addition to (or sometimes in place of) sewing I did a lot more general prop and crafting projects than usual. I finally made the witchy moon lamp and Sleepy Hollow horseshoe "artifact" I've been wanting for years and carved two fake pumpkins.

The 2020 "breakdown" was:

• 1940s ensemble: new pants, new accessories
• King George: crown 2.0 started
• Hocus Pocus: more swatches ordered/organized, spellbook 2.0 started
  
• new 1780s/1900s hat started
• general spoopy decor crafting
  

I don't even know how to plan for 2021 right now. Things are still so up in the air, I'm trying not to get my hopes up for any events or big projects until things change in a more positive direction. But if anything, I can keep picking away at the incomplete bits and pieces that have been on the list the last few years. At the very least I'm hoping to work on the King George crown 2.0 and the Hocus Pocus spellbook 2.0.

• continue design work on Gibson Gothic, Sword-and-Sandal Superheroes, and/or Lost-Hope Ball
• continue fabric/pattern/construction research on the Sanderson Sisters and Billy Butcherson
• Winter Soldier: plan construction for new jacket
• Civil War Sharon Carter: new shirt
• Alexei: new pants, new shirt
• Ice: new pants, new jacket for events 
• French Revolution Zombaes: continue weathering dresses, continue experimenting with makeup
• 18th century Lydia: add lace collar, maybe additional accessories, practice new makeup
• 18th century Beetlejuice: new zone front gown
• new 18th century chemise gowns
  
• continue research on WWII reenactment portrayals: WAC, WAVES
• random small vintage projects: blouses, shorts, pants, skirts, etc.

2019 Recap + 2020 Plans

I still can't believe we're on the other side of 2020. Sounds fake, but okay.

Obviously this is way old by now. But 2019 was the last normal year of costuming and I actually did a lot, so continuing the process of catching up on old stuff I still wanted to go back and recap it.

2019 was a really busy year. I'm pretty sure it set a new record for costumes + events, or at least was a strong peak.

In February I went back to The Revolution in Huntington Beach, but in costume for the first time.

Using last year's French Revolution Zombaes costume as a base, I made new petticoats, neckerchiefs, jewelry, and a hat for the event.

I also made it back to the Great L.A. Air Raid in a different 1940s ensemble.

The pearl necklace, blouse, cardigan, coat, and oxfords were all from my closet. The coat was from my closet and modified with a fur collar from the stash. I turned a brass airplane stamping into a brooch, and bought a pair of vintage U.S. Navy uniform pants. We got there later than last year but stayed until the dance ended and the MPs started rounding people up, and went to the after-party on the Queen Mary which was a blast (and turned into a rare, impromptu photo op).

In March I went to WonderCon as per usual. The first day I did flight suit Carol Danvers and my friend did the SHIELD disguise variant.

We pulled the costumes together in about two weeks between seeing the movie and the event. It was the first time we've done costumes while the source material was still fresh, and it was fun getting to take advantage of all the Captain Marvel hype. Despite how casual the costumes are, we got a lot of great reactions and had a great time. We were also super fortunate to take part in the Marvel photoshoot.

I bought the flight suit and patches, and used a blonde wig, aviators, and boots I already had. I fixed the fit issue with my wig (which I've been using for a few years now for Cap) by cutting a slit in the lace behind the ears so the lace could sit further forward over my actual hairline. It was my first time doing a pulled-back hairstyle with a lace front, and also the first time fully gluing down the hairline, and I'm really pleased how well it worked.

The second day we were Jay and Ice from Hocus Pocus, which was kind of a dud.

The people who got it absolutely loved it which was great, but not many people got it, so after how popping the Carols were the day before it was kind of eh. On the plus side, we did run into a Dani at the end of day which was super fun.

The only thing new about the costume after making it the previous October was getting new pants (which ended up too big and now need yet another replacement), using an alternate plaid shirt, and finishing Winifred's spellbook as an extra prop. I wore the same jacket I used for a photoshoot the year before, which looks absolutely perfect, but it was way too uncomfortable for an event so that'll need an alternate eventually.

In June I went to Pirate Invasion again after skipping the year before. For convenience, French Revolution Zombaes were the base again. My friend went pirate-y with hers, and I did more or less a variation of the HB Revolution ensemble with an upgraded hat, the FRZ wig, and some flashier jewelry.

The event was unfortunately generally underwhelming and at some points actually disappointing, which also ended up meaning no photos, but the costumes were fun.

Most shocking of all, in July I made it back to San Diego Comic Con for the first time in something like five or six years. It was completely unexpected and fairly last minute, as far as what planning for SDCC usually requires. A friend was on a panel and invited us along, so we were able to get badges for just that day and share an AirBnB with her. It was an Avengers cosplay panel and she was wearing her Scarlet Witch, so I did flight suit Carol Danvers again and my friend did Captain America: Civil War Natasha Romanoff to go with the Marvel theme for the day.

We also got to do the Marvel photoshoot again.

The flight suit from WonderCon needs a few repairs so I actually wore a different suit (same design, newer manufacture date) with the same patches, and used the same boots and wig and sunglasses, and added a black undershirt and dog tags.

We spent the rest of the weekend just being tourist-y in San Diego, checking out the outdoor stuff at the convention center and exploring Old Town. (And I did my first ever 10k for the 50th anniversary of the moon landing that Saturday!)

I had also prepped Civil War Sharon Carter for SDCC as an alternate costume choice.

I continued dyeing the blue/brown vest, but it turned out kind of terrible so I ended up buying two more of the same Banana Republic vest in slight color variations. I managed to get the actual screen accurate gray/gray vest (!!!) but it's just a little too small, so that's being saved for "someday." The other new vest was the gray/brown variant, and a black fabric marker took care of the brown trim so it looks pretty dang good. The costume is technically complete now, but the shirt was never ideal (too crisp white) and got stained somewhere in transit to/from San Diego so it needs to be replaced.

In August I had Labyrinth Masquerade again. I still can't believe this has sort of become just a normal yearly event now. Friday night was the return of French Revolution Zombaes.

FRZ got an upgrade with weathered dresses, the wigs from HB Revolution, and new makeup. They still need to be weathered a lot more, but it was fun to get it started.

On Saturday we debuted 18th century Beetlejuice.

Things were hit and miss. I finished Lydia (minus the neckline ruffle) and I'm really happy with it. For Beetlejuice, the mockup process took longer than expected and I ran into some last minute pattern problems, so I had to change plans and do a quick chemise gown instead of the zone front I had designed. But it still worked.

I turned 30 (gasp!) which was and still is kind of horrifying. So I guess I get to join the Cosplay Over 30 community now. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

In October we went to L.A. Comic Con, but not in costume. A family emergency the day before took all the energy and excitement out of me, and I'm really glad I still decided to go to the con because it was a nice distraction, but I'm also glad I skipped a costume and went plainclothes instead. Alexei "Smirnoff" from Stranger Things had been the plan, and I more or less finished the costume (but no photos yet), so like Sharon it's just waiting for some upgrades and an opportunity to be debuted.

So the 2019 breakdown was:

• c. 1780s middle-class ensembles: new shift, new petticoats, new shoes, new hat
• 1940s ensemble: new pants, modified coat, new accessories
• Flight suit Carol Danvers: completed and upgraded (new flight suit, added undershirt and dog tags)
• Ice: new button-up shirt, new pants
• Sanderson spell book: completed
• Civil War Sharon Carter: completed
• French Revolution Zombaes: weathered dresses, new sashes, new makeup, new wigs
• 18th century Beetlejuice and Lydia: completed
• Alexei: completed

And for 2020...

2019 burnt me out in a lot of ways, and I'd vowed that 2020 would be the year of "chill" costuming: casual research on to-do costumes, little upgrades and tweaks to existing costumes, and picking just one major (though still smaller than usual) sewing project for the year. This plan lasted until about February, and then quickly fell further and further apart.

So the new plan was kind of no plan, but tentative stuff that has been dabbled with:

• continue design work on Gibson Gothic, Sword-and-Sandal Superheroes, and/or Lost-Hope Ball
• continue fabric/pattern/construction research on the Sanderson Sisters and Billy Butcherson
• Civil War Winter Soldier: plan construction for new jacket
• Civil War Sharon Carter: new shirt
• Alexei: new pants, maybe new wig
• Ice: new pants, new jacket for events 
• French Revolution Zombaes: continue weathering dresses, continue experimenting with makeup
• 18th century Lydia: add lace collar, maybe additional accessories, practice new makeup
• 18th century Beetlejuice: new zone front gown
• continue research on WWII reenactment portrayals: WAC, WAVES
• random small vintage projects: blouses, shorts, pants, skirts, etc.

Stay tuned!

Thrifting Wizardry - My Tips and Tricks

While everything about pandemic and quarantine and just 2020 in general is A Lot, certain frivolous things I'm missing have been on my mind lately. Fall is my absolute favorite time of year, even if it's more a state of mind than tangible season here in Southern California, and it always has me wanting to go out and do stuff. Normally I've been out haunting craft and thrift stores and making Halloween and Dapper Day costumes for weeks by now. This year, that desire to do is amplified by not being able to. Craft stores I can get to online (even if the thrill isn't the same), and Etsy has certainly seen more of my action than usual. But thrift stores are still out of reach.

I've been burning through thrift haul videos on YouTube to live vicariously through other shoppers' past experiences (at the moment I'm watching The Closet Historian and Rachel Maksy, who I highly recommend), and their recaps got me thinking that I could take my own trip down memory lane. I'm figuring out how to do a profile of sorts on some of my all-time favorite thrift finds, and maybe one on identifying vintage markers in more modern clothes, but in the meantime I figured I could jot down some of my methods for A+ thrifting. I can't even pretend to know it all, of course, and everyone's goals and opportunities are different so your mileage may vary. But I've been thrifting basically all my life (big thanks to my thrift-enthusiast parents) and I feel like I've developed a bit of a knack for it. So these are the major tips and tricks I follow when I shop.

-Find your niche
I wear a lot of t-shirts and jeans/leggings in Real Life, so I don't necessarily go thrifting for stuff I'm going to wear on a daily basis. Though at this point, after years of thrifting a lot of my "nicer" everyday clothes are secondhand. So I might pick up some casual wear incidentally, but mostly what I'm looking for is more hobby or special occasion stuff, and for me that's pre-1950s antique/vintage/retro or lookalike, pieces for costumes I'm planning, and things made from great fabric I can repurpose. My roommate loves 1970s pants for office wear. My parents collect dishware and unique wall art. If you have something specific to look for, it can make the whole process more manageable and more exciting. Thrifting can also be a good way to figure out what your niche is, as you start finding things that jump out at you and connect the dots of what makes you tick.

-Do your research
You don't have to know everything. There's still so much I have to learn about the things I love to shop for. But getting a sense of the aesthetic and value of what you're looking for can be helpful. I don't always feel like I know my niche on a technical level, but I've done enough research to develop an eye for what looks correct to me. I can't always explain why it's right, but I know it when I see it and it just feels right, and that helps guide me. The more you research, even casually, the more this will become second nature. Knowing what you're looking for is especially useful at antique/vintage stores that have older stuff at higher prices and where you want to be a bit more careful, but it's super useful at thrift stores too. Knowing your niche at thrift stores can help you identify, for example, vintage design elements in more modern clothes. If you're looking for 1940s and know the look, you can find and take advantage of the 1980s-does-1940s stuff which is pretty common and cheap, and you can get a vintage look for less. Always a win.

This also applies to the types of stores you visit. In my area, thrift stores are generally larger charity "chains" with multiple locations (Salvation Army, Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul, etc.), and antique/vintage stores are private small businesses. If you like to shop conscientiously, help out those small businesses and do a little digging into which charities you'd prefer to support. Once you start going to stores, you'll also learn which places have the best prices or best inventory (or, ideally, the best combination of price and inventory) and you can develop a list of favorites.

-Set a budget (eww)
This is tied to research, because you kind of need to know the values of items and price points of different kinds of stores to maximize a budget. But it's also just its own issue. I kind of break this rule, because I don't really set a budget per se. I usually shop at thrift stores where the prices are low, and I shop for specific types of things, so I tap myself out on what's available before I spend more than I'm comfortable with. At antique/vintage stores I might lust after a lot, but I only let myself buy things I need that are at a price I'm comfortable with. Basically I just judge where my finances are at and play safely within that so nothing else suffers. So that middle ground works for me, and those kinds of general limitations instead of specific numerical cut-offs can work as a budget too. Like most things, do whatever works for you.

-Look through EVERYTHING
Depending on the size of your thrift store or how many you go to, this might be more or less feasible. But it's worth a try. Things might be sorted incorrectly or misplaced on the wrong rack. I regularly find women's clothing in the men's section and vice versa (to say nothing of clothes you want to use however regardless of how they're branded—the gender binary is a social construct and everyone should wear whatever they like). Different brands, eras, and styles will have different sizing and different cuts, so they'll fit slightly different: a size small that's cut to be oversized might fit like a large, a large might run smaller than usual, and so on. This also goes for sections of the store that you think won't have anything good. One of the coolest finds I've ever made was a World War I liberty loan pin mixed in with a bunch of random 1980s and 1990s knick-knacks in a $1 discount bin. You really just never know what you'll find where. There are treasures out there. Discover them!

-Try stuff on
I do sometimes skip this step when I know I can pass an item on to someone else if it doesn't work for me, or if it's just too cool or the deal is too good and I have to have it regardless (maybe to use as a collection piece for study). If I'm straight-up repurposing fit doesn't matter of course. And unfortunately sometimes there's no dressing rooms. But most of the time, I try on everything I possibly can. Something might be my style and my size, but then I try it on and hate how it looks. Something might leave me feeling eh on the hangar, but once I try it on it's perfect for me. In the same principle as looking through everything, eras and styles and sizes can vary, so you'll never really know until you put it on.

-Manage your expectations
If thrift stores have a weakness, it's inventory. Unlike online shopping on sites like Etsy where you can much more easily search for and find specific items, at a thrift store you're limited to whatever they might have in stock that day. I tend to get my hopes up too easily, and under thrifting conditions that's a recipe for letdown. To manage that, I try to keep an open mind. I do still shop with specific items in mind, and if I find that great! But I don't let myself get caught up in the idea of finding it, and I just let it be a more low-key, adventurous experience to see what unexpected things I might come across. Of course if you go to a store and don't find anything regardless of whether you were on the hunt or just browsing, that's still disappointing. But I spin it as a chance to save my money for something good that will inevitably come along later. Also, going to stores you're familiar with that consistently have good stock improves your odds of finding stuff, so sometimes it helps to also just manage your time and only go to places you know have the best odds.

-Make peace with "no"
On the other end of the spectrum, inevitably you'll find something that stirs your soul but you just can't have. This one is difficult for me, because my eyes and aesthetics are often bigger than my bank account.  Make peace with passing on things that are beyond your budget or that you can't make work. It will happen, and it'll be okay. On the other hand...

-Feel free to take chances
If you're on the fence about something, don't feel bad about saying "why not?" and just going for it. Try it out for a while. Best case, it works! Even worst case, it doesn't work and you sell it or gift it or just donate it again. Of course I can really only justify this when the item is cheap enough that it's not a big risk to potentially be throwing that money away. And I only do it on pieces that have at least one thing going for it: generally it has to at least fit and not look like a disaster, and if it doesn't fit I have to be fairly sure I can alter it or turn it into something else. Just like finding your niche in the first place, thrifting is a great cheap way to experiment with your niche and really develop a style or interest by taking a chance and trying things out.

I hope that helps someone (anyone) in the wild world of thrifting. As I think of any other cool tips and tricks I'll update, and in the meantime hopefully plan for some other thrifting wizardy posts (shall this become a series? Hmm.).

Stay tuned!

Costuming in the Time of Pandemic

All jokes aside, YIKES.

It's been a rough few months of winter and spring for everyone, and for me it's followed a difficult few months last summer and fall. As a result, even though I've still been sewing and crafting and going places (before lockdown this month anyway), I haven't had the time or energy or sometimes the memory to document any of it. Now with more time on my hands than usual, I'm hoping to go back and catch up on posts about last year's events and costumes, many of which have been sitting here as unfinished drafts.

In the meantime I'm also switching costume sewing over to medical mask sewing, and I highly encourage anyone with the means to ask around in your communities or on social media to see if any facilities could use help. The Million Mask Challenge groups on Facebook accept members nationwide and internationally and offer resources for constructing and donating masks in approved designs where they're needed most.

Stay tuned!

2018 Recap + 2019 Plans

2018 was a weird year in a lot of ways. It felt like it lasted forever, but now looking back at the end of it, where did it go??? Lots of bad stuff, but also some great stuff, and I still managed to get a fair bit done.

February brought two new events.  We went to The Revolution in Huntington Beach in "civvies" (non-costume), but it was an awesome event and we're definitely going back in costume next year (more on that below).

We also finally made it to the Great L.A. Air Raid, which was incredible.

We arrived a little later and left a little earlier than I maybe would have liked, but it was a great toe in the water for the first time attending. As I try to get into the historical costume and reenacting scene a bit more, both of these events are definitely going to be annual staples.

In April we went back to WonderCon, this year as Beetlejuice and Lydia the first day and TWS Mall Cap and Nat the second.

I added pockets to Lydia, which was great in principle, but having pockets in a lose-fitting tube dress means a bunch of weight hanging off the shoulders and neck. With my chronic neck problems that ended up being a major issue. I also decided to skip contacts but was still too committed to accuracy to wear my glasses, so strained eyes didn't help with the overall discomfort. I ended the day with a migraine and it kind of ruined the experience. Lesson learned for next time: carry a bag or wear 18th century pockets under the dress, and wear contacts. I also realized that despite putting on what appears to be fairly heavy makeup, it just disappears in photos, so I'm considering trying some heavier more glam Lydia makeup in future. Otherwise, it was still pretty fun, and seeing people's reactions was nice, especially this being our first time wearing them at a con.

Cap was much better, as always. I repainted the soles of the shoes with spray paint to hold up a little better, and added the brushed metal texture to the shield.

One of our photographer friends was there so we were going to try to get some nice photos, but it didn't pan out so that's still on the "someday" list.

In May, I dyed my Captain America: Civil War Sharon vest.

I still want to try to get the truly screen-accurate vest in the black/grey, but the blue one definitely looks better having been dyed. It needs another coat, but it's progress.

We made a little progress on our Reserve TIE Pilots over the summer. We got our belt buckles sanded down and brushed, but didn't think to glue on the greeblies and seal it immediately, so we ended up with some rust and now have to do it all over again. I also finally got the templates for our jumpsuit modifications.

I tore an inconvenient place (the butt) on my TWS Mall Cap pants over the summer, which is definitely not progress but it was an event, so now I have to replace those.

August was huge just for Labyrinth Masquerade, and was my biggest project completion with French Revolution Zombaes.

The costumes were fantastic, but most happily, we met up with some Instagram costume friends who are now Real Life friends.

In September, I started some Hocus Pocus stuff. So far it's the spellbook and getting fabric swatches, both of which are almost done.

In October, we went to L.A. Comic Con for the first time and wore Ghost!Thomas and Lucille again. Though the costumes were wear-ready, we did make a few substantial upgrades. Ghost!Thomas got new shoes, which my friend painted and look amazing.

I redyed Lucille's robe with a customized Dye-Na-Flow blend. It's still not quite what I want, but a definite improvement over the original dye job.

I also changed the wig. The first wig I had ordered years ago didn't fit me well. The hairline at the temple came way too far forward and completely covered my ears, and there was a weirdly pronounced peak above each temple. At the time I didn't want to deal with it, so I ordered a different style which is what I wore with the costume last year. It worked okay at WonderCon while it was in a braid, but with the hair worn down at Labyrinth it kept wanting to slide off. More experimenting after made me realize it was actually too small, and eventually it got to a point where I couldn't stand wearing it anymore. When we decided to bust the costumes out again for L.A. Comic Con, I didn't have the money to drop on a new lace front, so I got the original back out and tried to make it work. And it actually worked well. I changed the hairline and cut back the lace so it actually fit my ears and looked more natural, and it was so much more comfortable. This was also my first time actually securing the lace with spirit gum. I didn't quite get it pulled over my hairline at the sides (which just says to me I need a still bigger wig), but it looked really nice along the forehead.

We met up again with our friends from Labyrinth, who were Nightgown!Edith and Suit!Thomas, and we got lots of great reactions.

Being in a Crimson Peak group definitely helped with visibility, and the con being right before Halloween and kind of unofficially spooky themed definitely didn't hurt either. It was a completely different experience than WonderCon last year, where we had only a handful of people react and half of those thought my friend was Sweeney Todd and ignored me. We also finally got some nice and varied photos of these costumes, courtesy of our friends.

Wearing all that fabric and a heavy wig all day was too much for my neck though, especially with a flare up having already started the week before, so the week after was fairly miserable and I'm pretty sure that contributed to the solid month of migraines and tension headaches I had in November. So unfortunately, Murder Party Lucille might be relegated to just photoshoots from now on. (More excuse to start thinking about her black velvet park/ghost dress though.)

October was pretty busy, and the day after LACC we did a Hocus Pocus photoshoot at Sunnyside Cemetery as Jay and Ice.

Mostly this was just putting together the costume from purchased pieces, but I also cut and restyled my blonde lace front wig, which coincidentally made it more aesthetic and practical for Cap and more accurate for Civil War Sharon.

In November I finally finished my King George crown, which even with my reputation for unfinished projects probably now holds the record for longest continuous construction time of a single item. But hey, I did finish it.

I just did a recap on this sucker and also what comes next.

So the 2018 breakdown was:

• 1940s ensembles: completed
• Lydia Deetz: pockets added, wig restyled
• TWS Mall Cap: shoe soles repainted, shield modified, wig restyled
• CW Berlin Sharon: vest dyed, wig restyled
• Reserve TIE Pilots: buckle construction started, jumpsuit templates acquired
• French Revolution Zombaes: completed
• Lucille Nightgown/Robe: new wig, robe redyed, new photos
• Jay and Ice: completed, new photos
• Sanderson Spellbook: almost completed
• King George crown: completed
• King George cape: pattern acquired

And December has mainly seen the start of some planning...

2018 was supposed to be the year of finishing the unfinished, and it kind of was, but mostly it wasn't. I did revive and revamp Hocus Pocus, but that's very much ongoing and likely won't be done in 2019 (still foolishly aiming for Labyrinth, though). We did a little work on our Reserve TIE Pilots, but not proactively, so those are still on the docket. King George's crown is done, but the other accessories are still an ongoing go. Civil War Sharon is that much closer to done, though Nat isn't, but they're also still really close in general, so hopefully that'll happen. In other ongoing work, we're hoping to finalize concept and design work on Gibson Gothic and Sword-and-Sandal Superheroes, and maybe Lost-Hope Ball too.

There are also some more pending upgrades. We want to upgrade our TWS Cap and Winter Soldier costumes, which we wore just once at an underwhelming SDCC a few years ago and then threw in the closet. I already have a new jacket for Cap, and have my nice shield as well, so this will probably mostly be redoing the Winter Soldier jacket. Our historical events, namely The Revolution and Great L.A. Air Raid, also need modified ensembles.

As far as totally new, we really want to do the TWS Cap Stealth suit and an amalgam MCU Black Widow suit. This is definitely not an outright 2019 goal. Given the scope, it'll be slower progress depending heavily on patterning and workouts (I am determined to be a Dorito). And after seeing Bohemian Rhapsody, we're desperate to do Freddie's party outfit with the crown and a Bowie to go with.

So the rough plan for 2019 is:

• Winifred Sanderson, Mary Sanderson, and Billy Butcherson (Hocus Pocus)
• Reserve TIE Pilots (Star Wars)
• King George III accessories (Hamilton: An American Musical)
• CW Berlin Sharon and Nat (Captain America: Civil War)
• Gibson Gothic and/or Sword-and-Sandal Superheroes and/or Lost-Hope Ball designs (historical/original)
• TWS Cap and Winter Soldier (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
• Cap Stealth Suit and Black Widow Tactical Suit (Captain America: The Winter Soldier and MCU)
• Freddie Mercury party outfit (Bohemian Rhapsody) and David Bowie
• c. 1783 American Revolution middle-to-upper class ensembles
• new 1940s ensembles

We'll see what happens. Happy New Year, everyone!

Hamilton - King George: Moving Forward

Now that the crown is (finally) done, at least in Version 1.0, as well as the livery collar, star badge, and rhinestone garter, I can start getting back to the big picture plan and thinking about what's next.

Star badge:
I technically have one done, and it's alright. But I've never been totally satisfied with it (I will never be satisfiiiiiied). The show has since premiered on the West End, so I've been able to see the costuming tweaks they made for that new production. Most notably (and relevantly), they gave George an actual metal and rhinestone badge more like the real Order of the Garter rather than the embroidered one from the shows in the U.S. Either way works since both are accurate, and I'm not fussy about mixing costume variations from different shows. At the very least I could just remake the embroidered version. But I just love the way the rhinestone badge looks (*sparkles*). From seeing other people make replica royal orders and orders of chivalry and such, I have half an idea of how to make a star badge like this out of other jewelry pieces. It's an option, and it would probably be another cheap and fairly easy accessory. Time will tell.

Scepter:
I decided I had to have one after seeing the show last September, but I forced myself to put it off until all the other pieces I was working on were done. Now the time has come. I haven't really started planning construction yet. It'll probably be some kind of dowel as a base, and then I'll make the top piece similar to how I made the top of the crown. I need to do more research on it to get good references, so that'll be the first step.

Cape:
While the cape falls in the realm of clothing more than accessories and the costume can be complete without it, it's still a priority over the suit. I think I can wear it and the accessories over something silly and dumb like a red union suit or ironic t-shirt and Union Jack boxers or something as kind of a high-quality gag costume, so that I can still enjoy what I've made so far without waiting on the whole suit. By chance, I was at a thrift store in October and found a costume cape with the perfect shoulder shape. So after months of struggling with picking patterns and doing alterations (more on that later), I can actually start making some real progress on this part. I have some of the materials, though now that the pattern is different I might need to order a little more yardage (fingers crossed that it goes the other way and I'll end up with extra instead), and I still need to buy some of the ribbon trim. But overall, the mockup is ready to start at least.

This monster is still going to move forward casually and at a slow and hopefully somewhat steady pace, but it's going to be a busy few weeks around the holidays and then suddenly school starts again in January. Fingers crossed!

2017 Recap + 2018 Plans

I had a really ambitious project list for 2017, and I didn't get even half of it done. As usual, my eyes were bigger than my wallet and calendar. But what I did manage to get done, I'm actually really happy with.

Mall disguise Cap and Nat (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) got another outing at Long Beach Comic Expo in February.

Both were already finished costumes, but Cap had some notable upgrades: finished shoes (same I usually wear, but repainted to look more accurate), new wig, new shield, and getting to wear my real glasses with new semi-accurate frames instead of fake ones.

Thomas and Lucille Sharpe's murder nightgown party costumes (Crimson Peak) were finished in March for WonderCon.

I don't put much stock in my sewing/costuming skills, but Lucille's nightgown and robe and everything that went into them made me appreciate that I do actually have some skill.

Wayne and Garth (Wayne's World) also made a WonderCon appearance. They're old costumes and very simple despite being crowd-pleasers, but it was significant because (like with mall!Cap) I used a new wig and got to wear my real glasses. (No photos of the upgrades though, because whoops.)

I made a quick and dirty circle skirt to go with my Her Universe cardigan and did a vintage Disneybound Imperial officer for spring Dapper Day in April. Fabric stash and closet cosplay save the day again.

Jack Sparrow and generic pirate!Norrington were done-ish (wearable) for Pirate Invasion in July.

They're really only a start, but a solid start that worked well. I pretty much want to do nothing but sew 18th century shirts now.

We got Beetlejuice, Lydia, and ghost!Thomas done for Labyrinth Masquerade in August.

Lydia was a fantastically fun, easy, cheap project, which was a nice change of pace despite still being another project with a tight and specific deadline. Beetlejuice and Thomas were more exercises in creativity, and made me appreciate my skills again like Lucille had.  (The photo of Beetlejuice and Lydia is from Halloween; we didn't end up with any photos from Labyrinth.)

And I (finally!) started some spoopy Halloween skirts, and planned a space-themed skirt for extra credit in my astronomy class (which I didn't finish in time, but I'll definitely still get to some day).

Not bad all told. I always feel like I don't accomplish much in a given year, probably because the things I don't finish outnumber the things I do, so recaps are wonderfully helpful to remember just how much got done.

And looking ahead...

I've already proclaimed 2018 the year of the UFOs (unfinished objects, that is). I always get frustrated with myself for being really ambitious, starting big projects, and then running out of time and energy. The deadline passes, I get depressed and lose interest, the projects sit there, and I start new ones instead of finishing the old (new is more exciting because it doesn't have the stigma of failure already attached). 2018 is going to be the time to break that cycle, even if only temporarily, and clean out the materials stash.

New projects from 2017 that didn't get finished are at the top of the list. Vintage Disneybound Hades and Maleficent didn't pan out for spring or fall Dapper Day, but the design work is almost done and we have all of the materials. We're also comparatively close to done with our Reserve TIE pilots: we have most of the pieces, and the few we don't are at least sourced. We found a solution to the hold-up on our belts, and the jumpsuit mods should be easy.

Next come older projects that were never finished or need overhauls, starting with Hocus Pocus. Sarah and Mary Sanderson were wearable for Mickey's Not-so-Scary Halloween Party at Disneyland a few years ago, but Sarah was in a really sad, slapdash state and Mary needed some improvements. I've since lost interest in finishing Sarah for myself right now, so if I don't force myself to finish that on principal I'll make a Winnie instead, and Mary will get properly finished. Alternately, we're tossing around the idea of doing Winnie and Billy like we'd initially wanted. (And no, starting two new costumes is hardly finishing UFOs, but in this case I look at Hocus Pocus itself as the project more so than the specific costumes, so whatever finishes the project in an enjoyable way is ideal.)

Less complete but still definitely in need of finishing are our Haunted Mansion costumes. They were the plan for Halloween at Disneyland the first year we went, but they ended up being more complex and time-consuming than I thought, and Real Life cut in.  The tightrope walker needs a complete do-over, and the dynamite guy is about half done with some changes to make.

There are a few somewhat in-progress but very laid-back found-item costumes that could get finished, if only because it would be easy to so why not. Sharon and Nat's Berlin costumes (Captain America: Civil War) are both very close to done: we need a new jacket for Nat, and dyeing Sharon's vest is optional, but otherwise both are complete. The Tramp and the Kid (The Kid) are good contenders too: Kid is done except for suspenders, and we've started sourcing Tramp's pieces.

I'm also set on finishing as much of King George as possible. I really want to wear the whole costume for Costume College and Labyrinth Masquerade, but I also don't want to push myself to finish too much too fast (that's how UFOs spawn). So at the very least I want to finish the accessories - crown, collar, scepter, cape, shoes, wig. I've already decided I can wear those with a red union suit and make the unfinished costume a bit of a gag.

For costumes already on a list somewhere but not technically started yet, we have French Revolution Zombaes, Gibson Gothic, and Lost Hope ballgowns. They'd be good options for Labyrinth Masquerade, and the historical bases sans creep factor would be good for the historical costuming world we're dipping our toes in. Any of those would be good for the big project of the year.

A few finished costumes also need repairs or upgrades: Lucille's robe needs to be repainted and her nightgown needs a paint alternative to the fake blood (way too messy), Thomas's black vest needs to be remade, Beetlejuice might get a skirt alternative.

Brand new projects will (hopefully) be few and far between. But we'll see. We're planning to go to the Great LA Air Raid next month, so depending on what I can dig out of the closet or find ready-made, that might require a few new pieces.

So here's the tentative tally for 2018:

• Vintage Disneybound Hades and Maleficent (Hercules and Sleeping Beauty)
• Reserve TIE Pilots (Star Wars)
• Sarah and Mary Sanderson, or Winnie Sanderson and Billy Butcherson (Hocus Pocus)
• Tightrope Walker and Dynamite Guy (Disneyland's Haunted Mansion ride)
• Sharon and Nat in Berlin (Captain America: Civil War)
• The Tramp and the Kid (The Kid)
• King George accessories (Hamilton: An American Musical)
• French Revolution Zombaes or Gibson Gothic (historical/original), or Lost Hope Ball (Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell)
• 1940s something or other (historical/original)

Busy Summer Recap

Lots going on lately, if only I could get things organized enough to actually post about it.  I've been working on an indie film, which has taken up most of my costuming time, and that's ongoing until at least late fall.  As a result, I haven't done anything for the Historical Sew Monthly since April - though I did a lot of research and came close on a few things, and having finished one challenge, I'm still doing 100% better than past years.  What I have done, however, is make some quality progress on a few other personal projects.

Lucille's robe and nightgown from the finale of Crimson Peak are coming along nicely.  I've got the nightgown sleeve drafted, maths (eww) figured on customizing existing patterns for the rest, and lots and lots of swatches and dye tests.  I think there's enough worth compiling for a post now.

I've also finished step one of a new project: French Revolution Zombaes.  Essentially, Queen M's most fashionable groupies who got the guillotine and came back as des morts-vivant.  Chemise dresses, huge hair, bloody stitched-up necks, and of course bedazzled mini portraits in honor of their dearly departed queenie.  It should be a lot of fun, and as a bonus, all of the non-zombies aspects - namely the dress, jewelry, and hair-styling practice - can be reused for more serious historical costuming.  The bit I started with was the mini portraits, and I'll post about that soon too.