Laura Roslin - Conceptualization

 
I really need an easy project right now.  You know, like, something that I don't have to pattern myself and do a shit ton of embroidery on.  That kind of stuff takes freaking forever and my fingers hurt :(

I am also stalling a little bit on other stuff because Puck (going back to the embroidery thing) still requires at least a couple full days of work JUST ON THE EMBROIDERY and the fabric I ordered for Sansa Stark's wedding dress is absolutely the wrong colour and now I'm going to have to dye it very carefully to the right colour.  At least I've drafted most of the dress pattern already.  That's something at least.

After being pestered for a couple of years, I finally watched Battlestar Galactica.  You know, sometimes I wonder why I don't take advice from other people more often concerning TV shows because this one was excellent.  Granted, I cannot bring myself to watch the last episode because I know it won't end well for poor Laura.  There's only so much I can take.  I mean, I thought I'd seen enough characters die this year between Doctor Who and Game of Thrones (Robb...why?!), but apparently not :(

Anyway, I really wanted to do another scifi cosplay, preferably a powerful woman because that's kind of my MO at this point (yeah, not so much with Sansa, but that's splitting hairs).

After a great deal of research, I chose this as my favourite of Laura's outfits:

She has really good taste!  I wish I looked so put together everyday, but usually I just look on the floor and see whatever I was wearing yesterday and put that on because I'm too lazy to figure out anything else.

Back on subject, I was a bit concerned that this was a pants suit and not a skirt suit because it took a lot of digging to find good-quality publicity shots of it.  Fortunately I was able to confirm that the jacket had both matching pants AND skirt, which is fortunate because I hate wearing pants.

This image was the first hint I found that a skirt might exist for this outfit.

This shirt seems to be a recurring article of clothing and I really like it.  It's unique.  I'm not quite sure yet how it's constructed.  Probably I'll just overlay the pleated sections on a regular shirt pattern, though, to keep it simple.  I don't think that's how the original was made, but unless I find an untapped well of motivation somewhere that's just the way it's going to be.

This was also my reference for when I styled my wig.  More on that later.  This post is quite long enough already and I am tired.  I will say, however, that I WAS able to locate this exact stripey suiting fabric and I've already gotten started on the skirt!

To finish this thing up, I wanted to share with you my favourite photo of Laura ever:

Seriously, her relationship with Adama is so cute.  I wish they'd had more time together...
That's the tragedy of the series and also the reason why I will probably never be able to finish the final episode.

I don't want to end on such a depressing note, so here is a picture of a baby seal:

Kakyo Kuzuki Photo Gallery

Kakyo Kuzuki from X/1999 was my first serious foray into men's kimono.  It was an adventure.  Men's kimono are much more difficult to make that women's and must also be made to size (unlike women's kimono, which are tucked up at the waist).

Starting from the inner working of the cosplay, I am wearing a juban (underkimono) that I purchased from a used kimono seller.  The white kimono is made of silk I imported from Japan and is actually cream because, as you know, the Japanese associate white with death and therefore do not often sell bolts of white kimono fabric.  White would, however, be suitable for Kakyo because he's in a a permanent coma and wishes to end his own life, even though that is impossible given his physical state.

The translucent haori (or possibly kimono) is made of the lightest cotton fabric I could find that had the right weight for making kimono.  Organza would have achieved the desired visual effect as far as the patterning went, but it wouldn't flow properly.  I painted the design by hand using Jacquard fabric paints.

The cosplay was finished in November 2012.  Unfortunately I have never had a chance to debut it at a convention.

Kakyo would never smile like this.  Nevertheless I really liked this shot.  I'll explain why further down the page.

At some point I thought Kakyo deserved some happiness.  This photo and the previous one are 'what-if' scenarios...perhaps Kakyo finally went to the beach with his beloved Hokuto!

Fai Fluorite Photo Gallery

Fai Fluorite is, to date, the cosplay that took me the longest amount of time to complete.  He was supposed to be my first cosplay back in...2008 I think, but I didn't have the skill back then.  This current incarnation began life in 2010 or so and I finally finished it up in January 2012, just in time to debut at Arisia 2012!  Two years in the making, phew!

At some point I'll write some real blog posts about this, as I do have tons of photos.  Yes.  Sometime.  There's way too much to write right here.

I will say that, yes, the entire coat is appliqued.  Overall there are probably over sixty pieces, but I lost count at some point.  I achieved the gradient effect using watered down Jacquard fabric paint.  The "brass" findings are in fact paper clay.  I never made the staff.  After all the work I put into the cloak, it was just too much and I couldn't store it anyway.

Sakura Kinomoto Photo Gallery

Sakura Kinomoto was almost completely unplanned.  I had two options for Saturday night at Anime Boston 2013: compete in the masquerade, or go to the formal ball.  I did not get accepted into the masq for unknown reasons.  So I had to scramble to find a suitable cosplay for the formal ball.  Sakura was the victim!  I loosely based my cosplay on this promo image from Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle:

The base of this cosplay was a poufy belle dress that I purchased from Aurora's Boutique in Troy, New York.  I have two such dresses now.  Yes, I have a problem.

The cloak is made from scrap taffeta that I meant to make into a petticoat for a Victorian dress but never got around to.  I painted it with an amalgamation of Sakura's memory feather design and the Tsubasa wing symbol.  The hairpin is made of paper clay and the staff is made out of mat board.  Nothing fancy, but I had to finish it all in only a few weeks!

Completed May 2013

Associated blog posts:
An Unexpected Cosplay
Final Stages