SLCC!

I haven't even unpacked from Phoenix yet (yes, I know it's been a month. Don't judge), and it's already only 60 days until the next one! Salt Lake Comicon is coming up the first weekend in September, rather annoyingly the end of the first week back at University (and a week after I move back to Utah, yay), but hopefully it'll still be pretty great! I've got a VIP pass for this Con, also the first time I've ever had one (!!), and I've got a few friends from school coming with me this time. (Since Lainee and the squad can't come up to Utah to go with me, *pout*)

Anyhoo, this year I'm finally going to wear my Carlotta costume, as my friend Morgan has amazingly agreed to be my Christine, which is super exciting. I tried that one on today to figure out the alterations it still needs, and I'm wearing 3 full sized petticoats under a double-layered dress, and it weighs SO MUCH. Add a jacket, a wig, stockings and boots, and a hat, and I am going to die of heat. It's so hot in Utah in September it's painful. At least the sleeves are only elbow length? I'll take anything I can get.

Second on the list is Elizabeth Comstock from Bioshock Infinite. A much more comfortable costume. I spent most of today making the pieces for a Skyhook out of foam board, which I'll post pictures of later, and trying to find a bottle to make into a Salts container (harder than it sounds). That costume doesn't need much work, as I already have the blouse, skirt, stockings and boots, and hair bow, so I just have to add the shirt collar and sleeve details, and finish the Skyhook and bottle. Hopefully I can find a Booker DeWitt to take some pictures with!

Third up- as a rather ahead-of-schedule announcement, one of our group cosplays for Phoenix next year is going to be Disney Princesses, and I chose Sleeping Beauty. I'd really like to get this cosplay done in time for September so I don't have to worry about it for Phoenix, but if I don't, I'll go as Elizabeth both days. I have the base dress already, and Aurora is not a super involved costume, so hopefully I can get it done fairly quickly. 

Workin' away...

~Michelle

Comicon 2016

Turns out, I'm not so great at this blogging thing.
It's been awhile, as you can tell. But I'm happy (and tentative) to say I'll be back with it over the summer. At least until August, when the stress of moving and Sophomore year begins. (Also, both cosplay making and blogging becomes 1000x more difficult while babysitting our 8-month-old nephew. This kid's a handful)
Anyway, losing focus. Back to the point.
Phoenix Comicon was this past weekend and it was a great time. Despite the fact that it was at least 83% stress, thanks to missing costumes, parking, and broken phones, we really enjoyed ourselves.
10/10
This year, we had a larger group with us than ever before. While its sufficiently more difficult to keep track of 6+ people as opposed to just the two of us, group cosplays are way more fun and garner a lot more attention.

Thursday

First day of PCC, we did a Peter Pan group cosplay. I cosplayed Tinker Bell while Michelle pulled off a fabulous Captain Hook. I loved this one in particular because I think it was one of my personal best and people love seeing their favorite fairytale come to life. Also, Tinker Bell is a favorite with the little ones and getting to see their excitement at meeting me really brightens my day.

(Michelle as Captain Hook, our friends: Mercy as Wendy Darling, Mariah as a Lost Boy, Jesse as Peter Pan, and then myself as Tinker Bell) 

Friday

Our second day was our second group cosplay. Today, we were DC heroes and villains. This cosplay was particularly fun because people love to see characters from classic comics. I finally got to wear my Supergirl cosplay that I've been working on and wanting to wear for awhile. Michelle was Poison Ivy. It was definitely my favorite of all the costumes she wore this year. 

(Myself as Supergirl, Michelle as Poison Ivy, Jesse as Harley Quinn, our friend Star as Joker, and Mercy as Wonder Woman) 

Saturday

Day 3. By this point, our feet are killing us and we're dying of heat. Something I don't consider too much when designing cosplays is the fact that I live in a desert. Well, at least its a dry heat *sarcasm* (every Arizonan simultaneously glares). 

Day three's cosplay was Assassin's Creed, a game that I have never played. But the cosplays were *on point*, as they say. Huge shoutout to Michelle for making our fantastic costumes, as I really had nothing to do with these. Also, unfortunately I don't have many pictures of these costumes as 117 degree weather and coats and capes do not go well together. I ditched my costume about 3 hours in and didn't get many pics. 

Haytham Kenway (literally the only picture I took that day)

Jesse as Edward Kenway and Michelle as Connor Kenway

Shenanigans 

Sunday

And finally, we come to Sunday. Sunday was a rough day. By that point I was exhausted and in pain and quite ready to go home, but I was looking forward to being joined by our older sister. Michelle and I cosplayed as Hogwarts students, Slytherin and Gryffindor, respectively. I love this costume cause it looks great but its also super comfortable and easy. Today was the day of the broken phone, so again, I don't have many pictures.  

I don't have much to offer but here's a photo of our sister Casey and friend Luke in their awesome Fire Emblem cosplays. (Lucina and Robin) 

All in all, I'd say it was a successful Comicon. Despite our series of unfortunate events, we had a great time. I'm already planning for and looking forward to next year. Hopefully, you might see some more pictures from Michelle's side (hint hint). Check back soon to read about next year's cosplays. (Hint: Disney fun, the always favorite Firefly, the Fellowship of the Ring, and a particular Agent of SHIELD) 

Thanks for reading,

Lainee

Comicon is in a WEEK and we are pANICKING

Carlotta Giudicelli- Phantom of the Opera *Part One*

For PHXCC, we're cosplaying as a group, which is always awesome, as Phantom of the Opera. I'm going as Carlotta Giudicelli, more specifically the costume she wears in Prima Donna (the pink and purple one).
There are almost no reference pictures of this costume in the movie; finding a shot of her costume full-length without it being blurred is extremely rare, so I can have a little more creative license here to make it how I want it.
Her dress is what looks like a wide pink skirt, with a purple jacket buttoned over top of it. She also wears a hat and some gold jewelry. No idea what her shoes look like, and as it's a floor length skirt with a train, I can really wear whatever would be comfortable to walk around all day in.

I started with a really hideous bright pink prom dress that I found at Saver's for $20, and a purple jacket from the same place. I then had to go match the fabric, (which took absolutely FOREVER). I bought an additional three yards of pink cotton that matched the dress, two yards of purple crepe that matched the jacket, a yard of carnation pink cotton for the neckline, and a yard of pale pink chiffon for the hat. I also ended up buying a spool of white lace, some black and white feathers, and some purple flower-shaped buttons.

And then promptly made a huge mess. 

I put the dress on my mannequin and had to pin it up, it was so big. 

I then cut the jacket into the points on the front, cut off the lapels and collar, and folded them over and pinned them so they could be hemmed. Also had to be pinned up on the mannequin to be taken in later. 

I then made a 'tail' out of the matching purple crepe and pinned it on the back. 

I made a ruffle by pinning strip after strip of hot pink fabric together end to end, folding it and pinning it into the ruffles, then sewed it up with a strip of burgundy ribbon over the middle. 

I used the same process to make a ruffle from the pink cotton, then machine sewed it to the neckline of the jacket. 

I also sewed the hot pink ruffle to the skirt of the dress using a wide (and very tedious) hand stitch.

Now I have to do the detailing and cuffs on the sleeves, make the giant ribbon bow/flowers for the skirt and bustle, add the flower buttons and a new closure to the jacket, make the hat and jewelry, and style the wig. I might end up adding a second ruffle to the skirt because hers is wider, but I'm not sure on it yet. I'm hoping to have this one done by next week and then move on to the FanX costumes- more specifically Evie Frye- because that one needs to be done by the end of March. But I'm having a lot of fun with this one in the meantime, I really love how it's turning out.

~Michelle

Salt Lake Comicon

So as I said in my previous post, in September, Lainee, Mercy, and I all went to Salt Lake Comicon. None of us had been before and none of us knew the city area, so it was an adventure, to say the least.

Also, when you cosplay in a dorm, you make do with what you can. Even if that includes using your desk as a makeshift sewing table and spreading fabric and other materials and pieces all over your living room. Luckily my roommates are gracious and don't hate me for making a mess. (I hope.)

The main panel of guests at SLCC was the Captain America cast, so they had Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Hayley Atwell, and Anthony Mackie. We met them all.

Lainee wore her original Captain America costume. Going off this theme, Mercy and I decided we'd play along. Therefore we became Commodore Canada (inspired by Canadian Nathan Fillion's response to Captain America), and Capítan Mexico. Yeah, we know we're hilarious.

I made out costumes in the same style as Lainee's, a paneled skirt sewed to a solid colour top emblazoned with the flag's symbol. So all of us ended up with red and white striped skirts with a sash. Lainee's top was blue with a white/grey star, mine was red with a white maple leaf, and Mercy's was green with the Mexican seal hand-painted on with fabric paint. Mercy and I both had shields with the maple leaf and the Mexican seal as well. I'm pretty proud of how they turned out.

The finished product

In the process of painting Mercy's top

Lainee and Mercy's "We just met Sebastian Stan and Chris Freaking Evans" faces. Since Lainee insists on taking a picture of me like this every time I meet a celebrity favourite of mine, I retaliated. 

The first day of the Con I ended up going by myself, as they weren't in town until Friday, and it was an ordeal. I got lost about six times. 

I went simple and just dressed up in a costume I already had, a Hogwarts student from my own house, Slytherin. Surprisingly, I got a lot of comments on it. I only have one picture though and it was after I'd gotten home. I don't know what I did with my cape, it's not in this picture. But I was wearing a black cape with a Slytherin patch on it and it kept flowing behind me and knocking everything over that I walked past. Oops. 

Also, some generic pics I took at the Con. 

And some pics from when we were all out and about. 

We were all so exhausted on Saturday that we weren't bothering with costumes. I was really sick that day, too. 

On the left is Kimi, one of my best friends who I've known for half my life. She didn't come to Comicon with us but she came to visit me anyways.

 She's scared of elevators

Lainee and I absolutely love this show, and they perfectly match out personalities, so much that our nicknames for each other are literally Castle and Beckett. So when we saw these ID badges, we had to get them.

My Comicon pass with added Captain Hook mini keychain because TOO CUTE

And a good time was had by all.

~Michelle

Updates

Okay so I apologise for how extremely long it has been since either of us have posted. A ridiculously long time. In August I moved to Utah to go to university, and Lainee started university in Arizona, so we've had an extremely busy semester. Lainee and our friend Mercy did end up coming to visit me in September and we all went to Salt Lake Comicon; I'll post some pictures of that soon.

Plans for this year include Jess and I going to Salt Lake FanX in March, all of us attending Phoenix Comicon as usual in early June, and I know that I at least will be going to Salt Lake Comicon again in September, although I don't know if anyone else will be coming with me.

For Salt Lake FanX, Jess and I are going as Ron and Hermione from Starkid's production of A Very Potter Musical, and Jacob and Evie Frye from Assassin's Creed Syndicate. We're not sure on the last one quite yet but we're bouncing between either doing Edward and Connor Kenway from Assassin's Creed, or Tate Langdon and Violet Harmon from American Horror Story: Murder House.

Phoenix Comicon is the source of many projects for us and it's going to be stressful, as at the same time Lainee and I are going to be doing costuming work for our old community theatre group, who is putting on a production of Mary Poppins, the opening weekend of which is the same weekend as PHXCC.
Our cosplayers for Phoenix include Lainee and I, Mercy, her brother Eddie, Jess, and our friend Luke, who came to PHXCC with us last year.

Our list includes:

Assassin's Creed-
- Edward Kenway (Jess)
- Haytham Kenway (Lainee)
- Connor Kenway (Michelle)

Phantom of the Opera:
- Christine Daae (Mercy)
- Erik (The Phantom) (Eddie)
- Carlotta Giudicelli (Michelle)
- Meg Giry (Lainee)

Peter Pan:
- Wendy Darling (Mercy)
- John Darling (Eddie)
- Peter Pan (Jess)
- Captain Hook (Michelle)
- Tinkerbell (Lainee)

The rest are miscellaneous fandoms and include
- Captain Malcolm Reynolds and Kaylee Frye from Firefly (Michelle and Lainee)
- Robin from Super Smash Bros and Dwight from The Office (Luke)
I'm not sure what else Jess has planned for her other two costumes, but one of them is likely to be Jacob Frye from AC: Syndicate.


Costumes for monthsssss. Definitely got our work cut out for us. 

~Michelle