I always start a pattern I drafted myself on the large side so I can trim down as much as I want. Nothing is more irritating (and material wasting) than having to recut a piece because I cut it too small, so I err on the side of largeness. As for fitting it properly, I put on the pieces inside out and pin it as needed. Then I take it off, draw a smooth chalk line connecting the pin 'dots', and sew from there. I always use wide stitches when fitting a costume because I end up ripping LOTS of seams.
I learned on a public access TV sewing show that commercial patterns run large so that you have...
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I use startlogic.com for hosting. I designed and maintain the website myself with Macromedia Dreamweaver. It is very ghetto; one quick look at my code from someone who knows what they're doing will tell you I do things the long, hard, inefficient way. UPDATE: I now use WordPress for my site layout. So much easier to update! Glad I did it!
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I have heard good things about Katie Bair's wig dye, but I have never used it. I don't like using Sharpies to dye wigs. True you can find them everywhere, but I find them too expensive and time-consuming to get the color I like, and the colors are limited. Also, the color tends to dull the wig and the wig loses its shine. I used to use Copic marker refills (a professional japanese illustration marker). They aren't sold in retail stores (I ordered them online), but come in many colors, and are in liquid vials which is easier than using sharpies and cutting up the marker! I used Copic markers (the...
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I get mixed reviews about that wig. Some people like it, and some people think it looks too poofy. I like the poofiness, because omg, Asuka has poofy bangs and poofy pigtails! I wanted to go for an exaggerated, cartoony look.
To style, I gathered the front pigtails, then backcombed the bangs and the pigtails. Then I sprayed them with Rave Megahold hairspray, my styling spray of choice. Any cheap brand of hairspray will do; just make sure it's CHEAP, because cheap brands usually don't have conditioners in them that are normally good for real hair, but make wigs greasy and wear them down. When...
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Here's exactly what I did for Dominique. I took an electric mouse sander and sanded down the handle part until smooth. I then poked 2 holes on the bottom sides of the scoop to attach to the boot. To make the holes in the plastic, I held a screw over an oven burner with a pair of tongs for a few seconds until hot, then shoved it into the side of the plastic scoop. Once I made the holes, I matched it up on the boots and poked 2 matching holes to each hole on the scoop. I covered the scoop with fleece i.e. padding using 3M spray adhesive. Then I used a twist tie and thread it through the hole on the scoop...
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Thanks. :D The wig was an XL punky wig. To make the long tail, I used about 3 packs of green and 2 packs of blue extensions. I cut all the extensions in half. I took a 3' long piece of 1.5" upholstry cording, which you can get at any fabric store. Using a gluegun, I took tiny sections of the cut extensions, folded them in half, and hot-glued the folded part in a tight spiral pattern around the uphostry cording. The hot glue melts the extensions into a gooey sludge that sticks permanantly to the cording, but you have to mush it in tightly so it doesn't fall off if you brush it. That quickly became...
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My secret for not showing my hairline is simple: I have a very high forehead. I was self-conscious about it all through school - wait, actually, I still kind of am. I've only recently made peace with it since I started cosplaying, and realized that it meant I could wear wigs without worrying about hair peeking through. I get a double bonus by having extremely fine-textured hair, so even if it's down to my shoulders, I can hold it all in a miniscule bunlet with one bobby pin. WOO! Thus, I have no real-life advice for arranging copious amounts of hair into a small wig because my head is genetically...
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Here's the best sewing tip I can give: buy a sewing book. Don't rely on tips on the internet because it's "free". The info given on the internet is good when you're looking for something very specific, but for good-ole sewing basics, nothing beats a book. Here's why a good, basic sewing book is better than the computer:
1.) A sewing book has all the information in one place. You won't be wasting time searching the internet/bookmarking all night for all sorts of tips. All the information is in one place!
2.) It's portable. A sewing book can be kept where you need it - by your sewing machine! Then,...
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I learned how to sew from my mom's old 1969 Simplicity sewing book. I sewed a lot in highschool, but it was mostly altering thrift-store clothes and sewing skirts out of old cartoon bedsheets. That's where I learned the basics.
Equally helpful was my 3D design class in college. The standards were ludicrous; you were docked points if the teacher or students could see which way your ink strokes went when filling in black areas. You also got docked for left-over pencil marks and white-out, visible glue and overcuts on foamcore, etc. I became so skilled with an x-acto knife that I could open a phone...
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Since I found my answer getting rather lengthy, I went ahead and wrote a makeup tutorial. I included a list of my favorite makeup products. I hope you find it most helpful!
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![Jia Jem as Jack [Alt Version] from Mass Effect 2](http://jiajem.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_2694-106x150.jpg "Jia Jem as Jack [Alt Version] from Mass Effect 2")
