| SEW
WHAT?
3-2-99:
The Cost of Dressing
Many humble
apologies for the lack of updates here, but I haven't been able
to do much work on the costume due to a lack of time and a lack
of funds. Yeppers, I'm pretty broke these days, so it may be tough
finishing the costume for another month or so. I should be working
on it again soon though, hopefully!
And, since
I'm so broke right now, I doubt I'll be going to Baka!-Con this
year, unless my family decides to get REALLY generous REALLY early
for my birthday. I'll still be making the costume, it just may be
a while before I actually get to wear it. ;_;
In the meantime,
I've been checking some prices for ready-made Sailor Senshi costumes
through the 'Net... and frankly, it doesn't look so good. One site
I went to, Cospa.com, didn't
have any Sailorjupiter costumes, but the other senshi costumes that
were available came in between 45000 and 53000 yen... which comes
out to between $396 and $439! And they didn't look that fancy either.
Bottom Line? Make it yourself, or get a friend to do it for you.
You'll save a bundle!
I've also been
checking out some of those neat "waist-whittler" things that hold
in your flab, since it's a pretty form-fitting outfit, and my waist
is not quite up to par. :p It looks like you can get a good one
for around $25, in the lingerie department of any decent department
store. Watch for sales, and you can probably get one cheaper!
11-19-98:
From Hair to There
Some new developments
are happening in my realm, relating to this costume! First off,
I have an occasion to wear the SJ outfit to now! I hope to be attending
the BAKA!-Con 1999, which is, according to them, the ONLY anime
convention for 800 miles or so. It's going to be happening in Tukwilla,
Washington. I linked their website above, in case any of you other
otaku from the Northwest are interested!
I also have
figured out a good way to get the wavy hair a la Mako for all you
long-haired girlies! It worked for me, and I have really thick hair,
so it'll probably be ever better for those with better hair. ^_^
1. Heat up a curling iron. I used a 1-inch barrel curling iron.
2. Comb out your hair, to make sure there aren't any knots in
it.
3. When the curling iron is hot, take a section of your hair and
wrap it around the barrel, like you do when normally curling your
hair.
4. IMPORTANT: IMMEDIATELY AFTER you finish making the curl on
one section, comb it out, so the curls get stretched into waves.
If you want more volume in your hair, use a brush. If you don't
want your hair to get puffier, then finger-comb it or use a wide-toothed
comb.
5. Repeat this for all your hair, in even sections.
6. Style your hair into the Mako ponytail!
7. TOUCH-UPS: If your hair is too puffy, then use a little hair-spray
and try to slick it down some with your hands. If your hair is
too thin, then hairspray it, and brush it more until you get more
volume.
Also, a note
to the people who have E-mailed me about this section: YES, I KNOW
there is a McCall's pattern for Sailor Senshi costumes, because
I looked ALL OVER for it. If you read the next entry, then you'll
notice me complaining about not being able to find it!
10-12-98:
Gearing Up
This is the
first entry here at Sew What, and it may be the last for a couple
weeks anyway. I don't know when I'll be able to start construction
on my Sailorjupiter costume, 'cuz I don't have immediate access
to a sewing machine. I was hoping I could get it done in time for
Halloween, but I kinda doubt it'll be totally complete by then.
Hopefully they'll have an Anime Convention up here one of these
days! I should petition them to have one in Portland. ^_^
Costume:
I combed the fabric and sewing supply stores in town, but I couldn't
find that McCall's Sailor Moon costume pattern ANYWHERE. It was
BAD. One of the ladies who helped me said, "Sailor Moon was big
last year, wasn't she?" Last year! Sheesh.
After some
looking around, I found a pattern that I'll probably be able to
convert to a Sailor Senshi costume with a little improvisation.
It's Butterick pattern #5781. It's actually a figure-skating and
dance type outfit, but it has pretty much the same skirt and bodice
style. HERE is a scan of the pattern package,
if you want to look for it! I'm not going to scan the actual pattern,'cuz
Butterick would probably sue me for all 5 cents that I'm worth!
(hee hee)
Hair:
I've decided that I'm going to dye my hair a week before Halloween,
since that's about the time that I would be doing my regular dye
job anyway. ^_^ (My natural color is dark brown, BTW) For this time,
I am using a brighter red tint than my normal. It's L'Oreal Casting
hair color in "Spotlight Red." (#28) It's a really bright red hue,
so unless you have dark hair like I do, you should probably go with
something more auburn, like "Chestnut." Casting is a really good
haircolor too, it usually turns out more natural-looking than other
kinds. It lasts about 3 months.
If
you don't want to go THAT permanent, then you should try a henna
haircolor, which washes out in one wash. There are some other hair
colors that come out in 6-8 shampoos, if you can't find henna anywhere.
As I get the
costume more and more complete, I will post more tips, ideas, and
miscellaneous information for you all up here. If anything happens,
you'll be the first to know! Until next time!
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