1. 357
    23
    May
  2. 100
    23
    May

    Top 10 Things For Non Mizzies To Know (Musical)

    10. Les Miz is about the 1832 STUDENT REVOLUTION!! NOT THE FRENCH REVOLUTION!! If you want the French Rev. you belong in the Scarlet Pimpernel fandom.
    9. The musical Les Miserables never was, never has, and never will be written by Andrew Lloyd Webber (he wishes). All credits for the musical go to Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schoenberg.
    8. A large number of people do die in Les Mis, for one reason. It's because the plot of Les Mis involves a barricade...and people fight on barricades...with guns. If you don't understand this there's not much I can do.
    7. Les Miserables is NOT a depressing opera. It is a libretto with a moving score. If it's "too sad" or "too operatic" for you, you have obviously no experience in life. And one day life will hit you REALLY hard. And I will be there to say "I told you so."
    6. Javert is NOT the "bad guy." The only time he will ever be the "bad guy" is when he forgets his nightie stick
    5. All together now! It's pronounced "Lay Miz-ur-AHB"!!
    4. No one has the right to think that Zac Efron should even be considered for the role of Enjolras. He shouldn't even be allowed to play Marius! (cough) loser (cough)
    3. Canon = True to the book "Les Miserables" written by the amazing genius, Victor Hugo. We love you, Vic!
    2. Yes, there is a difference between the OLC, the CSR, and the OBC!
    1. Do not, I repeat DO NOT!! make a Mizzy angry. Consequences will be deadly.
    1. (a) Mizzies feel that their opinions are superior to yours, clearly. They also really like exclamation points.
  3. 1
    19
    May

    Kim (Miss Saigon: First National Tour)

    This is the second version of this variation of Kim. The first version was picked up at a store in San Jose. It went for about $80 or so. It took me a while to find it in white. Through the years, it had some wear and tear. I decided it was time to make a new Kim. I used an ao dai pattern from Folk Wear. I originally used it when I was making Soka from Avatar: The Last Airbender. I also lent this pattern to a friend who was making something from Hetalia. 

    My inspiration to make this was 1) Miss Saigon was a huge part of my introduction to musical theatre 2) Miss Saigon also taught me that FilAms are awesomely talented and can be respected by mainstream audiences and 3) the fandom needs more love. Despite the show’s flaws and criticism, Miss Saigon is a huge part of my introduction to theatre. I can go into plenty of anecdotes (ie: being trained to be Ellen by my vocal coach when Asian Ellen’s were considered and using “Move in My Mind” as a piano competition piece), but let’s focus on the craft!

    I decided to use the first national tour as my basis for this version. Jennifer Paz, who played Kim in the first national tour, wears this outfit in the prologue (before Dreamland) and during “Kim’s Nightmare.” I’ve never seen the original London production, but I recall Lea Salonga wearing a white cheongsam in both sequences…at least that’s what I’ve found via Google. (Please correct me if I’m wrong!) The first national tour was also the version I saw when I was 10. Through the years, I’ve seen Jennifer Paz in plenty of different shows (Allegiance and Road to Saigon), so I’ve felt attached to this particular version. (and Jennifer Paz is awesome!)

    All of this was a last minute / spur of the moment project. I was going through my old Kim photos and I never got any really good photos of Kim. My (Vietnamese) boyfriend at the time thought it was offensive to be wearing traditional clothing as a costume, so I never got any nice photos of myself as Kim. I also wanted to remake the ao dai and teach myself how to make something new. 

    I bought about three yards of white bridal satin from Jo-Ann’s. I was lucky to find some kind of Asian print / patterning on the fabric. Kim’s ao dai is not plain in the first national tour. There’s a bit of patterning on it. The dress part was pretty challenging since ao dai’s don’t zip up like a normal dress. 

    Cutting the fabric was easy. There are basic components to the dress. There are quite a few darts on an ao dai. They’re very easy to figure out. Figuring out how to close up the dress is another challenge in itself. 

    Closing up the top required four sets of snaps. Figuring out the facing for the fabric was a bit confusing. Through the years, I lost the instructions to the ao dai, so it was all trial and error from here. For the side closure, I went with velcro. 

    The pants are super easy to figure out. If you know how to make pants, it’s a no brainer. Though the pattern calls for a side zipper, I really did not need one. These are simple pull up pants. However, if you are petite like me (5’1”), you will have to adjust the pants pattern because they’re made for someone who’s like 6’0”. 

    I’m very happy that this project is done. It’s one of my more expensive projects to date because I got everything at Jo-Ann’s, rather than the LA Fashion District. This was very spur of the moment and only took about less than a week to complete. 

    Scheduled to debut at Fanime 2012. 

  4. 19
    May

    Chiffon Boleros

    These are commissions from my aunt. She requested a few boleros done in chiffon. These were extra fabric from Minmay and Katara. I bought some extra trim from Jo-Ann’s to add some accents to the boleros. 

    I modified the pattern, Simplicity 2400. I have used this pattern before for Azusa and  Minmay. The pattern includes a short sleeved bolero pattern. The client asked to extend the sleeves. 

    These two boleros were done in less than a day’s time. I double layered the blue bolero. The pink bolero is single layered. I used a zig zag stitch to seal up the seams. To protect the pink bolero from fraying, I used trim to give it a nice finish. 

  5. 11
    May

    Zatanna - Young Justice Season 2

    Originally, I was going to make the younger, season 1 version. The yellow vest was just not working for me. The yellow vest is now laid to rest in the limbo that is the box of abandoned costume projects. I’ve been following Young Justice every Saturday now that My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is on a break. At the start of season 2, everything time skips. Zatanna is no longer jailbait, but her outfit is still conservative than the more common designs for her. I have nothing against fishnet stockings, but I feel weird wearing them in public.

    Instead of booty dance shorts, I invested in a dance leotard. Harzilla recommended to go for dance wear to flatter the body better. I plan to have the white bodice over the black leotard.

    I picked up grey tights from Amazon.com. In place of fishnets, Zatanna wears tights.

    The coat and tails are now done. This was pretty easy to accomplish. Now, it’s just a matter of seeing how all these pieces come together. Zatanna also wears a choker with a bow. I still have extra white fabric from the bodice to make the choker.

    The bodice is the last major piece that needs to be done. I’m using the same vest pattern I did for Mistress 9, but with modifications. I’ve altered the same pattern to make a Bible Black uniform vest, so this should be a cake walk. The white fabric are leftovers from Azusa - Do Dai.

    Estimated Debut - Comic Con International

  6. 5
    10
    May

    Super Sailor Saturn - Sailor Moon

    I cannot recommend this Kwik Sew pattern highly than I already could. It’s an awesome pattern for anything Sailor Senshi related.

    This was my third run making a Sailor Senshi outfit. This is actually a commission for a friend. The broach and earrings are from Anime Central during a Sailor Moon panel.

    Though this is my third time making a Sailor Senshi outfit, the glove toppers are still the most annoying part of it all. If anyone has a better idea how to stuff these glove toppers, do let me know. Such a pain in the butt…

    Estimated debut for Anime Expo 2012.

  7. 2
    10
    May

    Dick Tracy - Dick Tracy (movie version)


    This was originally a joke commission for a friend. They were bantering about how funny it would be to go around a con as Dick Tracy. Considering I had a trench coat pattern and I knew a story in the LA Fashion District that sold yellow fedoras, this was an easy task to do.

    The coat is draped on the hanger because it’s for a larger framed person. I’m really petite, so if I were to drape it on me, it would look like a kimono / very long bathrobe. 

    My friend, harzilla, picked out the fabric at my favorite fabric store in downtown Los Angeles. The total price for materials came around $40. My friend already has the vest, tie, pants, and button up to complete the look.

    Hopefully, this will debut this weekend at Long Beach Comic Expo.

  8. 6
    10
    May

    USO Girl - Captain America

    Part One

    Edit: Tumblr decided to derp and not switch around the photos. <_<

    Allright! This is ready to go for Long Beach Comic Expo this Saturday. There’s no official USO meet up, but since the weather has been warming up and Avengers is in full swing, might as well!

    For the petticoat, I just used an old petticoat that was in my closet that seems to be quite passable.

    The cummerbund was pretty easy to do. The Facebook group has a pattern for that. I made it a little extra tight so my waist looks smaller than it is. I will be wearing a body shaper underneath.

    I had to modify the bodice because the pattern cut is too big for me. Consequently, I think I’m showing too much cleavage. I might raise the bodice a little bit more for modesty’s sake. 

    The lapel is tacked onto the bodice. Though the instructions suggest to use snaps, I used the Butterick 5322 pattern. Contrary to the tutorial, the neckline is a tad too low. The lapel pattern needs some adjusting to the Butterick pattern. Simply tacking it on with the suggested snaps is not going to work right. 

    The stars were hand stitched onto the hat and to the lapel. I had no idea Laughing Lizards, the company that sold the stars, was local to me!

    The Facebook group for the USO Captain America Girls is a very helpful resource in making this. I am still waiting for the shoes to come in. I ordered the tights from amazon.com. I ordered the shoes from Very Easy Buy. I purchased them on May 1. It is now May 10 and I am still waiting for my order to come in. If it doesn’t come in by this Saturday, I’ll wear a pair of white high heels.

    And ugh…need to work on posing without exposing that chin…

  9. 62
    5
    Apr

    Something different from what I typically post. I realized I have a folder full of Sailor Senshi tutorials that I have collected through the years. I thought I’d share these with fellow Sailor Moon cosplayers. 

    Tutorials for:

    - Bootcovers

    - Bows

    - Collar

    I used these tutorials for Sailor Pluto. They’re great and easy to follow!

    Credit goes to the original pattern drafter, Love Meeko. Thank you very much for creating these.

  10. 4
    2
    Apr

    Super Sailor Mars

    Before posting my progress photos,  I thought about the time when I started going into conventions. Sailor Moon related cosplay was looked down because the general notion was that Sailor Moon cosplay has been done to death. It still didn’t mean I wanted to cosplay as Princess Mars (which I did back in 2002). However, many of my friends in the old cosplay group were dismayed that Sailor Moon had become so popular among cosplayers. I really didn’t care, I say, if someone likes it…then go for it!

    The Materials

    While I was working on the USO Girl outfit from Captain America, I ended up really liking the tango red casa satin. It wasn’t too shiny and it photographs well. On my next trip to JoAnn’s, I ended up getting all three yards for $7.50 when it normally costs $10 per yard for casa satin.

    I also picked up some dance spandex at the LA Fashion district. Unfortunately, spandex is expensive and I had to buy a minimum amount so I could purchase it on  my card. However, if any of my friends wants to do Sailor Senshi cosplay…plenty to go around! (buy me a burger and shake at In and Out and we’ll talk! lol)

    I had leftover purple fabric from Azusa from The Idolm@ster to make the bow. The red star you see on the bow was from Anime Central 2010. There was a Sailor Moon panel and they were giving out Sailor Moon related cosplay supplies. I picked up a Sailor Mars set and a Sailor Saturn set. This set also included the earrings. I also plan to use my Sailor Pluto tiara for Super Sailor Mars’ tiara.

    What Else I have Left to Make

    - Choker - easy.

    - Glove toppers - easy, but takes a while.

    - Hip roll - planning to do this differently than what I did for Sailor Pluto

    - Get a pair of high heel shoes and paint ‘em red. (will unlock shoe painting achievement)

    - Butt bow - now with more ribbon!

    - Bonus material - Mars Flame Sniper (because I have to do the same for Untitled Battle Royale Project)

    Planned Debut

    I don’t know…uh…Fanime?

    Maybe Anime Expo…

avatar_96
I have been sewing for almost a decade. I started sewing when I was in middle school, making and designing dresses for my dolls. When I grew out of with setting Barbie up with dates with the Megazord (Ken wasn't man enough), I started making clothes.

I have been trained by family members, friends, and various sewing instructors in my university days. Though I have years of experience, I consider myself a life long learner.

This blog showcases all of my creative projects; specific to dressmaking and creating costumes. The joy of being in the anime fandom is that cosplay (or the art of dressing up like a character) is that it helps keep my skills fresh and not stagnate. I enjoy making costumes for myself and for friends.

Awards and Recognitions
* Judges Award: Presentation (Anime Los Angeles 2012)
* Best Craftmanship Design (Anime Conji 2011)
* Best Video Game - Solo Class (Anime Vegas 2010)
* Best of Show (Mikomi Con 2008)
* Best Group Presentation (Tales of Anime 2004)
* Third Place: Veteran's Class (Recca Con 2003)


* Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for "Wonder Woman: Champion of Themyscira." (Pendys 2011)
* Best Voice Actress in a Lead Role for "Incubus." (2010 Ollies)
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