Beatrix
Game: Final Fantasy IX
Worn to: Sakuracon 08
Difficulty: 4/5
This is one of those costumes that always caught my interest but I never thought I'd actually do. With Krystal's intense love for FFIX in mind, my friends and I decided to do a FFIX group.
Although I knew from the start that this costume would challenge me, I had a TON of problems with it. I drafted the pattern for the dress but did a very poor job and had to remake it 3 times. I also chose inappropriate, heavy fabric on the basis that it wouldn't be see-through but, unfortunately, it ended up being see-through anyway! In the end, the dress looked like more of a bag than a dress. Also, the collar is ridiculously crooked..but after reattaching it 2 times, I gave up and hoped that my wig would cover my error. It didn't. The belt was pleather with craft foam shapes glued on - it holds up with snaps at my waist. The beautiful sword was a surprise gift from my friends and is the best part of the whole costume!
However, this costume isn't all negative - I am very proud of my armor! Using this craft foam armor tutorial, I was able to make all of my armor pieces on my shoes, belt, and arms. I painted each piece with silver acrylic paint and weathered it using green and black paint and rub-n-buff. The pieces attach and close with velcro.
For the wig, I cut out craft foam pieces and shaped them into large curlers which I could roll the hair around. Although I had originally planned on using craft foam as a permanent core, I was happy to discover that the curls held by themselves! After the con, I was able to wash out the curls and will be able to reuse the wig for another costume.
Everything about this costume was a nightmare. This costume taught me a lesson - although each con may seem like the last one in the world, there's no point in rushing a costume (or pressuring a friend to finish their costume) just to get it done. I take my time on my costumes these days, which was largely a result of my experience with this costume.
Worn to: Sakuracon 08
Difficulty: 4/5
This is one of those costumes that always caught my interest but I never thought I'd actually do. With Krystal's intense love for FFIX in mind, my friends and I decided to do a FFIX group.
Although I knew from the start that this costume would challenge me, I had a TON of problems with it. I drafted the pattern for the dress but did a very poor job and had to remake it 3 times. I also chose inappropriate, heavy fabric on the basis that it wouldn't be see-through but, unfortunately, it ended up being see-through anyway! In the end, the dress looked like more of a bag than a dress. Also, the collar is ridiculously crooked..but after reattaching it 2 times, I gave up and hoped that my wig would cover my error. It didn't. The belt was pleather with craft foam shapes glued on - it holds up with snaps at my waist. The beautiful sword was a surprise gift from my friends and is the best part of the whole costume!
However, this costume isn't all negative - I am very proud of my armor! Using this craft foam armor tutorial, I was able to make all of my armor pieces on my shoes, belt, and arms. I painted each piece with silver acrylic paint and weathered it using green and black paint and rub-n-buff. The pieces attach and close with velcro.
For the wig, I cut out craft foam pieces and shaped them into large curlers which I could roll the hair around. Although I had originally planned on using craft foam as a permanent core, I was happy to discover that the curls held by themselves! After the con, I was able to wash out the curls and will be able to reuse the wig for another costume.
Everything about this costume was a nightmare. This costume taught me a lesson - although each con may seem like the last one in the world, there's no point in rushing a costume (or pressuring a friend to finish their costume) just to get it done. I take my time on my costumes these days, which was largely a result of my experience with this costume.