|
|
|
|
|
|
Date Made: January 2004
Time to make: 20+ hours
Cost: $50+
Worn to: A-kon 2004
Because I had been cosplaying for over 3 years and had yet to make my very own costume, I thought that this costume would be to start. I had been a big time Ragnarok Online gamer and wanted to do a costume from it. I actually had my mind on the swordsman, but with the armor and all it would be too difficult for me to do alone. So I opted for my second favorite character, the acolyte. Along side this, my friend, Jill, also wanted to have an Ayane costume done from DOA2. So this would mean that I would do two costumes all for A-kon.
I started off with the little basic sewing knowledge that I had learned from my aunt...basically little tricks here and there and how to make a skirt....(I was going to learn how to make a shirt...but I got too busy to continue lessons...-_-;)
The costume consisted of a muffler, shirt, belt, and skirt. I first started on the a line skirt (fast and easy) and added a golden trim to the bottom edge. Then I started on the muffler. On which, I had found a pattern at the fabric store, so it was rather easy...although I messed up tad on the mandarin collar and decided to have it wrap around and give it a button on the off side for a bit of a flair. Next was the belt which was also very easy to build considering it was a draw, cut, and glue project. I cut out the design of the belt I wanted and glued the decorative cording to the edges with super glue. I attached a simple zipper on the back and was finished. Lastly the shirt....I had the previous patterns that my aunt had cut for me before for the shirt that I was about to make, so I cut out the pieces for it as such...however, I was a bit confused on how to sew them together. Since it was about a week til A-kon (more cutting close to deadlines) I asked my aunt, once again, for some help. Because I had cut out all the pieces already, she sewed them up in about 15 minutes and handed it back to me. Afterwards, I thanked her and left to finish up the cuffs and golden trim. Also, the costume had some shoes that were pink, so because I was trying to be as completely accurate as I could, I painted some mary jane platforms that I got on ebay a darkish pink.
It was a very difficult process for this costume because in the middle of May I came down with a very debilitating disease. It was something like acne but much worse. I could barely see on my left eye due to it and was very afraid of becoming blinded on my left eye. Thankfully, it passed, but it left me very stricken with a lower self esteem due to the few scarring it left on my face. I almost felt that I didn't want to go to A-kon because of it. I said to myself that I worked so hard on my costume and I really wanted to show it off; so I sucked it up, bought some make up and went on my way to A-kon.
The costume made me feel very accomplished and I was very happy that the result was exactly as I expected. I went to A-kon and got all sorts of compliments on my acolyte costume from all the RO gamers and even got a compliment from Do As Infinity, the band that A-kon had as its musical guest that year.
My friend Jill got tons upon tons of compliments for her costume as well, and I was super duper proud because I had known that I made it and it just made me all "doki doki" inside. It was an amazing experience to see something on paper, create it with my own hands, and see the finished product being complimented and praised. At the end of the day from putting on and taking of the belt, the zipper (which wasn't separating) starting tearing away from the vinyl and the hot glued ribbon cross in the front started coming away as well. I have since fixed the belt to make a corset tie in the back for a more secure tightening and sewed on an outline of a cross to the front (no super gluing this time ^.~). I'm also thinking about making the front closing out of eye and latches rather than the zipper I have now. I loved this costume and though really time consuming and stressful, loved the process of making it as well. It is still kind of in the process of being made, but I think that this is one costume that I will forever wear even if people don't know what series I'm from.