Sew Adventurous (4): Adventures in Cosplaying

Named after my first (negelected) Tumblr Sew Adventurous, this is my new blog feature where I'll be sharing some of the non-reading and non-bookblog things that I do. From my latest sewing project(s) to the cross stitch patters I'm currently working on. Hey, I might even get bold one day and chronicle my ill fated attempts at other forms of crafting.

Sew Adventurous (4): Adventures in Cosplaying....

I only mentioned it a couple times on Twitter, but, for the last few months I had been working on my first cosplay for an upcoming (now past) anime convention (my second one...ever) and, well, it turned out quite nicely. So, now I want to share with y'all my first experience with cosplaying from my fears to things I would have done differently.

Even though it took me months to complete it, I was still somewhat nervous about dressing up even though it was more "normal" for one to be in costume at the convention than not. It was just that I'm one of those people who don't like to stand out; I've never been comfortable being the center of attention.

So, what made me the most nervous about cosplaying-

1. a fear of a wardrobe malfunction. I'm still pretty new to sewing and have only finished maybe three clothing pieces (mainly skirts because they're easy) so the idea of something going wrong was all too easy to see. 
2. It could be awkward. I'm mean here you, or should I say me,dressed as a character from a show and someone wants your picture...*cue mini panic* I never know what to do in pictures!! I'm that awkward photo taker.
3. Being a character that people really like. You know it's not easy, especially when you hear them calling that characters name and realize that they're actually talking to you. While it was a little odd, it was pretty easy to handle since I use a pseudonym here on my blog. 

Things I wish I'd done differently-

1. Taken some pictures with other cosplayers from the show my character was from! I was just too nervous (and awkward) to ask them for a group photo! Next time though I will not chicken out!!
2. I wish my sister and I had been able to take some fun photos of ourselves in costume! Sadly though the moment we decided to go out, to what would have been the perfect photo spot, it (of course) started to rain!
3. Find a better way to pin my hair up under the wig. I'm so glad my mom was there because there was no way I could have braided my hair myself...and kept it contained long enough to get everything situated. 

Surprisingly enough, it ended up not being weird or awkward when it came to actually cosplaying. It was quite fun and made it easier to ask others for a picture of their cosplay. I ended up enjoying it so much that before the day was half spent I had already decided who my next two cosplays would be. Now comes that hard part: planning, buying materials, and putting things together.

Since you always here of people getting the "Con Crud", I went in with a plan to not wind up sick post convention. So, if you should find yourself at any convention or even just out of town, here are some things to help keep the ickies away.

1. Get plenty of rest!!! Cannot stress this enough!!
2. Drink WATER!! You can drink other things just make sure you drink lots of water throughout the entire event.
3. Purell is your best friend....so is thoroughly washing your hands!
4. Vitamin C
5. Eating actual food and not the junk you find at conventions. Yes, that's right take time to eat some proper food and drink, you got it, water!
6. Feeling tired, try taking a short break from doing and chill out with your group in a quiet spot. They can be hard to find but unwinding will keep you from crashing and burning. 

If I hadn't been so shy, I would have liked to question some of the cosplayers about how they accomplished their outfits! Some of them had some mad talent!! Next time though I believe I will ask someone how they were able to create their costume and get it looking so close to that of the character they were portraying!! Yes, I wanted to "nerd out" and question them about costumes because I have so much more to learn and skills to obtain!!

 

Can you tell, I'm already dreaming of attending another convention. Next time I want to cosplay at least two days of the convention.

Have you ever dressed up as a character, if so tell me all about it!! If you haven't, is there a character you always wanted to be but were maybe to nervous to attempt?