so i can't get my mind out of a costuming frameset right now. I woke up last night at about 1am and couldn't get back to sleep because I was thinking about costuming. The bad thing is I've let the house slide over the last month while working on Mara and I really need to get it back in shape before I can do much of anything costuming-wise. not to mention that I need to pay for my AC repair, which will cut into the funds significantly.

Anyway, today, despite fighting a massive headache and lack of sleep, I'm starting a plan to get the house in order and my diet/exercise plan back on track. What that plan is, I'm not entirely sure, but I gotta start somewhere and with something.

First outing

We went to NOLA comic con today and I wore my Mara Jade (Emperor's hand) costume for the first time. Of course, as much as I tried to remind myself to remember all the pieces that go with it, I forgot the stupid scarf... But overall, I think the costume itself performed pretty well.

Things I will need to change before the next wearing:

Adapt the catsuit so I can actually go to the bathroom without disrobing completely,

cut down the epaulets a bit and/or add a velcro strip for better support,

Remember to take off my damn glasses for pictures... or get contacts.

Get some sort of weaponry prop

Cover boots

Paint the zipper pull to blend in better

Trim down the scarf a bit (it is TOO bunchy at the neck and shoulders)

remember the damn scarf...

Things to change on version 2:

Use a more matte fabric for the underdress

Find a fabric that is a bit more red for the underdress

Adjust the arms on the underdress (the entire armscye needs to be redesigned as I can barely move my arms)

Adjust the arm attachments for the cape (the cape needs to float from the shoulders rather than wrap around the side. Perhaps a shoulder harness with the cape and epaulets attached?)

Get contacts.

Overall, I think this costume design will work out pretty well. There are just a few items that need tweaking.

One cool thing that happened at the convention: One of the Slave Leia's came up to me and recognized who I was. She was super excited about having another girl Star Wars costumer in the area who is interested in joining the Rebel Legion and the 501st. AND she complimented my workmanship, which is always nice.

Of course, it is ALWAYS nice to nerd it up with my buddy, Hannah. We've decide that we're going to have to take a girl-nerd trip to a convention sometime... D*C maybe?

Mara Jade

Finally. Version 1 of Mara Jade's By the Emperor's Hand costume is completed... well mostly. I'm waiting for some glue to dry on the epaulet things and then I have to make sure they will snap to the cape thing. Everything else looks pretty good though. I put it all on together for the first time tonight (minus the epaulets and the wig) and I'm rather pleased with this first attempt. Of course there are things that I now realize I would do differently, or otherwise adjust. If I feel like doing that later or before the next wearing, I will. I have other projects to get started on though. And it doesn't help that my house is now a complete wreck because I've let that slip while working on this costume. I really need some better time management and organizational skills...

Setting up

Just setting things up for now. I'll be blogging about my costume progress and the pitfalls I experience along the way.