Changing Plans AGAIN

With all the progress Goose and I are making on our Firefly/Serenity cosplays, we feel bad if we sacrifice quality for quantity. I don't know why we try to plan more than one costume to build per year. Maybe if we get more diligent next year we can plan more, but for now, it would be better to stick to one costume each to work on. We are going to hold off Ilomilo for another con (especially since the weather looks like it will be very warm at Baltimore next week) and make our Kaylee, Wash and Zoe that much better.
Goose and I will post soon about our progress!

Never Enough Time!

Once again, Goose and I are hurrying to the finish, despite goals of starting and ending sooner. I love reading the Otakon and cosplay.com boards, but since everyone is counting down to Otakon, it makes it hard to read. Just reminds me of my crunchy deadline.

This past weekend, I have finished the base for my Zoe capris. They still need to be fitted, hemmed and the details of the boot cuffs added. Goose has finished the frames for Ilo/Milo and the foam has been cut to size. They just need to be shaped and the pockets for the fabric made to fit in the foam. After that it's stamping the Ilo/Milo fabric, making the face, arms and legs, and Goose finishing the support system. I started working on Goose's Wash jumpsuit and have finished most of the torso base. I need to sew on one more sleeve, sew the pants, attach the pants and put in all the zippers. Goose is working on the patches for Wash (which is proving difficult without a proper drawing software).

What's left to be done: (Because I love lists...)
Firefly
Zoe
-Capri Details and fitting - Akira
-Vest (pleather for the vest, shrug and holster should arrive this week) - Akira
-Shrug - Akira
-Holster - Akira
-Mare's Leg - Goose
-Knife - Goose
-Darkening and distressing leather - Akira

Wash
-Jumpsuit - Akira
-Harness - Akira
-Patches - Goose

Kaylee
-Dye the fabric for the jumpsuit - Akira
-Jumpsuit - Akira
-Teddy bear patch (furry fabric should arrive this week) - Akira
-Details - Akira

IloMilo
Ilo and Milo
-Finishing securing the frame and supports - Goose
-Shape the foam - Akira
-Make the pockets for foam - Akira
-Sew together the skin - Akira
-Attach the skin to the frame - Akira
-Hands and Feet - Akira
-Face - Akira

If I'm really diligent, I'm sure I can get most of the sewing for Firefly done this week, depending on when my shipment of pleather arrives. And Goose has really been stepping it up for the mascots. I think we can get it done if we work really hard every day until the day we leave for Otakon. (*knock on wood*)
I'll post construction pictures if I remember to take them in the blur of the next few weeks.
Wish us luck!

More Progress

Since this weekend was a long weekend, Goose and I were extremely productive. After I finished cutting out the squares from the last post, I stitched together the panels for the four sides of Ilo and Milo.

(Picture heavy post after the jump. But all the stuff I've posted to Instagram.)

Mini progress update!

I finished cutting the squares for Ilo and Milo's checkered patterned fabric.
First I figured out the proportions for both Ilo and Milo versus my and Goose's measurements. That makes Goose's squares 13" and mine an even foot. With one inch on either side for the seams and a little give, Goose's squares were cut at 15" and mine at 14".

My cardboard template

I finished cutting all four colors in about a total of two movies and one season and one episode of Pushing Daisies. Then I'll need to work on sewing four panels for each side of both mascots. Here I go!

One night's work of tracing and cutting

The squares are done!

Let the Countdown Begin

We're in the middle of May and that leaves us a little over two months to get everything completed. *flail*
Now that Goose and I are done with our wedding stuff (yay, we got married in April *little fanfare*) we can finally get started on our costumes. Not a lot of time for five costumes to make, but we'll make do.

I just ordered parts for Zoe (contacts, wig, boots and Mare's Leg pieces) and a Hawaiian shirt for Wash. There are a lot of pieces that we need to build IloMilo and I'm still lacking all the fabric I need for the three Firefly characters.

I don't assume the clothing for Firefly will take very long at all. I've made jumpsuits for my Portal cosplay and both Goose and Madhouse are wearing jumpsuits. Zoe's vest, shrug and pants will probably take me one weekend of good solid work. Probably a week for all of Firefly's base construction, not including the props and details. Both Goose and Madhouse have a lot of patches, or little details hanging around. Then we'll have to construct my gun, holster, bullets, and Goose's harness. That will probably take another week or two.

The things that I'm more worried about are Ilo and Milo since they both are experiments and Goose and I will have to figure out support, framing, and the skin of the mascots. We have designs of what we think will work, but as of now, we only have theories. Ilo & Milo construction will take the better part of a month to complete if we work consistently and efficiently. This is all assuming that our theories and designs work out the way we're projecting them.

With a lot diligence and luck, we'll be able to get everything done by July 26th, but it'll be close. Again, we'll probably be working up until the day. But hopefully not working while at Otakon. Next year, we'll hopefully get started much sooner.

Progress Halted

We're well into the month of January, but little has gotten done between Goose and myself. I still need to buy two more colors of fleece, since painting big blocks on the fleece, even with fabric paint, won't get me the look I'm going for. Fabric paint doesn't play nice with fleece and give it a crusty look and feel. (Not fun at all!)
It will still work with the design stamping that we'll be doing all over, but to get the checkered quilted look, I need to get more colors of fabric. (My cats will probably want to make the piles of fleece into their own makeshift beds. Note to self: pack lots of lint rollers)

Goose and I haven't been able to work on construction or even design since we're in the process of moving right now. We're moving at the end of the month into a much bigger space, so hopefully by February we should have some semblance of order and be able to focus our attentions more onto our cosplays. Still don't know what I'm going to do to get that plush-y soft look in the mascots. I want something that will hold it's shape, but not require a bunch of layering. My first option is some kind of foam, but standing inside of foam inside of fleece in Baltimore at the height of summer? I'm sure that whenever Goose and I get out of the costumes, we'll be either much thinner from the sweating in our own personal bodyshaped saunas or just very stinky. I think intake and exhaust fans will be our friends. As well as ice water camelpaks and those squirt bottles with little fans. Also foam sucks to cut without a reciprocating saw (much like those electric carving knives some people use during Thanksgiving.), which we don't have. I was also considering quilting batting, but that runs the risk of needing a lot of well placed layers and more layers means more heat. Lovely in this freezing cold we're experiencing now, but not so lovely when you're navigating the crowded, sweaty halls of Otakon.

So the tl;dr of it is that Goose and I are still brainstorming.

I'm just pumped about moving, having Kaye and Lira visiting in the middle of February and finally starting the construction process of our cosplays. I'm currently motivated for all those things, but I've been slacking very much in my workout. I've been unable to get myself to go do it with all the other things that are in the air right now. I know I need to force myself to get to that too, but right now, I've been using that time to pack and spend time with Goose.

I'm hoping that when things settle down, it'll be easier to force myself back into that stuff. But I'm not making excuses for myself. I've just been mad lazy. *kicks self in big butt*
Maybe the next time I post, I'll actually have pictures for you! (I can only hope.)

Plans Made and Plans Cancelled

As it is the last week of October, Goose and I have been making some decisions. We've decided to cut out four of our six costumes we were planning for Otakon 2012. With time, money and general lack of workspace, it would be better to focus our attention and time to one costume for each of us per year.
That also means, unfortunately, that we won't be able to be in a group cosplay with Kaye and Nave, but that can always wait for another time when we have less things to buy and more space for a workshop. (We will be in between apartments soon.)
So for this year, Goose and I will be dressed as Milo and Ilo (respectively) from the Xbox arcade game Ilomilo. *fanfare*

Ilo - blue; Milo - Red: Image from: link

 

We loved the game and we love any excuse at all to make couple cosplays. We have some fabric that I bought at Joann's for 50% off (thanks to awesome coupons at the register). I just need to see if the paint we bought for it will get the effect we're looking for. We already are imagining how hot these mascots will be but it should be a fun process from building the frames, to making the skins to learning the dance. (Yes, they have a dance.) We've already decided that we will have to invest in some Camelbak packs to strap on while we're inside and install exhaust and intake fans anywhere we can. We're just excited about the new construction possibilities and that there will be pieces for both of us. Goose will work on the structure, design and building of the frame, as well as figuring out how we'll hold these on our bodies. I will be working on the design of the body and skins as well as any props we decide to bring along. Hopefully, it will come out well and recognizable.
Wish us luck!