When we last left our hero, she was prepping for a slew of events and there was no end in sight for the WIP pile on the work table. Since then, fun has been had, the studio was cleaned, furniture has been moved, and research books have been pulled for the next project. Sit back, and let’s review!
The Art of the Belly dance festival was educational and fun and inspiring and surprising and all of the things I love about dance packed into a long weekend. I ended up wearing Killmonger for the Heroes & Villains after party–that costume gets better everytime I wear it. My daughter and I performed a Mommy & Me tribute to Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur, which was super silly–silly awesome, of course. The closing number of the show was a broom dance (you had to be there), so I put on Aqualad, having forgotten that my red dino makeup would need more than a wet wipe to come off. Oh well. Fun was had, and I got back to business after the long drive home.
The “Costuming the Crown” exhibit opening at Winterthur was absolutely stunning and inspiring and educational. I am officially obsessed with costume display thanks to the story that the curators presented, explaining the process of choosing items and building the exhibit from the bones out. The panel discussion with famed costume designers Michele Clapton and Jane Petrie was, again, educational and inspiring and hilarious. I made some new friends in the line, and we ended up front and center for the once in a lifetime event. I also bought a teeny crown. Squeee!
After peopling so hard that Saturday, I was in need of alone time, which I spent in my studio. Earlier that week, I’d worked on Mini Me’s Eliza Hamilton gown, so even though we didn’t attend the Eliza Hamilton event at the Museum of the American Revolution, we did take a few minutes to shoot some photos outside.
Then, it was full steam ahead on my own 18th century gown! And my Jedi! And my Belter! I’ve only recently gotten a full night’s sleep, so I’m not going to drone on about all of the last minute decisions and shortcuts that I had to take to finish three costumes and to pack a guest table. It was a recurring nightmare of mine, and I’d like to think that this was the last time…HAHAHAHAHAHA. Ha. Anyway, the Great Philadelphia Comic Con was fantastic! I’m writing a separate post on attending as a guest, but I will say that being in a position to answer costuming questions and to meet young costumers made my entire heart happy. Catching up with friends was great too, of course!
After the con, I took a week to decompress and to prep the studio for the next project. I went through my entire fabric stash, reorganized some shelves, and moved my tables to a slightly different configuration. Avoiding burnout amidst a tight grouping of deadlines by having a clean workspace and petting fabric was my version of a spa day. It was lovely! Entering spring break for my daughter, we took a day trip to DC and I took an absurd number of cellphone photos in the National Gallery, focusing on the late 15th through 17th centuries. The Tintoretto exhibit is installed through July 7, which was a nice treat for a spontaneous visit.
Closing out the sprint, I’d hoped to have time to whip up a bodysuit for the Oddity Prodigy book signing, based upon a character from Spacejacked by Steve Myers. As it happens, she is me! However, the Universe said “Nay”, so I ended up making my first piece of doll clothing instead. Her name is Shoop, and I’m crazy proud of my one night project.
Originally, I was going to wear Twi’lek Sparkle for Free Comic Book Day, which fell on May 4, but I was still so annoyed by not making my own Spacejacked suit that I threw myself fully into Livewire. Yes, I took a chance, didn’t sleep, and got the suit from drafting to wearable in five days (about 12 hours). The morning was wet, so not adding the foam pieces and LEDs worked out. Hanging out at our vendor table and giving a Cosplay Q&A was a happy end to two months of exhausting hobbying.
If you made it this far, congrats! You might be as tired as I am, because I still had to work, wife, and mother for most of those days, fitting in hobbying at night for about three hours. Don’t think that it stops now though–I have a commission to whip up and ren faire garb to pull out and prep for the end of the month. This costume run really has been the best, despite a few hiccups. I’ve found a renewed sense of pride in my work. I’m confident in my skills, and I’m looking forward to new costuming adventures!
I’m going to end this Me Fest before I fall asleep at the laptop. For more photos, check out IG or FB. Thanks for hanging in, Team!
Green Linen Shirt 