Wizard World Chicago Comic Con

I haven't posted anything in a l-o-n-g time, partly because I've been super busy training for a marathon, and also because I've been taking a break from costuming.  I'll be starting back up this week, however, working on some touch-ups for my Clockwork Droid costume, which I'll be wearing to Dragon*Con!

However, this past weekend I attended Wizard World Chicago Comic Con as press with some of my friends, the Space Gypsies.  I was there to film panels and general Con activities.

After having been to Dragon*Con, I have to say - I wasn't that impressed with WWCC.  They had no idea how to handle crowd control, their volunteers were clueless and rude, their exhibit hall was way too small, they had a shockingly small number of panels, and some of the autograph tables had organized lines and some didn't.  There were very few costumes - I had expected some pretty kickass comic book characters, but most of the costumes I saw seemed to be held together with duct tape.  Of course, there were several really well-done costumes, but after the high level of work that I've seen at Dragon*Con, some of the costumes at WWCC were almost pathetic.

I did not wear any costume, since I was working, but I was dressed up in my best geek attire; on Saturday I wore my Let's Play Doctor shirt, and Sunday I wore a Jayne-inspired graphic tee.  It was so strange not to have people stop me every ten feet to take my photo, but one girl did tell me that she liked my SPEW button!

I attended the Julie Benz panel and the Charisma Carpenter panel.  Julie was a total sweetheart, and Charisma was very personable.  I've noticed that all of the Whedonverse panels I've seen have been the most enjoyable; not only do the guests seem down-to-earth and pleasant, and they're really good at acting like each question is unique and they've never been asked it before.  Late in the day on Sunday, I even saw Charisma buying her son some Asian candy at one of the booths, just like a (gasp) normal person!  It was kind of surreal to walk about two feet from Cordelia Chase while being jostled by the crowd.

For as disorganized and frustrating WWCC was at times, I had a great time.  I spent the weekend walking around taking video, and to be able to do that in whatever way I wanted (as opposed to the strict rules I have to follow at work) was very liberating.  I also was able to have a few conversations with David Vox Mullen of DVM Podcast Empire about his New Who Podcast, which he produces with his stepdaughter, and Torchcast, which covers Torchwood: Miracle Day.

Not only that, but both Kai Owen and Gareth David-Lloyd of Torchwood fame were there.  I had met Gareth at ChicagoTARDIS last November, but I was in full Clockwork Droid gear and with the wig and mask off, I look a wreck (hair sticking out everywhere, creases all over my face from the mask).  So, I'd kept the wig and mask on, and the mask makes it impossible to speak, so I'd just kind of mimed my way through the autograph.  I'm always so much braver when I'm a Clockwork Droid ... So at this Con, I wanted to meet him properly, but DANG - he's so much hotter in person that it took me the entire weekend to get up the nerve to meet him!

On Saturday I noticed Kai was by himself (no Gareth around) and I took the opportunity to get his autograph.  He is a very lovely and gracious person, and he took the time to answer one of my questions about Miracle Day.  I wanted to know who Rhys and Gwen were hiding from in Wales, since at the end of Children of Earth it doesn't seem like anyone is after them anymore.  He said that he thinks the government still wants to get rid of Gwen since she knows about the government taking children to give to the 456.  I felt kind of dumb because it seemed so obvious, but really, it wasn't clear at all.  Anyway, he was great and I'm so glad I met him.  Over the last year or so, Rhys has become one of my favorite characters on Torchwood, and I love that he and Gareth do so many conventions together.  They clearly are good friends and their panels (which I have yet to see in full and in person, since I only caught about 15 minutes at ChicagoTARDIS due to the masquerade meeting) are hilarious.

On Sunday I finally worked up the nerve to say hi to Gareth, and he was just as sweet as Kai.  He seemed a bit amused when I told him I'd gotten his autograph last year while dressed as a Clockwork Droid.  After I left his table, I pulled out my iPhone to text my husband, and as I brushed some hair out of my face, a crumpled piece of paper fell out of my hair.  I almost died!  I had checked myself in the mirror before venturing over to Gareth's table!  However, on closer inspection, it was a gum wrapper that I'd had in my pocket, so I think it got caught on my iPhone and fluttered off as I reached up to my hair.  I hope so.  Oh god, I hope Gareth wasn't smiling at me because I had junk in my hair!

About two minutes after that, some nerd hit on my and shook my hand, tainting the hand that Gareth had just shaken.  ARGH!

Peter Tork from the Monkees was also there, and one of my friends is a big fan, so instead of buying her an autograph (which really doesn't mean much unless you get it yourself), I bought her a video message!  He was fantastic and super nice, and I am so grateful that he was willing to do something a little out of the ordinary.  Yeah, I know he was making money off of it, but some stars are very picky.

I also picked up some fantastic Doctor Who artwork from Kurt Wood.  I'm not into comics - even when I read the Buffy comics, I mostly ignore the artwork - but I was really attracted to his drawings of the Tenth Doctor.  (I also got an Eleventh Doctor and Amy poster for Matt.)

All in all, it was a long weekend, my feet still hurt, my shoulder hurts from carrying around the bag, and I'm just plain exhausted - but I had a lot of fun.  I'm not sure I would go back, but I definitely have Con Fever (the good kind, not anything contagious) and can't wait to see Gareth again at Dragon*Con (god, he's going to think I'm stalking him) as well as Lea Thompson.  I'm trying to decide if I should get a photo op with her and wear my Lorraine Baines dress ... Also, I'm really excited for ChicagoTARDIS, even if no one I know shows up, just because I like to lurk in corners and scare people!  Although, I know Toby Hadoke is booked, and I'm loving his book Running Through Corridors, in which he and Rob Shearman go through classic Doctor Who one episode at a time (which is what Matt and I are currently doing). 

That's all, I'll be back soon with photos of my brand new Clockwork Droid mask, wig, and shoes.  And dang it, I just found a new photo that shows that all the ruffles are lace - not sure if I want to go and replace all of my current ruffles or not ... decisions, decisions ...

New Chocolate Shop!

Whoa, it's been over a month since I posted last!  I haven't really done much costuming.  I did sew the sleeves of my Belle costume, but nothing worth taking photos of.

I am announcing that I've opened up an Etsy shop for my chocolate frogs!  If you're a Harry Potter fan or know someone who is, or just someone who'd love to eat some chocolate frog truffles, check it out!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/lnmchocolates

Chocolate Frogs!

This isn't a sewing project, but I'm still pretty proud of it and wanted to share.  I am selling chocolates to raise money for Team in Training, part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  My friend got me a frog mold, and since then, I've been making a ton of chocolate frogs, Harry Potter-style.  (I've also made Crunchy Frogs for those Monty Python fans out there - peanut butter-filled with pretzel "bones"!)

 The green frogs have a vanilla-flavored white chocolate shell and are filled with a chocolate ganache.




The chocolate frogs have a dark chocolate shell and are filled with peanut butter!



I made Harry Potter cards based on characters from the books (not the actual wizards and witches that appear on the "real" chocolate frog cards).  The photos are printed on white cardstock.  The backs of the cards are a 12"x12" sticker that I found at Hobby Lobby.

 

I then wrap each frog individually in a clear bag (to keep the card from getting damaged).  Then I place the card in a decorated back and put the frog on top so that you can't see which character card you're getting.

So those are my chocolate frogs!  I am selling them 12 for $10 or $1 each with the card.  100% goes towards my Team in Training fund raising.

1950's Dress

My cousin got married on November 20, and since I make gowns for the weddings I attend, this was a great opportunity to show off my favorite colors.  I love fall, and I love long dresses!  I was inspired several months ago by the film "Indiscreet" with Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant.  I absolutely loved the necklace that Ingrid Bergman wore, and I love the style of dresses that she wore throughout the film as well.



However, I DIDN'T like the dress that she wore with the necklace, it seemed too "bridesmaid" to me.  So, I instead found a 1950's Retro pattern - B4918 from Butterick.

I wanted a burnt orange color for the dress, but I ended up with pumpkin, as it was the darkest orange I could get anywhere.  For the top I decided to go with brown velvet; I went with velvet instead of satin to add a warmer look to the dress.  I also did away with the really cool drape over the shoulder since this was for the end of November, and instead I made a shrug out of the same brown velvet material.

At first I really hated the dress, as it just seemed so big in the waist due to the yards and yards of material gathered there, but after cutting out the excess material in the seam, the dress really settled down and fit me well.  I added straps because despite cutting the pattern to my size (16 in the waist and 14 in the top) I still had to cut out four inches (FOUR INCHES!!!!) from the bodice in order for the dress to fit properly.  And then, the weight of the skirt (it had a 15' circumference!) was dragging the bodice down.

Here is the final product!  Check out the necklace - I commissioned it from my friend Pam.

I bet if my waist was as tiny as the waists on the models in those sketches, I'd look even better!

My First "Real" Award!

I won Best Original/Homemade Costume for my Susan costume at my work party a few weeks ago (got a $100 gift card to Target), but last night I won my first "real" award!

I went to ChicagoTARDIS at the Westin in Lombard, IL, dressed in my Clockwork Droid costume.  I decided at the last minute to enter the Masquerade, and let me tell you, that was the most daring thing I've done in a long time.  Wearing a mask helps (I also wore it to get an autograph from Gareth David-Lloyd, who plays Ianto Jones on Torchwood).

This was my first real costume contest ever, and boy was I a nervous wreck!  Thank goodness I hadn't eaten in about eight hours, or I'd have been puking in my very, very hot mask.  We entered backstage through the kitchen - now I know how the stars feel!  (I also stood right next to the rack of coffee makers that Gareth David-Lloyd brought out on stage as his "appliance" during his panel.  God, I've become such a fangirl!)  While we were hanging out backstage, I'm pretty sure that Tony Lee, one of the writers, was back there.  It was hard to see in my mask, though.  The script that the MC read was, "The clock on the mantel is broken!  Straight from the spaceship Madame de Pompadour, this clockwork droid is in search of replacement parts."  Matt says I walked across the stage a bit fast, but the CWDs do walk fast.  I did stop and do a few poses before walking off.  Also, when we were at Dragon*Con's Masquerade and people were up there forever, it got very tedious.

Anyway, when they announced the awards, there were all kinds of silly awards, like "Best Use of a Banana" (given to the Tenth Doctor and Rose).  I ended up sitting next to them, and I thought that was pretty funny because the banana was from the same episode as the CWD ("Girl in the Fireplace").  But then they announced the winner for "Best Workmanship - Novice", and I was the winner!  How exciting!  I also got to stand about 10 feet away from Ian McNeice (who played Winston Churchill in the last season).  He had been one of the judges. 

Yesterday was one of the best days ever.  I met Ianto Jones, (he said, "you are SPOOKY" and shook my hand like he was afraid to), entered my first Masquerade, and won the Novice division!  I'm so thrilled!

The Lion King

Last night my mother-in-law and sister-in-law took me to see The Lion King in Chicago for my birthday.  It was amazing, especially for a costumer like me!  I wasn't too impressed with some of the singing, and I think the audio wasn't balanced correctly a few times (I could barely make out the words) but the costuming absolutely made up for it.

I'd heard from day one that the costumes in The Lion King were breathtaking, and sitting in the second seat from the aisle, I was able to look at the costumes in detail as the cast walked up to the stage.  At one point the hyenas were all coming down the aisle - they were SCARY.  I said, "oh god!" and one hyena turned and yelled "BOO!" right in my sister-in-law's face!  We both jumped a mile.  Totally awesome.

So now I want to make a hyena costume for a future Dragon*Con.  It will be REALLY complicated, so I don't know if I'll ever actually attempt it.  But I'm definitely tossing this idea around, trying to figure out what I'd need to do, what materials I'd use, etc.   I wish I could show how the hyenas look from the side - they are just amazing!

Matt pointed out that Dragon*Con is a scifi convention.  I so do not care.  These are COOL!

Mini-Aqua Georgette

It's been a while since I've taken a good look at my Aqua Georgette dress.  I pulled it out today to look at how I constructed it, and boy, while I'm impressed at how well I put it together for one of my first costumes, it sure isn't as great as I remember it!  However, I was reminded of how much I love the fabric I used on the outer layer.  Oddly enough, I didn't like the way that actual georgette fabric flows, so I went with this other fabric instead.  All I can remember was that the name was lamb-something - I cannot find the fabric anywhere, and I literally purchased the rest of the bolt when I found out Hobby Lobby was discontinuing it, just in case I messed up and needed more (and I did).   It's gorgeous - I made both the Aqua Georgette and Lisa's Princess Leia dress out of the same type of fabric.  It's the perfect color and it just flows like nothing else.  It's almost like a really high-thread count chiffon.

Anyway, I've got to figure out what kind of fabric it is.  I've never seen anything like it anywhere else since I purchased the bolt from Hobby Lobby.  And - I mean - it's Hobby Lobby.  It's not like they're a specialty fabric store!

So I'm hoping I have enough of the lamb-something material left to make the outer dress for this mini-Aqua Georgette that I'm making now.  I don't have enough left to make anything for myself, but I do have a few large pieces that I think will be enough for the girls' dress.  If not, I'm sure I'll find a reasonable substitute.  But I sure would like to figure out what this fabric is!

Here is the first layer of the mini-Aqua Georgette made out of a thick, low-shine satin.  It's obviously not the right shape yet, and it's very long.   I'm going to size it against the mini-Padme soon and then shape it where needed.  I did make it bigger so that it will be wearable for at least a year or two.  Also, it will close with velcro that can be removed as the dress needs to be made bigger.  I don't know if I'm going to make the sweetheart neckline or not - obviously this is for a little girl and not a woman with shape!  The outer layer will be a piece of cake after that.