More PAX

  On Sunday I wore the Mario dress that I made.  It was very comfy and nice to wear a more casual outfit on the last day of the con.  My husband was nice enough to take a couple pics for me.  My petti did not travel well AT ALL so I have to lift it up to show off all the detail on the skirt.  I liked it so much I wore it to work yesterday as well. 

  I love the Mario print along the skirt but i think I am going to cover it up with black ruffles so I can turn it into a "normal" Lolita dress.  It served my well for PAX but now it is time for it to adapt to my wardrobe and be loved as a nice black JSK.

PAX fun!

  All I can say is that PAX was amazing!  I had such a good time.  This was our second PAX and it was nice to know what we were getting into this time.  This year was in a new and bigger venue/convention center.  Once all was said and done I believe there were just shy of 70,000 people over the 3 days.  That's a lot of people.  

  My husband and I went with his good friend and his fiance.  His friend is into video games like us and other nerdy type things.  His wife, not so much.  She was kind of a butt the whole time so I am hoping that she doesn't want to go next year.  Other than her, the weekend was great.  We got into Boston around 1pm and got into  the hotel around 1:30.  Our room was not ready yet so we went to the con for an hour and a half and went back to the hotel.  Again, our room wasn't ready so we sat in the lobby and rested.  After over two hours I checked again and a woman at the check in desk offered us a smaller room for half the price.  We jumped at that and saved quite a bit of money.  The room was small but very nice.  It was a corner room and it had a large window that was floor to ceiling and it wrapped the corner so the room was sunny and happy.  Also, the bath/shower had a double shower head which my husband really liked.  Now, onto the pictures.

How about a little double assassin action.  He is dressed up as Altair from the first Assassins Creed game.  There were about 5 different Assassins running around the con.  It was cool to see.

I an into these guys on the Expo floor and they were super nice.  The Spy (left) was at PAX last year as well.  We had a little train of following going on.  The Medic (Middle) was walking around, the Spy was stalking him, and I was following last and stalking the Spy.  It was fun.

This cute blue peanut man is from a game called Swarm.  I didn't know of the game before PAX but I just loved that character.  He is so cute and doofy with this eyes and face.  I love him.

This is the character Morgana from League of Legends.  She is my go to character whenever I play.  I was surprised to see someone cosplay as her.  I didn't know that LOL was as popular as it is.  There were many people who were dressed up as characters from it.  Good to see.

Another Assassin.  We ran into him on Saturday night around 1:30.  His friend wanted to be double assassinated so we did that for him.  It was great running into people who were strangers and just talk and be friendly.  Everyone was so nice.  That is one of the great things about PAX.  You are amongst people who have your hobbies, ideas, and interests.  We didn't run into 1 mean person.

I didn't ask to get my picture with too many people who were cosplaying but when I saw this fella I had to.  My husband and I are big Dr. Who fans, especially big David Tennant fans.  He had the outfit down perfectly and he looked similar to David Tennant.  

Okay.  I love Sailor Moon.  I have loved it for about 15 years now so I just about wet myself when I saw this guy.  When I was younger I always wanted Tuxedo Mask to find me and fall in love with me.  I still kind of do.  For me, he is the ultimate romantic hero.  

Alright.  This is a big one for me.  This is one of the two creators of Penny Arcade.  The fellas who put on the con and who create the web comics.  This is Tycho.  We ran into him around midnight on Saturday night.  I am sure he was pooped but he talked with us for a couple minutes and was nice enough to have his picture taken with me.  It is nice to meet famous people that you like and look up to and they are nice people.  

I know you probably don't recognize this guy but he is the guy that I was most excited to meet.  He is Brad Shoemaker from Giant Bomb.  Giant Bomb is a video game review, preview, video, and more website.  Brad does reviews and also does the Bombcast (podcast) with some of the other guys from Giant Bomb.  He always came across as a good guy with a good sense of humor and sweetness to him in his videos and on the podcast.  I met him right after the Giant Bomb guys did their live podcast panel and he was the sweetest thing.  I told him he was great and that he was my favorite guy on GB.  I asked if I could get his pic and he said yes.  I wasn't going to tell him that I had a crush on him but my husband just blurted it out, "She really loves you.  She has a crush on you".  It made him blush and make a nervous laugh.  That was Friday night of PAX and I could have ended the weekend right there and been a happy camper.

There are more pictures but I will leave those for my next post.  I think one is long enough.

Giving Away Goodies

It is that time again.  Time for me to head off to Boston for PAX and bring some goodies with me to give away.  This year I will passing out rings.  Super cute rings.  I was so surprised by last year.  My blog was only 3 months old and I got about 20 people who found me.  I was expecting more like 4 or 5.  This year I am very excited to see how many people find me. 

It is going to be the same drill as last year.  You can find me, if you aren't going to be there your boyfriend/friend/or whoever you know can find me, and say the password "Sweet" and you have yourself a new ring.  Nice and easy.

1:Find me in my Mario Dress or Ezio outfit

2:  Tell me the password "Sweet"

3:  Walk away with a free ring!

Last year was so cute.  There were a few boyfriends who found me and walked up to me all awkward and were like, "My girlfriend told me to tell you, Sweet?".  It made me giggle every time it happened.

This will be my last post today and most likely tomorrow since the con goes until 2 in the am.  

See you there.

Busy Busy Busy

  The simple fact that I am doing this post at 3:45am should tell you how busy I am getting ready for the Penny Arcade Expo this weekend.  It starts on Friday so we are leaving Friday morning.  This means that I have to have my sewing done tonight.  Which it is soooooo close.  I have just the smallest bit to do.  

  Here are some final shots of what I have done and some of my super messy sewing room.  I don't want to show them off really well until I am at the con with them on.  I plan on wearing the black Mario Lolita dress on Friday and then the Ezio outfit on Sat. and Sunday.  I worked my butt off on it and one day is not enough time to show it off.

Ezio Outfit for PAX

  I think I am most excited about the Ezio outfit for PAX.  The Mario Dress and Pac Man dress are super cool but I can't wait to wear, I'm just gonna call it Ezio.  I am doing a female version of his outfit because I want something a bit different and fun. 

From the original outfit I kept the half cape, belt, sleeves, hood, and part of the jacket.  The glove on the left hand I turned into a cuff.  The jacket has much of the same elements such as the 3 layers on the bottom, the red striping, the lapels, and the fit.  I just made it have a femineine shape and turned the bottom layers into a skirt.  I got rid of the pants.  I am making boot covers as well.  Making this outfit I am using some skills I haven't used in a while and some things I have had to teach myself because I have never done them before.  The cap sleeve on the left side with the open box pleats took a little figuring out.

My sewing room is in disorder because the ceiling is leaking and I had to move everything around.  There is also ceiling bits all over the floor.  Not the ideal sewing place but I am making do.  The Spring and Winter weather is making it difficult.  Every time it gets warm and then gets super cold it make the ceiling leak.  Boo.

  I still have a lot to do before the Ezio outfit is done but I have high hopes for it.

Penny Arcade Expo 2011

   It is that time again, PAX East!  Last year I made dresses that were inspired by the two main character from Penny Arcade.  You can see more about those here.  Last year was so much fun.  I got to spend the weekend surrounded by video games, comics, D&D, board games, and more geeky things.  I also gave away a lot of jewelry away for free.  I plan to do the same thing this year.  I will do a post tomorrow about the free goodies.
  This year I am bringing 3 things to wear.  The first is the Mario dress which is coming along quite nicely.  The second is the yellow Pacman dress that I didn't get to wear last year because the zipper broke.  Lastly, I am making an interpretation of the Ezio outfit from Assassins Creed.  PAX starts on Friday the 11th and ends on Sunday the 13th of March.  Tonight I want to take some pictures of what I have so far. 

A Dress a Day -03

Sorry I didn't post this yesterday.  There was a problem with our scanner so I had to use the one at work and it is not very good.  But, you get the point.  This is going to be the Mario dress for PAX in March.  I am so excited about it, I cannot wait.  Last year was such a blast and this year is going to be even better.  More on that later.  If I let myself go this whole post will be about it.

I saw a Mario Lolita dress a while back and I loved the idea so i wanted to do my own version of it.  I went with world 1-2 from the original Super Mario Bros. game to give the skirt a print.  The skirt and bodice will be black and the accent colors will be a teal blue and yellow.  In addition to the print I will be incorporating more Mario elements into the JSK.  The mushrooms on the end of the waist ties, star in the middle of the bow, Toad on the head bow, and perhaps a few more things in the future.  I think I will make a semi-sheer blouse to go underneath.  I am nit sure which color yet.  I have to outline and throw the pic into Photoshop so I can play around with the colors.

For the shoes I am sure it will just be black socks and black boots.  It would be really cute if I attached little goombas to the boots or something.  I should go all out and even make Mario jewelry.  I like sewing and making dresses but I have a feeling this one is going to be a joy to make.

So, do you like it?

Happy New Year and A Dress a Day!

  I hope everyone and a safe and fun New Years Eve.  My husband and I went to a friends house and had a pretty low key and at some times boring night.  But, there were lots of little things to nibble on so that was good.  I am still hashing out my new years resolution.  I think it is going to be along the lines of being more ambitious and more driven.  I have a habit of letting things go and not following through like I should.  I think I just need to set time aside for each thing I want to work on and improve.  Mostly sketching, the gym, sewing, and working on the Lolita Project. 
  I am starting a new project for the month of January, A Dress a Day!  I will be designing and sketching a new Lolita OP or JSK everyday.  31 dresses in 31 days.  They most likely won't be in color or super fancy illustrations but they will be ideas on paper.  I have a nice Moleskin sketchpad that I bought a couple of years ago and it is perfect.  It is small enough for me to carry around in my purse but big enough to make a nice sketch in.  My sketches usually aren't very big anyway.  I tend to sketch and write very small. 
  It will be fun to sketch everyday again.  I haven't done that since I was in school.  I also want to do a couple of sketches for a cosplay that I need for March and a Mario themed Lolita dress for March as well.  March is the Penny Arcade Expo again (the one that I made the Gabe and Tycho Dresses for) so I need a couple of cute things to wear.  So, big things ahead.  I have a very good feeling about 2011.  I think it is going to be a good year.  I hope it is a happy, healthy, and super fun one for everybody!

A PAX Story

Alright.  This is probably the most exciting story from PAX for me.  It is not the happiest or best story from PAX but it is the most memorable.
  Friday night after my group ate dinner at an awesome Thai place we went back to the con to check out the table top gaming halls and later catch the Mc Frontalot show.  We were talking to a developer of the game Revolution (which we bought and will play this weekend) and I had to use the loo.  So, I went to the closest ladies room, did my business, and started to make my back to my group.  I rode the escalator down a level and turned into the table top gaming hall.  As I did, someone came up running behind me yelling and grabbed both of my shoulders as they got to me.  I think I yelped in surprise.  I turned around and I saw a very snazzily dressed Asian man bent over and rubbing his ankle.  He looked up at me and I recognized him as Penny Arcades very own Robert Khoo.  (Below, he is depicted in one of the Penny Arcade comics)

  He started telling me that he had chased me down the escalator and ran after me. Still rubbing his ankle and hopping on his other foot he said he had just twisted his ankle when he caught me.  He had chased me down to take a picture of the Fruit F'er backpack that I had made.  I told him I recognized him, introduced myself, shook hands, and started talking about my outfit and bag.
  He took pictures of it and me and I asked if I could get a picture with him.  He said yes so we walked over to my group (25 feet away).  Dereck, my husband, took our picture.  (below)  Isn't he cute?

  I thanked him and told him I hoped his ankle was okay.  He hobbled away (literally) and I told my group what had happened.
  The next day I went to the Rooster Teeth panel and everyone else went to the Naughty Dog panel.  They did not get into the Naughty Dog panel due to such a long line so they walked around the con to kill time while I was at mine.  I got out of the panel and they were all waiting for me.  Dereck had a couple surprises for me.  1, he got me the new Mc Frontalot cd and it was signed, and 2, he had a picture to show me.

  The above picture is of Robert holding a cane.  When I saw this picture on the camera I literally starting crying within 10 seconds.  Tears running down my face, standing in the middle of a huge crowd, and feeling terrible my whole group starts to laugh at me.  Apparently, while they were walking around they saw him in the crowd and he was holding someones cane while they got something out of their bag. So, Dereck took the picture (talk about timing).  I still felt terrible even though they told me it was not his and that he was walking around.
  On Sunday the last day of the convention we went to the Q&A panel with Gabe and Tycho.  I want to ask them if Robert was okay but the lines were way too long.  While we were waiting for the panel start Robert walked in along the wall.  He was talking with a few of the other Penny Arcade people and also waiting for the panel to begin.  I got up from me seat and walked over to him.  When he saw me he recognized me and started waving his hands and talking to the fella next to him and pointing at me.  I walked over and apologized and asked if he was okay.  He lifted up his pant leg and had a freaking brace on it!!!  He said it was sprained.  He told his friend about what happened Friday night and about my backpack.   Alright, I just about cried right there.  It took about all of my strength and will power not to let the tears fall.  I told him about the picture my husband took, how I felt really bad, and asked if he had insurance. ( He does)  We talked for a few minutes and then I said my final sorry and said goodbye.
  So there you go!  I inadvertently sprained Roberts ankle.  I still feel very bad.  We are going to PAX again next year so I will have to be sure that I don't let this happen again.

Free Jewlery at PAX giveaways

  When I put the word out that I was giving away free jewelry I thought I might a couple or few people who actually found me.  Boy was I surprised!  On Friday, the first day of the con, someone found me within 2 hours.  Girls in cute Lolita were finding me and their boyfriends found me too.  It was so cute to see they boys come up to me.  They would come up to me and say "You are the girl, ummmm, the password is Sweet."  They were all so, confused as to the task that they were put up to. 
  As to the number of people finding me.  I was sure I would get about 3 people.  10 or 11 people found me.  I was worried that I was going to run out of goody bags.  As for the people who did get them I hope you like them. 
  I will have more pictures tomorrow and an interesting story.

PAX Weekend Pictures

  Well, PAX did not go quite how I thought and hoped it would but it was still fun none the less.  First off, there will only be pictures of me in the blue Tycho dress due to me only wearing that dress.  Why did I only wear the blue dress you ask?  To put it bluntly, I made the Yellow Gabe dress too small and I could not zip it up.  This was my own fault.  I forgot to try on the dresses before we went to Boston.  I guess I just assumed that since I made them on the form and the form was my size that they would fit no problem.  I also guess that the form was a size smaller that me when I drapped the fabric.
  No worries though.  My blue dress was a hit and Lolita's and thier boyfriends alike found me no problem.
Here are a few quick shots of me at the live recording of the Joystiq podcast.  (which was amazing and hillarious)

  The first shot is of us filling into the room before the podcast and the second is of the whole room holing up our free swag that we got.  I got an awesome Ds game.  My husband got Wii Cheer 2, Haha!  Here is the killer back shot of the Tycho dress and my back pack.

I will have more pictures and more stories tomorrow and all this week.

Free Stuff! Yea!

  That is right.  Free stuffs.  I am going to Penny Arcade Expo this weekend.  I have been working on these cute dresses to wear so I should be pretty easy to spot.  Why would you want to spot me there you ask?  Well, if you go to PAX and find me I will give you a lucky pack of cute jewelry and accessories.  All you have to do is find me on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, come up to me and tell me that you want free jewelry I will give it to you.  Perhaps I should come up with a password, lets see.  The passoword will be "SWEET".  You don't have to be in Lolita but if you do come in Lolita you might just get a little something extra on top of the lucky pack. 
  Lets break it down.  Come to PAX, find me in my Gabe or Tycho dress, and give me the password SWEET, and then you get free goodies.  Even if you don't remember the password I will still probably give you stuff. 
  Look out for these dresses.  (they will be finished at PAX, duh)

    I don't want to post the finished pictures yet because I want it to be a suprise.  look for them tomorrow or Friday.  Also, if you are interested in pictures of PAX I am planning on bringning my camera and camcorder and posting them the pics/videos on the blog all weekend.

Tychos Dress Update Part 3

  I did a bit of sewing last night an more sewing today.  I actaully got so engrossed in sewing today that I forgot to eat and drink.  I was just about to go to work and I realized that I was super hungry and thirtsy.  So, I treated myself to an Iced Coffe and Low Fat Blueberry muffin from Dunkin Donuts on my way to work.  The picture below is a little decieving.  It looks as if I am further along than I am.  I pinned it together on the dress for just to see how it is coming out and to make up my mind about a few design/embellishment details.

I am adding a light blue stripe toward the bottom of the skirt to mirror and top and add a bit of interest to the bottom.  The skirt needs a little punching up.  The bow is also just a stand in bow. I really love the back of this skirt and I cannot wait for it to be done.  I have a lot of ruffling to do.

Tycho Dress Update for PAX

  So, I spent about 4 hours sewing today and the bodice is coming along.  All the pieces are together except the collar.  I think I am going to do some sewing when I get home from work, sew the collar on and drape the skirt.  I know the general idea for the skirt but I have a few ideas and designs that I am tossing back and forth in my head.  What type of lace I am going to use, the color of the ruffles, and tings like that.  Here is what I have so far....

  I really like a dress/jsk with lots of gathering on the back.  That way it can be worn by several people, different sizes, and it can account for layers under it or weight gain and loss.  Fitted dresses are nice and tailored but they are less practical.  I like my Lolita to be easy to wear and friendly. 

  Speaking of other wearing my clothes.  I think I might sell these babies once they are done and once I have gone to the convention.  After all, this blog is about my debt and getting out of debt by selling my designs.  At PAX I might spread that word that I am going to sell them and if I get enough interest.  I also want to start making OP's, JSK's, and skirts to sell.  All one of a kind.  I do not like making things in repeat.  It's not that I think I am doing couture.  I just get bored making things over and over.  I like every project to be new, interesting, and fun.  I think when I am excited about a piece it comes though in my work.

  As a bonus here is a picture of my other kitty, Bella.  She likes to "help" me make my jewelry.

                                    

New Dress for PAX, Tycho!

  I am a little sick of staring at bright yellow so I started the next dress for PAX that I am going to wear.  When I was designing these dresses and thinking about them I was so sure that the super fun and bright Gabe dress was going to be my favorite one but now I am having second thoughts on that.  The moment I starting sewing the light blue stripes on the bodice I got excited and the color palette alone made me love it already.  The biggest element of Tycho's outfit that I borrowed was the muted blue color and the bright blue stripe on his sweater. 

  So far I have drafted the bodice, cut out the bodice, sewn the stripes on the bodice, sewn the channels for the gathering on the back, and attatched the ribbon the to the front for the "corset lacing".  The lapel on this dress is adorable.  Kind of a wide Peter Pan.  Here is my progress thus far...

Please excuse the messy desk.  I can't wait to drape the bottom.  I have never done an open back skirt.  I think I will do pretty well.  Draping is just like sculpting clay, just lay the fabric where you want it and play around with it until it looks like it does in your head.

Gabe Dress for PAX Progress

  PAX is coming around the bend and I have been working on my outfits for it like crazy.  The Gabe dress is about 80% of the way to being done.  I still have to put in the zipper, add the Pac-man decal on the front bottom of the skirt, and clean up the inside a bit.  I still need to make the apron but I have to buy more fabric to do that.  I bought just enough to make the dress and didn't think about the apron at the time.  No big deal though, I will just run to the store some time this week and pink up a couple yards.  Here are a few pictures of the Gabe dress and the progress so far.  Pretty cute if I don't say so myself.  I really like the scallops at the bottom.  Also, the 3 buttons on the bodice have little Pac-men on them.

Gabe Dress in Progress

  Well, it has been quite some time since I have posted about my sewing so I am gonna give you a little peek at what has been going on  in my sewing room.
  My husband and I are going to the Penny Arcade Expo at the end of this month and I am making 2 dresses to wear for the weekend.  Both of them are interpretations of the 2 main characters outfits and made into Lolita dresses.  I am making the Gabe dress first because my huband said he would like to see that one first.  I was equally excited to make both of them so I could not decide. 
  I draped the bodice on my form (I hate to draft patterns.  My mind does not work well when making clothes and wrting it down on paper.)  and cut out the bodice fabric. I bodice is mostly done.  I have to sew cute little buttons down the middle, put in the zipper, and a few tiny details.  I have the skirt pannels draped so all I have to do is cute them out, drape the lining, and them sew, sew, sew.  I am also making an apron to go over the JSK.  The Gabe dress is an underbust JSK and I will wear a black blouse under it.  I have never made an underbust and I think it is coming along pretty well.
   I am soooo excited for them to be done.  I really hope they come out just like I picture them.  If they do then they will come out adorable.  Here are a few pics of what I have so far.

   I just love the way the straps hug the side of the bust and curve around on top of the shoulders.  It is very attractive and gives a very nice fit.  Oooo, I almost can't contain my excitment!

Gabe Dress

  Here is the second of the Penny Arcade dresses.  This one will be a bit more obvious in its inspiration.  The Gabe character wears a yellow shirt with Pac-man eating a dot on it.  The dress will be mostly yellow white black pleats along the bottom.  I will include a small Pac-man on the skirt towards the bottom.  Along with the dress I will be making an apron with the large Pac-man logo.  The dress will be an under bust with embellishment on the torso. 

   I am really excited for this dress.  It will be really fun to wear to the convention.

Penny Arcade Expo Dresses

  In March my husband, his sister, her boyfriend, and I are going to the Penny Arcade Expo that is taking place in Boston.  It is a convention that will last for a whole weekend that involves video games, comics, D&D  (Dungeons & Dragons), comic books, cartoons, and all other geekery.  I really want to make a showing so I am making 2 dresses that are themed to the two main characters of the comic.  I will be making a dress inspired by Tycho and one by Gabe.
  I have drawn up a rough sketch of the "Tycho" dress.  It will be a JSK (jumper skirt)  with a rounded lapel and several cute bows.  

  This dress is not all that out there so I might be able to wear this after the con.  I will be posting the "Gabe" dress soon so hold on to your knickers.