Sailor Moon Steampunk Cosplay Update

I have been a busy little bee and spend most of my free time at home sewing. It seems like everything that involves sewing takes 3 times longer than you think it is going to. I have a week and a half to finish the outfit and I think I am right on track. I have several things done (blouse, gloves, bag) and everything else is well on it's way. I will be sewing the skirts this week and once they are done all I have to do is the accessories, boots, spats, and a bow.

The underbust corset took longer than I had wanted but I kind of knew that was going to happen. Trying a corset in a week is a lofty goal. But, with a little extra time it got done. I don't want to give the entire outfit away yet but I did take some pictures of what is done so far. I think I like the bag most of all, and the gloves. They turned out to be cooler than I thought they were going to be. Fancier. So, onto the pictures. Everything still is a work in progress and could change.

Sewing the corset went pretty okay. It took a long time but I didn't make any major mistakes and it fits well. I was a little concerned that I would have troubled making it so once it has been so long but it all worked out. The fingerless gloves are not connected to the sleeves of the blouse I just needed to pin them on so they could be seen nicely. The lace along the hem of the gloves is so pretty and looks so lovely. It is very flattering.

I need to fit the blouse and add a few little changes but that won't take long. The bag is something that I am excited about. I needed something to carry my essential items in so I thought a nice satchel/bag that I could hook onto the bottom of the corset would be prefect. A few loops and a little hook or two and it will be perfect. Enough to carry my phone, id, money, chap stick, a little make up, and odds and ends.

Well, I could go on and on but I want to leave a little for later and my next post when the skirts and boots are on their way to being done.

What do you ladies and gents think of it so far? Like it? Hate it? Do you have any ideas to improve it?

Sailor Moon Steampunk Cosplay for PAX East 2013

It is that time of the year again for me when I am getting ready for the best and only convention that I go to. This year I have decided to make one super awesome costume instead or 2/3 that are good. I am working my little hands off making a Steampunk Sailor Moon cosplay. I did a little googling and there really haven't been any Steampunk themed Sailor Moons. I came upon a few that were called Steampunk but they were less than impressive (They basically just added a corset and called it a day) so I am more than happy to make mine.

 I worked on the design for quite a while and took my time because I have never made a Steampunk anything so I wanted to do it right. Plus, I always take a long time to design. I am happy with what I have come up with. I had to keep many things in mind when I did design it. Low cost, comfort, actually creatable (possible designs), and a nice blend of Sailor Moon and Steampunk.

 The above picture is nothing fancy an is just a layout of the pieces that I am making so I know the exact plan that I am going to follow. The blouse is pretty close to the original (see original outfit below), I just changed the sleeves and made the bust gathered. It will have a brown faux leather  underbust corset. to go over the bottom of the blouse. I haven't made a corset in a few years so it will be a relearning experience.

There will be 2 skirts, a bubble skirt and then a pleated blue skirt trimmed with lace. The back of the pleated skirt will have 3 layers of  pleating and a bustle style back. as far as accessories go I will paint and decorate an old pair of boots, sew faux leather gloves, and several ribbon things like bows and necklaces.

I am going to be taking pictures as everything comes along. I have purchased almost everything that I need so I can blaze ahead. As of right now I have cut out the blouse pieces and have started to sew them together. It will take a little longer to sew everything just because there is going to be lots of little details on everything. Embroidery, extra stitching, and hand sewing. Here is the first peek of everything that will soon be an outfit and accessories.

 Pictured is the faux leather brown fabric (gloves, corset, and a few tiny things). And, don't worry. For those of you who are into corsets and know more about making them. I do have coutil fabric to make the corset with. The faux leather will go on the outside. The two light tan fabrics will be for the blouse and underskirt. The two dark blue fabrics are for the sailor style collar and the pleated skirt. My husband bought me the awesome goggles and they are going to be tweaked to look like Sailor Moon's original goggles. The long metal things are the boning that goes in the corset to make it stiff. Everything else is for decorating. Gears, cogs, stars, keys, D rings, and tiny tiny small little gears.

I will be sure to take some pictures tomorrow when I am sewing so I can show my progress so far. I have less than a month to finish so it will happen pretty quickly. I can't wait for it to be done so I can see the final product and smile. It always feels so good at the end to see your accomplishment. I really hope it comes out well and that everyone likes it. I have been planning my make up and hairstyle in my head. I am most definitely going to sport the odago/bun hair style, you have to with Sailor Moon. 

If you could make or just buy a Steampunk version of anything, what would it be? Adventure Time? Disney Princess? Lolita?

Sailor Moon Brooch

My love of Sailor Moon is flaring up and I like it. I have always loved Sailor Moon but there was a bit of a lull there. I think since I found Tumblr and joined it is really easy to look at tons of cool pictures under any label or tag. Anyhoo, I was browsing the Sailor Moon tag and I spotted this little gem. Well, not this one but the one for Chibi Moon that was for sale on an Etsy shop. 

I love the pink Chibi Moon brooch with its big gem and lots of pink but I just couldn't buy it. As much as I love Sailor Moon I kind of hate Chibi Moon. I have always found found her really annoying. I wanted to see more of the shop where the Chibi Moon brooch came from and I saw the Sailor Moon brooch. I knew I had to have it. I think I thought about it for 3 seconds and I was already clicking purchase. Each one is special order so I have to wait 3 more weeks for it to come in the mail but it is worth the wait. I will have to take some pictures of it when it comes. The best part is I can wear it with Lolita since it is not costumey.

I bought it from Kuma Crafts. They have lots of really cute and cool stuff. The prices are very reasonable. They have everything from a necklace with an ice cream cone, ninja cat shirts, and everything in between.

Long Time No Post.

    Please forgive me.  I have fallen behind.  Things have been spicing up in my life and I have been busy.  Let me explain myself and list the good things I have been doing.

   1:  I have been working out at my local gym with a goal of a healthy body again.
   2:  I have been working more in order to  pay off my student loans.
   3:  I am brainstorming a big Lolita project. (a secret for now and most likely for a while)
   4:  I have sketching and designing my heart out in preparation for a Lolita fashion show in the Summer of 2011.

  I know this is no excuse to completely ignore my blog and my readers and I won't let it happen again.  I will explain these reason in further detail later because I am quite excited about them.  So, lets just jump back in.  Sailor Moon goodies..... I found more.

This is just a small bit batch of Sailor Moon dolls that I have.  These were just ones that I had stored at my parents house.  Like Lolita, Sailor Moon gives me warm fuzzy feelings inside.  It makes me happy and that is why I share it with you.  I will have to dive into my closet and break out the really good stuff like wands and rare items.

Sailor Moon Stuff & Jewelry

  I have decided that I am just going to show off my Sailor Moon stuff.  I have so much and I want to share it.  Here are a few things that I found in the attic.  My Sailor Moon things are in very different shape.  Some, I bought in middle school and used and it is in rough shape and other things have never been opened and are in pristine condition.  Here are a few of the older things.

 

I have other cd's but these are the few that I found tucked away.  I wore the watch for about a month before it broke because it was made with cheap plastic.  

I want to start showing off some of my Lolita collection and I thought that I would start small with jewelry.  First, I have to tell you that I have zero to little storage for my jewelry and I need to get on it.  Right now all I have is one little glass jewelry box.

Ok, I know what you are thinking.  A gun isn't Lolita.  It isn't but I love it none the less.  I found the gun charm on Etsy when I was ordering jewelry supplies and I just had to have it.  I bought it with a trident and an ax charms as well and my husband wanted the ax so I made a necklace for him.  The gun is sooo heavy and nicely detailed.  The rest of the jewelry and accessories is your standard pink.  I really love cute pink animal rings.  The bunny and the cat are super cute.

Just a few of the bows and hair corsages that I have made.  I really like to cute up my hair everyday and an easy way to do that is to add a flower and/or bow.  

I can't wait to bring out all of my Sailor Moon stuff and Lolita collection to photograph and share.  It will be super fun.

Sailor Moon Awesomeness!

  A couple of weeks ago I helped my mother clean out the attic (we are still not done so I have to help again this weekend, boo) and  found some good stuff.  Amongst the good stuff  found some great stuff.  Sailor Moon stuff! When I moved out of my parents house about 8 years ago I had to pack up my whole room and put it in the attic.  It was sad to pack up my Sailor Moon stuff and not get to see it everyday but I knew it would not be forever.  Now that my husband and I have our own place and have room I can claim my stuff.  I only found a couple boxes of Sailor Moon things so I know there s more.  Here is what  found a couple weeks ago.

 Here we have all of the Sailor Moon comics on the top (all original printing), all of the graphic novels (doubles and triples of some), 4 sets of the card game, 2 decks of playing cards, 1 cell phone case, Tuxedo Mask plush, lunch box, stickers, Chibi Usa wand, and 2 Sailor Stars single Cd's.   

I am super proud of my Sailor Moon collection.  I would say what you see here is only 5% of my Sailor Moon stuff.  Between the Comcs, dvds, dolls, wands, wall scrolls, stickers, play sets, and everything else I would need a whole room to fully display everything.  

I am going to be doing more posts of my Sailor Moon collection.  I find there are a lot of Lolitas who love Sailor Moon as well. Here is a bonus picture of my cat Bella.  I was trying to take these above pictures and she was not having any of that.

Sailor Moon Fever!

Wow!  I posted my Sailor Moon dress on egl and there was a wave of Sailor Moon fans who came out of the woodwork.  In many of the comments they said I should design more Sailor Moon themed dresses.  Ones for the different seasons, the different Sailor Scouts, different characters, and so on.  Some people even said they were going to do their own designs.  I love the idea!
  I don't think I am going to make all of the dresses but I will design a bunch and make a few.  It is going to be a lot of fun.  It is great when you can combine 2 of your favorite things.  Sailor Moon is a great inspiration.  So many colors, strong elements to pull from, and more.  I will post more sketches and info soon.  I really do hope it catches on.

Sailor Moon Lolita Dress

  About 3 or 4 weeks ago I started designing a Sailor Moon inspired Lolita dress and now I have finally gotten around to inking, scanning, and posting it.  I wanted it to be a dress inspired by Sailor Moon and not a costume.  I think I walked that fine line pretty well.  Sometimes it is hard to judge what is too much and what is just right and sometimes I have to reign myself in a little bit.  It is fun and easy to go over the top.

I want to color it but I have to wait till my lappy comes back home to me from the lappy hospital.  That should be this week with a little luck.  I am thinking the main color will be a navy blue with white trims perhaps.  This is what is in my head right now but I am sure it will change when i am playing around with the colors in Photo-shop. (You can click on the picture to embiggen it)

The main elements that I took from Sailor Moon and added to the dress are the pleats (even though her skirt does not have box pleats), the lace just off the shoulders mimicking the sailor collar, and the princess seam lines and seam just under the bust.  I looked at all of Sailor Moons fuku's for inspiration.  Ones from the anime, manga, original designs, and all of her different transformations.  

I really love the embellishment on the front.  My husband has just gotten into screen printing so I thought I would  utilize it in this dress.  A simple silhouette of Sailor Moon sitting on a moon with clouds and surrounded by tiny stars reminds me of the Vampire Requiem print with what looks like Tuxedo Mask flying through the air.  (I really would kill to have a dress or JSK in that print.  It is just so darn expensive.)

Anyway, I will be posting more of the dress when I am coloring it and sewing it.