Welcome Anthrocon 2015!

Top 10 Sustainable Cosplay Tips: 7) Multi-tools and mutli-uses

7.) Multi-use is not just for Multi Tools!

Here is my favorite costume set: my All Weather Martha Stewart set. It's a long skirt, a front bustle, and a back bustle. It's 100% recycled. The bustles are from fitted sheets and pillow cases, and the wide stripes are from the flat sheet from a flannel Martha Stewart sheet set I used all through college. It didn't fit my new bed but I loved the color and a lot of events have been outside. I knew I wanted something that I could wear in warm and cold so....I made it so the bottom skirt can be adjusted from long to short in about a minute using clips. The bustles are different pieces so I can wear all three together or in any combination. The belt for the top bustle is actually a ratty old belt I got for 25 cents that was totally unwearable...but the buckle still worked! Even the buttons on the back were salvaged from an old button jar that was going to be tossed at a church bizarre years back. Plan ahead, how can I use this item for multiple things, and how can I MAKE this item adjustable.

• Got time and the skill? Why not make an item reversible! Reversible skirts aren't all that hard, same for vests. If you're buying, you can get reversible corsets
• Pull a renfaire/kitsuke trick: make your collars or sleeves changeable for a costume. This works great for Kitsuke and kimono when you can make your juban have changeable sleeves or whip stitch different collars to it.  My long cotton juban will have changeable sleeves; just haven't been able to find the fasteners yet.
• Make it adjustable! Theater products do this all the time! Know your weight changes? Make it a little bigger and adjust with belting or larger seams. I have a couple skirts where I make two sizes too big and then carefully hand sew two pleats in the back so I can let it out when I get chunky again OR If I'm putting a shit ton of stuff under it

As for tools, the multiest of multi-tools is THE DREMEL! However there are a few other tools that mix and match

• DREMEL: it's a sander, it's a router, it's a drill, it's a saw, it's a polisher, it's a cutter, it's AMAZING!
• HOT KNIFE: it cuts foam, it etches EVA, it cuts synthetic lightweight fabrics and sears the edges for petals and quick hems on cupcake dresses
• HEAT GUN: form foam, quick dry paint, straighten wigs, wet a garment and power steam it while on the manequin

Can YOU think of any multiuse tools or costume things? Share in the comments below!

Hawkeye has powers too! (Because you need a break from reviews and tutorials!

Make your own Worbla and a review

Posted by Obsessive Creative Disorder on Saturday, April 25, 2015

A Obsessive Creative Disorder's Worbla pie! Sounds like a great idea in theory! And we tried it. And here's our review

• Not cost effective: this small pie in the video below used about 4oz of instamorph pellets, and if you factor in your TIME as a cost, we dicked around for an hour with this and ended up with nothing we could really use
• Not the same quality as worbla
• Can't roll it out as thin as worbla without some way to keep it heated the entire time
• TIME IS MONEY! Just buy your damn worbla! 

UPDATE: full disclosure, our sawdust is raw powdery sawdust from our saw vacuum; I was not willing on messing up my Ninja blender to make it more powdery. If I had more time and more pellets maybe I'd try it with wheat or something but experimenting is going to cost far more than just buying the worbla. If you have tons of expendable time and income tho feel free to experiment. 

Top 10 Sustainable Cosplay Tips: 8) Planning ahead

8.) Plan ahead!
Do you have a costume that's in your "to do pile"? Well plan ahead! Will it need certain undergarments like a corset or bustle or petticoats? What other costumes in your to do list need the same thing? Keep a list! As we do a lot of historical, one set of petticoats, split drawers, bustle pad, and well fitting corset means we only NEED that one set! This can be used for many costumes. This also helps if you frequent second hand stores and auctions. Know you'll be needing red fabric for that certain costume, you might get lucky and find an entire bolt of moire taffeta from the 50s for 10$ bucks at an estate sale like we did! This is more of a money saving thing vs a planet saving thing obviously.

Also this will save your SANITY for a con! Unlike what Heroes of Cosplay shows, nothing genius is going to come out of a week of sweat shopping. We've pulled something passable out of a night or two of slaving tho so it can be done but there will be tears. 

EXAMPLES

1. MADAME RED: Knew I'd be doing this costume three years ago and have slowly been working on it and collecting the pieces when they go on sale like patterns, fabric etc and making all the pieces.
2. SHOP BY SEASONS: know that you'll need lots of fake fur for a costume, or tons of wintery stuff for an Elsa? If you plan a year ahead you can hit the sales and get things for a better price than trying to find snow flake decorations and fake snow in summer. It can be done but you will pay through the nose for it. This really applies to real life clothing shopping and steampunk: you will get awesome coats at a quarter of the price by shopping OFF SEASON in spring vs trying to get them in fall. 
3. Know you're going to a certain convention a year ahead? GO ahead and book your room as soon as the convention block opens. If you DON'T go just cancel! If you try and get a room at the last minute you'll be paying more unless you get really really really lucky.
4. SAVE GAS: know you need to get a bunch of stuff for your costume stuff? Pull a Warcraft and hit all your quest points at once! Sure it means you need to plan ahead vs going to Joanns every day or making a bunch of different trips but it will save you time and money in the long run

Anime 101

Cosplay 101 with Mango Sirene's Room Rules

mango Sirene's Room Rules

Mango has some great tips and sounds nice while giving them, vs me, Rusty Needle or Mystery Needle who tend to sound like someones mothers....in stereo. Mystery is much more of a con-mother than I am however do has a bit of a "live, let live, and bring extra dark colored towels" kind of traveler. For a lot of people sharing the con hotel is part of the fun. If you're like our group however, we're all a high stress, edgy bunch and the last thing we need is one more variable in our lives! We're on the team of "only share rooms with close friends you know in person". If you're of the OCD variety, or of the "older con goer" variety, or the Road Warrior group here's a few OTHER tips I like to give!

1. For payment: PAY WITH A CREDIT CARD! What you say? YES! Why? Because if there are illegal charges, the hotel screws up and loes your info, or bullshit gets charged to your card...your credit card company will go to bat for you. Your debit company doesn't give a shit. Am I going to give any company full access to my bank account? Shit no! But they can charge to my visa and if they start shit, my credit card company don't want to pay either. Been there done that. Also (Believe it or not) paying in cash, check, or debit raises eyebrows and can get you hit with fees. Why? Because hotels know there is a limit to your dinky bank account and people who pay in cash are up to something. But your credit card...they feel more comfortable with. Up until pretty recently you couldn't book a hotel or a car with a debit card or cash. Your roomies can pay you back in cash or check or you can split the bill at check out if you must at the risk of your hotel hating you. 
2. Beds and The Taco: We typically have 3 people in a room (gasp I know! We're old and can afford it) so that works well with two beds. I've had to share co-ed rooms at cons before however and despite my progressiveness, many people may be totally uncool with this. If you must have coed rooms maybe offer girls in one bed guys in the other or whatever suits your group. If tho you are sharing a bed with someone due to rooming difficulties there is what I like to call 'the taco' method: ask housekeeping for an extra sheet and extra over blanket and make a blanket taco on your side of the bed. In this way nobody is touching! So very Amish I know but some people don't want to risk spooning each other or in the case of a few trips I've been on, getting punched all night by your restless leg afflicted bedmate. This also keeps people from hogging the covers or bitching about too may blankets on the bed: each person makes a taco with their amount of 'toppings' (blankets/sheets) and less angst! Note: I've been to events where we had 6 people in a room...not fun, or the 4 girls and a photography guy in a room, but the way old Rusty sees it, if you gotta pack more people than the fire code allows into a room to afford it, it's time to think about a cheaper hotel. If the hotel finds out about room packing, and they will btw...they can kick you out.
3. Bathrooms: if you know you're going to be taking off a ton of horrible makeup, try and bring a hand towel of your own with you. I forget many a time but I also have basic makeup and not full on body paint so it's no worse for house keeping than any other 30  year old lady with troweled on makeup staying. Also instead of fighting over who gets to use the two towels, just call downstairs for more alright? It's no big deal, even in a roach motel. Seriously.
4. Keep yer shit organized: Do try not have your bag explode too much in a shared room. None of us want to step on each other's stuff, and if you're rooming with a control freak or suzie-q-anxiety (ie you're rooming with Rusty needle >.>) it'll make life better for everybody. Ever been rushed to get ready to go and can't find your shit because your ocd roommate put it away while sleep walking? Prevent this; just toss your stuff in your bag or in your section of the closet. Less change of everybody putting on the wrong parts of their costumes.
5. Stress Free Checkout: Alright the NIGHT BEFORE check out pack all your shit but what you're wearing to leave and your "overnight bag", make sure all room keys are accounted for and set near the door, finalize accounts if anybody owes anybody else money, set your alarms for when your check out is..and double check if you're not sure. Not all hotels are 11am! Then go to the con or go to bed resting easy, knowing you won't be running around like a nutjob in the morning trying to clean up and get packed at the last minute.
6. Leave a tip: if you made a huge mess...wig hair everywhere, you were a Home stuck, leave a damn housekeeper tip.

Other Travel/Con Tips:
House of Broken Needle's Guide to Road Warrior Travel