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!

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

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

Top 10 Sustainable Cosplay Tips: 10 Recycle

Earth day is coming up but every day should be Earth day! Now as far as hobbies go, I know my sewing hobby is a double edged sword. Knowing how to sew is a life skill and I did it to fix up clothing, making my own from scraps, and to keep wearing stuff that's not totally damaged because I'm cheap and into recycling. Cosplay can be a wasteful hobby and it's certainly not cheap, HOWEVER it is possible to still mitigate some of the damage to try and to recycle and reuse in this hobby too. Here are 10 ways to costume more sustainably and put the recycle/reuse philosophy to use in your costume!

10) RECYCLE!
The costume on the right is 100% recycled (sans wig)! READ IT! RECYCLE AND REUSE BITCHES! Not only can you mix and match pieces from other outfits, on many occasions we just recycle objects! Lets break it down for you:

• Goggles and hat: goggles from a few Halloweens ago and the hat is a friend's antique pith helmet
• Capelet: the velvet is from a pillow that the cat peed on. One side was shot but the other side...had enough fabric for a cute capelet! The lining for it was from an old skirt that didn't fit either of us and was frankly ugly as hell. The trim was bias tape that was of unknown origin from ma's old trash box and the chain was from a broken necklace. 
• Blouse: old dress blouse that had horrible stains on the sleeves from a spill at a dinner party and pit stains so the sleeves were cut off and faced with ribbon from the stash that was too little of to do much else.
• The corset: Made from a dress that was badly stained with red wine at a party. There was still enough of it to cut fabric for that corset. Unfortunately the dress was white and black and had other stains....so we tea dyed it with stale dollar store tea that had been in my kitchen for years. The edging was done with more elderly bias tape.
• Bustle belt: The belt and pockets were cut from a paid of jeans that had been patched over and over for years and had finally met their maker. The only parts NOT shredded to bits from biking was the waistband and pockets. These were spray painted with extra paint from yard work and extra acrylic from old projects. The skirt part was a single suede look curtain from Goodwill that had been too short for my kitchen and the trim is extra from my living room curtains. Even the paint is recycled leftovers from other home repair projects.
• Skirt: tea dyed muslin left over from a quilt.
• Boots: cleaned up Goodwill boots getting a second life. We just replaced the laces and cleaned them up nice. Even the tights were from another costume she'd been wearing for years. 

 To the left is my first kimono which has will-o-wisps and kitsune painted on it. The fabric is from an old sheet set from college that ended up only having the flat left thanks to peroxide stains (learn from my fail....have white pillows if you always have skin cream from hell on) and the kansashi are flowers from an old valentines display. I made an original under kimono made of a comforter cover that was going on 20 years old but the fabric was so fragile from washing that it ripped like paper the first time I tried to put it on....so keep in mind that you can only recycle so many times before it doesn't work anymore.

The standard "use curtains and sheets for other things" is pretty obvious but don't be afraid to take old costumes apart either. Here's a ton of yardage in kimono just saying

Earth Week Day 1: The Tale of the Infamous L-Ville Couch

When Narla and I first started hanging out there was this couch. Live in any big city and late at night before trash pick up day (or before game days should you live in Morgantown WV) you may found furniture in alleys and by the side of the road. If you're lucky it's by the curb on trash day in the "rich part of town". You know of where I speak...where those of us who can sew and get our hands dirty could never afford to live. Beverly Hills, Grosse Point, Squirrel Hill, etc. For the best pickings, case the joint on the night of trash day in a part of town with lots of two car garages, BMWs, and where the cops are called when anybody who's not white is seen on the sidewalk. Use their racism to your advantage. NO rich douche-bag is going to tell this cut off jeans wearing person of unknown race to put down their trash side table or leave their brocade curtains in the trash. So...racist rich assholes aside, furniture/cool shit on the side of the road can be viewed thusly....

• REHOME ME!: Sometimes the item might be in great shape! A metal chair that has scraped paint? come on you've got rustolium! With the day of bed bugs being a serious issue, rehoming something upholstered into your house can be playing creepy crawly but metal tables, wooden chairs...hey if you're broke or low income, or both and a scavenger who loves DiY and adventure then give it a shot! Note: street furniture does have a risk of having bugs and mites but if you're really broke...or if it's un-upholstered..go for it. The more padding an item has the higher the risk. So a wooden chair or metal table is good to go vs a super plush couch. NOTE: I have a nice love seat and cushion scavenged in my neighborhood that has served me well. HOWEVER I knew of this family and they were a clean lot and I got it right when they were ditching it and dragged it home.  My aunt lives on the border of Grosse Point (rich asshole land) and inner city Detroit (suspect street furniture land). She has entire house of bad ass made from things she's scavenged and then refinished or done and a few things she got straight up at road side. Not a bed bug in sight! (13 cats,2 dogs and an engineer yes...but not bed bugs)
• I've got good bones UPCYCLE ME!: My aunt is infamous for this and so are many a person on Pinterest...rip it apart and reupholster the item....or in the case of this couch, had we been the savvy sewing scavengers that we are...Please note that these days, scavenging street furniture can be a little risky (bedbugs, scabies, MRSA) but stripping it down to bare bones where it stands and putting the rubbish in a bag to go where the item was originally going does limit that risk but that's only if you want the frame.
• OMG I'm made of leather and only one cushion is wee'd on...look TONS OF FREE LEATHER!: Yes, a smelly couch with broken legs and possible rats might fail the first two options, but if you're like me and always keep a shop knife if your car or on your person when going on a walk...In the case of this couch quite a bit of high quality leather could have been gotten from it to make bags, shoes, props etc. Then if the upcycle person comes along who would have just gutted it anyway you did part of the work. NOTE: this works best for leather/vinyl which are easier to clean as they are not so porous as fabric..and lets be honest, most street couches in fabric are ugly as all damn sin!

Should you chose to keep the couch/chair/table as is and aid it to your home, follow The 10 Commandments of Adopting Used Furniture and learn How to Avoid Bed Bugs

This all being said, if you're big into Mad Max style upcycling and the endless quest for being the cheapest cosplayer on the block with the sneakiest skills and most karma points...Here's a few quick tips!

1. Scavenge wisely!: OBVIOUSLY pay attention to where you are! You may find the best collection of tossed out ancient radio parts and hundreds of vacuum tubes (did it! GOod shit and worth the spilled blood but that's another story) but make sure that you aren't in a bad part of town alone. Bring a friend or a dog. After all with a friend you have double the hands to carry your new found goods and a second pair of eyes to watch your back. 
2. Have a scavenge kit: If you do this often, I've found having work gloves, trash bags, a tape measure, and a closable hobby knife are the best things to have in a bag if you know you'll be questing for loot. I keep that stuff in my car or go back to get later after i've spotted something. 
3. Dirty Loot? Clean it up!: Lysol (yeah I know it's not organic and it's kinda toxic but sometimes it takes a lot of kill the heebee jeebies) is your friend.  So is a black trash bag on the item, sealed with duct tape and left in the sun in summer heat for a couple days if you are worried about bugs.* Clean your loot well before reusing it. 

Be creative with your scavenging! Look at the item for what it can be not what it is. Some examples from the last couple trips:

• An old tire can make new treads or additionally thick treads for goth boots or shoes. In fact this is a common way to make simple shoes in other countries. Same tire can also be repainted and made into a planter if you're into redneck chic
• Broken slate stairs or tiles can be markers in your garden or a rest for your heat gun/hot knife/ hot glue gun that will NOT burn or melt! 
• Clean and dry wood scrap: instant clapper for hard pressing, or wrap with a towel if it's narrow enough and you have a sleeve board
• Broken window with screen: use the window screen like buckram
• Heavy old wine or liquor bottle: fill with pebbles or sand and top with a styrofoam head for a DiY wig/hat stand! Spray paint that sucker if you don't want the original look
• Old window with glass intact: Spray paint the back of the glass with Mirror Mirror paint for an instant mirror (I have one just like this in my livingroom)
• Tossed out old computers/speakers/ghetto blasters/radios: instant circuit boards for any cyborg looking project or maybe....

Make a bed for your pet!

 Be creative, enjoy your scavenging and have fun! Note that it's easier to scavenge for postapocolyptic/steampunk costumes and accessories and it does take some DiY skills but you can get there with work.

*This is in no way a guarantee that you won't get visitors of the six legged variety. scavenge at your own risk. 

The 5 S's of Cosplay: Intro

5 S: so not weebo!

Omg you're not getting all business into my fun time cosplaying are you!? Well no...but we have learned from much fail that maybe some business skills in our costuming and builds would help things go better. In the next 5 posts I'll go over what we did at House Needles to tighten up our production and make it less angst inducing. Because yes, part of the cosplay game is losing half your pattern pieces, having to do it again, having to go out in the middle of the night to buy more supplies because you can't find 'em or the dog ate it, and then having to pull a "drag race duct tape couture" moment....but dammit I'm 30. I ain't got the energy for that! Sure, Murphy's law will ALWAYS happen so plan ahead!

Reason for this quest?

1. ) We are broke. Costuming is freaking expensive! By going LEAN we can save our cash, get more out of what we have in the Stash and hopefully be able to get more done with less tears.
2. ) A couple of us are gimpy. When you never know when you might get a migraine, lose sensation in your hands, or be overcome with fatigue for a week, you have to do the most work possible in the least set of time with the least amount of dicking around.
3. ) With many hobbies comes a need to streamline and be efficient.
4. ) Because dammit it may be a fun time goofball hobby but lets be adults here! And stepping on needles in the carpet sucks. 
5. ) Lets teach our next generation of sewers and crafters good habits. I teach sewing to three students right now and I see how my 'eh just get it done" and "eh it'll do" attitude can get a little out of hand when teaching them. If I want them to do better I have to do better. 

So lets put on our tsuke cords, roll up them kimono sleeves and go full KAIZEN!