Sorry this is late. Still dealing with technical issues.
I had an idea the other day. Most of my blogging focuses on my writing. But when I’m at conventions, I’m primarily known for the costumes I wear in the masquerades. Hand knit and crochet, they are a labor of love that people want to know more about. I always promise I will blog about them, but usually remember just before the convention I am going to attend.
This year, remembered that I want to blog about it at the the time I was coming up with the costume concept. So once a month, I will post where I am on working on the costume, including pictures, ideas, and thoughts as I’m working on them.
Here’s my promise. A lot of people don’t want to know what I am wearing before I step on stage. And I want to honor that thrill of seeing a costume for the first time without any preconceived notions. I will be posting pictures, referring to materials and patterns. I will talk about how this pieces is giving me finger cramps. Most likely any person paying close attention will be able to figure out what I’m making. However, I will do my best not to say the name of the costume until it has been in its first masquerade (usually BayCon). After that, I will post pictures of me in the costume and any awards it has received, like I usually do.
So if you don’t want to know anything more, stop reading now!
Because of the time involved in knitting a costume, I have to start about a year out because I know I will be distracted with other projects. Plus while some pieces can be sewn in a day, knitting and crocheting will take a much longer time. I’ll jot down ideas throughout the year, but June is when I have to start seriously planning the costume for the next year.
For the 2018 costume, inspiration struck on June 24, 2017. I had an idea to do Tinkerbell or Janice Rand from Star Trek, but I wasn’t really feeling either of them. Then I had an idea looking at pictures of Carrie Fisher.
That sparked my interest.
Scrolling through costumes she had worn, one jumped out at me. It isn’t as fancy as the costumes I’ve done in the past, but I think it would make a striking stage presentation. To pull it off, I will need a to make a poncho and a hat and/or wig. I will also need to modify a pair of boots and a pair of pants. This doesn’t sound like a lot compared to other costumes I have made, but since I will also be busy with a book release (I hope), simple is better.
So now I need to figure out exactly how I’m going to pull this all off. But that’s my next post in about a month.