Super Sox Shop At Baltimore Comic Con

Wanna check out some of the Sox for yourself? I know you need a Green Giant Sox.......

Come join us at Baltimore Comic Con this Saturday and Sunday.

Cosplayers come say hi- I would LOVE to see what you are wearing!

Booth #2104

Look for the yellow banner and come warm yourself by our fireplace!

Fireplace?? It's 90 degrees out! You will have to come see us to find out if we are making s'mores or not.

Don't forget to check out the new merch!

Bored To Death- Adventures in Background Acting!

Happy New Year!

I gave the blog a little retooling and decided to re-cap on one of the most fun and crazy events of the year- adventures in being an extra while wearing my costumes!

The HBO show, Bored to Death, check it out. We were in the finale of season two.

Behold the monarch! There's more, and even a glimpse of Batgirl after the jump.

Orange Lantern Larfleeze

Orange Lantern Larfleeze
Originally uploaded by danwall8

Mask by Mask Masters

I am on my way to sewing my through all the green lantern corps and all other colored affiliates!

San Diego Comic Con 2009

Whoo Hoo- I Heart San Diego!
This was my first ever trip to the great (broke) state of California, and it was just as beautiful as I always thought it would be. I don't care how many times I have seen a palm tree- they still look completely bizarre to me. Our hotel was nice, but out on the freeway, but still had a nice view:

Off to SDCC

Tomorrow I am off to San Diego Comic Con.
Will return with lots of photos, and who knows what else.

Everyone keep your fingers crossed that I get a chance to enter the Masquerade.
I am also pleased to find that the schedule includes several panels that deal with costumes! Costumes on the brain all the time- keep it coming!
So, the big question, what will I be wearing? Well, I've got my own little costume schedule:
I finally made my Batgirl hoodie- check back later for pics.....

Saturday I will be wearing another Dr. Girlfriend outfit- luckily that gal has an extensive wardrobe..... here's a taste:
Ring any bells? Eh, you'll just have to wait to see the whole ensemble then. I'm going to do my best to make it to The Venture Brothers panel- but anyone who's ever been to a con when those boys are know that is no easy task. I suppose I'll have to queue up only 5 hours early......sigh.

Oh, and for the super-secret masquerade, you ask? Well, there is a chance that no one will get to see this costume. Here's a teaser:
So put out those good vibes that I'll be able to strut my stuff.

NCA Convention

The National Costumers Association Convention in Pittsburgh was a great experience for me. Sorry Pittsburgh, but I was there for all of 30 hours so I did not get to check out your city- but I did enjoy the myriad of food choices in your mall-like airport- and the T-Rex on display was cool too.....

San Deigo Comic Con Here I Come!

It's official, I've been wait-listed for the SDCC's Masquerade Costume Contest. I knew while I was working on my costume that the contest was full, but I am traveling a mighty long distance to not at least try. Oh boy, the more I think about it, the more I wonder what I may have possibly gotten myself into. Well, sometimes the best way to do something is to jump right in. I'm still not sure how or when the contact "the ones who wait"- but I'm psyched for my first trip to California! (though- I will only be participating in con activities and nothing else- sorry beaches, the zoo, and other local attractions, maybe next year!)

The Action Man

The Action Man: The Venture Brothers
Materials:
Top and Pants: charcoal poly/spandex moleskin
Turtleneck: dark grey acrylic/wool yarn
Gloves: Red Cotton/poly Interlock
Holsters, Belt and Kneepads: White spandex and Red cotton/poly Interlock
Helmet: purchased and covered with white cotton/spandex twill
Boot covers: black poly/spandex, fusible fleece, and velcro
Red lenses: purchased
Guns: purchased

My dear husband decided only a few short weeks before, that he would like to be The Action Man, for New York Comic Con. We just moved in the beginning of January, so he questioned if I would be able to finish all three outfits for the Con, taking place in early February. I just assured him that all would be finished, but he just needed to decide who he wanted to be, preferably someone simple. After unpacking his black army helmet, the decision was made.

Shadowcat

Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde: Excalibur
Materials:
Mask, gloves and underpants: poly/spandex
Blouse: poly/rayon
Sash and leggings: nylon/spandex
Boots: purchased

Originally when I considered making Shadowcat I was thinking of doing the blue and gold costume, maybe even the old 'uncanny' one with the hood, but then I caught wind of the Excalibur costume. So totally and wonderfully 80's! Love the blouse, I knew shoulder pads were a must!

The decision on which costume to make has a lot of different factors. Sometimes it's driven by a beloved childhood character, sometimes it's part of set. Sometimes it's a suggestion from someone else. Sometimes it is time and money constraints. Sometimes it's based on the materials I have at hand. Kitty Pryde was a little bit of the last two reasons.

Red Lantern

Red Lantern-inspired Jacket:
Red and Black fabric: Cotton/poly Interlock
Red and Black Rib: Cotton/Lycra
Lantern symbol: white Lycra
1 separating black zipper
3/16" Cordage









My buddy Mario, previously asked for a Sinestro-inspired jacket, now requested the another, this time the Red Lantern.

New York Comic Con 2009

Saturday: The Main Event
After battling our way out of the hotel with extremely sluggish elevators Shadowcat, and The Action Man rolled into the Javits Center just about opening. We checked our coats and floated onto the main floor in record time. As opposed to last year with the several hour line up, getting dressed while on that line and running around like lost little children. By now, we were pros. We had a lot of panels planned to see this day, so we modeled our way around the main floor while we had the time. We attended the 'how not to break into comics' panel, not so sure why I went to this one, but I guess I'm a sucker for learning random things. The panels rooms were much much larger than last year, I guess some planners learned a lesson. I was a little disappointed that we were sharing the space with the 'Travel Show', boy were those attendees confused and upset when they ventured to the wrong side of the concourse. (Picture guy in a business suit getting poked in the butt with a giant foam katana, or harassed by a Storm Trooper- no I didn't actually witness such a thing, but it would have been great) I feel like I spent the majority of Saturday in the basement on lines for panels- oh wait, that's because I did. I guess it goes with the territory, but if one wants to attend the most popular panels one must be ready to sacrifice most of their day. Which kind of sucks, but no one seems to have invented a better way yet. Eventually we ran into Mario, showing off his latest anigswes- the Red Lantern jacket he requested. I'm pleased with the way it turned out, and I think it looks great on him.

New York Comic Con 2009

Thursday and Friday:
I've always lived close to NYC, except this year. So in order to pick up our badges early on Thursday, our 5-hour journey began bright and early. It was worth it to get the badges early and just waltz in the rest of the weekend.

Next Stop, New York Comic Con

Hope to see another great turnout at this year's con. Be sure to look for the strange quartet of Shadow Cat, the Action Man, a sorta Red Lantern outfit, and an unamused civilian .
I will be sure to post tons of photos upon my return.

New York Comic Con 2008 The Unveiling

The Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend Visit New York Comic Con 2008

Little did I know what we (the Monarch and I) were in for at last year's comic con. Neither of us had ever been, but were very excited. We had a mission, to hopefully meet Doc Hammer and ask him to perform our marriage ceremony.

I can't really remember how the idea started, but we thought it would make for a fun wedding. Our day started well before the break of dawn and included a 2-hour train ride into the city. We traveled half-dressed, and I finished assembling us while we waited on the line to get in.

I was a little nervous, I didn't see that many costumes at first, and people were just staring. Then the photo-taking started. Must have been the first of what seemed like hundreds for what followed.

The Mighty Monarch

The Mighty Monarch

The Venture Brothers

Materials and Pieces:

Bodysuit and Cowl: Black knit polyester

Armor, Gauntlets, Crown and Boot Tops: Yellow spandex

Cowl face: Nude swimwear lining, pipe cleaners, fishing weights

Wings: Black, Orange and White cotton, plastic boning, and snap fasteners. Lots and lots of snap fasteners.

Gloves: Purchased

Booties: Purchased

When my fiancé Peat first showed me this cartoon, I was very confused, (why is that guy a giant butterfly, and why is his girlfriend a man, and are those two young boys retarded??) but after a few episodes I was hooked! Season 2 was even better and the eternal answer of what would be a great couples’ costume for Peat and I to wear was solved. Where we were going to wear this to was yet to be determined.

After plenty of sketching, pausing, scanning through the DVDs, decisions had been made, and soon I was bothering my poor monarch with fittings left and right. I believe I started monarch production early fall 2007, I started at the crown, and the cowl and worked my way down.

The crown has cardboard inside to make it stand up. The beard and eyebrows are pipe cleaners and attached to the nude swimwear lining, so we wouldn’t have to depend on attaching those accessories directly to his face. (I’m a sewer, and avoid big make-up jobs when I can)

The armor for the chest and shoulders is made out of the spandex and stiffened with some heavy interfacing. The symbol is vinyl and was attached with a heat press.

Again, with this costume for comfort and simplicity’s sake I made two pieces instead of a one piece bodysuit.

I purchased the yellow booties from a costume website and made thigh hi extensions out of the corresponding fabric. (There are a lot of pieces in this ensemble!) The gloves are just those black little stretchy gloves you can buy anywhere, because I forgot to make real ones, and ran out of time just before the con. The gauntlets are made out of the yellow spandex stretched over 6” lengths of ½” pvc pipe. I’m going to need to remake these too, because Peat gave them to Doc and Jackson 2008’s NYCC signing. (more on that in another post, I swear)

Those were difficult to make, because obviously I couldn’t put it in the machine after I got the piping in there. It was a pain, and the insides of them did not look so pretty, but the overall effect was what was needed. Peat was a disappointed they couldn’t actually shoot darts, but who knows, maybe the next pair. I have big plans for the next set, but I shall require some new hardware to achieve the new plans.

The wings were fun to make. First I started with a paper pattern so we could determine the exact size and shape. They are made out of cotton and stabilized with medium weight interfacing. I made the black binding in order to channel the plastic boning to help keep the shape. They are attached to the armor with a series of complicated snaps that I can barely remember the proper sequencing.

This was a truly a labor of love, and I had a blast making it. Little did I know the extent of what I had done, until we went to 2008 New York Comic Con.