Warming up to 2024

I had this wild idea to do monthly (or semi-monthly) update blogs - probably only because I feel like I've accomplished a lot of cosplay stuff so far this year. "Feels like" is the operative phrase here, but still, let's take a look:

​Projects

War:
In January I finally finished my War cosplay (started 2019). I had put time into the accessories in late 2023, as well as replacing the pants, but the wig/hairpiece was the biggest (i.e. most intimidating) and final piece. I made the faux-hawk and braid combo from scratch using the wefts from a ponytail clip (dyed to match my hair) and red wefts, both from Cactus Mafia. All the wefts were hand-sewn to a felt strip - probably not the best choice for my base, but it was convenient and a discrete colour. Then came lots of teasing for texture and volume, curling the top, pinning the top into place, and braiding the back. It's not exactly what I had envisioned (but what ever is?), and it definitely reads as War. In any case, it's better than having to use my own hair again next time I put on the costume.​

Blanca Flightsuit:
I'm keeping the inspiration for this one under wraps until the Costume-Con 42 Single Pattern Contest, so I'm going to label it with the pattern name instead of my inspiration. I laid out a very reasonable timeline for myself in early January to keep me on track for the deadline but also ended up with both less time and less energy than anticipated. No surprise: I'm way behind and I don't know if I will get it done. But I did sketch out my design options, chose fabrics, and assembled the pattern pieces in January. February was all about working out the design details, fitting a mock-up, trying to source materials, and cutting fabric. Not too much to show off here, so I'll just add pics of my mock-up as proof of life - I promise the finished garment will be at least a little bit prettier.

Amity video:
At the very end of 2023 I finished a new Amity Blight cosplay with the hope to use it for some Christmas cosplay photos, but sadly didn't get it done early enough. However, it seemed like a great option for the Con-G masquerade, especially since for once I wouldn't freeze if I wore it outside! Since I have multiple Amity costumes at this point, I settled on a montage video showing all of them off, and doing it in the style of a sitcom opening. Prepping, shooting, editing, and putting together my build book and video accounts for most of my flightsuit time sacrificed in January, but I think it was worth it. More on that below...

Events

TriCon:
I was psyched for this to be my first con of the year - to see friends in the Kitchener ON area again and also go back to The Museum, which I haven't seen since the first TriCon in 2014! Sadly the winter weather wasn't in my favour and I had to cancel the drive, but I'll try again next year!

Con-G Geeks @ Home:
It’s difficult posting about a con when I wasn’t actively cosplaying and meeting up with my friends, and feels silly to recap programming when almost everything is now available online. It was a bit more of a challenge attending (viewing) this year than previous because I had many other things going on over the weekend, but I managed to catch several panels as well as the masquerade, made some drinks, and enjoyed the FMV blocks! As mentioned, all of the panels are already available on Youtube to watch on demand so I highly recommend taking a look at the playlist and checking out some of them! Additionally, here's the link to the masquerade and to my entry by itself.
I ended up winning Best in Class for Master division, which was awesome; especially considering how many other Master entries there were this year! Looking forward to Con-G at home again next year!

What else?

I have so many (far too many) things in-progress these days. I'm knitting on TV nights with my mother, which means I'm making very slow progress on my Impervious shawl. I love the pattern but it's somewhat tedious to knit, so maybe I'll make enough progress to show off in a future post. For now, this is the point I was at around the start of the year

Website updates are coming - I know I still have a few "new" cosplay galleries which are missing, but it's been really hard to set aside time for that kind of work. Sadly, costumes with actual deadlines have to come first with my scant time for hobbies.

Unrelated to cosplay or crafting, I'm still staying active with running and dancing at the gym, and still playing D&D (in the second year of our current campaign!)  I managed to squeeze in two visits to Kitchener to see friends, and celebrated my birthday at home with new and old friends. I finally defeated Ganondorf in Tears of the Kingdom so I can start a new game guilt-free (though I'm still working on finishing up all the side-quests).

That's enough for now - look forward to the next update after Costume-Con 42!