2018 awesomeness
2018 is done! And it was a great year! This was my first year being 100% self-employed, full-time, start to finish, and I made it! I survived! And I made some pretty cool things…
Imperial Poncho
The black one was a commission I did at the beginning of the year. I put it on Etsy and it quickly became my best seller! I sold SO MANY of these! And I sold them to people all over the planet! I opened these up to international shipping, and the orders rolled in! I’d like to thank everyone who bought one of these ponchos. You all made my year!
Cassian
I won an award! Best Workmanship, Master Class at the Norwescon Masquerade! I’m officially a master class costumer now! Norwescon is one of my favorite conventions, and the masquerade entries are always top-notch and made by people I know and respect, so winning there was an amazing honor. This was also my first hat!
Original Sith
This was a fun one :) I spent so much time mixing paint trying to come up with the perfect dark blue/black iridescent shimmery color for the tabard details! Photos don’t really do it justice, it was a really dynamic color in real life. And when the client was fully suited up in his red and black Nautolan mask and red lightsabers, he looked amazing and terrifying!
Steve Zissou
This was a simple costume to make, but just really fun to see walking around on a con floor :)
Luke Skywalker
This is a really interesting costume from a storytelling standpoint. Luke wears these base layers throughout all of Return of the Jedi, and he just slowly strips away layer after layer, starting with full robes in Jabba’s palace, and ending with just these pieces, shirt flap open, after his fight with the Emperor. I’ve seen Return of the Jedi a thousand times, but I never realized how perfectly this costume mirrored Luke’s journey until I started researching this costume. I’m really glad I got to delve deeper into this piece!
Qi’Ra
(Minor Solo spoilers)
I think we can all agree that Lando is our new favorite style icon, right? And his cape MAKES this outfit! Cape fabulousness aside, this was actually the toughest thing I’ve made recently. The sleeves were so complicated they were both set-in and raglan at the same time, and each sleeve/shoulder combo was made of seven different pieces, plus piping, and one of those pieces has 1/2 inch pleats! It was insane. I’ve often thought that modern costume designers are designing specifically to challenge (or maybe to play practical jokes on) cosplayers, and this stupid jacket is the number one example of that theory. No sleeve needs to be this complicated! But ok, bitching aside, it’s a great looking costume and I’m super proud of it!
Also, I know it’s controversial, but Solo is my favorite of the Disney-era Star Wars movies! Fight me.
The Gold Suit
This is just glam as fuck :)
Hats
I made four hats this year! Beating my previous record of zero! Ok technically I made three hats and decorated one (the gold one) But I’m counting it anyway!
Embroidery
I got an embroidery machine at the end of 2017 and I had a lot of fun with it this year! The Star Wars targeting computer has been a particular favorite on Etsy! And I got to embroider names on jackets for the Last Regiment of Syncopated Drummers’ new members, which is a very personally meaningful gig to me. The embroidery machine has opened up a lot of cool new opportunities!
3D printing
I learned a lot about 3D design this year, and made more complex pieces than ever before. Not like, moving parts or anything, but some nice curvy pieces :) I know a lot of people are making much more impressive things, but I’m happy with the pieces I’ve made and the things I’ve learned. This is a supplemental skill and I’m pleased with my progress!
Pants
This was the year of the zip fly! I’d never made zip-fly pants before this summer, and since June I’ve made six pairs!
So, yeah, it’s been a pretty awesome year! I’ve already got some really cool costume builds lined up for 2019, and I hope to make a lot more Star Wars costumes, more cool embroidery, and a lot of bags!
Thank you to everyone who supported me this year! And here’s to an amazing 2019!
See ya, 2018
Me, Dragoncon 2018, wearing Jefferson, epic coat and hair billowing!
