:D

Aug. 29th, 2009 01:20 am
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I have a Japanese costume blog thing. Yez, that does make me a complete geek.
On Cosplay Archive
So far only a couple Saku and Kagetoki pics up and I'm still not done tagging them (read, don't know how to) but I'm working on it.

(Also, Tomomori and Masaomi ironically, one of the better pairs that I've seen. Oh to have such a tiny appropriately-shaped body to put my costumes on.)
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[Edits at 3 am]
It's past midnight, and I'm maybe about to start packing for the con.
That includes double-checking all my costumes to make sure I have all my ties/tabi/accessories/wigs/など and making certain that I have all the necessary paperwork/computers/cables/hardware packed. [DONE - except the Benkei issue in next entry.]
Oh, and making sure I can fit everything in my luggage. -> See Benkei issue
And that I can move my luggage efficiently. And not forget the Karaoke shirts.
And that I have at least /some/ regular clothes for tomorrow, Friday (public transportation in cosplay not probably a good idea), and Monday. Though I guess that between my Taipei shirt, my Karaoke shirt and my black PJs, that covers comfortable shirts that don't look crazy.
[Normal clothes and supplies check.]

I also need to pack my reference scrapbooks]CHECK] (and maybe get a new one for Saku so that she's not in with Kagetoki). AND I need to put together an emergency sewing kit with the basics (needles, thread for all costumes, lint roller, extra snaps and paint for Masaomi. Safety pins for all kimono costumes. MY IRON. And decide what I'm doing about weaponry. I'm thinking no this year. Benkei is easier without it (especially having not remade his cloak yet) and the sword I have for Masaomi is just... not ok until I get a chance to mod it some. Also... Shimon wig? I need to find it or bring curlers and hairspray... or he's not coming. [All found and packed whoo.]

There's always Yuushi and/or Syuusuke to decide on as well. Without the design improvements that I want to make to both, its hard to be sure how I feel about bringing them, especially for a 2.5-day con with major staff commitments. On the other hand... they are much more comfortable for staffing if need-be. Meh. Yuushi's probably coming along either way, he's easy. To pack I mean. And wear. [>.> Yuushi has left me. I reject Syuusuke on principal.]

I'm pretty sure Saku will be competing this year. She has new fully-lined open sleeves on her turquoise layer (I got almost-perfectly-matched silk thread at the Mill without even meaning to) and has lovely weapons (fans) which Masaomi does not have. He'll get his time to shine at NDK, fear not.

On an unrelated note: Everyone has the AAA2008 DVD. I WANT IT SOOO BADLY. I can't even tell you. And I didn't even know it was coming out. That's how lame I am, children. So lame.
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There's been a lot of snow here today, and the store closed so early that the Boos literally told me not to come in at all. So! A whole extra day off. Sadly, I didn't get as much done as I wanted to, but I did get some things accomplished. I still wish I'd gone to work out though. :3

Done Things:
*Masaomi's scrapbook is only one (maybe two pages) from being done. I'm missing a few of the pictures that I really want to have for those pages (mostly reference and design comparison photos for the shirt and chest binder).
*Got his jacket done yesterday! The costume is totally 100% wearble right now. Anything else is extra improvements to other costumes.
*Picked up additional ink and emulsion and t-shirts for the Detour Karaoke Team. Made plans with my sister to print shirts tomorrow, assuming I can drive to get out there.
*completed "Tadashii Ouji no Tsukurikata" one more drama down. <3
*got and watched one episode of "Yoiko no Mikata". OH SHO~! (Also, /that's/ where "Tomadoinagara" is from, another mystery solved.)
*caught up on "The Complex" chats - still need to comment though. Must remember that.
*poked a couple of shows on Crunchyroll. I may consider subscribing. Someday.

ALSO: Kagetoki-figure release date pushed up a month. Should ship in mid-april! Yay!

ALSO ALSO: Whoever the first person to read this is, if it's after 7 am mountain time and you have my cell number, please call and wake me up? My alarm can't be trusted anymore.
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Some days you just can't do it.
Tonight sewing was 'it' and today was that day.
I rethreaded my machine three times, I changed my needle twice... I sewed the same 1" of button hole three times and if I keep going I'll probably do permanent damage to the coat.

>.<

Time for working out and then bed. And then work. At least we basically killed truck by 5 pm today. Less than 11 hours. Take that. :D
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There hasn't been a banquet yet after all.
But looking things over, I'm only about one button hole and some ribbon away from finished with Izayoiki Masaomi. The con is just under two weeks away. This is mind-boggling.
Masaomi could be 100% wearable /tomorrow/ if needed.
I can make Benkei's obi tomorrow, no problem, the only rough thing left will be if I decide to re-make the cloak, though I got Violet Casa Satin for the new applique in case I do, and I know more about stabilizing and thread tension now. The rest shouldn't be too bad, but time consuming to figure out the proper form for a hood to make it look like his does.
The other thing I /might/ decide to do is open and line the sleeves on Saku's inner kimono. I don't have quite enough of the fabric that I want though, so that may continue to be put off for another time.
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Slept until [profile] ashitara called me for tennis after all, and then we had a fun afternoon of sampling dramas and watching one movie. "Hana and Alice" which was cute but... lacked focus.

After dinner, I finally got started on some sewing. I got the chest binder finished first, and while it needs a bit more attention for me to be completely happy with it, I'm glad to have it. (It does actually work extremely well, even without straps, and is fairly comfortable to wear as well. Definitely beats the crap out of ace bandages. ^_^)

I sketched the pants and went ahead with cutting them... but after some basic construction, I'm afraid that they're too small. I'm going to sleep on it before I decide to re-cut, since I barely have enough for another pair. My eyes keep playing tricks with the color of the fabric, making sections look faded, but hopefully if it's true it won't show under the kimono anyway.

(I started watching Project Runway season one tonight. Bad idea. It makes me want to talk at length about all my various design and construction thoughts. Sorry that you all on LJ get subjected to it. >.>)
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Jacket is... a step or two from finished. BUT it looks good. Actually like... I don't totally hate it. This is probably a bad sign.

Before I put the final fasteners on the jacket I get to make a chest binder. I have all the supplies, and my machine is finally not in a delicate situation where I can't change settings (when I started doing the research, I was in the middle of the metallic thread zig-zag applique madness) but I'm too tired to start it tonight anyway. Trust the civil war reenactors to be supporting me in my freaky crossdressing hobby. (Speaking of crossdressing as a hobby lifestyle, I did find these today, but for the cost, I'll experiment with the muslin first.
I want to know the extent of chest compression that I'll get before I go about making sure that the jacket fits correctly and fastens right.

Tomorrow on my errands, I'm planning to wear my boots (the Gogos), to make sure that they fit and I'm used to them. One of said errands is to get photos developed (probably at Walmart). I've decided that I get to start on my scrapbook tomorrow or Saturday. (Must also remember to grab some full-size versions of [profile] mouse_art's Saku and Kagetoki's photos.) I should probably wait until I have the pants patterned and cut out so I can have photos of them too... meh. Whenever I start it, it'll give me a good idea of the process I've been through and let me organize my thoughts about the costume. I think that's what really helped me process Saku and Kagetoki /and/ find the details that we missed documenting or detailing.

But for now. I really need to sleep, lest I end up sleeping until time for tennis tomorrow and not running any errands at all.
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Picked up my boots for Masaomi today. LOVE THEM.
Jacket has all four armor panels attached and 16 out of 28 buttons sewn on. I'm hoping to finish tomorrow night after work. When I think about it, the sheer number of steps involved int he construction of this coat are mind-boggling. Anyway... I get friday off in addition to my weekend again, so pants then, if not sooner and then Masaomi will be DONE. (Unless I finish my chest-binder, which I want to, but it'll be all-purpose, not just for Masaomi.)

Because I may forget some steps... here's how I made the coat: )

The Boss gave me a couple extra days off before I leave for the con too, so getting Nozomi's patch, Saku's sleeves and Benkei's obi done shouldn't be too much of a problem either. The challenge will be if I decide to remake Benkei's cloak, since the applique will take a while. The materials are all there though so... *shrugs* It's worth a try.

(Finished Uta no Onii-san tonight. Liked the ending well enough, and the performance was great of course, but.... well... I felt a little let down. I mean, I squeed more when Sho guest-stared. In fact, I think I may he been more excited by the mysterious-looking preview for the show that starts next week. It has another of my boys in it. ^_^)
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Anyone studying Japanese or needing a review should deffinitely look at iKnow. The Japanese 2000 course starts very basic (Though you can thankfully set it to use all the kanji for things even before you've studied them), but it looks like getting up to level 10 will deffinitely be teaching me a thing or two. It'll also help you moderate how much you study at once and plan out when to help you review for best information retention. My 30-item quota for the day took me less than 30 minutes, though that will get longer as the items get harder, I'm sure. Anyway, for the time being, I'm hoping to add it to my daily routine, and I know there are some people *pointed look at [profile] ashitara* who could use some continual studying time.

There could be a costume rant here... but I'll let it go beacuse I'm really feeling burned out tonight. Masaomi's coat has been harder than I anticipated and now I'm going to watch Love Shuffle 9 as a sanity break before I try to work on him anymore.
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Today was... not so good.
Every crazy thing that could have gone wrong in our paperwork and the store... kinda did. 81% is not satisfying. Even if we do have it mostly fixed now and lots of the items wouldn't have been a problem on MOST NORMAL days. Still Ugh.

However. I came home to a shiny box from Japan (Things I bought from [profile] jenshin_in_japan this time.). And after dinner and working out, I was able to look through it.
The "Cast Prix Premium" alone was worth it ALL. It's from September of 2007. Which may sound like a long time ago but... it was a high point for all my pretty boys. There's tons of D-Boys stuff in the back, and full articles on Mizushima Hiro, Katou Kazuki, AND Aiba Hiroki. Lots on the Dramas and movies of the time too... including Renai Shindan and Boy's Este. In short... it's AWESOME. Scans my be forthcoming.

But now, water and applique. Masaomi must be finished by saturday night. MUST. :D
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Got through the last of my closing shifts for the week, leaving two opening shifts the next two days and then blissful time off.
Babble about work... mostly just for myself )
Lunch/Dinner was leftovers from Tiger Lily. I still have enough left for one meal.
I got home and made omurice for tomorrow's breakfast while I waited for my kitsune udon to heat. It was the best thing ever. Just warm enough and sweet and tasty.

Still to do for tonight:
-workout - I'll probably just dance and do cardio.
-dishes
-sleep... some.
...
I need to work on Masaomi's jacket, but I think that will have to wait for tomorrow. Weekend should involve fixing Hakuryu's light problems, doing laundry and finishing Masaomi. I want him done this week so that I can use any extra time to do necessary fixing on Benkei. Saku is still pretty much fine, since I can't get enough fabric to line the sleeves of the turquoise layer anyway.
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I slept /way/ longer than planned today. Then finally dragged myself over to my moms house, where I spent the day with my sister setting up my Yudu. Made three shirts off my first screen (I kept it so I can make more though). IT IS SO AWESOME. I love the whole process, it was so much fun and really really neat. While waiting for the screen to dry I tried to help with algebra homework. It's hard. Man, I felt dumb.

Got home, ate Tiger Lily, got [profile] starlit_dragon and dropped off a shirt with [profile] ashitara, watched some Avatar while I worked on Masaomi's jacket, then took [profile] starlit_dragon home and went to the gym.

I actually really like running. My shins do not. I'm going to have to work to rectify this situation. Dancing, however, we all agree on and is lots of fun. Weights too.

I have two t-shirt design ideas on my plate now. Both of which I might actually use on things other than apparel if they come out well.

I am finally feeling tired now. Will try to sleep.
Stupid open-overnight-open-late night schedule. I want my boss back.

Also: WIG AND SHOE SALE AT LIFE OF THE PARTY THIS WEEKEND! Wheee~!
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Since people seemed interested last time:
Here's more pictures of Masaomi-in-progress...
Now with completed kimono and applique sample... )

Tomorrow, I have most of the day off and then the rotation in Home Dec. I hope... I hope that everything will work out. I'm kind of at a loss about it again. It's been 6 months, the last one Emily did most of and we were fully prepped. This time... I really really just don't know.

Friday I have plans to take my Yudu over to Kimball and hangout with my sister and experiment. I wish I had more emulsion, but I might try to get some liquid before I go over, we'll see. At the very least, I should have a couple nifty 'cool&soul' t-shirts by the time I'm done. ^_^
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To all those (probably not directed at me anyway) comments that are in my email and flist about Midsummers: I'm sorry but I can't. I won't. The end.

Worked 13 hours today. Came home. Made an obi for Masaomi. Folded up Masaomi's kimono and obi and shirt and got them into his furoshiki (pics were taken too, coming soon). I cut out the purple for the jacket! This is a huge step. Next is the gold, then interfacing, then lining and binding. I played with the material for the pants a bit, but didn't do anything with it.

While all that was getting accomplished, we watched "The Other Boleyn Girl". Actually quite an awesome movie. With pretty under-appreciated Jim Sturgess too. ^__^

Tomorrow is truck, then craziness, then home. I want to go work out tomorrow night too, since I'm already feeling like it. Wednesday I get off early to go to the doctor, so get the whole afternoon and evening to myself and Masaomi. Then overnight thursday to friday for the HD rotation. Which ... hopefully... will not suck. Hopefully.
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Imagine for a moment that this kimono was closer to 'done' and a little further from 'ahahahahaNO':

Since I forced the picture on my flist, I'll cut the rant )

Also, for myself and anyone who cares - this is what my sewing space looks like when the apartment is actually cleaned up! I actually missed a lot because I was a little too far in. Another step or two back and you'd see several more piles of projects, fabric, and more drawers of stuff.

Now, sleeping. Two more days until my day off. Then only one day before my /weekend/.
Am very excited, but will try not to let myself go nuts with my Yudu once I get it. This week, for sure!
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Shopping
-several sets of red bead and varioud ear-wire options obtained for earrings
-lining for Masaomi Jacket obtained (black swim lining)
-potential jacket trim obtained (still not sure)
-got sample buttons for Masaomi's jacket... (I'll need 36 total... that's 18 cards either way. ;_; )
-got the rest of the rust silk that I'll need for Shigehira's noshi
-got the gold poplin for Kiyomori's noshi. Still need to look into paint and a block-printing block

Housework
-vaccumed whole apartment (except sewing section)
-finished two additional loads of laundry (leaving only one small pile)
-RE-PACKED AND RE-ORGANIZED ALL STORED FABRIC! It is now neatly organized into 7 (?) neatly labeled boxes and I reduced the number of project-bags scattered around by A LOT.
-Three large bags of donations taken to Savers. Still lots more to sort through.

Sewing & Costume Stuff
-Masaomi's earrings completed (<3 I like them all right. I still want the 10 mm carnelian from FireMountain Gems really. Since it's a representative stone for the Leo starsign and also meant to sumbolize confidence and personal power. Also, crazily one site said that in magic it can be used "as a focus for past life work and for finding a "twin soul" or family".)
-assembled body of kimono and lining
-got out all extra fabric for Benkei's new cloak and obi

Also, we got [profile] starlit_dragon up to the end of Season 2 of Avatar.

Today I am grateful for: the wind, my awesome teal hoodie, my fabulous team at work, my now-working-again vacuum cleaner, and finding my old CDs and now having some Sweet Honey in the Rock on my iPod.

In the next day or two I'll probably have a lengthy rant about my taste in music and how it had developed over the past 8 years. Finding my CD case from high school and early college is a trip, as will ripping it to my iTunes library.
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Today.
Work killed me. Don't know why it was so hard but it just felt /so/ long... ;_;

After dinner, I wanted to walk around the mall a little. Which resulted in me buying a new phone. Which overall will probably serve me very well. It's just not what I expected to do tonight. It's a Blackberry Pearl Flip. And I am a very pleased Maya so far. We'll see how long it takes me for it to drive me nuts.

The rest of the past couple of days, I've spent a lot of time looking at Izayoiki cosplayers online. Mostly for ideas and thoughts (dos and don'ts) on Masaomi. The very idea of the jacket is making me kind of crazy at this point.

Unless you are really really interested in the inner workings of my mind on fabric choice, color usage and embellishment technique for this specific costume, you probably don't want to click this:
Links and comments under here )

Le sigh.

Feb. 2nd, 2009 05:26 pm
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I think... that I may be done with the base design layer of Masaomi.
If you want all the gritty details and whining, here you go. )

For the second time in my life, I really really want to purchase a proper kimono rack. They make ones that break down and aren't super-pretty for not all that expensive. On the other hand... how often do I really need it? On the other other hand, how many damned Haruka costumes are in my future?

[EDIT: *cries* NEEEEEEEED. I knew they'd hook me into buying a PSP (or stealing Jess's) somehow. Why must you kill me so, Koei?!]
[EDIT EDIT: And that whole 'Buy all three and get a calendar and other fabulous prizes campaign'? Really Koei? You're a bunch of bastards. You /know/ I don't need Forte. :| But I /do/ need a calendar. Hn.]
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Did nothing today.
Blah work splorge

Did decide on a fabric set for Kiyomori that I am very pleased with. Now to find a really big wood block and make a giant stamp. Why yes, I have lost my mind, thank you for asking.

Lots of painting done last night (most of the back panel) but still no photos to post.... and tonight... was a bust for accomplishing anything.


My brain is so dead that that's all you get. Sorry.
Mmm. Leader.

BUT /WHY/?

Jan. 25th, 2009 04:09 pm
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So... I've been very positive about Masaomi today. Just ticking along, getting things done... putting off the really hard stuff, yes, but overall... confident.

Today... it feels like guh... why am I doing this.
I seriously would rather beat my head against a heavy object than keep painting right now.
The number of flowers left seems daunting. The amount of paint is mind boggling. And I feel like an unoriginal hack because I'm just painting another kimono. Two costumes in a row, I just... don't know.
I'm still working, which is a step in the right direction, I know, but...
This must be what writers-block feels like for a writer.
Maybe that's just it.
I have costumer's block. And my internal editor finally caught back up to me.
Ugh.

3 flowers done so far today, taking longer since these are the front body and I had to try to align the flowers to compliment/complete the ones on the front panels. Also had to cut down the front panels since I forgot to do it before I painted them. -.-;;

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