AX, Day Three--it being Monday, I worked. And it was busy all day. I stopped filing an hour before the office closed to paint my nails purple for the Masquerade. None of the rest of the office got to go home early, but the manager (as usual) went home at 2pm. *rolls eyes* Zoomed home, gathered together cosplay stuffs, went up to AX. Rushed upstairs with Wonderful Husband to the green room, kissed him goodbye, got changed, started make-up application. Yumiko, a very nice Trinity Blood cosplayer from Japan (it was her first AX) helped me get my wig on my head (for those who don't know, my head is actually slightly larger than most people's and. hoshikage, who was costume wrangling for another friend of hers, helped put it together after it was on, jamming the support wires into the styrofoam ball on the top of my head. The Masquerade not only started on time, it actually started eight minutes early. And it was very strange backstage because I didn't know anyone except hoshikage, who wasn't even competing. Ususally I know at least half a dozen people! But everything turned out okay, a lot of awards were given out (Best of Show went to an awesome Clow Cards group who very definitely remembered our Clow Cards group from AXNY.) I didn't win anything, but then I wasn't expecting to. I did get a lot of compliments on my wig work, though. Reference picture is here at the very bottom.

AX, Day Four--a last run through the Dealer's Room, snagging four artbooks, picking up the cross-stitch Totoro piece I'd won in the Art Show, and resisting temptation yet again at Nene Thomas' booth. Looking at the online store prices, though, I should've given in to temptation. Alas, hindsight is ever 50/50. Drove velvetpaws to the airport and came back for the charity auction. It was kind of a light year... CLAMP only donated four signed posters (which ranged from $475-$800 each) and the highest item, a Getbackers sketch, only went for ~$4300. The most fun items were the half-dozen AX water bottles signed by almost all of the GoHs, which inspired people to bid on the water bottle (Crystal Geyser; not AX water) the auctioneer was drinking from. He even signed it and it went for $20! ^_^ Moments like those are why I attend the art auction. Then Wonderful Husband and I left, running through the Costa Mesa Book Off and Kinokuniya with iaurcalien before heading home.

Today, I went into work and finished the filing and am now caught up again.

Two wefts done, two more setting and I've finished my first tube of caulk. Fortunately I have a second. Also have sewn shaping wire to my two foamcore sheets and painted one side of each green. Wig is on its stand clamped to the dining room table and I picked up a bunch of clips today to make dealing with it easier. So progress is being made. Slowly but surely.

Have also discovered today, while attempting to map the plot of "Princess TaTu" and figure out when to set it, that I have lost the ability to PWP. A simple lemon fic maps itself out in my head to be an "episode" (the way The Dancing Princesses did) and then expands to a second episode which... whoo boy. PLOT! All over the place! I just need to find the beginning point of the story.

But for now, to bed and then early to rise and work more on wefts and painting, hopefully, before I have to go to work.

I have my pot of tea. I have ambient weather. I have Edel's front panel done and just need to sew the matching velco strips to the inside of her vest and I can move on to the next piece. I've also finished editing on The Dancing Princesses so whenever I get around to html'ing it I can post the finished version on my site.

HAH.

I still have to (1) make and attach the tassels, (2) put in the zipper in the front, (3) make the front chest panel, and (4) possibly tack down the collar in the back so it doesn't flip up weird. But the body of Edel's vest? DONE. It's raw silk for the fashion fabric and lining, with a cotton duck cloth interlining, and a poly/linen blend for the collar. I'm being actually economical here--all of this was fabric I already had. And, as with the scent of linen while I was making the hoopskirt (and Greenberg and Hammer could ship my order now. Really. Any time, guys...), I've gotten to like the scent of raw silk while working with it.

So tomorrow I plan to finish 1-4 above and hopefully start ironing and cutting for Edel's skirt trim.

Okay, am on my third version of a mockup for Edel's top. Third time's the charm, right?

Think I'll also cut out the pieces for rough draft of the WorldCon bodice while I've got the lining material out. I know it's not going to be right (it's a drop point waist and I'm going to be trying the Martha McCain ACW corset pattern, which isn't, but which will theoretically *give* me a waist as well as cup support), but I need to make it up before I can declare how it's wrong.

So, off to cut and sew!

Well, since I spent all of yesterday "playing" (um, watched X3, finished off the last 8 episodes of Princess Tutu, started rewriting fanfic a bit to mesh better with the end of the story, trolled through ff.net to find out what others have written on the subject...), today I get to spend "working." So currently I'm pinning the points on the right leg of Edel's trousers so that I can topstitch them. Once again, the costume looks deceptively simple until one attempts to construct it. I need to go online later today and order the base wig... and get some clear caulk. I also need to finish the garden today. *sips tea meditatively* Okay, alter time, speed up the harvest, or teleport someone off this rock? Right, no problem.