Blossoming Cosplay

Here’s the pictures from the photo shoot. This isn’t all of them because my phone sucks and I couldn’t download them all. These are my friends favorite and I gotta say i think they came out amazingly 😍😍😍 Thank you to everyone who commented on the other post. Please let Me and Jessica know what you think! They’re going to do another round of pictures when the kids are at school and pose in some more provocative situations. 😂😂😂 I can’t wait for that xD Caryl on!!!💕💕💕💕

How in the hell can you get away with charging what you do for a Sailor Moon cosplay? $425 and it doesn't even include the leotard? You are a thief and I hope no one EVER buys anything from you!

Additionally, materials. Time. Profit. Need help mathing? Materials run around $80-$100 depending on sales and where I get materials from. Not just fabrics. Everything. Thread. Snaps. Elastic.  Batting. Interfacing. Piping. Hooks and eyes. Bias Tape. Depreciation costs of machines, tools, and equipment. (If you don’t know why that would be taken into account, take a basic accounting class). Also keep in mind I’m not a business that buys in bulk. Some of the satins I use are $12 a yard. If I bought in bulk I’ve found some as cheap as $1 a yard, but I’d have to buy like $300 worth at a time on rolls I physically cannot even lift and have no means to store. So yeah.  Time. My time is valuable, so if you want it, you must offer me something valuable in return. I will NOT work for less than $15 an hour, and even that is low considering I don’t have an employer matching me for a 401K, or helping me with insurance, PTO, etc. That’s all on me to pay and save for on my own. So for now, that is my price, take it or leave it. I personally don’t give a damn if you can’t afford me, because I’m not gonna spend my time on you for less because then it’s at MY cost. Also, let’s not talk about the multiple houses I could have bought with my student loans, lol. Let’s additionally consider that I could work ANYWHERE ELSE for less work for the same amount of money. So if you want something at $5 an hour, forget it. Go to someone who is faster or works for less. These things take me 2-3 weeks to complete. If I spend 2-3 weeks on a costume and only come out with $400ish profit, what the hell do you expect me to eat? $400 is easily my rent, yo. Profit. Not just spending money for funsies- I’m not a teenager living in my parents’ place without bills to pay. Profit leaves room for not only me to afford life necessities and some frivolities, but also savings. And in fact, not just personal savings, BUSINESS savings. What happens if my machine goes down for two weeks and costs me $100 in repairs? I will need not only savings in a business account for the machine, I will need savings to cover either refunds to people whose deadlines I can’t keep, and/or for me to survive off of. What if a package gets lost? Something gets damaged? I want to upgrade my equipment? Orrrrr like I mentioned above, what if I wanna buy something in bulk because it’s a smart investment? No thriving business would EVER charge just the bare minimum of time and material, because that’s just shortsighted. You MUST leave room for profit to add to savings. Don’t be dense and childish, demanding that if you can’t have it, no one else can either. You wanna run a business and make stuff affordable, be my guest, not a soul is stopping you. But then again, you’d have to outsource to overseas counties and have employees be paid in coins, but hey, if your pocketbook is the most important, screw everyone else, right¿ I’m a couture designer, not Old Navy. My stuff isn’t off the rack, it’s custom made with love, care, craftsmanship, and skill. That’s literally what couture means. You want affordable, go to Party City. I won’t even judge ya, sometimes you just need things cheap. I could EVEN recommend you to great commissioners who charge less that would want your business. You know, if you cared to share your name. But with this attitude? I’d hate to send you to them. You sound like a “can I speak to the manager” kind of customer, and they don’t need the unneeded stress and drama. Oh, and for the record, I offer an option without the leotard *because* I know people can get a cheaper leotard somewhere else. Like I literally don’t care if you get it from Amazon, another Etsy seller, make one on your own. My listings are intended to be flexible that way. I ALSO SELL MY PATTERNS SOOOO if you want to make one exactly like mine, the patterns are going up and there are free video tutorials on my YouTube. For patterns that don’t have tutorials, I’m happy to explain it as best I can. If someone wishes to splurge on me for my work and -shocker- I do have orders, then I am deeply humbled and honored to create them a custom piece of art.

I’m sorry honey, but I sew, and even I know your not only over charging, but your full of shit. Especially if your selling the Sailor Senshi outfit without the leotard!

Lmfao, you're joking right? Did a reasonable breakdown r e a l l y rustle your jimmies THIS much? You're honestly hilarious. Key factors you're not taking into consideration: -Quality. She knows what materials work well, and she knows what ones don't. She also knows what techniques do and don't work. She's redone her own Sailor Moon cosplays enough times that she has perfected this down to an actual art. Momo is not just some young cosplayer who found they were good at something. She is trained in this field and has actual professional work experience where her training was put to use. QUALITY sewing machines these days do NOT cost just $100. Beginner sewing machine cost around that much, and are not intended for constant usage, nor can they handle all types of material. That means it requires a LOT more regular maintenance if you're gonna use the dickens out of it. And there's a reason your mother's machine and your grandmother's machine work like new. Machine used to be made to last, and that's not how they're made anymore. They were mostly all metal; they didn't have a plastic shell with a thin metal bone structure inside. -Level of Experience & Craftsmanship Abilities. Momo has LITERALLY worked as a seamstress both in a tailoring shop and on her own. She was offered a permanent position in Disney's costuming department because she's got the experience and skill level. I'm sorry that you find the fact that someone can actually 1) do this professionally AND 2) have it as their actual hobby as well is apparently farfetched and insulting to yourself as a person. It's not easy for anyone to achieve what she has where their passion and their work are one in the same. Perhaps you should instead strive to do the same instead of trying to demean someone who has what you don't. -The fact that your (frankly quite terrible and poorly formed) opinion on the matter was not asked for. Literally take about a dozen seats and excuse yourself. Just because YOU would resort to the cheapest of cheap materials because you're apparently a frugal tightwad, it does not mean she would opt to stoop to YOUR level. Frankly, quality materials cost good money. Even when on sale. They are not always cheap, and are not always on sale or eligible for discount depending on the vendors you have access to. Commission requests do not always come in when the "best sales" season rolls around; they literally do not wait for this. Nor is anyone obligated to hoard materials during "sale season." Not everyone wants to risk receiving a less than quality material for <$5 a yard on ebay, so they instead find the product in person in their area. Which, fun fact, certain areas only get certain stock. That's how retail works. (Example: New England is a "non-essential retail" area. This means that stock is limited to the items that sell best. You don't see a wide variety of options for the same type of product.) Ordering materials online does not guarantee timely delivery, or even the same dye batch between multiple cuts of fabric. The buyers typically expect their commissions with a certain time frame. If one has to resort to online, and even have shipping expedited, guess what! That costs m o n e y, and it is not YOUR choice if the commissioner chooses to eat this cost, or included it as part of their fee. No one who crafts, sews, paints, draws, etc is obligated to charge what YOU want them to charge. No one is obligated to undercharge for their work to make it a better buy for you. It's literally none of your business as to how they set their prices. Also, minimum wage varies between Federal and State, and even State to State. So while $10 may be minimum wage by you, it's not necessarily the same by where Momo is. Minimum wage by me was $8.25 last I checked. It is up to the commissioner how they charge for their work; this includes the labor, the product itself, etc. I know I wouldn't charge less than $15 an hour for my hard work if I charged commissions by the hour. TLDR; Get over yourself, honey. You obviously don't understand how any of this ACTUALLY works. Don't like the price? Take your business elsewhere. The only one giving anyone or anything a bad name here is you.

How in the hell can you get away with charging what you do for a Sailor Moon cosplay? $425 and it doesn't even include the leotard? You are a thief and I hope no one EVER buys anything from you!

Additionally, materials. Time. Profit. Need help mathing? Materials run around $80-$100 depending on sales and where I get materials from. Not just fabrics. Everything. Thread. Snaps. Elastic.  Batting. Interfacing. Piping. Hooks and eyes. Bias Tape. Depreciation costs of machines, tools, and equipment. (If you don’t know why that would be taken into account, take a basic accounting class). Also keep in mind I’m not a business that buys in bulk. Some of the satins I use are $12 a yard. If I bought in bulk I’ve found some as cheap as $1 a yard, but I’d have to buy like $300 worth at a time on rolls I physically cannot even lift and have no means to store. So yeah.  Time. My time is valuable, so if you want it, you must offer me something valuable in return. I will NOT work for less than $15 an hour, and even that is low considering I don’t have an employer matching me for a 401K, or helping me with insurance, PTO, etc. That’s all on me to pay and save for on my own. So for now, that is my price, take it or leave it. I personally don’t give a damn if you can’t afford me, because I’m not gonna spend my time on you for less because then it’s at MY cost. Also, let’s not talk about the multiple houses I could have bought with my student loans, lol. Let’s additionally consider that I could work ANYWHERE ELSE for less work for the same amount of money. So if you want something at $5 an hour, forget it. Go to someone who is faster or works for less. These things take me 2-3 weeks to complete. If I spend 2-3 weeks on a costume and only come out with $400ish profit, what the hell do you expect me to eat? $400 is easily my rent, yo. Profit. Not just spending money for funsies- I’m not a teenager living in my parents’ place without bills to pay. Profit leaves room for not only me to afford life necessities and some frivolities, but also savings. And in fact, not just personal savings, BUSINESS savings. What happens if my machine goes down for two weeks and costs me $100 in repairs? I will need not only savings in a business account for the machine, I will need savings to cover either refunds to people whose deadlines I can’t keep, and/or for me to survive off of. What if a package gets lost? Something gets damaged? I want to upgrade my equipment? Orrrrr like I mentioned above, what if I wanna buy something in bulk because it’s a smart investment? No thriving business would EVER charge just the bare minimum of time and material, because that’s just shortsighted. You MUST leave room for profit to add to savings. Don’t be dense and childish, demanding that if you can’t have it, no one else can either. You wanna run a business and make stuff affordable, be my guest, not a soul is stopping you. But then again, you’d have to outsource to overseas counties and have employees be paid in coins, but hey, if your pocketbook is the most important, screw everyone else, right¿ I’m a couture designer, not Old Navy. My stuff isn’t off the rack, it’s custom made with love, care, craftsmanship, and skill. That’s literally what couture means. You want affordable, go to Party City. I won’t even judge ya, sometimes you just need things cheap. I could EVEN recommend you to great commissioners who charge less that would want your business. You know, if you cared to share your name. But with this attitude? I’d hate to send you to them. You sound like a “can I speak to the manager” kind of customer, and they don’t need the unneeded stress and drama. Oh, and for the record, I offer an option without the leotard *because* I know people can get a cheaper leotard somewhere else. Like I literally don’t care if you get it from Amazon, another Etsy seller, make one on your own. My listings are intended to be flexible that way. I ALSO SELL MY PATTERNS SOOOO if you want to make one exactly like mine, the patterns are going up and there are free video tutorials on my YouTube. For patterns that don’t have tutorials, I’m happy to explain it as best I can. If someone wishes to splurge on me for my work and -shocker- I do have orders, then I am deeply humbled and honored to create them a custom piece of art.

From Adam Wright on Facebook. TBH, she's only made 3 or 4, so I don't believe she should charge 15/hour. 10/hour I'm fine with. TBH, if I'm paying 15/hour for a commission, I know at least five people I'd rather go to because of their skill and experience.