#onceuponanelephant

Another commission post! In all the pre con craziness for Long Beach I never posted Cobra Commander! I made this one for @dannigan_d_mannigan as his first cosplay that he wore with his daughters when he attended con over the weekend. It’s a blue poly gabardine, silky lining, and a combination of black faux leathers for the harness and belt. This costume was a beast! Almost 50 hours went into it but it turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself! #commissionwork #cosplaycommission #customcostumecreations #costumery #onceuponanelephant #longbeachcomiccon #lbcc2018 #longbeachcomiccon2018 #cobracommander #cobracommandercosplay #cobracommand #gijoe #gijoecosplay #cosplaycommissioner #cosplaycommissionsaccepted (at Lancaster, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnt5u8_lgX_/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=gxwo45r8ffd6

Today’s #wip post is about another commission I worked on the last couple weeks. @dannigan_d_mannigan’s youngest wanted to be a ‘Harry Potter girl’ so I undertook a ‘Gryffindor Cutie’ (yes, I named it that. And, yes, I worked in a costume shop and the bagged costume names rubbed off lol) First step was fabric hunting. I knew in wanted something with a good texture and I opted for a linen blend for the robe. It’s faced and the hood is lined with a dark red duchess satin for some body and shine. The cloak has pockets and a Gryffindor patch—I did something out of the ordinary for me, I actually opted for the licensed pattern this time just to be super legit. The shirt is made from a very lightweight cotton voile (those three fabrics all came from #Fabric.com) and I used a #blankslatepatterns shirt pattern with some adjustments. I LOVE the back and a lot of reason why I chose this pattern was for the adorable pocket detail in the last pic but the wearer of the costume shot me down haha. Anyone with an 8 year old knows they can be headstrong so I nixed the pocket but still wanted to show the pic. The shirt fabric is so light hat I actually double layered the front for modesty sake but the back and sleeves are single layered so she should stay nice and cool this weekend. The skirt is a stretch twill from @joann_stores and I pleated it by hand and made a waistband with a hook and bar closure. And last but not least, I took up an apprenticeship with Ollivander and made her a wand. What to you think? Is she ready for Hogwarts? Let me know below! #cosplaycommission #onceuponanelephant #100daysofcosplaywip #day39 #cosplaycommissioner #cosplaycommissionsaccepted #cosplaycommissionwip #lbcc #lbcc2018 #longbeachcomiccon #longbeachcomiccon2018 #costumery (at Lancaster, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnZF1kSAjqB/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1psx8ov84xegr

Happy #WIPWednesday! Post number 2 about the #splatoon2 #pearlcosplay is all about the clothes! The dress is modeled after 60s style dress. First I wasn’t going to quilt the fabric for the dress to make it cooler to wear (no batting), plus I kind of fell in love with the @yayahan hex scuba at @joann_stores and thought that the texture would give it the same feel without actually adding the batting and lining layer. After talking to @dannigan_d_mannigan it’s obvious that I was wrong haha and then came the rather tedious task of not only quilting each fabric piece but of trying to gauge a proper scale for the diamonds. After some trial and error I got a size and pattern I liked and drew it all out on the lining with a fabric marker. A few hours later and I had quilted dress pieces ready to sew together. On my many tea breaks while quilting the dress, I also dyed the zipper. Pearls dress has a long center front zipper with gold teeth and the giant gold zipper pull and a purple zipper tape. I immediately knew that this was not something I would find so I walked into a store downtown and asked for a long gold teeth zipper and I got lucky on the shop keeper’s second try- it’s a separating zipper that was EXACTLY the right length for the dress. So I dyed the off white zipper tape purple with @ritdye dyemore in royal purple with a smidge of super pink. And the zipper pulls for the front and boots are Eva foam covered in Worbla (both so I could practice with it and to hopefully make them more durable) spray painted gold and e6000s to some curtain clips to attach to her dress and boots. The leggings are a really light jersey; I don’t know the fabric content or anything because I found it at the @michaellevinefabrics loft store but it was the PERFECT color. I used a free legging pattern from a sewing blog and they cane together super easy, even with my machine that hates jersey. All in all I’m very happy with how this all came together and can’t wait to see her wear it this weekend for @longbeachcomiccon! #cosplaycommission #onceuponanelephant #costumery #100daysofcosplaywip #day39 #longbeachcomiccon #longbeachcomiccon2018 #cosplaycommissionsaccepted #cosplaycommisioner (at Lancaster, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnW7bARAyyi/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1cscb4rwmshj6

Setting the second sleeve into the coat for @tmartin427 means this will be officially the end of actual construction on this piece here in the next ten or so minutes (knock on wood) then I’ll need to hand stitch the lining around the armscye and set the trim and she’ll be done! Work/back pain willing this should be completely finished and ready to pack for shipping by Thursday night! #100daysofcosplaywip #cosplay #cosplaycommissionsaccepted #cosplaycommission #costumery #onceuponanelephant #hookcoat #almostdone #sleevesareapain (at Lancaster, California)

Back on that #100daysofcosplaywip train, sorry again for taking a few days! I believe I’m on #day23 and here’s one of my favorite parts of projects: research! And yes, I’m already researching for #whedoncon2019 lol what are you working on?? #research #newcosplays #wip #cosplayer #whedoncon #cosplaygirlsofinstagram #costumery #onceuponanelephant (at Lancaster, California)

#100daysofcosplaywip continues with #day13. My post today is a *little* different. Tonight I made a color coded concrunch countdown chart for my work for #whedoncon. Each color is a different costume, including a commission that I hope to finish tomorrow. And if I’m VERY careful with my time I can get everything done, even maybe my HalloweenBuffy remake. Probably not but maybe lol. Anyways, it’s a little different but it’s still cosplay! #whedoncon2018 #wip #cosplayer #cosplaygirlsofinstagram #costumery #onceuponanelephant (at Lancaster, California)

And here’s my #day6 of my #100daysofcosplaywip! Working on my shift/chemise for under my Darla dress (and HalloweenBuffy when I get her remade). As usual, I’m loving the @americanduchess patterns! I can’t believe how perfect they are for this project. Which of my #WhedonCon2018 costumes are you most excited for?? Comment below! #buffy #buffythevampireslayer #buffycosplay #darla #darlacosplay #vampiredarla #vampiredarla #vampiredarlacosplay #vampiredarlacosplayer #becomingdarla #americanduchess #simplicitypatterns #wip #cosplayer #cosplaygirlsofinstagram #costumery #onceuponanelephant (at Lancaster, California)

How about a little #flashbackfriday post to when I dressed as everyone’s favorite pixie! Tink was a favorite character and my first stab at pattern alterations to get what I wanted. Not altogether a bad costume, though I’d love to remake her and make me some full size wings!! What costume from your past would YOU like to revisit and improve?? Share below! #fbf #tink #tinkerbell #pixie #pixies #pixiehollow #disney #disneycosplay #disneycosplayer #babycosplayer #tinkcostume #wip #costumery #onceuponanelephant (at Zeppy's Pizzeria)