NDK 2013: Finishing Touches and the Main Event!

Yesterday was the last day of NDK 2013. Sad faces.

This year's program. Pretty, yes?

First things first, I had to finish my costumes! Namely my Jareth costume.

My wig! Starting to put in the blue. I used a sharpie. They seem to work fine.

Coming along!

Before I put rhinestones on, I sprayed the whole thing with fabric glitter spray (which I actually used on the wig as well). It added a general sparkle. Then I created a paste with mod podge and lots of glitter (like I did for the lace cuffs) and painted it on the lapels, shoulders, and back where the rhinestones go.

Dried glitter paste.

Rhinestoning! (That's a word now). I got tons of blue, black, and silver ones and just rhinestoned (see, it's a verb!) until I achieved a 1980's level of tackiness.

It had to look tacky from the front, too. I watched a lot of Sailor Moon during this time.

Nan Desu Kan 2013!!!

Unfortunately, Colorado had some pretty major flooding the week before NDK. I couldn't get down to Denver on Friday to join in the fun. The roads did open back up so I could make it there on Saturday morning.

My first cosplay was Nausicaa:

How it turned out!

How it is supposed to look.

I think it came out alright! Plus, my good and talented friend, Cat (here is her little company page: Addict Outfitters) made me a plushie Ohmu! I love my Ohmu!

Aww, Ohmu!!

Here was our big group cosplay this year:

The whole gang! (Minus our Totoro)

This was a fun one. Not everyone really realized that we were there as a group, but people kept noticing that they were running into a lot of Ghibli characters.

Saturday was when my friend, Jhenn, held her NDK panels. Her first one was on Japanese book binding. I know they were short on time, but she managed to gather a large group of interested people, which was wonderful! It was too full for most of us to sit in on, sadly.

I was supposed to wear my Jareth costume on Friday evening, but since I didn't make it, I wore it Saturday evening. Cat, my Sarah, wore her beautiful Sarah dress Friday by her lonesome. Sad. But here she is looking absolutely beautiful in her home-made ball gown:

So pretty!

Here is my Jareth costume. There are actually a few floating around on the internet, too. That's cool, right? It's OK, most people won't know that it's me.

Trying to glare in a menacing fashion.

How it's supposed to look. Not too bad a job, right?

I bought colored contacts that were not prescription nor were they fitted to my eyes so they were very uncomfortable! But here they are with my makeup that my friend, Katja, did much of.

I also have a decent amount of glitter on my face, which is difficult to see.

On Saturday night, Jhenn had her second panel: Ink! This one I managed to sit in on. Which was nice because she sketched a picture of me with my rat babies for an example. It was a good panel and very educational. Jhenn is a good teacher. Go to her panels! Plus, she is a great artist. She had some art pieces up for the art show that they hold every year. Both were beautiful. People bid on both! So proud!

Saturday also held many of the main events of the convention. The AMV contest and awards are always highly packed. The costume contest happened this day, as did the "Mask-a-rave." They had so many events going on, it is impossible to keep up with! The best strategy is to pick panels that you want to see and make sure you hit those and do anything else in between. Oh, and for future con goers: get to your panels early! NDK has gained a ton of popularity since I started going. They offer so many things, but it is very crowded and space is limited!

And remember, there is always Artist's Alley where artists gather and sell their crafts. This is a favorite spot for me--people are so creative and talented! I actually bought a couple of beautiful dragon prints from an artist. I highly recommend checking her out: Little Wings Dragons by Carla Morrow.

They have two different gaming rooms, one for live games and one for video games, both of which can attract quite the crowd. You may have to wait a while for your turn at the games, but it is fun!

They always invite many, many guests who participate in panels, interviews, and autographs. It is always great to connect with the people involved in the anime and manga industries and hear what they have to say. This has always been a base for NDK. They have been very successful and lucky with participation from the greats out there!

And last, but certainly not least, is the Dealer's Room. It's a hot spot! The lines to get in are almost always long, but they move fast! My advice though? Watch what you are buying. Some of the venders mark their prices up quite a bit, which I think is unfair. Be aware of what is good pricing and what is oddly high. You can probably find these at a shop for a reasonable price. That's not to say that they are all there to rip you off, that's not true at all. Just be aware. Really though, you can find SOOOO many cool things here! It is crowded, but worth waiting and browsing.

And just sitting and watching people is part of the fun. Lots of cool and creative costumes to see. There are several sites where you can find costume pictures. I was pleased by the numbers of people doing female versions of strong, male characters. Represent, ladies! Speaking of which...

Sunday, Katja and I did our Lady Doctor costumes.

I probably shouldn't be smiling... And Katja lent me that hat.

The fourth and tenth Lady Doctors!

I did get many, many compliments on my scarf! Which made me happy because I love it! It is probably 13 feet long or so.

Every year in the past (since NDK has been held at this location, anyway) we have taken a picture of our group in the reflected ceiling windows at night. We actually forgot this year so we used this conveniently dark wall art to take our reflection picture in. You can kind of see us.

Our annual picture!

That's the end of NDK 2013! If I happen to stumble upon anything interesting that relates to this, I will be sure to post it for those who are interested.

Here is the official NDK website: Nan Desu Kan. Check it out! They are already starting registration for next year! And, yes, they do sell out.

Next year, our big group cosplay is going to be a cross between Sailor Moon and Disney heroines. Yes, you heard right. It might sound weird, but it will be fun! Maybe the boys can be Disney heroes crossed with Tuxedo Kamen. Who knows. I don't know what else I will do. There was talk of Power Rangers, so maybe I will be the pink ranger. We will see.

But, if you ask me? The best part about NDK is that it is a tradition for me and my friends (apparently we've been going for about 11 (or so?) years, though I know I missed a couple in the middle). We get to see each other and hang out together all weekend. We get dressed up, we eat our meals together, and we just hang out! I always look forward to spending this time with some of my best friends. I love you guys! You are the ones that make NDK fun for me. I look forward to next year!

NDK 2013 Costumes Part Nine

I am pleased to announce that my Nausicaa costume is pretty much finished! It may be a little rough around the edges (for instance, I didn't feel like adding buttons so it buttons to the top so I will be using safety pins), but it is ready to go! I just need gloves!

Not shown here are the leg warmer things, yellow tights, and belt. And the shoes.

My Lady Fourth Doctor (that's awkward to say... how are you supposed to say it??) is nearly finished! I have made all of my necessary alterations to coat and capris! I just need to finish the scarf, clean off the hat, and find a silly broach. Don't you love the progress? And the scarf is oh-so-close! It is about 12 feet long and just needs another foot or so and then the fringe on the ends!

Not shown are the capris, white shirt, and shoes. The scarf is nearly finished!

I wish I could say that I had progress on my Jareth costume. I left that one at home this past week because I'm scared of it. It still needs to have a lot done. But now I have this weekend and all of next week to finish! Yay! And keep your fingers crossed that my wig makes it in time. I still have to put blue in it and spray it with glitter. Oh, and I need to finish his broach! Don't let me forget!

NDK 2013 Costumes Part Six

I have been slacking!!!

Get on the ball, Samara! Really now!

Ok, so here is what I have.

Lately I have been diligently working on my Jareth costume.

The vest and dickey are finished. I am nearly finished with the coat. Here are some progress pictures on that.

Here is the necessary pocket I sewed into the inside of the jacket!

Without sleeves.

With sleeves.

Coat almost finished. Just need to hem the bottom and add the lace on the sleeves. Then to glitter it up!

I also started working on the broach. I am having an interesting time with this, but this seems to be the best idea right now.

It isn't finished yet, don't panic. I'm sure it will look better when it's finished...

I will try to put enough silver beads on afterwards to cover the little holes. I wonder if I should have done that part first... Well, you live, you learn!

(By the way, this is what it's supposed to look like...

That's never going to happen. Shhh...)

I still need to order my wig. Should do that soon; I keep telling myself. Also, to wear contacts or to not wear contacts? I'd love to, but it's expensive... especially since they would need correction because I like to see.

That has been my main focus so far. I figure if I can finish one very ambitious costume, the rest will be easier.

I have made a bit of progress with Nausicaa. I am currently figuring out how to do the cartridges on her top.

I am thinking the mask probably won't happen. Mostly because I haven't figured out a great way to make it and I'm afraid that I will run out of time trying.

As for Rogue and Gambit? Nada. Zip. Zero. I'd better order my costume soon. Then I will feel as though I am being productive.

NDK 2013 Costumes Part Five

I have made a little bit of progress on my costumes.

Jareth:

Mostly, I wanted to report that I finished the dickey for my Jareth costume. It was kind of a rough ride, but look how it turned out!

And here it is with the finished vest!

So that's going well. I started working on the coat--the biggest and most intimidating piece (well, the broach aside). Apparently the pattern didn't call for making the coat front with the lapels double sided. As I began to put them together, I realized they needed to be and therefore had to go buy more fabric, which was a bummer. And I couldn't match the color exactly (different dye lot) so I will be working with that. If the inside is the new shade of blue, the lapels will be that color but they will end up covered with glitter and what-not anyway, so it won't matter! That's the idea, anyway, I haven't gotten very far with it yet.

I need to order my wig!!!

Rogue and Gambit:

Sadly, no real progress here... That's bad news. But I need Isaac's help for some of it and we haven't had time. And I need to order my Rogue jumpsuit!

Nausicaa:

I found a material that exactly matched the jean dress I found! So I have starting on her little leg warmers and the cartridge holders that go on her chest. I haven't decided how to attach them yet, however. I might have to do some creative sewing. I was going to use orange felt for the cartridges themselves. I think I can sew the jean holders on before inserting the felt. I will keep you posted as I get further along.

That's about it for now! I really need to get on this!

NDK 2013 Costumes Part Four

It's been a long time since I have posted progress, hasn't it? That's because I haven't made any progress! How about that?

I had finished Jareth's vest and went, "Awesome progress! I'm good for a while." And "a while" turned into about two months... Oops.

So I returned to my Jareth costume! It was time to make the dickey. The pattern I am using calls for a dicky instead of a full shirt and I'm gonna go with it because I am going to roast in this costume!

So here is how the main piece turned out. The most difficult thin was the collar, but it really wasn't bad. I also didn't hem the chest part because it won't show anyway and I think my attention needs to be spent elsewhere.

So proud! And there is a snap at the back of the collar.

The difficult part came with the ruffles.

I had already picked a long strand of ruffled fabric (not lace because Jareth's isn't). Here is a picture of Jareth:

Pretty intense, right? I haven't even gotten to the jacket yet...

The ruffles I picked are smaller because its not 1986 anymore and I am trying to stay true to he costume without being too tacky. Plus my frame is smaller than Mr. Bowie's.

Nice, not too big or too 80's.

I tried to start from the top for the ruffles as the pattern suggested and quickly figured out that it didn't work well hat way. So I measured to the center and tried from the bottom with almost as much difficulty.

I finally decided that I needed to pleat the two sides starting at the bottom and then sew the two together before attaching them to the dickey.

All my pain-stacking pinning.

Once I had it all pleated and pinned, it was just about the right length.

I haven't sewn it on yet, but that is basically what it will look like. Yay! And it will be sewn most of the way on, but the bottom will need to be detached to hang out over the vest.

During all this time, I was trying to devise a way to make his broach. I think I am going to bead it and I found some things that might work OK. I am going to have to do some serious experimenting with it, however. I will post that when I finally get it figured out. It is quite intimidating, right?