WE LOVE AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER!
Alright, so my friends and I absolutely LOVE Avatar: The Last Airbender and we had been casually discussing our collective desire to cosplay from the series for the past few months. So, with just under two weeks to go before Dragon*Con, we decided to get to it and make Aang, Kyoshi Warrior Suki, Warrior Sokka, and the Blue Spirit happen for the convention. Yes, it was a bit crazy, but when you've got enthusiastic friends and a solid handle on planning, crazy things can happen. Before I start, here are some pictures!
Blue Spirit at DragonCon by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
Kyoshi Warrior Suki by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
Aang at DragonCon 2010 by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
So, the first costumes we started work on were Suki and Sokka. This was the first time my friends Luke and Joyce Ann were attending Dragon*Con together, so I wanted to make sure it was extra special for them. I took care of the pattern making, sewing, and leather cutting. Joyce Ann and Luke pinned, cut, hand stitched, stamped, dyed, hole punched, and helped rivet and grommet their pieces.
I'd like to point out that this is Luke's FIRST costume and his FIRST time working with leather. He did all of the hand stitching on the armor pieces with suede cord, dyed and stamped all his leather, and attached his fur! He and Matt worked together to make the Sokka's boomerang as well. It just goes to show you, if you have the patience, attention to detail, the right tools, and some good guidance, anyone can costume!
Joyce Ann already had some leather working experience and felt comfortable hand sewing, so those were her tasks. Once I had the leather cut out, Joyce Ann got right to work dying and stamping everything. She was so dedicated to getting the character just right that she even had her hair professionally cut and dyed to match Suki's!
I put together Suki's light green robe and dark green skirt, and Joyce Ann did hand finishing on both pieces. We couldn't find a nice, dark green linen, so we dyed the skirt fabric (all seven yards of it). We also opted for silk brocade details on the gauntlets, sleeves, and neck opening. Check out Silas Zee's rendition of Suki to see where we got our inspiration from!
Once we were at the convention, Nicole Paige Brooks did Joyce Ann's makeup to make the outfit complete!
Next up were costumes for Aang and the Blue Spirit. We purchased the Blue Spirit mask from My Wicked Armor. Robert, the owner/maker, was extremely courteous and professional, and so was the mask itself! We couldn't have been happier with the product. I highly recommend them!
Knowing that Dragon*Con was going to come with pretty warm weather, like Suki's outfit, I opted for linen for Aang and the Blue Spirit. Black linen was easy enough to find, however a vibrant yellow and orange were a little more difficult, so I dyed an off-white linen to get the colors I wanted. While I worked on the fabric parts, Matt got to work on my staff and looked around online for a place to purchase Blue Spirit's twin dao swords. Amazingly, he found a pair, and was able to get them shipped just in time for the convention.
About a week before the convention, it was time to get my head shaved. Matt put his awesome hair cutting skills to work to get my hair buzzed as short as possible. I got a full on head shave the Friday morning of Dragon*Con - I have never been so cool/comfortable as I was that weekend!
And, let's not forget, the most important helper of all....Kitty. She did an excellent job of making sure the fan didn't blow our patterns off the table.
And, last but not least, a few more pictures!
Aang at DragonCon 2010 II by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
Blue Spirit at DragonCon II by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
Blue Spirit at DragonCon by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
Kyoshi Warrior Suki by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
Aang at DragonCon 2010 by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
So, the first costumes we started work on were Suki and Sokka. This was the first time my friends Luke and Joyce Ann were attending Dragon*Con together, so I wanted to make sure it was extra special for them. I took care of the pattern making, sewing, and leather cutting. Joyce Ann and Luke pinned, cut, hand stitched, stamped, dyed, hole punched, and helped rivet and grommet their pieces.
I'd like to point out that this is Luke's FIRST costume and his FIRST time working with leather. He did all of the hand stitching on the armor pieces with suede cord, dyed and stamped all his leather, and attached his fur! He and Matt worked together to make the Sokka's boomerang as well. It just goes to show you, if you have the patience, attention to detail, the right tools, and some good guidance, anyone can costume!
Joyce Ann already had some leather working experience and felt comfortable hand sewing, so those were her tasks. Once I had the leather cut out, Joyce Ann got right to work dying and stamping everything. She was so dedicated to getting the character just right that she even had her hair professionally cut and dyed to match Suki's!
I put together Suki's light green robe and dark green skirt, and Joyce Ann did hand finishing on both pieces. We couldn't find a nice, dark green linen, so we dyed the skirt fabric (all seven yards of it). We also opted for silk brocade details on the gauntlets, sleeves, and neck opening. Check out Silas Zee's rendition of Suki to see where we got our inspiration from!
Once we were at the convention, Nicole Paige Brooks did Joyce Ann's makeup to make the outfit complete!
Next up were costumes for Aang and the Blue Spirit. We purchased the Blue Spirit mask from My Wicked Armor. Robert, the owner/maker, was extremely courteous and professional, and so was the mask itself! We couldn't have been happier with the product. I highly recommend them!
Knowing that Dragon*Con was going to come with pretty warm weather, like Suki's outfit, I opted for linen for Aang and the Blue Spirit. Black linen was easy enough to find, however a vibrant yellow and orange were a little more difficult, so I dyed an off-white linen to get the colors I wanted. While I worked on the fabric parts, Matt got to work on my staff and looked around online for a place to purchase Blue Spirit's twin dao swords. Amazingly, he found a pair, and was able to get them shipped just in time for the convention.
About a week before the convention, it was time to get my head shaved. Matt put his awesome hair cutting skills to work to get my hair buzzed as short as possible. I got a full on head shave the Friday morning of Dragon*Con - I have never been so cool/comfortable as I was that weekend!
And, let's not forget, the most important helper of all....Kitty. She did an excellent job of making sure the fan didn't blow our patterns off the table.
And, last but not least, a few more pictures!
Aang at DragonCon 2010 II by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
Blue Spirit at DragonCon II by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART