Hi all! I just realized how soon Kumoricon is coming up (ack!) and thought I'd better start prepping for my panels this year. I'm giving Props & Accessories and Sewing: Beyond the Basics again - for those who have been before, you'll know that while some things are the same every year, a lot is different because what determines the content is what YOU want to hear about! These aren't lectures where you're just supposed to sit and listen - it's all about your questions.
So because this con is within driving distance for me, I can bring a lot of pieces to actually show, pass around, and share visual demonstrations of how stuff that I have made actually works so that you can get the idea of how to do it yourself.
I can't bring a lot of really big things (I'm only one person, after all!) but I'm taking suggestions for stuff to bring and/or talk about. Here's some examples of what I usually bring to show:
-A back plate for mounting wings inside a corset without shoulder straps required (and while I'm at it, said corset, and some examples of what materials to look for when making one)
-an armor piece or two made with Wonderflex, plastic canvas, and/or craft foam
-Lights! LEDs, fiberoptics, electroluminescent wire, and now I have electroluminescent tape to show too!
-a giant gem not made of resin, for those who want an alternative to resin-casting your own
-fun feet for your sewing machine so you can find out how to make it do cool things like ruffle your fabric for you
-samples of unusual fabrics to share techniques for sewing them (fake fur, vinyl, etc...)
-a mockup to demonstrate pattern alteration and draping your own pattern pieces to get a costume that fits you better
-examples of embroidery and applique
I'm also going to try to be organized enough this year to actually make a handout with lots of useful links for where to get the materials and such that I'll be talking about. But I'm taking suggestions now for what to bring, so let me know if there's anything in particular that you'd like to see!
