There are just some things people will never know about your costumes unless you mention it off hand. Some of it is funny. Some of it not so much. Some of it just plain obsessive. And we like it that way! So what are your costume's secrets? Naturally, I start.
My Rinoa duster has glow in the dark wings from mixing glow in the dark paint with the white paint before I painted them onto the fabric. They were literally painted the midnight before we left for the con. My boots for the cosplay are also men's boots since they didn't have any that looked enough like Rinoa's big clodhoppers in the women's section.
The satin parts of my Rinoa Ball Room dress is made from bed sheets from Ross. HUGE money saver and it was quality material too! It was also made in a day and a half before the convention, including altering the pattern, finding the material, and then fitting it closer to my body.
My Riza Hawkeye jacket was accidentally made mirror imaged and it wasn't until I was at the con and look at the other military uniforms that I realized this. I tried to fix but...well...I just usually wear the turtle neck with the pants now. Now you know! There's also a bit of blood on the inside from my mom accidentally pricking her finger while hand sewing. This was also sewn on a broken sewing machine.
My sister's Ellone Costume was made two days before the con. Without her there to fit it. And it STILL worked! Woo! Are you noticing a pattern here? XP
My sister purposely picks obscure characters to cosplay because she likes being walking trivia. She's also come to like being the only one in that particular costume at the convention. (Sakuracon she was the only Ellone to our knowledge, the Sakuracon before she was Kyoko from FMP, and I'm SURE she's the only Catherine Elle Armstrong at both Kumoricon and Sakuracon)
My mom and I purposely picked out the shiniest material we could without going all out glitter for my sister's Catherine Elle Armstrong outfit so she would have the "Armstrong Sparkles" all the time. We were giggling all around JoAnn's. I'm sure people thought were we a little nuts. My sis also searched the entire town over before finally finding a miniature piano in a hole in the wall gift shop.
My sister has worn her real hair in a costume only once. I'm the one that usually cuts and dyes my hair for a cosplay.