Staying Shiny

My life as a Uber-geek in a Bridal world

Project Lulu Update



I thought I'd do a quick post updating my progress on my cosplay for this years Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo.  I decided to go with Lulu from Final Fantasy X this year as she is a character I love and I thought it would be a great challenge.  I am making this costume mostly from scratch and have been working on it bit by bit since about December.  It's taken quite some time to do the planning stages as well as collecting all the materials I need, particularly the massive amount of belts needed.  I have also managed to get almost everything I need locally, which is awesome because I love supporting local businesses.  The only things I have had to get online are my wig and contacts (currently on order).  Here's the progress with just 36 days to go!

Materials I used to construct the purple necklace.  I couldn't find the proper disk beads so I made them from Apoxy dots (for scrapbooking) glued together and then painted with a metallic pearl craft paint.

Completed Necklaces.  The pearls are restrung from a necklace bought at a Thrift Store and each necklace has a magnetic clasp to keep them all properly aligned with each other and prevent twisting and spinning on the body.

To save time and major headaches I purchase a corset that I could convert to work for the costume.  You wouldn't believe how difficult it was to find one!  I wanted one with a shorter body so I wouldn't be uncomfortable as I was last year when sitting in panels.  I finally found one and even though it's not perfect, I kind of like the grey pinstripe in it.  I like how it ties in with the grey of the dress.  I added the grey trim with a hand stitch.

Finished corset and fur wrap.  I reclaimed the fur from the lining of a vest purchased at a Thrift Store.

Rough Draping...just so I could see where this is all heading.

Constructing the "lace" trim.  I debated on how to tackle the edging on the dress for quite some time.  Real lace didn't give the look of the picture I'm working off of as it is uniform and generally not the right colors I need.  I decided to make my own using a stencil to paint the desired effect on a white muslin and them outline it for more detail.

Finished sleeves and partially finished overskirt.  I just have the lace trim for the train left on this piece and then to tackle the belt skirt.  Good news is I still have enough fabric left from the skirt to use as a base for the belts so I shouldn't have any other major purchases in order to complete this one!

What's left on the to do list?

  • paint and attach lace trim to train
  • cut out belt skirt base and attach belts with glue and zip ties for added strength
  • add 2 tiers of boning to the belt skirt for added stability, ease of movement and weight distribution
  • add velcro to edges of overskirt to attach to belt skirt
  • add belts to sleeves
  • construct the 4 hairsticks and add to the wig (once it arrives)
  • find some purple lipstick
Wish me luck!

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