Nightfall - Elfquest
Elfquest was my first fandom; I found Book 3 at a bookstore back in elementary school, and was an avid fangirl for almost ten years. I finally got disillusioned when they started veering into Sea Elves, Space Elves, Elves vs. Guys Who Look Like Bad Conan Villains and other such nonsense. But nevertheless Elfquest has always held a very special place in my heart, and I've wanted to cosplay from it for ages.
The problem with Elfquest costumes is that they're supposed to be leather, but they're drawn like spandex. It is physically impossible for leather to do what those costumes do. I was stubborn, though, and wanted to use faux-suede wherever possible. I did have to give up and use spandex for the pants, as it became clear quite quickly that I would otherwise be in danger of ripping my pants just by sitting down.
This costume took a long time simply because I couldn't find the right shade of green faux suede. Nobody seems to make bright green - it's always lime green or olive green. The Ultrasuede company made a nice bright green as part of their 2007 spring line, but by the time I discovered this it was sold out everywhere. I despaired of ever making this costume, until I heard about a new polyester dye. I got some lime-green faux-suede and dyed it - it worked!
I originally took apart a fur hat for the belt, but the fur turned out to be too long and fluffy so I ended up buying fake fur trim and using that instead. The criscrossing ties on the belt tend to sink into the fur and become invisible, so will have to come up with a solution for that.
The wig was originally too long and not full enough, so I carefully cut locks off the end, sealed them with hot-glue, and sewed them into the sides to give some extra poof.
The dagger is insulation foam with papier-maché and leather.
The problem with Elfquest costumes is that they're supposed to be leather, but they're drawn like spandex. It is physically impossible for leather to do what those costumes do. I was stubborn, though, and wanted to use faux-suede wherever possible. I did have to give up and use spandex for the pants, as it became clear quite quickly that I would otherwise be in danger of ripping my pants just by sitting down.
This costume took a long time simply because I couldn't find the right shade of green faux suede. Nobody seems to make bright green - it's always lime green or olive green. The Ultrasuede company made a nice bright green as part of their 2007 spring line, but by the time I discovered this it was sold out everywhere. I despaired of ever making this costume, until I heard about a new polyester dye. I got some lime-green faux-suede and dyed it - it worked!
I originally took apart a fur hat for the belt, but the fur turned out to be too long and fluffy so I ended up buying fake fur trim and using that instead. The criscrossing ties on the belt tend to sink into the fur and become invisible, so will have to come up with a solution for that.
The wig was originally too long and not full enough, so I carefully cut locks off the end, sealed them with hot-glue, and sewed them into the sides to give some extra poof.
The dagger is insulation foam with papier-maché and leather.
