Hello! I’d like to share my latest cosplay creation with you all. Some time last year, I discovered the artwork of JadynNytewell on DeviantArt, specifically a series she’d done where she redesigned Princess Anna’s coronation dress from Frozen into new designs for different Disney Characters. It’s a really fun idea and you can see the whole series here: http://jadynnytewell.deviantart.com/gallery/52180816/Disney-Fan- Art I have been a huge fan of Princess Merida since before her movie was even released. I actually put together a costume for her based on her early concept art soon after it was released, and her dress was the first cosplay I ever made for myself. Like Merida, I am a freckle-faced redhead, the oldest of four kids, I love being outdoors, and my dad even taught me archery as a kid and I spent a lot of time with him shooting arrows in the back yard. So we have a lot in common. I often perform as Merida for charity events and cosplay her at conventions, in addition to having put together several Merida- inspired Disneybound outfits for Dapper Day and other visits to Disney World. All that to say, I knew the moment I saw JadynNytewell’s artwork that I HAD to make that dress! At that point, I hadn’t yet moved to Florida, but the move was in the works, and I expected to be here in time to attend MegaCon 2015. I bought the official dress pattern for Princess Anna’s coronation dress (she’s another character I cosplay / perform as, although not in this particular dress… yet!) and got to work. This skirt consists of a *lot* of wedge-shaped panels in three sets of fabric, so the first endeavor was just cutting those out and sewing them together, both of which are activities requiring a lot of space. When I was sewing the skirt together, I actually had to spend a full day tidying and reorganizing my craft room just to have the space to lay the skirt out (my top-right photo shows it spread out on the floor – that’s just HALF of the skirt!). I had to pay special attention to the plaid fabric. With the other two fabrics, I could cut multiple layers at once, but I had to line the plaid up on each one to make sure that the lines all hit at the exact same spot and cut them individually, so that took a bit of extra time. Luckily, once everything was cut out for the skirt, the sewing was just a just a bunch of straight lines, so, while time consuming, that part at least wasn’t very complicated. The Simplicity pattern gives pretty clear instructions and I didn’t have any trouble following along. The thing is, due to the way all the pieces fold together, there really wasn’t any way to test the fit until it was all put together. It wasn’t until I had connected all of the outer-layer panels together that I realized the fit of the dress was WAY off. The skirt was both about 6 inches too long and two full outer panels too wide at the waist. Not only that, around the same time I found out that my move to Florida had been delayed and I would not make it in time to attend MegaCon anyway. Frustrated, I folded the skirt up and shoved it in the closet in frustration. It wouldn’t see the light of day again for about 11 months. :p After almost a full year living in Florida, making wonderful new friends (including, of course, the owners of this lovely site!), and completing several other projects in the meantime, MegaCon *2016* was looming on the horizon, and I finally pulled the skirt back out of storage. Because of the designs at the bottom of the skirt, I had to remove the extra length from the top instead. I removed one full set of panels and overlapped the others for both strength at the waistline and to reduce the rest of the excess width. Back on track now, I installed the zipper and waistband, hemmed the skirt, and added stitches at strategic locations to help keep the pleating in the right place. Luckily, the sizing for the top went far more smoothly, and I just followed the pattern for that with no further issues. I decided to create a new design for the emblem on the top, combining JadynNytewell’s celtic knot design with Merida’s family crest from the movie. I drew it out by hand first, playing with several designs before deciding on this one, then switched to Microsoft Paint to put the design on a grid to get the size right. Then using cross-stitch waste canvas as a guide, I hand-stitched the design onto the top. (My grandmother taught me to cross-stitch when I was little, and I’ve always enjoyed it, but I have no experience with embroidery, so I chose to stick with what I already know. I used this same method when I made Anna’s winter gown.) The final step was to add the sleeves. I had been debating since the start of the whole project which fabric I would use for the sleeves, and, with only three days left before the convention, I still hadn’t decided. Then, while digging through my fabric stash, debating different options, I stumbled upon scraps of black faux-fur that I’d used to make a “bear fur” stole for my 1920s-style Merida for my first Dapper Day. Matched with a bit of green lace from a bag of sewing supplies I’d gotten at a yard sale ages ago, it looked perfect. Being me, even with a whole year to make the dress, I still ended up finishing this at the last minute (I finished the stitching at 2:30am the day of the Con, and attached the sleeves that morning before I left the apartment), but I’m still really pleased with how everything came out. I had a ton of fun at the Convention and got a lot of compliments on the dress. I really look forward to getting to wear this costume to other events. The artist, JadynNytewell, made the Rapunzel version of the dress, and I’ve seen pictures of a girl who wore the Wendy version to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party last year, so I would especially love to get to meet both of them and get photos together some day. In the end, there was a lot of drama involved in getting this project from Point A to Point B, but in the end it came out just the way I wanted it. In this case, shoving the whole thing in a closet was really the best thing for me – I was so frustrated with both the dress and my moving situation that I could never have been happy working on it – it would have felt like a chore more than anything instead of the labor of love that I think all cosplay should be. Anyway, that’s my project! I hope you like it! Now on to the next projects – I’ve got at least two new outfits and another big craft planned for the month of June. Bring it on!

We are building a page for people that make, build, and design clothing or items to share their story with others. We call it Friends with Style Give us your story about how you found or designed what you are wearing. We need the full background story so give as many details as you can about your clothing and accessories. Please also upload a photo of your project or work. If you are a creative guy or gal, people are always looking for inspiration. Tell us where you like to shop – garage sales, flea markets, vintage stores, fabric and craft stores.

Traci Kohl

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Serena Phelps says: April 29, 2016 Hi My name is Serena and I LOVE all things having to do with Orange Bird. When we were little, a trip to Walt Disney World was the most magical of times. The night before seemed to last forever. One of my first memories is of the cars waiting for the parking lot to open, we had arrived so early that people were sleeping on the long hoods of their cars. Each time we went to Walt Disney World, our first stop was the Sunshine Tree Terrace. Dad and Mom always bought us the orange shaped sippers for orange juice. Then we would enjoy the Enchanted Tiki Room. Orange Bird has always been my number 1 fave due to the awesome memories of the Sunshine Tree Terrace. We used to use the sippers until they fell apart. Then we would get a new one on our next trip. 2 years ago I was wanting Orange Bird items, but at that time they had released a few T shirts that were long sold out. Then they released the Park Starz Vinylmations and ORANGE BIRD was included! Well this re sparked my creative nature into a big First I made an Orange Bird T shirt in honor of that So Hard To Get Park Starz Vinyl! Then I decided that I needed an Orange Bird Purse. I chose an image that I loved, printed it, decided on a size, reprinted until correct size was achieved and then the real fun began. When I make something, I have to figure out how to make it work, so I sleep on it and wake up with the solution the next day. From what I have heard, my Grandfather was the same way with this process. I purchased a sheet of light yellow cross stitch plastic to give the completed piece secure form. I had the correct color of for each part of Orange Bird. The printed image was my pattern. I cut out the shape of the body, turned it over to trace in reverse as it will change if not done in this fashion, for me anyway. I then traced the entire body shape onto the cross stitch plastic and also the orange fabric 2 separate times. One for a base shape that was sewn to the cross stitch shape and the next as the area that I would work on. Then I deconstructed the rest of the image in order of medium to the smallest part (eyebrows) of the picture. I cut out each part of Orange Bird from leafy wings, head to tail, beak, inside of beak, eyes, pupils, eyebrows. All traced in reverse Then I reconstructed the image in the colored fabric and it took on the magical form of my beloved Orange Bird. Then each peace was quick stitched into place for the work ahead. Then I placed a border of waterproof glue around the shape of Orange Bird and let it set overnight to prevent fraying. The one by one beading began… I loved to watch the surface being transformed by a different media, it was exciting to watch the change and fuels the fire to complete such a loving task. Once I finished Orange Bird, I decided that he needed his Dole Whip. So I used the same steps as above and it resulted into he photo shown. The beading of the 2 pieces took 708 hours to complete. I loved every single minute of it. Thank you Ray and Joanie This is the first attempt of mine at the T Shirt. I took a picture of my vinyl and made a pattern in the same manor as described above for the purse.

Serena