Category: Video Game

Inspiration: Although I have never played Ragnarok Online before (my brother does and tells me all about it when I ask. I'm not much of a video game player myself ...) I absolutely adore the costume designs. I was in the middle of working on my first RO costume (my Rogue) when Gravity released the artwork for the 3-1 classes. As soon as I saw the design for the female High Wizard I decided that one day I would make it. About 2 months later I had a giant bag of fur and faux suede designated for this costume. It took me another ... 1 1/2 - 2 years to actually start working on it. What can I say, I'm slow...

Favorite Aspect: The gold emblems on the gloves. I used a technique I'd learned a few years ago, but hadn't had the chance to actually try out since. It's the one part of the costume that turned out exactly how I wanted it to.

Least Favorite Aspect: The boob armor. It was a last minute thing done in the hotel room (made for me by the wonderful Elemental ^_^), so because of that I didn't have time to work out properly how they were going to sit on my costume. Actually, it's the whole top of the costume

Easiest Task: The gloves and the gold emblems on them. The only brown matte gloves I could find were evening length (well past my elbow), even though all I needed was wrist length. I didn't have the heart to cut them, so all that extra material is actually rolled up and hidden under the fur trim. Fairly straightforward, once I figured out what I was doing. ^_^

Hardest Task: Sitting. Actually, that comes second to putting in that blasted zipper in the back of the dress. To put it in properly I had to try and shove the whole thing (which has boning on every seam) through a sewing machine. It involved a lot of shoving, awkward maneuvering, swearing and sometimes brute strength. I never want to sew that thing in again. And about the sitting thing, EVERY main seam in the dress has a piece of rigiline (plastic boning) sewn into it. I didn't think about how hard that would make it to sit in before hand, which I regret. It really is a bitch to wear because all I can really do is perch on the edge of chairs on my knees ... it's quite uncomfortable and frustrating. Update: For Anime Central 2007 I took the dress apart, took out all the rigiline and replaced it all with proper spiral boning. It now isn't as hard to sit in it, but it's also not as form fitting, making the front section rather wrinkled after sitting for awhile. Although it's easier to wear now, I don't like how the front looks without the extra structure. I guess I can't have everything ...

Awards:

Honorable Mention at Youmacon 2006
Best Artisan Presentation at Anime North 2007
Best in Class Presentation at Anticipation (WorldCon 2009)
Best Artisan Workmanship at Ad Astra 2008
Best Artisan Presentation at Ad Astra 2008
Second Place at Cosplay Lab's March 2008 Ragnarok Look-a-Like