(too many) tips for Cosplay Friday

According to Tokyopop's Facebook page, it's "Cosplay Friday".  o.o?  So they asked, "What is one indispensable cosplay tip that you think everyone should know?"  Before I knew it, I was making a list.

Keep a pack of safety pins & masking tape on you.

Take advantage of holiday sales in non-costume shops, like Target/Kmart: 
Halloween sales,
St. Patrick's Day green wigs,
Easter bunny ears...

Keep a toolbox of cosplay repair supplies in your hotel room.
Here is my toolbox:

Sewing needs, yarn darners, pins, safety pins, thread, measuring tape, buttons, thimble. The staples and stapler are when you reeeeally don't have time to sew.

Squares of white felt and black felt.  Scissors, long-nose pliers, exacto knife in a tube.  Pencils, eraser, permanent markers, paintbrush, foam brush.  Razor comb, feathering shears, make-up.

Glue sticks, fabric glue, white glue, glue gun, sticky-backed velcro (in a sandwich bag), snap buttons, a TicTac container filled with hooks eye buttons.
22-guage craft wire, tie wire, sandwich bag filled with mini paddles of yarn.
Fabric freshener (travel size), hairspray, quilt/hair clips, hair pins.
Fabric crayons, wooden block for dapping/cutting, a cloth rag, and a T-square.
(Don't rely on the hand-held sewing machine. It's too tempermental.)


But since I was only supposed to post _one_ indispensable cosplay tip, I wrote, "Believe no prop is out of your skill range". 

Seriously.  If you believe this one thing, about props, wig styling, costume sewing, etc., you'll find a way to make any cosplay you want.  (Or at least make the 1 prop or detail that just *makes* a costume.)  Maybe I should have wrote something encouraging about one's ability to learn any arts or crafts skill.  Or, you can watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16p9YRF0l-g

Really, that's what it's about.  Taking that step to TRY to learn a technique.  As indimidating as a cosplay looks, there's lots of tutorial videos and books about techniques, that can be re-purposed for cosplay.  Once you build up a library of skills, you can mix and match them in your head for anything you want. 

Of course, it makes for an odd trip to the hardware store, when you ask a clerk where something is, and they ask, "What's it used for?"  ^^;  *Now* I know liquid silicone is used to seal window edges, and can be found in the sealant aisle.  It wouldn't have helped the clerk to know I was going to use it for resin molds.  #^^# 

And you'll spend hours, walking around craft stores, daydreaming multiple ways some supply or tool can be used, in unforseen ways.  Like luau necklaces as rainbow "feathers" on wings.  Or elastic jewelry string for bowstrings.

But like one cosplay panel said, there is no wrong way to create a cosplay.  ^_^

[for the insanely long list of tips, go to the full version of this entry, here:  http://mysticdragon3.livejournal.com/41340.html  ]