FREAKY CHEAP FABRIC

'SUP, NERDS!

For those who don't live too far from Chicago, I wanted to share an excellent place to find inexpensive fabric. I've saved a ridiculous amount of money for taking a simple trip out to the city. I hope my discovery saves you some cash and that you can find some specialty materials! Let me introduce you to the Textile Discount Outlet.

WHERE'S IT AT?

To give you an idea of where it's at, the Textile Discount Outlet is just three blocks from the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. I went after C2E2 with Julia and our friend, Ron, and made a day trip out of it. I'm from the suburbs, so I just took the Metra into the city and then took the CTA to the neighborhood. In total, it cost me less than $20 to get there and go home.

A rough idea of how close the Outlet is to the Museum.

Overall, I felt safe walking around the neighborhood. It's less than a ten minute walk from the CTA. You could also drive to the outlet. Personally, I don't feel comfortable driving into the city because traffic and parking sucks. I would only recommend driving if you are going to purchase a ginormous haul of fabric. I plan to drive during my next trip, but I was already in the city for a few things and could only buy a small amount of fabric at the time.

I highly recommend visiting Park View Grill, which is next to the Museum. You may be stuck inside the Outlet for a few hours and need a good lunch. This place is delicious and inexpensive! It's definitely a hidden gem and I really enjoyed my dining experience.


Suck it, Jo-Ann's!

This is literally part of a wall. Now multiply this by a couple
hundred rows of this. Yeahhhhh... tons.

Sooo, the Textile Discount Outlet is a magical experience. It's an old warehouse just filled to the brim with inexpensive fabric. There are three levels with every sort of textile imaginable. The main floor consisted of fabric you would use for clothing whereas the basement and upper level was mostly upholstery and other odds and ends.

I believe the Outlet buys leftover materials from manufacturers and liquidated retail locations. The most expensive cuts I noticed cost about $30 a yard of material that was entirely laced, sequined, beaded or made with antique or rare materials. Basically, think of the sorts of materials you would see on a wedding gown-- that's the expensive stuff.

Look at how much I bought... it's HUGE!

Otherwise, you could find basic fabric ranging from $2 to $10 a yard. These prices can't be beat, considering Jo-Ann's is the only fabric store near me (R.I.P. Hancock Fabrics). Jo-Ann's is kind of like Kohl's where they trick you into thinking you're getting a good deal, but in reality the sale price is just the average retail cost of the item. In the end, you're not benefiting too much. Whoever buys anything at Jo-Ann's or Kohl's full price, boo on you, you dummy.

Aside from fabric, the Outlet does sell beads, decorative sew-own pieces among other fashion-related accessories. You can find them scattered throughout the store in bins and glass cabinets.

My Heart Skipped a Beat

The primary mission during my first visit to the Outlet was to find something to create my Johnny cosplay. As I previously explained, this character literally sparkles and sequins is a must to most accurately recreate his cape. I found two bolts of fabric I liked. One was quite complex, sewn with a bunch of tiny blue sequins, while another cut was similar, but had a more basic sequined pattern. At the time, I wasn't quite sure which I should one I should've purchase, but the simpler cut was a quarter of the cost of the more complex piece. Decision made.

Thanks, Ron!!

❤️

(What a sweetie.)

I bought 6 yards of this fabric. And I bet you can't guess how much it cost. This cut was originally retailed at $300. I spent $20. I almost cried because I never imagined I could find what I needed! I felt like I was practically stealing from the Outlet. Not to mention, students also get an additional 10% discount on their purchase, so be sure to bring your school ID.

Planning My Next Trip

Anyway, this first visit was back in March. I'm using my Christmas money to take another trip to the Outlet, so watch out for a future entry featuring my next major haul. This time, it will require a vehicle to transport everything home, despite my dislike for city driving.

Next time, I'll share what I did on my birthday this year. Hmmm... I'm pretty sure you can't guess what sort of activities I did.

LATER, DWEEBS!

Loverly Liz

This blog is dedicated to the chicken that was eaten by this Quail.

MY FIRST C2E2

'SUP, NERDS!

Julia and I all dolled up.

Greetings and salutations. Aside from being busy from college and experiencing mild college-paperwriting PTSD, I have finally returned to write more about my silly hobbies. What's new? I've been to a bunch of conventions and finished just one cosplay this year and planning for a few to work on this next year! Let's start at the beginning of the 2016 convention season.

What's C2E2?
 
Well duh, the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo! From what I noticed, C2E2 primarily focuses on comic books and dabbled into comic/action films. The event usually takes place in March or April at the McCormick Place. Definitely a huge venue. Overall, it was a good convention, but I felt like a fish out of water. One of my best friends, Julia, was my primary con-partner. We definitely had fun, but thought some parts of the event were just mediocre.

*heavy breathing* There was a whole
area dedicated to Yo-Kai Watch!

Prior to C2E2, I've almost exclusively attended anime conventions. And they are completely different. Anime conventions definitely have a younger crowd, while I noticed C2E2 consisted mostly of adults, many of who traveled in packs with their family! It's a bit refreshing because I'm getting to a point where I'm considered to be "older" at anime conventions, being in my early twenties. Sounds silly, right?

Spending my Dollah, Dollah, Billz, Billz

I spent most of my time looking around the vendor hall, which I have to say is a single event in itself. It. is. ginormous. There were plenty of amazing goodies as well as small freebies, but I did not find many items that pertained to anime or video games. Just lots of comic book crap I didn't care for. There was also too many damned booths dedicated to Funko Pop Figures.

(we secretly really like Jacob^2)

I bought my boyfriend a copy of Sparkster on Super Nintendo because it was a little below market value and in pristine condition. He was a happy boy when I surprised him at home. I was, and still am, on the hunt to find him a figure of Quiet from Metal Gear Solid V. With such a huge vendor hall, I literally cried a little because I thought I would find some figures I really want among so many sellers. Nothing. :(

Paparazzi

Both Julia and I cosplayed. She dressed as Peko Pekoyama from Danganronpa 2, while I wore Gracie. Basically nobody knew who we were. Which is unusual because we both get stopped for photos quite frequently at anime conventions, but only a few folks who thought our outfits were cute asked for photos. There's nothing wrong with this, but one of our friends, Jacob^2, literally could not move.

Jacob and his mother worked together and made a Dr. Strange cosplay. I know nothing about this comic series with the exception that some movie came out. We teased Jacob all throughout the convention because he did this weird little pose for pictures. For some reason we love giving Jacob an incredibly tough time, but it's out of love. His cosplay was gorgeous. The quality of his cosplay really stood out and the fabric his mama picked was heavy and intricate. Julia freaked out a little because she loves heavy fabric.

Jacob traveled with his father and another friend, Alex dressed as a Star Wars character. Again, we're speaking a language I don't understand when we talk about Star Wars, but Alex looked cool.

I also ran into my friend Brandon, who is Chris Pratt's doppelganger, dressed in his Jurassic World gear. He's such a cutie, dressed as Owen.

From left to right: Brandon, Julia, Jacob, me and Alex

I saw Yaya!

I've never seen any major cosplay celebrity until C2E2. I was a bit star struck to see someone I greatly respect. Among many firsts, I saw Yaya Han judge the Crown Championships of Cosplay.

Where is the line drawn between prop and costume?

The Crown Championships were enthralling. There were multiple categories with all sorts of cos-folk slowly making their way through the competition. International champions, as well as locals, showed off impressive cosplay. Although the lines were blurred between a costume and what Julia and I considered to be enormous props as some contestants could barely walk onto stage, it was entertaining nonetheless.

I was pleased with all the different winners. The judges were well-rounded and considered both the quality of the propwork and how well each cosplayer actually sewed their costume. The show was balanced and didn't solely focus on the flashy machines people made.

A German metalworker actually took pieces from a real Ford
and brought his fully functioning Transformer to Chicago!

My Final Verdict

C2E2 was fun and I would definitely visit next year. I'm currently making arrangements so I can attend at least one day. To avoid discrediting the vendor hall and all panels/events, the convention isn't bad. Most of C2E2 was not catered to my interests. C2E2 is a great experience for fans of Western graphic novels and general American pop culture.

The only thing bogus was how early the convention ended. Everything wound down at 8pm and I just didn't know anyone I could hang with to attend any after parties. Even if I went to any parties, Julia couldn't have drank either. Though, she can next C2E2! Maybe next year...

LATER, DWEEBS! 
 
Look forward to a few more blogs coming your way! I'll share a bit about visiting this superb textile warehouse, my cosplay birthday party, my latest outfit, and my thoughts on some other conventions I attended!

Loverly Liz 

One last pic, Me and Ludo. His face actually moves!

CONVENTION SCHEDULE: Spring/Summer 2016 Edition

'SUP, NERDS! I'm preparing for the grueling warm-weather convention season. Sometimes I wish they'd spread them out because of extreme exposure to con-flu, not to mention I quickly get burnt out from going to a convention every weekend. Either way, here are the conventions I have scheduled through July.

March

Convention: C2E2
Date: Saturday, March 18
Location: McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill.
Cosplay: Gracie, Animal Crossing

April

Convention: Midwest Gaming Classic
Date: Saturday, April 9 (MY BIRTHDAY!!!!) 
Location: Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel in Brookfield, Wis.
Cosplay: Gracie, Animal Crossing
Vendor Booth: April 9 and April 10

May

Convention: Anime Central
Date: Friday through Sunday, May 20-22
Location: Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill.
Cosplay: Mystery Cosplay 1

July

Convention: ScrewAttack Gaming Convention @ RTX
Date:  Friday through Saturday, July 1-3
Location: Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas
Cosplay: Mystery Cosplay 1 and 2
Vendor Booth: waiting for booth sales

Convention: Anime Midwest
Date: July 8-10, attending dates **TO BE DETERMINED**
Location: Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill.
Cosplay: Mystery Cosplay 1 and 2

 SEE YA THERE!

Woohoo! I'm getting pumped for these events. C2E2 is going to be my first American comics convention I'm attending. Took me nine years to go to one. I'm very excited because I have final exams just days before C2E2 and it marks the start of spring break.

My boyfriend, Jacob, will be selling his painted retro video game consoles at Midwest Gaming Classic. He is sharing a table with one of my best friends, Julia, who sells anime-styled pop art. If you run into me, don't forget to buy me a drink. It's my birthday.

If you can guess my mystery cosplay, I bring a small treat to give you at that convention.

I'm designing two new cosplay for ACen, SGC, RTX and Anime Midwest. I will slowly reveal what I'm creating over the next few months. Both Jacob and Julia are waiting for information on vendor spaces at RTX. Hopeful we can get a space at a reasonable price.

I want to attend Anime Midwest, but I'm still figuring out days my job will allow me to take off. Not to mention, I'm a poor college student and I need to work during this time. To ensure that I can afford a full weekend at Midwest, I gladly accept donations. No pressure, but anything is appreciated.

Follow me on Twitter to get live updates when I'm at these cons. Let me know if you wanna hang!

Also, I will not have a new blog entry up for another week or so. I'm going through final projects and exams right now and blogging is a low priority until SPRING BREAK!

LATER, DWEEBS.
-Loverly Liz

JOHNNY DRAFTS

'SUP, NERDS! Right now I'm planning out a cosplay I will hopefully be wearing for the summer convention season. I do want to keep them a little bit of a surprise, but I'm going to reveal one outfit I'm working on. The obsession never ends... it's another Space Dandy character.

Johnny, Rock Star

One of the best things in Space Dandy is that there are so many unique characters, even if they appear for an episode or two. Johnny stars in one of my favorite episodes and he actually plays a huge role in the main, overarching story line.

Awesome art of Johnny's commander uniform. It's dazzling.

Johnny leads the other half of the universe and is at war with the reoccurring antagonists
—Dr. Gel, Bea and Commander Perry. He was born into royalty and feels unfulfilled as commander of the Jaicro Empire.

One day Johnny meets Dandy. They become friends when Johnny overhears Dandy humming to himself in a men's bathroom. Hearing such an awesome melody, Johnny proposes that they start a rock band... so that he can follow his dream of becoming a rock star.

Sequin Rage

Such a beautiful cape, such a pain in my ass.

I've barely started this cosplay and I'm already experiencing a huge challenge. Johnny's cape is a bigger pain in the butt that I ever thought it would be. You can't really see in the pictures, but his cape literally sparkles.

I took a few trips to both chain and independent fabric stores on the hunt for either navy or royal blue sequined fabric. The closest thing I could find were peacock or ocean blue colored fabrics or some nasty foiled fabric, reminiscent of what a child would wear for a crappy Halloween costume or school musical.

I did some research in hand sewing the cape together. I went to Jo-Ann's Fabric and got 4 yards of blue chiffon fabric for less than $3 with the intention of sewing individual sequins I found on Amazon. Once I got the sequins in the mail, I realized that the type I found on sale were too tiny and it would cost way too much to do 4-5 yards by hand. I don't mind the amount of time it would take, but I'm too poor for this.

I've never been so angry and frustrated over something so shiny.

I went back to Hancock Fabrics and asked them some advice on where I can go for specialty fabric. One of the workers said that they had old prom-season fabrics online and I looked into that. There is an awesome line of sequined fabric for $40 a yard, but the closest fabric I would order doesn't look quite right.

I can't tell if it's more blue or gray colored. I'm not worried about the cost of the fabric because I get emails every day for 50 to 60 percent off of a single item. I just wish a nearby location had it in stock so I can see it before I spend a lot of money. I can always return an online order, but as I previously stated... I'm too poor to allow Hancock hold my money hostage.

The Rest

Quick sketch of how I would like
to make the dress.

The rest of the outfit is really easy. I'm going to girl-ify Johnny and make his suit into a dress. I want to keep the deep v-neck on the dress, which is a little scary because nobody wants their boobies to slip. I'm looking up tutorials on how to make built in bras and other creative ways to secure my chest. I feel like that's the next most challenging part to the Johnny cosplay, but I'm not sweating it.



Overall, I don't think I can realistically create Johnny for any conventions this year due to having a low income as a student. I only work one day a week off of commission. Either it's a really good day or a really bad day.

If you're interested in supporting my cosplay endeavors... I do accept donations. Don't feel pressured to send me anything, but I use all donations towards whatever projects I'm sharing with you online.

And speaking of money management, I've already purchased tickets to conventions I will be attending this year. I will post my cosplay schedule soon and which cons I will be vending at.

LATER, DWEEBS!
-Loverly Liz

FASHION CHECK!

'SUP, NERDS! My dearest friends know that I have an addiction... an addiction to Animal Crossing. It's a simple game, but it knows how to play me. With over 400 characters in the series, there is a huge pool of Animal Crossing cosplayers. I decided to cosplay Gracie, an iconic character that nobody bothers to dress up as.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. You will never know all their names.

Playing Mayor

The latest installment of the main Animal Crossing series, New Leaf, came out on the Nintendo 3DS in 2013. I hadn't played Animal Crossing since its American introduction on the Nintendo GameCube in 2002. I never owned a GameCube, so I was always limited to playing as my friends' characters, too young to afford a video game console for just a couple of games.

When New Leaf came out, I was hesitant at first, but my friends all bullied me into buying it because I didn't own many 3DS games at the time. I knew inside that it would be the best-but-worst decision of my life to get New Leaf. I pent up all of this Animal Crossing fever over a span of 10 years.

Nintendo hasn't made a game that stole my life more than New Leaf  has.
New Leaf is life.

Animal Crossing is all about creating a human character that moves into a village, whose inhabitants are all animals. There is no big point or goal to the game but to pay off your mortgage and expand your house. You can earn money buy collecting fish, bugs and other goodies that you find.

The game is known for its customization as for you can decorate your home and you can personalize any article of clothing. New Leaf is special because your character becomes mayor. Now you have the ability to make major decisions for the village such as deciding what monuments and landmarks you want to build.

Chilling on Gracie's furniture. This is her signature design.

The villagers make the game fun. Different animals come and go as you develop relationships with them. The animals have unique personalities and you quickly find ones that you love and hate. There are also permanent residents that run the town, Gracie being my favorite shop owner.

GracieGrace

Gracie yelling at me about
her amazing furniture designs.

Gracie is a snobby, world renowned giraffe who runs a high-end fashion boutique. She is known for belittling players for wearing poorly coordinated outfits or if you can't afford her wares.

All the items in her shop are extremely expensive and have a designer flair. You can only get these products from GracieGrace (or if a rich friend of yours decides to gift you something from her furniture or fashion line). It's difficult to convince her to move into town because of her high-standard fashion checks.


Animal Crossing games actually play in real-time so the game only moves as fast as time in real life. Gracie randomly appears in your village to conducts fashion checks. Once you pass enough times, she will build her shop on the top floor of the town department store. In order to pass, you need to follow a set fashion theme she assigns you that day to impress her with what you wear.

Me, in my sweet-ass basement. This is Gracie's Gorgeous furniture series,
probably my favorite of all her designs.

Becoming Haute Couture

Gracie.

Gracie's outfit was pretty simple to make. I already had experience making a dress from my QT cosplay so it only took me two days... of no sleep. The cosplay was made for Con+Alt+Delete this past December and I finished school right before Thanksgiving. That's enough time to make a cosplay for a Christmas convention, right? Nuh-uh. Not when you're working full-time holiday retail and dealing with the holidays itself.

Since I've become a bit more skilled at sewing, I was able to cut all my fabric and piece the dress together in a single afternoon. It was only the details of the outfit that killed me... and I only learned of an easier way to detail the dress until after I made it.

Gracie's iconic circle pattern took me forever to make. Rather than sewing the rings directly to the fabric with decorative, tight stitches, I folded and sewed down the rough edges to sew again onto the skirt. It was tedious and I didn't think of a smarter way to sew the circles until after I finished. The tiny circles and rings kept getting caught in the sewing machine so I had to frequently disassemble it.

Yellow dots and green rings wrecked me.

I left the ears and horns for my lifesaving mother to make. She just hand stitched some felt, stuffed it and hot glued it all to a headband. The scarf took me a matter of minutes to sew together. I got my wig and gloves off of Amazon. Because the convention was in the dead of winter, I just found a cheap sweater to accompany my dress.

This bitch was giving fashion checks all weekend.

This convention was also a first for me: I wore high heels for more than an hour. Not just an hour, but a whole weekend spent running around in them. I think you attain womanhood after wearing heals for a couple of hours, rather than losing your virginity or as a girl menstruating for the first time.

Getting Ready for the Next Con

I feel like this cosplay is a tad incomplete. I still have plenty of extra fabric to create more rings. Because I was on such a time crunch, I wasn't able to properly fit the bodice the way I wanted. When I add more rings, I will probably adjust the bodice and cut a scoopneck.

Gracie was extremely successful. I found other Animal Crossing cosplayers who never seen anyone dress up as anyone aside from Tom Nook, the Able Sisters, K.K. or Isabelle. I was constantly stopped for photos and the cosplay was well-received.

Next time I'm going to show you a cosplay I'm currently working on. It's an intense planning process and I hope to receive some advice from you!!

LATER, DWEEBS.
-Loverly Liz

STAYING FIT

'SUP, NERDS! Unfortunately it's still winter, albeit it being freezing one day and feeling like it's sometime in April the next. But the winter season usually means that we're cooped up in our homes, enjoying some hearty soup and cocooning ourselves in knitted blankets. We become one with nature to hibernate...Meaning that we get pudgy.

Today is all about my routine to get in shape for the summer convention circuit. It's a yearly ritual that starts about now. I know my friends and other cosplayers start working out in late-winter and are more conscious of what they eat if they're feeling a bit flabby after hibernating.

Yummy and (Good) for my Tummy

I have this theory that I would not be fat if I didn't like cake. I'm a self-proclaimed dessert connoisseur—baking being one of my other passions. Right now I'm saying good-bye to my best pal, ice cream for a little bit, currently my first-choice dessert. Regarding other sweets, I've never been a soda fiend and find myself addicted to LaCroix and my sodastream.

Yep, I made these with (or for) friends.
This blog almost became a baking blog. Someday maybe I'll start one?

When it comes to real meals, I make sure that half of the plate consists of green veggies—spinach being the best thing to ever come from the earth. I am constantly upset knowing that less than ten percent of Americans eat enough fruit and veggies. Every day I make a point to plenty of greens. I also discovered the wonder of kale and fruit smoothies and occasionally use them to replace a meal.

This is probably my favorite meal eat at school.
I make sure that my omelette is packed with veggies too.

Some of my other favorite foods would also include bread and pasta. I try (note: try) not to eat too much unless I'm heavily exercising. Buuuuuuut I'm sometimes guilty of going to Olive Garden for unlimited soup, salad and bread sticks. Although, I don't feel so bad when I'm exercising every day.

Gotta Go Fast!

So fast and just a blue blur.

It was fairly normal for me to run at least an hour, sometimes two, every day. I had a good thing going... until school happened. When it's nice out, I forget about the gym and make up for it by biking everywhere, but recently I've felt stuck in-doors.

Right now I'm enrolled in five classes and I pretty much only do homework. It doesn't feel right to have fun before I hit the books. My incredibly disrespectful and annoying roommate also happens to work at my campus's exercise facilities. Whenever I finish my schoolwork, she seems to have a shift in the gym or things are closed.

To counteract my homework and roommate, I'm bringing my bike back on campus because this winter has been oddly warm. I am also making a point to exercise the next few weeks before final exams and relieve some stress. And yes, my school runs on the quarter system.

My Gym Routine

When I'm on my regular exercise schedule, I typically run 30 minutes on the elliptical on the highest resistance I can handle. I don't really like to lift weights as a safety precaution since I always work out alone. I make the most out of cardio and keep pushing myself to the next level on a weekly basis.

Once I'm done with the elliptical, I put the treadmill on the highest incline and lightly jog for another 30-40 minutes. It depends on how long a set of episodes or a movie is that determines the length of my workout.

I'm practically jell-o. This is a really good chart to study if you want to become elastic.

In addition to cardio, I spend a lot of time stretching and doing other basic muscle exercises. I personally love doing the "superman" when I wake up. Aside from a bit of stretching before cardio, I do most of these exercises back at home, between homework assignments.

Wrapping Up 2015

I haven't regularly exercised for almost two months now, but I'm not feeling horrible about my body. I've maintained my weight, but just don't feel as tight. It's just a matter of getting back into the habit and remembering that my health is just as important as my schoolwork!

Next time we're going to look at the final cosplay I made during 2015. It's another very unique outfit of a character nobody makes. I'm quite shocked because it's a character from an immensely popular video game. I was constantly stopped for photos!

LATER, DWEEBS!
-Loverly Liz