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!