Hello, hello!

Welcome to my humble blog. If you don’t know me already, my name is Michelle, also known as Rynthae online. I’m a cosplayer, crafter, writer, artist, violin-maker, anime aficionado, and frequent misadventurer.

My Arabian Nagisa (from Free!) cosplay, which was made from scratch. Photo by Shelby Mclachlan.

Although I started out buying ready-made cosplays, I’ve delved into the territory of frequently making my own cosplays, or modifying ones that I do buy. It was somewhat terrifying in the beginning. I started with building props–keyblades, swords, jewelry, etc–and while I loved doing that, sewing was never my forte. Even after having sewn whole cosplays from scratch I’m not sure it’s my forte. However, I will say that flying blind while sewing waistcoats and harem pants has taught me a few things.

Seam Rippers Are Your Best Friend

I always rip out a seam at least once per cosplay. No matter how long I’ve been sewing or modifying things, it seems to be a rule of the universe: I will sew something upside-down, backwards, or inside-out at least once.

Youtube is Your Other Best Friend

I have limited “real” sewing knowledge–I simply do it anyway. I took a short Home Ec class in middle school once where we sewed pillows (admittedly not very high on the difficulty chart) and I occasionally did battle with my parent’s possessed sewing machine. Usually, that resulted in the bobbin spewing forth a stream of knots before devouring whatever fabric I was working with. I have received some good advice from friends and family, but I’ve also found Youtube to be an incredibly helpful resource. Even if you think there is no way there’s a video for the strangely specific situation you’re in… chances are, there’s a video for it. Really.

Pure Stubbornness Determination Always Prevails

I’ve been there. Two in the morning, having already ripped a seam three times, double- and triple-checked to make sure I was doing something right only for it to turn out wrong. Again. It’s tempting to give up when this happens. It’s tempting to say “I’m just not cut out for this” but the truth is: no one is really cut out for this. Everyone is always learning. Everyone runs into snags or gets confused. Don’t give up. Keep trying, and if what you’re doing doesn’t work, try something else.

I made a tiny vest for the cosplay above three times. Those three times were sewn and ripped and sewn again multiple times each. I spent as long on that vest as I did on almost the rest of the entire outfit. Why? Because I am perpetually confused by linings, apparently. I couldn’t get the vest to flip right-side-out after sewing it. I tried everything, tried ripping different seams to free up different parts, but no matter what I did, I always ended up with the vest lumped and trapped inside of the lining with no way to free it. I got so frustrated with the whole thing that I cut down the middle of the lining, in the inside back of the vest, flipped it out, and sewed the cut line back together.

It was unconventional, but it worked.

Creating cosplays is different from creating clothes in that you have more liberty to break the rules. Don’t give up. Keep working, keep trying, and when all else fails: try something different.

Don’t Be Scared of New Materials

For years I made props out of cardboard and paper. It was an elaborate process to create solid, durable 3D props out of them, but I was quite happy with the results. By comparison, wood scared me. It was an unknown. The idea of working with power tools felt terrifying, and for a long time I shied away from it.

Because I was so nervous about working with wood for the first time, I didn’t realize until far later that it was actually easier to work with. It took less time, it was sturdier and often lighter, and I could carve details instead of only painting them. And speaking of paint–the wood was a lot easier to paint, too. As scary as power tools were, I came to really appreciate the belt sander and the dremel for carving.

And you know what? I went from being someone who was scared of wood to someone who works with it regularly. I really think that building a few elaborate swords out of wood gave me a lot more courage to dive into violin-making, which I absolutely love.

Math Offers Answers

Cue the groaning. I know, you would rather eat a whole cardboard box than do math–but really, it comes in handy for creating cosplays. Not sure how long that sword or staff should be? Easy trick–pull up a reference picture of it in the hands of the character you’re cosplaying. Put a sticky note by the head of the character and make a mark for how big it is from the chin to the top of their head. Now measure your head from the chin to the top of your head and write that down on the sticky note. Then use your marked length on the sticky note and measure how long the prop is in head lengths and multiply that by your head length for a perfect proportional prop.

That’s just one example. Sewing is full of opportunities to use math and the most comfortable you are with using it, the less you will need to rely on patterns. (And let’s just admit, most patterns are more confusing than they need to be, anyway.)

Spend Time on the Details

If you’re ever tempted to cut corners, remember this: having a nice clean paint-line, hemming the fabric of your cosplay, and styling your wig can make a big difference in the overall look of your cosplay. These things really pull it together. Details are a chance for you to make this cosplay as beautiful as it can be, to give it a sense of realism whether it is a volleyball uniform or a mage’s cloak. When you spend extra time on the details I promise, people will take notice, and they will be impressed.

Cosplay Is For Everyone

I know you know this, but it’s easy to forget that this also applies to you. We’re all our own worst critics. We all look in the mirror and our eyes are drawn right to the spots we stress about most. Be kind to yourself. Cosplay your favorite character. Whether they are bigger, smaller, taller, shorter, the same gender or different, the same age, whatever. The people who truly matter will support you. If someone doesn’t like it, that speaks more about their own insecurities and shallowness than it does about you.

I’ve gone to conventions with no makeup before in 110 degree heat, stressed because my skin is never happy. Everyone was more kind and welcoming than I could have ever imagined. I have extensive skin (and food, but that’s another story) allergies, so I’m very limited in what makeup I can wear. I can’t wear contacts for the same reason. And you know what? People still ask to take my picture. People who love the same series still get excited to see me. I’m by no means skinny, but I cosplay two athletes (Kageyama and Nagisa), and as worried as I was the first few times, but people were truly happy to see me at conventions and meetups and had nothing but kind things to say. Those cosplays have become some of my favorites over the years, too.

When people look at you, they won’t see whatever you worry most about. They will see a character they love and a potential friend. So, be brave. Cosplay your favorite characters. And most importantly, have fun.