With the new Dune film coming out this week, I find myself drawn into conversations comparing Dune and Lord of the Rings on an almost daily basis. Granted, I’m a Tolkien geek who often seeks out these conversations, but as a full-fledged geek, I couldn’t help examining comparable traits of these two books. Here follows my definitive* comparison of Lord of the Rings** and Dune***: *This is in no way definitive. I’d love to hear feedback, particularly as I’m biased by having spent far more years studying Tolkien’s work. **Lord of the Rings is one book, not a trilogy. I will die on this hill. ***For the purposes of this comparison, I’m looking only at the individual books, not the series or material from the expanded worlds – a broader comparison would be great, but it’s way beyond my knowledge base and time constraints right now. Lord of the Rings …
What Commissions Are … and Aren’t
Commissioning a costume can be overwhelming. I’m here to tell you what to expect when buying bespoke clothing. Uncommon Costuming is a commission-based business, meaning people come to me saying, “I’d like to have this costume/article of clothing/giant dice bag/etc. made. Could you make it for me?” and then, often, I do, and they pay me for it. Like most commissioners (possibly all), managing the client’s expectations is a big part of the job. No commissioner worth their pins wants to create shoddy work, waste their time, or not get paid, just like no client wants to wear shoddy work, waste their time, or overpay. In order for everyone to come out of the deal happy, it’s important to understand going into it what all is involved with a commissioned item. [Note: for the purposes of this post, let’s say we’re commissioning a costume, but it could be anything – …
Masks En Masse
With the outbreak of COVID-19, many states are implementing shelter in place orders, including wearing protective face masks when going out. Not only do most people not keep a stock of masks at the back of the closet (although we will now!), masks are getting hard to come by! Enter your friendly neighborhood sewist! Crafters all over the country, and even those with a sewing machine collecting dust in a corner, have banded together to help our neighbors by sewing masks. Here at Uncommon Costuming, we made over 50 in one weekend (with our staff of one!) To help get as many masks out there and keep as many people that much more protected as quickly as possible, we’ve created an illustrated set of instructions for making a reusable, pleated cloth masks with filter pocket, including additional notes on how to make them more efficiently if you’re sewing several! There …
How To: C2E2
“How To” is a series on tips and tricks for attending conventions all over the country. If you have a tip for us or a convention you’d like to see covered, please comment below! From its inception in 2010, the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) quickly became one of the top tier geeky events in the country. Held in April (usually), it’s well worth risking the dodgy Chicago spring weather for the panel discussions, celebrity photo ops, massive vendor floor, and of course, epic cosplay viewing. The next C2E2 will take place April 6-8, 2018 in the South Building at McCormick Place (2301 S. Lake Shore Drive). For convention information and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.c2e2.com/. Getting to Chicago Chicago is a hub for any number of airlines, trains, and interstates, so you have plenty of options for getting into the city. I’ll leave the googling of various options …
The Problem with “Sexy” Costumes
I wish we lived in a world in which people could – weather conditions aside – wear whatever they want with no worse consequences than the occasional sunburn (no, but seriously, wear sunblock!). Wearing a mini-skirt past age 40/over 200 lbs.? Have at it – you look fab! Wearing clothing traditionally assigned to another gender? Rock on, have fun! Covered from head to toe? Do it! Walking down the street naked? Just watch for broken glass! I wish we could all get over our prejudices enough that people could do what felt right without being harassed or criticized, or contributing to negative stereotypes. Unfortunately, we live in an imperfect world full of subtle and nuanced biases that affect our perceptions of others. This is where I have some reservations about “sexy” costumes. Much of this post applies to “sexy” costumes in general, but I’m referring specifically to costumes of the …
How To: GenCon
“How To” is a series on tips and tricks for attending conventions all over the country. If you have a tip for us or a convention you’d like to see covered, please comment below! GenCon has become a far different animal since its origins as the wargame brainchild of Gary Gygax back in 1968 – growing from Lake Geneva to Milwaukee to Indianapolis, it’s now become the longest running and largest gaming convention in the country. Encompassing a truly dizzying array of gaming – board, pen and paper, larp, video, you name it! – The Best Four Days in Gaming™ is a gamer nerd’s dream! This year, GenCon will be held August 2-5 at the Indianapolis Convention Center (100 S Capitol Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46225) and spilling over into Lucas Oil Stadium. You may be asking yourself, “why post about how to attend GenCon in January if the event isn’t …
Why We Cosplay
I think some people are drawn to costumes, often from an early age – Halloween is our gateway drug to cosplay. But for all the people who really don’t care about this year’s obligatory Halloween costume, seeing people – ADULTS – spending time and money to create costumes year round probably looks like some sort of cult. And I fully understand that “It’s fun!” really doesn’t cut it as an explanation. I mean, why would that be fun?! Why do people cosplay?! Too often, I see lists of “Why We …” as a sort of defense against those who would criticize. I don’t believe we need to justify to others why we do the things we love. Instead, I’d like to offer, for those who are baffled by this hobby, as complete an explanation as I can, and for those who looooove cosplay, a celebration of why we do what …