Cicia's Closet

A 20-something cosplayer/thrifter/crafter/tea enthusiast/hustler type seamstress/ writer of tutorials/ mathematician extraordinaire  Babes Here

[what-even-is-thiss]

Yesterday my dad told me something that I think maybe more people need to hear.

You’re allowed to just do things for fun.

He told me that in this modern society, especially the United States, we seem to have this attitude that we shouldn’t do something unless we’re aiming to be the best at it. If we can’t sing like Beyonce or Frank Sinatra or something there’s no point to singing. If we can’t make the next big breakthrough there’s no point in looking into mechanics and engineering.

But, he tells me, it took him a long time to figure out that life doesn’t have to be a race. If you want to take up the piano when you’re a teenager or later you’re not going to master it. You’re not going to be able to play to huge concert halls, but that also shouldn’t stop you. You can study a language out of curiosity and then drop the ball if you want. You can just get okay at something or even be terrible at it. You can drop it for days or years and then pick it up again and it doesn’t have to be a shameful thing.

I’m really glad he told me that because today I opened my sketchpad for the first time in months and just started drawing. And it looks terrible. But I don’t care. I don’t have the talent or patience or spacial awareness to get anywhere near good at drawing, but it’s fun. It helps me focus my mind and nobody has to see it.

And because of what he told me, I’m thinking maybe someday soon I will take up the bass guitar. And I won’t worry about how well I do, or how fast I learn, or that I haven’t played an instrument since sixth grade, or that I don’t have that much time to practice. I’m just gonna enjoy the experience. Maybe I’ll try swing dancing again and take a class because I’m not the best dancer but damn if it isn’t fun.

Yeah, you don’t have to be good at things. It’s not a requirement. Maybe that seems obvious but it had never occurred to me before. You’re allowed to just enjoy what you’re doing. For me, that feels like a life changing revelation. I don’t have to be good at something to like it. I don’t have to put 100% effort into everything I do. It’s kind of amazing.

[witchestomb]

This post really helped me in the right direction with my writing and I’m very thankful for that

[cocklesheadboop]

God I needed this today.

[ciciascloset]

This is also really important in cosplay. You dont have to be the best, your craftsmanship can be shitty, no matter how hard you try or you can decide to not try at all because you're busy or uninterested in making them, and that's okay. Not everyone has to have to be the best cosplayer and do a bunch of shoots. It's okay. I've been working full time and simply dont have the time and that's okay.

[yeidisworld]

Latest portrait prize winner from my #Patreon~! She asked for Blue from Blue’s Clues ✨💙✨

[mowshroom]

OK so I posted this on twitter yesterday and it got A LOT of traction and my friend reminded me that maybe I should Post it here in case someone reposts without credit so!! I’m the creator of this tutorial thank u if this does get thrown around without credit ;~;

My twitter is @ groosetopia and my instagram is @ komeiren THABK you

[aicosu]

“I’m right beside you!” “The advantage is mine.” Thanks for the photos Eurobeat! 

[peppermintpatri]

Finishing up my Raven

[positivelypositivethoughts]

[cosplaytutorial]

Cosplay Tip:

Label your patterns when storing them, and include any notes you may want to remember next time you use it.

[scuudles]

Was going through all the WIP photos I took for Lunara and whipped up my first ever tutorial! Hopefully this can be helpful to someone.

[caitcorrain]

Hey guys! I’m a film industry trained seamstress with over 11 years of costuming experience and multiple master level best in show awards from cosplay competitions across the country. 

I’m opening up commissions for the spring and summer because I find myself with a little extra time on my hands and I’d love to work on projects for other people!

I’m opening THREE slots for now – one for this spring and two for this summer. They are first come first served and I will not be opening more until I have completed everything in my queue.

If you are interested: email me at [email protected] with the following: the character and series name, at least one reference photo (the more the better), and the date you need the costume by. Please read the info below the cut before emailing me!

Even if you’re not looking to commission anything right now, if you wouldn’t mind helping me spread this around, I would be sincerely grateful!

Keep reading

[angelfruitloop]

ATTENTION COSPLAYERS:

I would like to make the paint brand “Angelus” known. It is a special paint that is for leather, faux leather, rubber, and similar surfaces.

This is literally the best paint you can buy if you love a pair of shoes, but they aren’t in the right color for your character.

This stuff coats VERY well AND the coats of paint bend with your shoes. This means no cracking!!

In the photos above I took black rain boots and painted them with Angelus Turquoise. As you can see, they don’t look black any more! It’s so good!

I managed to paint two boots with a little one ounce bottle of the paint, and I still have a third of the bottle left over!

The paint dries very fast, so you can put layer on top of layer on top of layer without it streaking.

You can get the paint on Amazon and it comes in every color!

I just really wanted to make this known!! :D This stuff is amazing!

[hollowlaughter-deactivated20181]

https://angelusdirect.com/collections/paint

[coelasquid]

Don’t buy Angelus pain’t on Amazon, it’s like $6.99 an ounce. Buy it direct from their online store the poster above linked, the single ounce bottles are $2.95 there. Also, a little goes a long way, unless you have something HUGE to paint, you can probably do it with a small bottle. I barely dented the one I got doing all the black on this;

[akira-ran]

@cosplaytutorial !!

[cosplaytutorial]

Great tips, and wow that jacket! <3 

[the-sparrow-cosplays]

Sewing Tip #0001

REPLACE YOUR NEEDLE

For the love of God, Mary, and their son Jebus, REPLACE YOUR SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE.

So here’s the deal, for my first like four years of sewing or so, I treated sewing needles the same way I treated shaving razors. That is to say, I tried to keep using the same one for as long as possible even though I had about five more left in the pack. At the time, I usually only changed my needle when it broke. 

Now I don’t know how long ya’ll have been sewing, but the best advise I could ever give on the subject is NOT TO DO THIS. Seriously guys, change your freaking sewing needle. Change it every time you finish a cosplay—two to three times if it’s a big project, sometimes even more. I went through nearly ten needles for my Allura cosplay. 

Change it every time you hit a pin. Change it every time your stitches start becoming uneven or your machine starts acting up. Change it after every time you sew through a thick layering of fabric. Change it after sewing fur. Change it after sewing leather or vinyl. Change it according to your zodiac. Change it whenever you have a craving for chocolate. Change it whenever the clouds in the sky change—however you judge it, just FREAKING CHANGE IT ALREADY.

My first reaction whenever my machine’s acting up is to re-thread the machine, and if that doesn’t work, my second instinct is to change the needle—no matter how new it is. Eight times out of ten, one of these two solutions fixes the problem. I promise, changing your needle regularly helps to prevent so many problems and hours of frustration—not to mention it’s a lot easier on your machine. And when you get down to it, needles aren’t that expensive (they’re a lot cheeper than shaving razors, I can tell ya that), I usually tend to stock up and buy like $25 dollars worth of them at a time. 

But seriously, don’t hold out on changing out your sewing machine needle. Having a new, sharp, needle ensures clean seams and straight stitches and a lot less tears.

[lethielcosplay]

Complete guide on how to make your own Tracer pants/tights tutorial :) 

Share if you like <3

For any questions feel free to PM me!

[ciciascloset]

Rectangle Skirt Tutorial

Did I mention how much I love Angela Clayton? Because she’s seriously so cute. As is mentioned in the video this is the base for many Lolita Skirts and Renaissance clothing as well as being essential to making a pleated skirt. It has more or less the same shape, you need to know how to make the waist band and add a zipper and hem it in much the same way. The easier way to make a pleated skirt (mathless skirt) is to sew two large rectangle and pleat them until you get the desired width (ie waistline). I literally eye ball the pleats. Cut the excess and add a zipper. It’s overly simple but it works and way too lazy but it works. 

[kooristyle]

Hi Friends! Today I’d love to share with you a new tutorial video. This time we are going to learn how to untangle and remove the shine of a cheap Halloween costume wig. This tutorial is very easy you just need some fabric softener (Suavitel), warm water and baby powder ♥.

[ciciascloset]

5 Things You Didn't Know Your Sewing Machine Could Do! by Create!

This might be a folksy video, but it has good idea for low budget cosplayers who can’t afford a better machine. It starts off with a rolled hem but then it jumps to embroidery that won’t kill you. And honestly, I hadn’t thought about it like that.

Follow me here or on Facebook for more small tutorials. Contact me to request a tutorial.

[ciciascloset]

Original artwork by @munrouillstration

My dog is baby Lion!? She's also VERY wilful... I also promise you my shoes have baby pink glitter. This is such a fun cosplay to wear and it was fun to make too! I need to fit the skirt better but that's about it.

Photos courtesy of @monnikis

[ciciascloset]

I’m sorry

I know I’ve hinted at this before, but I want to make things clear. I have behaved in ways that I’m not proud of and I am sorry for that. That’s not how I usually am and that’s not who I want to be in life.It is sometimes very hard to function normally, for me, as weak as that sounds it’s a reality I have to live with. Eventually I will personally apologize those whom I feel I have wronged and helped ruin their own con experiences via not showing up or not sewing for them.

I know that I should’ve been more upfront and forward but sometimes it’s hard to talk about mental illness out loud. I’m also sorry for leaving these pages inactive. This is also not who I am or want to be.