geek or chic. both.

ADDED: picture from SLCC Sept. 2014.

nightingale armor how to. woof.
supplies:
3 yards of black pleather
3 yards of black lining (I used basic cotton) prewash
2 yards of black peach-skin
1 yard of black decorative.
1-3 yards of practice fabric (use for fitting, and how things lay together)
4 spools of heavy duty thread
measuring sewing tape
tissue paper (to make patterns)
pins
fabric and paper scissors
4 small buttons
2 large buttons
22" black detachable zipper
large cutting board [optional]
acrylic quilting ruler (saved so much time)
rotary cutter [optional]

8 finished pieces = bodice armor, mask, cloak, 2 shoulder armor, 2 wrist gauntlets, & belt.

products ready made:
black turtleneck, long-sleeve shirt
black pleather/knit leggings
black boots
black 2" stretchy headband

first thing made was the tube like bodice.  I basically took my largest measurement and make a straight tube & sewed on the zipper. starting at the bottom of the zipper and it ended up being 15 inches up on the zipper. do not cut off the rest, leave it zippable.

The front panels next started with tissue paper for measurement & fit then cut one of the pleather & one of the liner.

right sides together, sew the two pieces together.

top piece sewn to the top of the bodice with the top folded over the bodice to make a clean look.

the next three panels are to be sewn on under the previous with the sewn line hidden by the one above it.

made 4 panels for the front.

side panels wrap from the end of the front panels to the zipper, measure accordingly.

cut two of each side panel, but make sure they mirror each other, for one each side.

place & sew top side panel to the bodice, do the same with the front top panel.

fold over & sew a clean seam.

next for the middle side panel.
start of with a piece of tissue paper & design the panel to however one likes.

sketches [poor sketches] of what I want the side panels to look like.

measured the length & height of the panel while wearing the bodice.

drawing out the panel pattern on tissue paper.

 placement of lower side panel.

rough draft but it is the general look that I was going for.

 cut two, mirror image for opposite sides.

placing the cotton under the middle side panel to see layering.

 traced the lining fabric on to the pleather, making mirror images again with the pleather.

so very important, I cannot stress it enough.

saved me during the long hours that I spent pulling all-nighters. I kinda started this project two weeks before I needed it.

I already have plans for the september comic-con, I am not procrastinating this one.

cotton on top help me know that I am sewing through both layers.

 straight

2.5 stitch length, but it is up for variation.

clip the corners for sharp corners, don't clip the seam though.

I used a 1/4" seam allowance.

 remember: don't sew all four sides, still have to flip right side out. & the top will not be seen, it's under the panels above it.

just be careful not to punch through the seam. pushing them out makes for a nice sharp corner.

for the edge to give it a crisp clean look. line up the fabric with the inside edge of the foot.

roughly 2mm seam from the edge.

while sewing the border the cotton can slip out to the edge causing it to show at the edge.

pull the cotton slightly so that the pleather is completely on top.

once all the panels are sewn on for the bodice its time to cut, sew, & place the panels onto a belt.

the front placement.

 for the top of the bodice which will be the collar & shoulders

measure the back for the same amount of what is left of the zipper.

lining for the bodice.

I copied and measured the pleather part.

cut to dimensions & sew onto the back, retracing the same seam line of the top of the bodice and along the zipper.

even no one sees it, the lining makes for a nicer cosplay.

moving on to the top.
made pieces:
6 straps
top panel
2 collar pieces

figure how it fits when worn.

sewn on under the collar/neckline piece.

placement looks good.

 cut two pieces of the mask, again mirroring each other to make the two sides.

cut lining and pleather.

 front part of the mask.

top is for the nose.

hood, hood, & hood.

this is the basic shape I used.

fabric: peach-skin & decorative.

same basic idea as the panels, just different material.

didn't sew the bottom for flipping right side out.

made a leather hood design to place on top of the hood to create the pleather decoration.





















pleather decoration is sewn along the pinned line & across the front.






















buttons sewn onto the bodice collar & button holes made on the hood to make it stay on.

the shoulder pieces & the wrist gauntlets are made with the same panelling technique as the bodice panelling & secured with elastic.

shoulders got three panels and the wrists got two, going the opposite direction as the shoulder.

small buttons were sewn by the elastic on the pleather as a decoration to give the illusion that they were buttoned on.

velcro at the top of the shoulder armor & the shoulder seam on the turtle neck to help hold the shoulder armor up in place.

put on all the armor, hair in a bun (if long) & put the mask on, then use the head band to hold fly away hairs out of the way.

position hood then button on with the large buttons & I think you are set.


I also would like to give credit to Beebicu for an awesome cosplay that got me hooked on the character. I was excited to do it myself and test my own skills and creativity.

APRIL 17 - 19 Salt Lake City FanX Comic-Con @ The Salt Palace

hoping to get more [action] photos soon, but heres the comic-con ones.


UPDATE: I finally made the bow and added gloves (I don't know why I didn't have them before)

found a fellow nightingale armored chick. gotta give her props, her cosplay is wicked.

oh this is just the talented, adorable dredd. yes he made his costume too.

in my experience.

have movies, songs, tv-shows, books, and other forms of entertainment skewed the view on relationships for many of the female form.

are females too picky when it comes to dating.

do females expect too much from males.

are females lazy when it comes to the dreaded world of dating.

do males put in all the effort when it comes to seeking an companion.

do males have a busy life that does not revolve around females.


I'm going to be quite frank. I am a female, so yes this is a bias approach on the subject, because I've never had the opportunity to experience what it is like be a boy. I have had the great pleasure of dating some fine lads and some not so fine lads.

the entertainment business is a business and well they are really good at attracting consumers. one way that they keep people sucked in is by having a "are they going to date or not?" question always floating around. a few that have drawn me in are: chandler and monica, miss bennett and mr. darcy, doctor who and rose tyler, ron and hermiony, jace and clary, katniss and gale/peeta, robert downey jr. and me... okay maybe not. anyway you know that moment when they first kiss, ratings skyrocket. the men are romantic and the women are lovely. they have the perfect scenarios. we want relationships like those, or so we think.                                                                                so yes it could be skewed a tad.

education about the type of person you want to find isn't being picky, it's being smart.

replace the word "picky" with the word "educated" or "smart"
women should be picky when it comes to dating. so should men. from my experience it is good to be picky. example one, I wasn't too picky with this guy, he was semi-attractive to me, he was an easy catch and I myself was an easy catch to him. we made each other laugh and both played soccer. I wasn't picky in reading the red flags that were personal to me. he told me that we would be getting married within the next six months after only dating for one, he told me that I would be the soul bread winner for the family, he would take care of the house and family, our family would be his family and my family was not to be included in much after the wedding because they travel too much, he surprised me with ring shopping after six weeks of dating, our wedding would mostly be about his sister because she has to have the attention, and lastly he got pissed at me for asking where the forks were. it lasted longer than it should because I didn't want to be that picky "princess" girl. so let's just say that relationship ended after only two months. I'm glad I was finally picky.

example two, years after the first, two best friends that knew so much about each other and still learned more everyday, attraction was mutual, both of us played hard to get for an appropriate amount of time. I had learned to pick up red flags and was constantly on the look out while slowly liking him more and more. everything fell in line, same ideas, similar interests, different enough to keep thing interesting. I was picky, but he had great qualities, still a break up happened and we don't see each other any more but it helped me learn the best thing I could've learned when it comes down to being picky.

well basically I'm happy with my dating life because of my "pickiness"

 a woman should have expectations when dating a man, as should a man have expectations when dating a woman.

the expectations should be chosen with a reason behind it, not just because.
examples:
educated with a good career - have a stable monetary life. good reason.
attraction - very important, to quote amy pond from doctor who...

"you know when sometimes you meet someone so beautiful and then you actually talk to them and five minutes later they're dull as a brick? then there's other people, when you meet them you think, "not bad. they're okay." and then you get to know them and... and their face just sort of becomes them. like their personality is written all over it. and they just turn into something so beautiful."

similar/different interests - doing things together is what brings people closer, like learning switch on a snowboard. but having different interests is just as important, ever heard of 'me' time.
laughing - it's a given, laughing is über important.
[insert personal quality - reason here]

it's a common known fact that when men and women court the man "should" ask the woman out. the man "should" pay. the man "should" do this or that. however, it does not make the woman lazy. so you think the customs are wrong, they aren't just talk to each other find what jives for both of you.

and males don't put in all the effort when it comes to finding a companion, when a girl goes up to talk to a boy. effort. when a girl suggests phone number exchange. effort. when a girl will drive out to your place to play video games or watch psych. effort. when a boy asks a girl out. effort. when a boy pays for dinner. effort. when a boy makes the first move. effort. it takes two.

yes yes yes a boy's life absolutely does not revolve around a girl. the girl should not expect it to.
boys have jobs. boys have school. boys have family. boys have friends. boys have alone time.
girlies get a job. girlies go to school. girlies spend time with the family. girlies plan a girl's night. girlies it is okay to take some alone time. most girls know this I know. I'm just saying it simply because we forget. AND BOYS... the reverse applies to you too.

round two.

my nurse was nice, she apologized for the hospital socks that matched. I was just impressed she notice my non-matching socks.  my doctor is very kind and talented, I just wish I didn't have to see him as much as I do.

at least they let me sleep. 

here's the majority of the story. >> [π, richard parker, and normal saline]

went to nyc.

utah to

nyc

met bruce

and master chief

hotel room view

empire state building

it was chilly

regret not buying this hat

first broadway show

santa convention happened

on the subway

the band for

the blue man group

snowy times square

and fell asleep on the way home

a little bit of imperfection.

I am
jealous
unhappy
angry
selfish
vengeful
impatient.

I want to be
understanding
happy
forgiving
selfless
friendly
patient