In my final year of graduate school (2018-2019), a friend gifted me her extra sewing machine. I had not cosplayed very much in grad school, because my project took up almost all of my time and energy. And the nature of my project made taking time off difficult. However I wanted to practice using the sewing machine, so I pulled out an old stash of light blue fabric I had gotten at a thrift store years ago, and started working on a blue belly dance skirt. I don’t remember what pattern I used, but I think it was actually for a trench coat.

This new machine had many more types of stitches than my old machine. One of the first I experimented with was the overlock stitch, and loved what it did with this fabric. As soon as the skirt started to take shape I was racking my brain about what to do with it!

I don’t remember if it was due to a recent Pokemon Go event, OR merely color matching the skirt with different blue Pokemon, but I eventually decided that this skirt was going to be the start of a Suicune Gijinka cosplay. Since I still did not have a lot of time (or money) I also decided to try to stash-bust or thrift as much of the cosplay as I could.

The next step was to begin designing what I wanted the gijinka to look like. Thankfully I had caught Suicune on Pokemon Go, so I had an easy reference.

I started on the top using remnants from my White Mage cosplay, as well as what was left of the skirt fabric. I picked out a high neck tank top from my closet as a base for the pattern and traced it on to paper. From there I cut out a middle portion and two side portions for the color blocking. More remnants of the white fabric became cross straps for the back. I beaded the edges with glass beads from a crafting thrift store, to glam it up a little. Eventually the bottom strap was replaced with a ribbon.

With the base of the costume done, it was time to give my attention to the embellishments. I don’t know about other crafters, however I am a sucker for the remnant fabric bins at JoAnn’s. I can’t help it, I always go home with something. For Suicune, that impulse remnant purchase ended up being a feathered fabric that I deconstructed to create the trim, and a delightful teal sequence fabric that became my hip-scarf.

I started out by using this really pretty blue sheer fabric that I had also picked up at a thrift store years ago. It was very difficult to work with because it frayed so easily. I ended up sewing it so the frays stayed hidden OR I glued it to a base. This fabric thus became my belt and headpiece.

For the belt I grabbed scrap craft foam, more feathered trim, lots of shiny beads, and some sparkling sticky vinyl I was given at the crafting thrift store (I think they really wanted to get rid of it!). This belt doesn’t actually tie in the front! It ties with ribbon into grommets in the side of the skirt. I like how this gave the back of the cosplay lots of dimension but didn’t feel cluttered in the front. It did, however make the cosplay a little complicated to put on. The headpiece was made using an old beaded and elastic headband, scrap craft foam, fabric from skirt and belt, a pattern I traced from a screenshot of Suicune taken from the Pokemon Go app, and lots of hot glue to hold it together!

Once I started on the embelishments I couldn’t stop. I was finding all sorts of places to place beads and dangles and ribbon. I draped beads all over this cosplay! I had so much fun putting together the bead work for this cosplay. I was making a lot of jewelry at the time, which I think can be seen in the amount, and style of the bead work I used. All of the beads were from my local crafting thrift store.

One of the biggest embellishments I made for this cosplay was a choreographed dance. My first ever solo choreography. It only made sense, I was making a dance cosplay after all. I had these grand ideas of competing with this cosplay and dance at Galaxy Con Minneapolis, but wasn’t quite sure if I would be able to. This cosplay was my way to de-stress from working on my thesis, and learn how to use this sewing machine. So I wasn’t able to give it the time I thought I might need to finish for that competition. Nonetheless I started working on a choreography to Glitchxcity’s Pokémon Gold and Silver- Johto Burned Tower Remix v.II

The choreography was completed long before the cosplay (Due to having been a part of a “create your own choreography” class I was taking) and was debuted, with the current state of the cosplay at a local convent. Yes you read that right, the nuns are very supportive of the local art scene. Because the event was outside on a VERY windy day, I had to add an underskirt for modesty. After scurrying past three different nuns during my costume changes I was very glad I remembered it! I learned a lot about my cosplay that day. Namely, that some of my bead work likes to get tangled! So I eventually used the aforementioned teal sequence fabric to tack the long beads strings to. It helped quite a bit with the tangles.

It wasn’t too long after this performance that I defended my Master’s Thesis. I was given 2 months notice that my advisor would be going on a year long sabbatical and I had to defend ASAP. I don’t think I looked at cosplay at all while I was preparing for my defense. But I did it. I defended my thesis and got the hell out of graduate school!

At this point I didn’t think I would be competing at GalaxyCon Minneapolis. I was going to perform my dance in cosplay at my dance student showcase and be OK with that. So I focused on getting my other two cosplays ready for the con, and set Suicune aside. I prepared to enjoy the convention with no competition. However…

On the second day of the convention, a convention staff member walks up to me (in my Sirfetch’d cosplay) and says “You should compete in the cosplay competition.” I was absolutely not in the cosplay I had planned to compete in! But she convinced me and took me to the booth to get signed up for a pre-judging time.

While I was signing up, my partner Z asked if there were any other competitions. They said there was still lots of room in the masquerade the next day. I asked how soon they needed my music. I could give it to them the next day. This silly goal of mine was going to happen. I really enjoyed that competition in Sirfetch’d, being on that stage in cosplay felt amazing. However, all I could think about was performing as Suicune.

That night I spent throwing together finishing touches. My choreography was longer than the competition time, but I had an easy spot I could cut it off, so I hacked away at my music. After walking across that stage, I knew I could not dance on it barefoot so I glamed up a pair of soft ballet shoes I had on hand with sparkly elastic. I finished up my jewelry using the last of the beads I had used for my embellishments, and for wrist and arm bands I used more of that sparkly elastic quickly sewn together! I was ready to perform.

The competition folks were not kidding when they said there was plenty of room in the competition. There were only 5 total entries!

I really enjoyed meeting at chatting with the other contestants. We talked about our cosplays, and their inspiration, how many of us were last second signups. Then we were all lined up back stage for the show. I remember the judges’ advice was show stage presence and have fun. So that’s exactly what I did.

I was FREEZING after that performance. I sat next to the first performer and she offered her gorgeous long velvet sleeves as a covering for me while we enjoyed the other performances. The show may have been small, but it was a mighty fine group of performers. Everyone went home with an award that night!

During the making of this cosplay I learned a lot. I learned that crafting can help me overcome difficult times. That I was capable of defending my thesis. That I LOVED using recycled, up-cycled, and thrifted materials for making cosplay. And that cosplay competitions are a great place to make cosplay friends.

I feel so fortunate this impulse project that started as a way for me to distract myself from my thesis, and this goal that I had kinda given up on, helped me fall in love with cosplay again.