My first commission! My friend Jaina wanted to cosplay Fuu from Samurai Champloo, and we made this outfit together. Fuu's cute and so is Jaina, so it's a good match. This costume premiered at Ohayocon 2005, and I think it was the only SamCham cosplay there. This was pre-Adult Swim - next Ohayocon ought to see more cosplayers. Since it was a commission, I wanted to minimize the cost to Jaina, so it was Coupon Time - I've seen what happens when cosplays are made from shoddy fabric. The kimono is made from quilter's solid broadcloth, which is a better quality than the standard $1/yard broadcloth you get at Wal-mart. Jaina painted on the flowers with a stencil - she notes that she had to use a piece of plastic underneath the fabric to keep it from soaking through. (The kimono should have been decorated before assembly, but we didn't have the option.) Fuu's obi was a challenge. I had to think of a way to fake the taiko knot in back, and it still needs some work. The faux obi pillow I made didn't work out too well, and the back was droopy. It wasn't terrible, though, and the taiko knot had the right shape. Fuu's obi sash proved also to be too stiff to tie properly - another rework! Again, since cost was a concern, I put a white strip around the bottom of the pink kimono rather than making a second, white kimono to go underneath the first. It wouldn't be Fuu without Momo-chan, and we found an adorable flying squirrel toy online that squeaks when you squeeze it. Cute! |
