Discovering the Art of #Cosplay

Hi, I'm Pippa Jay, author of scifi and supernatural stories with a romantic soul. But I'm also a cosplay addict.
I remember very clearly learning to sew. I must have been six or seven years old at the time. A well meaning female relative tired of my tomboy ways bought me one of those sets that are popular quick picks for presents. It was sewing clothes for Cindy (the British equivalent of Barbie). I remember very, very clearly my poor mum trying to explain why the hat had to have a running stitch running parallel to the brim so it could be gathered in to make a Miss Muffet style cap. I was a stubborn little madam and wanted to do the stitch at right angles to where it should be (I can't remember why though). Eventually my mum gave up, grabbed the box and chucked it out the front door. Some time later, I snuck out, reclaimed the box, and quietly sat stitching it her way. The incident was never mentioned again.
I can't say I was the most competent seamstress, but I am a relatively good bodger. Once my mum had taught me to use her sewing machine, I turned out quite a few outfits for my dolls, including a rather mix and match 'uniform' for my space travelling crew of Pippa dolls (not Pippa because I owned them - that was their real brand name!). My POC captain wore a gold lamé robe (really a dressing gown) with a blue satin belt. My red-haired second had a blue silk mini dress, while the medic had a white shorts suit like something out of Austin Powers, and my alien shapeshifter (a headless doll transformed by the edition of a wooden cat's head from a finger puppet with a bit of real fur glued between her ears) had a pink catsuit (of course). I guess having parents who were fans of Star Trek might have had some influence...
As a teen, I extended the life of some of my favourite clothes using my sewing skills. Outgrown jeans got expanded by strips of coloured fabric down the sides. Long sleeved tees got turned into sleeveless ones. But my most ambitious project was a costume for my first scifi convention - a hoodie from one of my favourite scifi series, Blake's Seven, plus a gun belt. I still have the top even now.
But it wasn't until quite recently that I've really challenged my basic sewing skills and discovered the art of cosplay. A dear friend and fellow fangirl generously bought me a three day pass to Star Wars Celebration Europe in 2016. We'd not long seen the first film in a new trilogy, where lead character Rey had caused my eldest's conversion from Star Wars hater to fan (but that's still the only film of the series she likes). She had a hankering for Rey's costume, and as a fellow author and cosplayer on Twitter had not long posted a tweet about two Star Wars patterns, it just seemed fate. However, finances meant that I hadn't planned to take my children (I hadn't expected to be going myself, and wouldn't have if not for my generous friend). When the chance came to take one of my three, it was superfan 11yo who got the chance. Due to his red hair, I suggested a General Hux cosplay for him, even though this meant making my own pattern/design from scratch. This was quite a test for my basic sewing skills, but I don't think it turned out too badly?

11yo as General Hux

After that, I well and truly got the bug. Eldest did in fact get the chance to come to the final day of Star Wars Celebration with me, and although she's not the biggest fan, she does have the better idea of fandom, a concept she embraces. She adored all the cosplayers at the con, and I knew I had at least one companion for doing it again, so many years since the first.

Eldest as Rey

While I may not look like any characters I like, I take this as an opportunity to make and wear whatever costume I happen to take a fancy to.

My Anakin costume

I've now made 12 cosplays in all, always learning new skills along the way, and after two years of refusing to join us, my husband has now gotten the bug too and has joined me in attempting a complex cosplay of his own (though he did do Hooper from Jaws last year). But you'll have to wait until next year for the big reveal...

Hubs as Hooper, and yes, that is Toyah.

Eldest's Tauriel (The Hobbit)

Middle child onstage as the Witch-King of Angmar (Lord of the Rings)

This year's cosplays: my version of Han Solo (The Empire Strikes Back), youngest as the Plague Knight (ShovelKnight), middle child as Quicksilver (X-Men), and eldest's Tenth Doctor (Doctor Who)