Picking a Convention Costume

Selecting a costume for a convention can be a lot of fun – you may even have in mind exactly what you’d like to wear! But it’s very important to select a costume that’s right for you. So many people select costumes that aren’t right for their them, but just liking the character you’re dressing as isn’t always enough.

This post will give you some advice on selecting a costume that will be impressive and complementary to you as a costumer.

There are really three things you should consider when picking your costume:

-What you CAN do
-What you are WILLING to do
-What’s REASONABLE to pull off

Hit the jump for more information!

Tutorial: Digitigrade Legs

One of my favorite costuming effects is digitigrade legs. This is the illusion that your leg has an extra bend in it, like an animal’s leg.


First, let’s look at the real thing, and how it works on an actual animal. The name “digitigrade” comes from the fact that these animals actually walk on their digits, or toes. Here’s an image of a wolf’s skeleton:

I’ve placed it next to the image of a human’s leg structure to illustrate the difference. While a wolf might look like I has two knees – one pointing forward and one pointing back – it actually has only one knee (pointing forward). The one pointing back is actually more like a human’s heel. The wolf actually stands on its toes.

There are many ways to reproduce this effect in a costume. I’ve found that the most inexpensive and comfortable way is by using padding. When done correctly, this can be a very convincing effect!

Here are the supplies you’ll need:

-4-5 yards of thin, stretchy fabric
-enough elastic to go around your waist
-5 yards of 2” thick foam
-5-6 yards of fur
-needles and thread
-sewing machine
-scissors
-hot glue & glue gun

Hit the jump for the tutorial! :)

Welcome!

Welcome to the future home of "Oh! Sew Geeky," a blog to give you tips and tutorials on how to do anything and everything geek-costume-related!

Costumes can come in handy for SO many special occasions - not just Halloween! There are also costume competitions, theme parties, and more.
Costume related crafts can also be useful for projects that aren't costume-related... all you need is some raw material and some imagination!

Have fun... you'll be hearing from me again soon!