Cost: $65
Time: around 20 hours
Debuted At: Dragon*con 2003

Why I Made this Costume: Nene Thomas has long been a favourite artist of mine, and her works have been an inspiration to me and my art. When I saw this gorgeous painting, I was blown away by the fairy's outfit. When I found out that I would be attending Dragon*con, and that Ms. Thomas would be there, I decided to make the costume. I was able to meet her in it, and she really liked it! It was one of the happiest days of my life! :D

How I Made this Costume: There are actually two versions of this costume, probably soon to be three. The first version's top was horribly ugly. It was just cut out of fabric and the design was printed on. For the updated version, I bought a white corset and Frederick's of Holly and cut out black satin squares, hemmed them, and fabric glued them onto the corset. The sleeves are parts of white gloves that I painted the checkerboard design on and then made the bell sleeves from satin. The skirt is just a satin circle skirt I made. The music note trim is white satin ribbon, which I hand-painted the music notes on. The most impressive part of the costume is its wings, of course. I simply drafted the design for them, and my father made them for me. The wings are a steel welded frame welded onto a steel plate to balance the weight against my back (these suckers are HEAVY). He then covered them in sheer fabric, and made a cardboard pattern to spraypaint on the black designs. Clear vinyl straps wrap around my shoulders. Let me tell you: these are some heavy-duty fairy wings! They do not bend, break, or anything. Perfect for super-crowded conventions like D*C! For a finishing touch, I glued butterflies all over the costume.

My Thoughts on this Costume: I love this costume. It is probably my favourite costume I have ever made (though it's pretty up there with Myoubi). I feel like a graceful fairy when I wear it, instead of the klutzy little girl that I am in real life!