Event Worn At: Anime Expo 2001

Chara Info: The original Pretty Soldier, Sailor V was fighting before Sailormoon was even thought of. She's the first alter-ego of the senshi better known as Sailorvenus, Aino Minako.

Why Her?: I adore the Sailormoon manga, and the three volumes of Sailor V manga preceeding it are just as good. Plus, Minako is just a crazy girl! You have to love her ^_^.

The Story: Voila! My first costume! I decided to make my first-ever costume March of 2001. I went to the almighty $2 Fabric Store here in Vegas, and bought some red, white, and blue silk, plus a cheerleading uniform pattern that was similar to Sailor V's fuku. It came to about $30, pretty fair if I do say so myself :P. I bought the ribbon and foam at Joann's about a week later. I already had the gloves from a previous Cinderella costume (w00t! Gloves are expensive O_o). My grandma, always the pro second-hand store shopper, found me TWO pairs of royal blue pumps. They're harder to find than you think.

Soo, I've got all the materials ensembled three and a half months before the con. You'd figure I'd have it done in plenty of time, right? Wrong. The household sewing machine was broken right around March, and I asked Mom if she'd take it somewhere to get it fixed. I even offered to pay for it. Mom shrugged and said, "I'll take care of it."

Fast forward to TWO WEEKS before the con. The sewing machine is still not fixed. Finally, ten days before the con, my mother fixes the machine. Now, this is my first costume. I'm not all that experienced at sewing. You can imagine all the blood, sweat, and tears I left behind as I strained to finish the costume in time. Plus, the MATERIAL! ::dies:: I've learned my lesson. No more silky fabrics for me until I'm more experienced.

Update 9.8.01: I've worked on this costume some more. I took in the skirt a LOT so now it won't fall off ^^;;. I also remade the sleeves--took them in so that I don't look like a clown any more, and made the epaulettes. I also made the mask and her various gold accents (choker, earrings, broach). Only thing I really need for this costume are the blue bands around her ankles. I guess it's pretty much complete now. However, I doubt I'll ever take pictures of it. It's just not a costume I'm proud of. My little cousin wants it for Sailormoon dress-up, and it'll probably be more loved there --;;.

Sorry, no pictures available! Look hard enough on Fan's View and you can probably find it. That's all I'm saying :P.