1.  Usually my wifey focuses on cosplay in the winter.  We live in MN, so winter usually means staying inside unless if we have to work, lol.  Also, if you have friends who cosplay or craft or whatnot, get together in a group and hang out  <3  It’s a good way to get tips from other people, and even exchange fabric and stuff like that.  

There aren’t that many cons around this time of year, so we start as soon as we can money wise.  Like, for instance, the next con we’re planning on going to isn’t until February.  We try and figure out what cosplays we want to do and slowly get materials over time, like, “Hey this is on sale we should get it now,” especially if it’s a weird kind of fabric, like something patterned or something like that.  Solid colors aren’t too hard to find, but it’s the stripes or patterns or whatever that gets tricky.  That, and if you get it little by little, you aren’t buying everything at once and being like, “Holy shit this is a lot of money.”   

As far as time goes, she has this awesome work schedule where she has three days off a week, and we have “stay up craft nights” where we get caffeine and just stay up working.  I’ll either be writing or making stuff for our art table at cons (woodburnings and things like that)  I have no idea at all how she manages to crank out a dress so quickly (at least it feels like its quick), but I’m assuming its because she’s had a lot of practice at this point.  It also helps that I can just go downstairs and try on whatever piece/get measured and all that.  

2.  LOL!  In regards to the fried chicken, I’m not gonna lie.  I think that was a complete accident!  I don’t actually fry chicken much but I thought, its time to make a symbolic meal, after all of the cosplay bullying shennanigans.  So I seasoned it and let it marinate in the fridge for a few hours, then used egg and flour to coat it and fry it.  I was kind of shocked that it turned out so well, like I pulled it out like, “DAYUM!”    

3.  JoAnns is good, especially since they accept competitor coupons (at least the ones here do, you might want to ask).  So sometimes we have a 50% off your purchase coupon from Hancock, but JoAnns has the fabric, but we can still use it  :)  Get on their mailing list, they email coupons and stuff, and always check their website.  

Although we’re a bit spoiled because we have a giant fabric warehouse called “SR Harris” that has 50 percent off on all of their fabric except for like, leather and silk I think?  They also have like, random zippers, and buttons, and stuff like that.  I’d say before checking out the bigger chains, see if there’s like an off-name fabric place in your area.  That’s what SR Harris is, it only exists here I think, and when we need a bunch of fabric we go there.  Like I want to say all of the fabric for my Tiana dress, which was like three skirts and the top, was under $100.  And that was a LOT of dress.  

I think it’s also important to ask questions, and ask for help, and know what you’re capable of.  Like these giant dresses she makes for me?  She worked up to that.  There was a time where I didn’t have cosplay like this, lol.  The first big dress was Peach, then she worked up to Tiana (which was more skirts and the leaves for the top), then Belle (which was the panel in the front).  So now when I’m like, “Hey I want to do Neo Queen Serenity,” she’s like, “Oh that’s just one dress and not three skirts lol yeah that’s easy.”