✦ This sewing machine has a very nice story, my mom gave it to me as a gift, along with the phrase "I want you to fulfill your dreams", about 10 years ago (2012/2013), even when she did not like me to be a Cosplayer, because many people told her that it had to do with prostitution (2004/2005), and that "I was running a high risk in that environment, although I did not do such a thing" ✦
¡Hola personas hermosas!, es una alegría poder regresar a esta comunidad (Needlework es mi comunidad favorita en Hive junto a HiveDiy, son mis dos comunidades predilectas), pasé un tiempo con mi computadora dañada y no tenía manera de publicar 🥺 💔
Hello beautiful people, it's a joy to be able to come back to this community (Needlework is my favorite community on Hive next to HiveDiy, they are my two favorite communities), I spent some time with my computer crashed and had no way to post 🥺 💔
Muchas cosas han sucedido en estos largos meses y tengo que comenzar por este relato de cómo la comunidad de fans de mi país me salvó de una situación triste.
Many things have happened in these long months and I have to start with this story of how the fan community in my country saved me from a sad situation.
✦ I knew that someday it would serve me well to be a compulsive shopper of needlecraft materials ✦
Esta es una aventura de inicios de año: Mi máquina de coser se dañó irremediablemente y en el peor momento posible, estaba a punto de viajar a la capital de Venezuela contratada por el evento Geek más importante del país (como Invitado Especial Cosplayer, y más adelante se vienen post full fotografías de esa asombrosa oportunidad que agradeceré siempre con todo mi corazón).
This is an adventure from the beginning of the year: My sewing machine was irreparably damaged and at the worst possible moment, I was about to travel to the capital of Venezuela hired by the most important Geek event in the country (as a Special Guest Cosplayer, and later on I will post full pictures of that amazing opportunity that I will always thank with all my heart).
✦ It took many days to separate and organize the material ✦
Apenas pude terminar con mucho esfuerzo los últimos detalles de mi traje principal para la ocasión, cuando mi máquina de coser de toda la vida dejo de reconocer las puntadas, se encendía sola, al tiempo que también la perilla que controla el ancho de puntada se rompiera por dentro... fué un verdadero caos, pero no tenía tiempo de deprimirme porque faltaban muy pocos días para el viaje y tenía todavía muchas cosas personales que alistar antes de irme.
I was barely able to finish with great effort the last details of my main outfit for the occasion, when my sewing machine stopped recognizing the stitches, was turning on by itself, and at the same time the knob that controls the stitch width broke inside... it was a real chaos, but I had no time to get depressed because there were only a few days left for the trip and I still had many personal things to prepare before I left.
✦ My main inspirations for the first cofias were Sailor Moon and Card Captor Sakura ✦
Cuando volví de mi viaje, se hizo evidente que mi máquina simplemente ya no soportaría el ritmo de trabajo ni aunque lograran repararla, hay piezas que ya caducaron y me dijeron que eran casi tan costosas como comprar ese mismo modelo nuevo, me sentí desolada. También hacia más de un año que, aunque la mandara a mantenimiento varias veces, la puntada era extraña, el motor no tenía casi potencia y los dientes no arrastraban la tela, yo tenía que jalarla. Comencé a trabajar más y reunir el dinero para una nueva, pero al ritmo que iba supe que tardaría muchos meses en lograr la meta (entre 270$ y 300$).
When I returned from my trip, it became evident that my machine simply could no longer support the pace of work even if they managed to repair it, there are parts that already expired and I was told that they were almost as expensive as buying that same model new, I felt devastated. Also, for more than a year, even though I had sent it for maintenance several times, the stitch was strange, the motor had almost no power and the teeth did not drag the fabric, I had to pull it. I started to work harder and raise the money for a new one, but at the rate I was going I knew it would take many months to reach the goal (between $270 and $300).
✦ The only tools I used were a regular needle, thread, hot silicone, and a high temperature iron. I'm used to sewing by hand and it's an exercise I really enjoy, so the whole process was very enjoyable ✦
Fué entonces cuando a través de Instagram, vi que muchos compañeros Cosplayers conseguían patrocinios para sus trajes, pelucas, y demás artículos de Cosplay (incluso lograban costear trajes enteros con las donaciones que recibían en sus cuentas de KoFi).
It was then when through Instagram, I saw that many fellow Cosplayers were getting sponsorships for their costumes, wigs, and other Cosplay items (they even managed to afford entire costumes with the donations they received on their Ko-Fi accounts).
Eso me asombro muchísimo, y me plantee que quizá... quizá yo podría preguntar por ayuda por ese medio, ¿qué podía perder, más allá de mi tiempo en contar mi situación a través de las historias y editar la meta en esa plataforma?, aunque desde ya debo admitir que estaba aséptica, después de todo, yo no ofrezco recompensas de ningún tipo (no hago zings, no me gusta tomarme fotos, y aunque parece ser "la tendencia actualmente", no genero contenido para adultos de ninguna clase -al parecer eso tiene mucha demanda ahora-, no lo hago y tampoco lo hare ni ahora ni en el futuro porque no es mi manera de expresarme a través del Cosplay).
That amazed me a lot, and I thought to myself that maybe? maybe I could ask for help through that medium, what could I lose, other than my time to tell my situation through the stories and edit the goal on that platform? although I must admit I was aseptic, after all, I don't offer rewards of any kind (I don't do zings, I don't like to take pictures of myself, and although it seems to be "the trend nowadays", I don't generate adult content of any kind -apparently that's in high demand now-, I don't and won't do it now or in the future because it's not my way of expressing myself through Cosplay).
✦ My favorite part was making the pleats by hand, for them I used a beautiful piece of white chiffon that has a very beautiful pearl or satin effect, I don't have much of that fabric left so I had to make it yield, but without sacrificing pomposity ✦
Pero por supuesto, no esperé a que el dinero cayera del cielo, porque mientras compartía mi situación y los detalles a través de Instagram, también anuncié que haría accesorios para la venta, y que todo el dinero recaudado de esas ventas iría directamente a la meta de la nueva máquina de coser.
But of course, I didn't wait for money to fall from the sky, because while I shared my situation and the details via Instagram, I also announced that I would be making accessories for sale, and that all the money raised from those sales would go directly to the goal of the new sewing machine.
✦ I'm very proud of these pieces, it's been many years since I last made one in 2011 ✦
Por muchos días cosí a mano varios y distintos modelos de "headdress lolita", que son una especie de tocado o cintillo muy ornamentado y hermoso, en mis tiempos de adolescente eran artículos muy populares en las convenciones manganime del país, y pensé que sería buena idea traer esa tendencia de nuevo y probar suerte, eso sí, haciendo la propuesta diferente al inspirar mis diseños en personajes de series de anime famosas.
For many days I sewed by hand several different models of "headdress lolita", which are a kind of headdress or headband very ornate and beautiful, in my teenage days were very popular items in the manganime conventions in the country, and I thought it would be a good idea to bring that trend back and try my luck, yes, making the proposal different by inspiring my designs in characters from famous anime series.
El plan era hacer tantas como pudiese con los materiales que tenía en mi casa, telas, cintas y aplicaciones de proyectos de Cosplay pasados; revisé y recolecté mucho material indagando entre todas las cajas de materiales en mi stock de DIY, y solo tuve que adquirir barras de silicón y algunos rollos de cinta de seda de 0.5cm para poder atar las cofias detrás del cabello (los ganchos de metal cuestan 2$ el par y quería mantener el costo de las cofias lo más accesible posible).
The plan was to make as many as I could with the materials I had in my house, fabrics, ribbons and appliques from past Cosplay projects; I went through and collected a lot of material digging through all the boxes of materials in my DIY stock, and just had to acquire silicone rods and a few rolls of 0.5cm silk ribbon so I could tie the headbands behind my hair (metal hooks cost $2 a pair and I wanted to keep the cost of the headbands as affordable as possible).
✦ These are the boxes where I sent each piece to its new owner. I was very happy, I was bought from different states of the country and I received good comments. I sold each Headdress for 6$, then I exchanged my savings for 20, 50 and 100$ bills so that it would not devaluate in local currency ✦
Para mi absoluta sorpresa, todas las cofias que publiqué en la primera tanda se vendieron esa misma tarde (no lo podía creer). También recibí muchos mensajes hermosos dándome ánimos e información de distintas tiendas y presupuestos de máquinas de coser. Muchísima gente respondió a mi situación reaccionando a mis historias y eso me conmovió más de lo que podría describir adecuadamente con palabras. Todos los interesados me ayudaron de la manera que les era posible.
To my absolute surprise, all the copings I posted in the first batch sold out that very afternoon (I couldn't believe it). I also received many beautiful messages giving me encouragement and information from different sewing machine stores and quotes. So many people responded to my situation by reacting to my stories and it touched me more than I could adequately describe in words. Everyone concerned helped me in any way they could.
También recibí donativos a una cuenta de PayPal y también donativos a través de WesternUnion. Sinceramente para mí esos días fueron una locura, porque pase de la ignorancia al conocimiento: De que había personas que a pesar de mi ausencia en redes sociales convencionales por 4 años, se acordaban de mí, y más allá de eso, sin yo saberlo, mi trabajo como Cosplayer los afectó de alguna manera.
I also received donations to a PayPal account and also donations through WesternUnion. Honestly for me those days were crazy, because I went from ignorance to knowledge: That there were people who despite my absence in conventional social networks for 4 years, remembered me, and beyond that, without me knowing it, my work as a Cosplayer affected them in some way.
✦ In a future publication I will show an album with all the finished pieces. They are all sold, but I plan to make new ones. I think I found a new source of income to be able to finance the materials to make my cosplays ✦
Me enteré de muchas historias, de personas que recordaban mis presentaciones, algo que hice, algo que dije, carpetas de procesos en Facebook que pensé habían pasado desapercibidas, significaron inspiración para alguien... y eso es tan surreal para mí, tan imposible, tan milagroso...
I learned of many stories, of people who remembered my presentations, something I did, something I said, folders of processes on Facebook that I thought had gone unnoticed, meant inspiration for someone... and that is so surreal for me, so impossible, so miraculous...
Esta aventura duró exactamente cinco semanas, y esta nota resume las primeras 2 semanas entre publicar mi solicitud de ayuda, hacer cofias y venderlas (fué en el mes de Febrero de este año e inicios de Marzo). En la siguiente nota encontraras el (feliz) desenlace de todo: "Un nuevo capítulo en mi vida como artista textil, gracias a la preocupación y el amor de la comunidad Otaku, Geek, y Cosplayer de mi país" 🙏 ❤️🩹
This adventure lasted exactly five weeks, and this note summarizes the first 2 weeks between publishing my request for help, making and selling them (it was in the month of February of this year and the beginning of March). In the following note you will find the (happy) outcome of everything: "A new chapter in my life as a textile artist, thanks to the concern and love of the Otaku, Geek, and Cosplayer community of my country " 🙏 ❤️🩹
Special Note: Some of these images you can see in the featured stories on my Instagram, where I told this adventure in real time as it was happening. I brought this story to my Hive blog in a different format and with extra unedited photos! Also with a more complete and accurate description of everything that happened 💙 💙 💙
¡Muchas gracias por leer!
📷 Herramientas: Lumix Panasonic DMC-FH2/Smartphone 📷
🚨 ¡Por favor no tomes, edites ni re-publiques mi material sin mi permiso! 🚨
💌 ¿Deseas ponerte en contacto conmigo? Mino.Cosplay@Gmail.com 💌
✨ Translation done with Deepl ✨
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