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DENNIS: When you make your costumes, do you make your own costumes or do you have them created by a professional?
JAYMIE: My aunt created my very first costume, Chun-Li. I have made all my costumes after that. They're not as great a quality (my aunt is a professional seamstress), but hey! It works and it gives me a great satisfaction knowing I created something.

DENNIS: If you do create the costumes on your own, do you use an expensive sewing machine or a basic sewing machine? 
JAYMIE: (Laughing) Sewing machine? What's that? Just kidding! I just recently bought a sewing machine but still haven't figured out how to use it. My past costumes have all been made by the old fashioned way-needle, thread and plenty of pin pricks. Heat 'n Bond is a fast and easy way to construct material together. I honestly believe a person can make great costumes without having to buy a sewing machine. It'll just take a longer time to finish it.

Photo: Jaymie cosplaying as Miyu from "Vampire Princess Miyu". She is posing with friends. One dressed up as Larva from "Vampire Princess Miyu".

DENNIS: Giving one example of your favorite costume, can you tell us a history on the making of the costume.  How much?  The challenges?  Where to buy?  Material? And all that cool stuff. JAYMIE: My favorite costume is Chun-Li, but since I didn't make that… Let's see. My second favorite is "Vampire Princess Miyu" costume. I did my research by looking at as many pictures of her as I can. Different angles such as frontal view, back view, side view. How her dress flowed, how short it was, how her sleeves puffed up and how her hair was designed. As for the materials, I took the pictures to the fabric store and the ladies there were very helpful. They advised me on the material to use and the amount to get. It cost me no more than $30 for the whole costume.

See, that wasn't too hard. There is always someone there that will be willing to help you out. So don't be afraid to ask! Taking all my observations, I sketched an idea how to make it. Since I had no sewing machine and had no clue how to use patters (the ones you buy at the store), I did the old fashioned way my mom taught me…Newspaper!! Yup yup! I used good old-fashioned newspaper as a pattern along with an old dress of mine that had the same flow of Miyu's dress. For the updo style, I pulled my hair in a half ponytail to the side. I braided the top part and put it in a bun. I loosely braided the bottom part and pulled that over my shoulder. With my ribbon, I pinned it to look like Miyu's. A couple of pinpricks, sleepless nights and sweat later…it was done! Took three days to finish it to my liking and just in time for Fanime!

DENNIS:  When you create a costume, do you try to make it look as authentic as possible?  Do you add your own creativity to it?
JAYMIE:  I do try to make it as accurate as possible. But it would all depend on the cost of creating the costume. Sometimes I'd be creative by making the costumes look a bit more, how would you say it? Natural? For example, rather than using wigs with bangs, I'd style my hair as close to the character as possible such as Miyu. Rather than using huge, spiked wrist cuffs for Chun-Li, I used a rubber cuff that looked more menacing and realistic. That kind of stuff.

DENNIS: Are you a perfectionist when it comes to your costume?  How thorough do you research the character for the costume and the costume itself before creating it?
JAYMIE:  I try! I really do! I look at various photos of different angles. I zoom it close to get the details on their costumes. I even look at models. You can find pictures of these on Ebay easy enough. Another good advice is to look at other cosplayers to get ideas and inspiration.

DENNIS:  How many costumes do you own or have created?
JAYMIE:  I own six costumes so far. Chun-Li was made for me. The rest I made myself: Miyu, Garnet, Moogle, Ceres and Nozomi.

DENNIS: When you are done with a costume, what do you do with it?  Do you continue to wear them at other cons or are they packed away in your closet? JAYMIE:  I try and wear them as often as I can. But after a while I decide to "retire" them or sell them. When they retire, that's only to put them in the closet for a couple of years. I still wouldn't mind wearing them for Halloween and other costume parties or photo shoots. DENNIS:  Do you feel competitive when it comes to cosplaying?  Do you compete?  Do you want a costume to look the best in the crowd or do you just cosplay for the fun of it and don’t care what people think? JAYMIE:  You know what? I can honestly say I am a bit competitive. Only in a way that I would like to improve on my creativity and skills. I used to compete masquerade wise, but things change in the convention environment. People get so competitive they become obsessed with it and downright rude and mean. I've heard and seen how some people criticize other people's efforts. What I'd like to say is, who the hell are they to make fun of what brings enjoyment and fun to others? Anyway, I don't compete anymore. I'd rather enjoy watching others in costume while walking around and enjoying the rest of the con. No drama! No soap operas! No fake tears! And No badmouthing! Geez people, it's supposed to be a fun hobby. Not a scarring and humiliating experience.

Photo: Jaymie cosplaying as Garnet from the SquareSoft video game "Final Fantasy IX".

DENNIS: As an American-based cosplayer, do you see a big difference in terms of style and dedication to a costume from US cosplayers and cosplayers from other countries?
JAYMIE:  I do! I notice in Japanese cosplay sites that there's a lot of maid and schoolgirl costumes along with the usual anime/video game ones. One girl could be sporting more than three different style of each! Whereas the American girls tend to choose a variety of different characters from anime/video games/jrock/jpop/manga/etc. I also notice that Japanese cosplayers don't necessarily stay accurate color or style wise. I've seen familiar characters but the ladies would make their costumes in different colors. It's pretty cool. I like the variety.

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