| Costume made by: Herself Homepage |
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| Scroll down for interview... |
| 1) Tell us a little bit about yourself, your hobbies and background. In addition to costuming as a hobby, I also do it as part of my job. I make costumes, props and puppets for the entertainment industry and have had the opportunity to be part of some really neat projects, including working with the Muppets and on several major films. I also perform as a swordfighter at ren fairs/pirate festivals, and do some other acting and writing on the side. I am also currently putting together a costuming website (www.galleryquest.net), with which I hope to be able to network with other costumers and collectors. 2) How long have you been costuming? What kinds of experiences have you had? I first started really sewing when I was about 10, although I'd been putting together costumes from "found" items for a long time before that! I'd always pestered my mom to make really off-the-wall costumes for Halloween every year, and she finally got tired of it and taught me sewing, so that I could make them myself. Since then, I've put together costumes and props from just about every sci-fi/fantasy genre you can think of - multiple Star Wars costumes, Battlestar Galactica (the original!), Buck Rogers, V, Babylon 5, Ghostbusters, Labyrinth, Dr. Who, Star Trek, Batman, Lord of the Rings, Stargate - as well as various historical and original costumes. Someone once told me my sewing/craft room looked like ILM, Paramount Pictures, the Henson Creature workshop and the BBC all exploded in there at once! 3) What's your earliest memory of seeing Return of the Jedi? I remember rushing straight from school with a friend of mine to the theater to catch Jedi when it was first released in 1983. (wow, has it really been that long?!?) 4) When did you get your first "metal bikini" and what drove you to it? I didn't actually make the Slave Leia costume for myself until Star Wars Celebration III. I've got several of Leia's other costumes, and always thought the metal bikini would be a lot of fun to do (it is after all one of the best-known costumes in sci-fi fandom!), but I've also always felt that I was way too heavy to pull it off. Finally, one day I decided to drop the weight, and promised myself if I lost enough, I could make and wear Slave Leia to a con or other event. So I got to work on both the costume and myself - by the time C3 rolled around, the costume was done, I was 40 lbs lighter, and even though I still wasn't sure I was ready to wear it, I had plenty of friends pushing me to go through with it, and promising to tell me if it looked truly awful. The costume and I both could still use some work, but it's been an inspiring start! 5) What is your favorite memory of appearing as Slave Leia? The Slave Leia group photo shoot at Celebration 3! It was a lot of fun to meet other Slave Leia costumers, and from what I've heard, it was the highlight of the weekend for a lot of photographers...... ;-) 6) If you danced for Jabba the Hutt, what song would you dance to and why? Hmm, that's a tough one! For some reason, "I Will Survive" sticks in my head - it seems very appropriate for the situation! 7) Any final words? If I can pull off this costume, anyone can! And it is definately a great confidence booster. Thanks Cheralyn! |
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