Sam, known on dA as `taeliac, somehow does it all and then some. She's a 25-year-old seamstress who makes clothing, costumes (cosplay, stage, and historical costumes), hats, corsets, and some props such as wings. She graduated this spring from UW-Milwaukee with a BFA in Costume Production and is contemplating going to graduate school for Fashion. As a well-known cosplayer, she has made appearances as both judge and panelist at local conventions such as NoBrandCon, GeekKon, and ACen. She is a gamer and counts Okami, Spore, EverQuest 2, and Final Fantasy games among her favorites and is also a longtime avid manga reader. She has written news articles and tutorials for dA and has two websites, TaeliacStudio and Taeliac.Etsy.com. And, she and Chris (~kellin) just got married on Halloween and she sewed her wedding dress, but of course!

If there is anything this artist hasn't done, I can't imagine what that could possibly be! So, what question could one start with to ask this multi-talented artist? Well, I for one (and I'm sure many of her admirers as well) would like to know more about her costuming background:

You have such a wide range, from cosplaying everything from Bleach to Trigun to American McGee's Alice to stage productions, such as West Side Story and Of Mice and Men. Which among all your costumes was the most fun, exciting, and satisfying to make?

I do have to say that my Yuuko and matching Watanuki outfits have a special place in my heart because they were a whole long string of "firsts" for me. It was my first time making a set of costumes, so it was the first time going on stage with someone else (which is the greatest feeling ever, compared to being frightened out of my wits alone!). It was my first time patterning something from scratch completely. It was my first time spending more than a month working on a costume for myself -- usually, my personal costumes are whipped together a week or so before the convention as something comfortable to wear. Also, it was my first corset (and you see where that addiction has lead!). Not to mention, too, my first time doing huge amounts of hand sewing for a costume and not completely hating it. It's true, it can be done!

Although, for "fun and exciting," it will be a feat to top Beatrice's outfit from my University’s production of The Liar, a commedia dell'arte piece written in the 1700s by Goldoni. There is absolutely nothing like seeing a girl with miles of ruffles on her dress come popping out of a piece of luggage in the middle of the show! The first time we saw the run of the show, we were all gasping -- there was no way she should be able to fit in there, but amazingly, she (and her dress) did and it was the biggest laugh of the show every night.



Tell us about your experiences as cosplayer/panelist/judge at Conventions.

I suppose it goes without saying that competing is very different from judging. I’ve competed only about 8 times, but that’s over a five or six year period. I unfortunately don’t really get to go to any of the cons outside of the Wisconsin/NorthernIllinois area. In the future, however, I hope to get to some of the larger Science Fiction or Gaming conventions across the country.

I like competing when I have a new outfit for myself, which is honestly a pretty rare occasion. I like dressing up and look for every excuse to, but I’m typically working on cosplay pieces for customers or otherwise. I don’t really have that many outfits for myself. Most people seem to think that I have this huge wardrobe full of costumes, but really, I have only a few.

Even though I have this horrible stage fright, I really do enjoy running or being a member of a panel, regardless of how big the panel or convention itself is. As you can tell by my AC tutorials, I really like sharing things that I've found out, tips, tricks, or just answering questions. My personal favorite type of panel to do is one where we just plunk ourselves down, explain who we are, and let people ask us whatever costuming questions they may have! Everyone learns something (including myself) in those situations. I don't know if it is a popular way of running a panel or if others enjoy it, but I sure hope everyone learns something from them.

I’ve judged at a few different cons now and it’s been different every time. Every convention I’ve been to does it a bit differently, so learning what their metrics are is the most difficult part. It’s really fun though to be able to ask others about their outfits and how they made them, as it gives me personally more ideas. There are creative solutions for every problem out there and it's interesting to see how others tackle them. I think too many cosplay judges just look at the outfit and move on. It's much more fun to be able to "talk shop" with other cosplayers.


Tell us about your Gothic and Lolita costumes.

A long time ago (like, 2000-ish) I found out about "Gothic and Lolita" and thought it was interesting to say the least. There was basically no information about it, other than a few pictures from magazines in Japanese. I was never really attracted to the traditional "Lolita" style with the black and white ruffles, mainly because it would look horrible on me. But doing more and more research, I found out about all of these cool variations on it, including Wa-Lolita (kimono inspired), Elegant Gothic Aristocrat (Edwardian-style), and Kimono-Hime, and I was hooked.

What gets me making Wa-Loli outfits especially is all of the fabric available -- I'll wind up going to the fabric store and see something that is inspirational and work from there. I have wound up buying bits of fabric for another 4 or 5 Wa-Loli outfits that I just need the time to sew! It's so much fun to be able to pair up a ton of different fabrics and see what sort of design you come up with that works with them.

*hint hint* you can make a full Wa-Loli outfit from the tutorials that I've posted, if you put them together!




Do you have any advice for cosplayers who want to learn more about costumemaking?

Practice! Read everything you can! And practice some more! That's really what you need to do -- there is a lot that can be found online or in sewing books (I highly recommend Vogue Sewing for a ton of information that can help you out). Once you find something interesting, don't just jump into doing it on your final piece, practice it a bit. For example, how would "pintucks" look and how do you think it would add to your cosplay? Practice them first and then add them.

The other thing you can do, especially if you're in college, is look at your theatre department and see what basic classes they offer in theatrical costuming. It's *wayyyyyyyyy* different from cosplay and they'll probably look at you like you're a kook, but you'll learn a lot from them, even in basic classes like a "Technical Design" class. I know most universities don't have a fleshed-out Costuming department, but they have to get the stuff for their productions somewhere, and getting to know the instructors in that department is often your key to learning who you can ask when you're completely stuck on a cosplay piece you're working on!


What are your interests regarding historical costumes? What period is your favorite and why?

I'll admit something here ... I used to hate (and not care one bit about) historical anything. I figured it was just fussy and really dumb -- cosplay was where the fun was at, making things that defied gravity and whatnot.

And then two people changed my mind and they're both on dA. I was inspired by what *Janes-Wardrobe had done, and then I got to talk a lot with ~MissMaggie1860 who was in my costuming program at school and who is (as her name suggests) way into American Civil War reproductions. On top of that, my burgeoning interest in corsetry was what pushed it over the edge.

Now, I'm utterly obsessed with historical outfits, and I find them to be both very interesting and extremely challenging. And, so much more elegant than contemporary clothing, in my opinion. I love time periods that are very feminine and poofy, so my favorite time period would be "Victorian" in general, but the bustle era in particular. And then, to be even more specific, there was this very short-lived fad (for the time, at least) of about 5 years between 1879 and 1883 or so, called "Natural Form," which is a specific type of bustle that doesn’t have the shelf at your butt, but rather everything pulled down, poofing just in the back around your knees. I can't explain why exactly I'm obsessed with this time period, other than I think I look good in it. Speaking of, that’s the time period my wedding dress was reproduced from!

In addition to Western garments, I've also been dragged down the rabbit hole into Asian garments, both historic and contemporary, by ~MedeaHiasobi. I'm just starting to learn more about historical Chinese and Japanese garments because they are just so different from Western garb, but just as dynamic and interesting.

Anyone reading this: Go do some research on costume history! You might be surprised and become obsessed in another area entirely outside of cosplay!



You have a dim view towards what is many people's attitude towards art, which is that if it doesn't have monetary value it has no importance. Would you like to elaborate on that?

I come from a family that values art, so long as it is free. They don't believe it is something people will spend money on, nor should spend money on. My mother is the only one in the family that feels differently, and it probably has a lot to do with her being a musician for a good chunk of her life and an artist/crafter as well. I've met too many people who also feel this way and it always makes me angry. I see them even now at conventions I vend at. People think that artists should be happy for whatever they're willing to pay and they don't realize the huge amounts of time and materials it takes to produce anything from a painting (even digital) to a small plushie to a full-on costume. But, people don't want to hear how much work it is or how long they took to make it. They just want it, but at the Wal-Mart price, and it makes me angry to no end when they get belligerent about it. If you do not like the price, tell the artists because often they'll see what they can do to work with you on it, but if it's still out of range, don't get angry about it, just say "I'm sorry, I can't afford it." They'll understand. Remember, just because it's "art" doesn't mean it comes into being magically -- someone has to have the vision and to make it. And these people need to eat, too.


You say you like classical music ... any particular works or composers that you favor? ... other than symphonic anime music, that is!

Argh! You caught me! I love listening to music from the Final Fantasy games that has been redone for an orchestra (I've seen every "Dear Friends" concert that has made it to Chicago). Otherwise, I really don't have much of a preference. We used to have a classical music radio station in Milwaukee that played everything from classic jazz to Mozart to Wagner's operas, so I would just put that on and be happy. It's amazing to work to (along with audio books -- seriously, nothing gets you sewing better than listening to a Harry Potter book on your iPod!)


In what direction would you like to see the Artisan Crafts gallery go?

I would like to see it be even more of a community with more sharing of ideas and thoughts and techniques than be just a picture gallery. I think that there has already been a movement in that direction, however. I know I watch and talk with many of the people who are very active in the Artisan Crafts gallery already. I think $Moonbeam13's ideas regarding communities and clubs would make tremendous improvements to the way we interact with each other.

What I would really love to see is more of an atmosphere of critique. I would like to see more people selecting "Advanced Critique Encouraged" and truly be willing to listen to actual critique. I know I've burnt some bridges with people in notes who ask for a critique and I give them one, but they don't like to hear what I've said. It's exceptionally hard with a craft because not as many people do them as digital art, for example, that it's hard to find people with similar interests and skills in your particular area.

But, I'm just happy to see this little part of dA growing rapidly as more people have an interest and an appreciation of hand-made! ... and, I'll put it in here, I want to be able to sell crafts on dA the same way you can on Etsy or a personal site!


Unlike some other galleries on dA, it is very hard to unify the Artisan Crafts gallery because the media used in all of the sub-categories are so vastly different from each other. Any thoughts on how to bring the entire gallery together?

Unifying could be a challenge, that's for sure, but I think we all have so much to learn from each other. Just because someone is a sculptor doesn't mean they don't have techniques that could make your life easier the next time you go to make a prop. And just because someone does historical clothing doesn't mean the tricks they've learned aren't useful to you, too, because you never know where you might need to do something.

I think unifying the various sub-categories is more about individuals getting exposed to the different art types within AC and people being willing to share their processes. I'm actually not sure that the Gallery Moderators could do more than they already do. Articles that show more than one medium in a "theme" help get people to open their eyes to possibilities, but it's really based on if the person is willing to learn more than they already know about their "niche" in AC.


What are your plans for the future?

I would love to be able to have a small studio that I could work in (200-square feet in my basement is getting to be too cramped!) and also be able to open up as a small boutique some days of the week. I would also love to be able to give classes or lessons to people who would be interested, either in sewing, prop making, wig styling, or helping with a specific piece they're stuck on.

I am also considering going back to school to get a Master's in Fashion. I already have the technical sewing skills, but I just keep feeling like I'm lacking something vital, something that tons of people know, but that just eludes me. I keep watching shows like Project Runway and talking to people who own boutiques and have their own fashion lines, but I still can't pinpoint what it is that I'm lacking in! It's very frustrating, but I'm hoping that whatever I may learn in a Master's program will be the missing piece of the puzzle, so to speak. I figure, as long as I have the support of my friends and (some of) my family, I'll figure it all out eventually. Otherwise, I have an Associate's degree in Web Design, and I'll be brushing up on those skills really quick to find a job.


Chris (~kellin) and you were married on Halloween this year and had a Steampunk-themed wedding. Could you share with us some highlights of that day and what went into some of the details?

When we started this interview, I was frantically working on my wedding dress, which was definitely part of the "plans for the future." The dress started out as an actual garment from the 1880s that resides in the UW-Milwaukee Historic Costume Collection. The garment was completely draped by myself on a dress form and I fell in love with how it looked and the style of it. Then, when we were discussing getting married for the heck of it, and on Halloween nonetheless, we both agreed to do a themed wedding in the "Victorian Steampunk" fashion style. It's a style that takes historic pieces and then adds a "what if they developed along the lines of steam power, versus how they really developed?"

Both Chris and I are very adamant about Steampunk not being just throwing a pair of goggles on a top hat and that be that -- we tried for a more simple approach to it. We felt that the accessories should reflect "Steampunk," but the actual garments should still have historic integrity and still be fun at the same time. And, amazingly, we found out that in Milwaukee we have a small park in the middle of the city called "Zeidler Park" which has a small pavilion that is made up of gears and other technological pieces and with a giant clock on the ceiling. Everything just seemed fortuitous!

The outfits came together as we went along. We started out with a rough idea based on a cutaway frockcoat for him and the dress I had draped for class for me. Colors were totally on the fly, and originally my dress was supposed to be blue, but they sent me royal purple silk taffeta instead, so I ran with it. I used a lot of the techniques I learned from looking into how Victorian dresses were actually made to make the dress, including hours upon hours of hand sewing, but it was all worth it in the end.

We had a perfect day with perfect weather, and it was as fun as we had hoped it would be!