Cole Waller Creates a Sky Children of Light Cosplay
Cosplayers are inspired by media such as anime, film, comic books, and video games- they take that inspiration and create versions of their favorite characters or themes, bringing different worlds to life in a new way. Baby Lock Ambassador Cole of the Gilded Stitch shares their experience drafting, sewing, digitizing designs and embroidering on this cape inspired by the game Sky Children of Light.
Sky has a special place in my heart. Though an anime enthusiast, I rarely find myself drawn to gaming. However, Sky Children of Light captivated me unlike any other. To deepen my connection to this ethereal world, I created a costume based on the game's starting character. Now, I can bring the magic of Sky into reality, embodying the spirit of a child of light. As with all my creations, I infused this project with my love for textures and sparkle, utilizing the power of my Baby Lock Accomplish sewing machine, the artistry of my Baby Lock Flare embroidery machine, and the expert finish of my Baby Lock Celebrate serger.
Inspiration often strikes me when I encounter the unexpected – like the interplay of prints and textures in a fabric. This time, I allowed that serendipitous discovery to shape my shopping experience. Because the design was fairly simple I felt myself unbound by strict guidelines in prints and even colors. I found this beautiful collection of fabrics.
My journey began with the foundational step of drafting a pattern. You too can embark on this creative endeavor by following my tutorial. Even at this early stage, with the pattern merely a rough drape of the final design, a sense of exhilaration swept over me. I already felt a connection to the character, a tangible step closer to bringing this game into the real world.
On to the embroidery part of this project! I knew right away that the embroidery would be the star of the show (pun intended!), and I was SO excited to use my Baby Lock Flare embroidery machine to bring my design to life. With my pattern draft in hand, I could easily map out how big and what shape I wanted all my sparkly stars to be. Drafting these stars quickly turned into a super fun paper-cutting party! I had a blast experimenting with different shapes and sizes – it was like a little art project all its own!
Digitizing the stars was just as much fun as the paper crafting! Taking my flat paper designs and giving them extra sparkle and personality with the embroidery machine! The more I played around with the digitizing software, the more I learned about all the amazing things I could do with my machine. I was blown away by how intricate and layered I could make the designs.
I also wanted to see how the Flare would handle embroiderying onto a sequined surface! It was like watching magic unfold! The way the needle effortlessly glided through the sequins, creating beautiful stitches, was truly mesmerizing. Ultimately I decided to choose a different path from sewing over the sequined lace, mostly for the sake of my needles.
Setting aside the embroidery, I returned my focus to the garment itself. The cape proved to be a formidable challenge, requiring nearly three iterations before I achieved the desired effect. This, unfortunately, is a common theme in my projects – a particular hurdle that threatens to derail the entire endeavor. In this case, the nemesis was the cape. Initially, the sequined lace felt too overwhelming, obscuring the delicate beauty of the garment. Then, the embroidery appeared too subdued against the chosen fabric, threatening to fade into insignificance, and because I had spent so much time developing the embroidery I could not let that one happen. On the verge of abandoning my chosen fabric for the cape and selecting an entirely different fabric, an idea hit. I decided to embrace the unexpected and embark on the messy, yet rewarding, journey: dip-dyeing the cape to create a stunning gradient effect.
Using my Baby Lock Accomplish and the quilting foot I attached the lace to the cape. Instead of covering the entire cape with it I decided I’d do a thin strip along the lower edge of the cape. When you play the game your cape runs out of winged power and the animation when you power up looks like a glow of light washing over the cape. I wanted to capture that a little bit with the lace details!
Finally content with my gradient die of the fabric and placement of the lace, I embarked on the thrilling yet daunting task of applying the embroidery. This was the moment of truth – no turning back now. Once that embroidery is on the fabric I can’t go back and make the cape darker! But as the delicate stitches began to bloom, a sense of exhilaration washed over me. Success! To say the least I was more than thrilled with the outcome.
And then, as if by magic, the project neared its triumphant conclusion. I was ready to fly and crab walk my way to a scenic beach to live my Sky Children of Light dreams! Sewing is a journey of discovery, a series of unexpected twists and turns. You encounter challenges, make mistakes, and sometimes even question your sanity. But then, suddenly, you've birthed a creation that surpasses your wildest dreams. It's a truly magical experience.
*Cosplayer credit to Marlo_found and Fuwanwan on instagram. Photography by DannylionDaydreams
I took this cosplay to a small convention with my friends. We all used my garment and embroidery patterns, and shared in the fun using the Baby Lock machines in my studio. I think sewing can be extra fun with friends.
Happy sewing!
