Star Wars Dark Side 10K - Part 2

We woke up Saturday morning while it was still dark outside (again).  I think the alarm was set for 2:45 AM or so.  We dressed quickly and headed out to the bus stop to be there by 3:30 AM.  I'd finished the Asajj Ventress costume, and I was pretty darned proud of it.  It was time to take it out and show it off and be Sithly!  There was a line at the bus stop at our hotel, but it wasn't too bad of a wait and the bus pulled up quickly.  We hopped on, and we were off to the races.

It was awesome driving on the property in the dark.  Pulling into the Epcot parking lot where it's just a barren wasteland of parking spaces but you can see Spaceship Earth in the distance - that was just cool.  We pulled up to the drop off area, and we kind of blindly followed the crowds as we walked...and walked...and walked to the main area.  It was kind of a ridiculous walk, honestly.  There were a few volunteers, some people checking bags.  We didn't have to worry about any of that, so we figured we'd have plenty of time to maybe get a picture or two with some characters or some schemes.

When we got to the main area, it looked like the party had been in full swing for hours to be honest.  If busses didn't start running until 3:30 (and we were on that bus), where did all of these people come from?  The lines for the characters and photo scenes were outrageous, and they were already announcing the fact that they were closing the lines in 15 minutes because it was almost time to get people to their corrals.  Weird.  But maybe it's always like this.  I have no idea; it's my first event.

So we enjoy the DJ silliness and fan crazies - DJ Elliott was providing some entertainment, and it honestly felt like being "home" at a Star Wars Celebration.  So that part was pretty neat, and we decided not to worry about the pictures.  It's not like we couldn't grab those at a convention later on.  I saw one other Asajj Ventress costumed runner, but other than that, Asajj wasn't anywhere to be seen!  That kind of made me sad considering all of the time she got on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but oh well.  About 20-30 minutes went by or so, and then they announced they were moving people to the corrals.  So we follow the herd (literally) to our corrals, find corral E, get in place and get ready.

Get ready to be smushed in with a bunch of other people for about an hour and a half, unable to sit, unable to stretch, unable to do anything but stand and watch Star Wars trailers and have conversations with the people around you.  And freeze.  It was pretty darned cold that early in the morning, and we just kept having to think warm thoughts and huddle together.  I guess that was one good thing about being packed in so tightly.  But the wind was just brutal at times.

The Nerd Husband and I spent time pointing out costumes in the sea of people who just kept flooding into the corral section.  It was seriously never-ending, and they kept packing us in tighter and tighter.  I knew right then there was going to be no way I could run this thing.  Not in the slightest.  Even if I had a hope of breaking through in some way, I had a feeling it was going to be like this most of the 6ish miles we had to go.

They released each corral with a length of 10-15 minutes in between.  Something like that.  I didn't time it; it would have annoyed me far too much, I think.  But I spent my time in a pleasant mood instead - watching the fireworks and cheering for the corrals as they were released.  Patiently waiting to move up, and finally...it was our turn.  Corral E.  The "Evil" Corral as we then referred to ourselves.  It's the Dark Side 10K, after all.

We got our on your mark, get set, gooooooooooo - FIREWORKS!  I filmed it on my phone, we walked until we go to about the start line, and then jogged lightly over the start - because c'mon, you kind of have to start off a run at least kind of running.  I think I gave a thumbs up to the camera guy, but who knows if it was broadcasted on the screens to corral F (the only folks left waiting to start the race).

We did our running through the Epcot parking lot and met up with a high school band who was playing Star Wars music.  That was a great pump-up, and it made me so excited to be outside running(?) at Epcot.  We managed to do a few run/walk intervals, but it was proving to be difficult to keep up with our interval timer on my phone.  Even this early on, we were kind of bottle necking in places - especially as we moved our way into Epcot.  It was then that we decided that we would do what we could with our intervals, keep up with the folks that were close to us in the corral, and speed up when necessary to not get swept.  Honestly, this was the best decision of the race - the decision to not make it a "race". 

I never even saw the mile marker for the first mile - who knows what I was gawking at.  It could have been the backstage view of Epcot, trying to figure out what the buildings were for and what they housed in them.  Or waving at the cast members who were cheering for us.  Or checking out the back gate that was open into Mexico as we rounded the corners to Star Wars music playing.  The lights on the Mexican pavilion as we made our way into the park and up the pathway toward the entrance to the World Showcase.  Or looking at the giant screen playing Star Wars movie clips.  Of course, then there was Spaceship Earth - that ball never ceases to amaze me.  Somewhere in there I think I saw Artoo and Vader, and I just kept staring at it all and smiling and walking quickly or jogging a bit when I could find a place to break through.

We rounded into Canada and the UK, and then the path took the bridge toward the "back door" of Epcot with the intent of moving on to the Boardwalk area using a little bridge.  It was kind of a narrow little pain-in-the-butt pathway, let me tell you.  But again, we treated it like a walk-fest when we couldn't do our intervals.  No big deal until you see the balloon ladies, right?  (The balloon ladies, by the way, are women who do Disney races and walk at the back of the pack at the correct official pace time.  It's my understanding that they carry balloons so you can see them, and you don't want to fall behind them because then you will be swept.  I am proud to say we never saw the balloon ladies.)

The best thing about this little narrow path was a lady at the end of it who was cheering people on.  She had a sign that said sometime like "Good job, Random Stranger.  You can do this!"  It literally made me laugh of loud, and I said, "Thank you, Random Stranger!  That's awesome."

The Boardwalk was just a nightmare to run on with all of those people - lol.  So we walked it.  And then we walked quite a bit of the pathway from the Boardwalk to Hollywood Studios, doing little jog spurts when we could get into a good groove and not get in the way.  I was starting to worry around this time that it was going to rain on us; we felt a few little misty drops, but that was about it.  We ran under a little bridge down by the river that they had bathed in deep red lights and Darth Vader's breathing was playing on a loop.  It was pretty cool, but that was about the only thing we saw until we got to Hollywood Studios.

I honestly don't recall what characters or stops or anything were in Hollywood Studios.  It was just neat seeing the whole place in the early dawn light.  The lights were still on, and the cast members just seemed genuinely thrilled that we were up and out this early in the morning being stupid.

From here on out, the pathway is kind of a blur to me, and I'd have to sit down with a map to really show you were we were.  I remember seeing an alligator in a little bog-like thing off of a main road.  That was a fun little pit stop.  I think my favorite part of this last bit of the run, though, was running down this little dirt/gravel access road.  We were surrounded by trees and everything, and it felt a bit like running through Endor.  I loved that.

The homestretch was back at ESPN Wide World of Sports, complete with dozens of costumed Rebel Legion and 501st folks.  I stopped long enough to ask a stormtrooper if I could take a selfie with him, and he obliged.  And then...

FINISH LINE!

I filmed going across the finish line, too.  They were calling out names of people as they crossed, but I don't remember hearing my name.  Not a big deal.  I finished.  I got my medal placed around my neck, and I was given a box of goodies.  There was really no place to sit down except on the pavement which was weird, so we just took our box of goodies and our awesome medals and decided to head back to the bus.  There were huge lines waiting for the bus, and we were all very hot and tired and still standing and waiting.  That was just...hard.  Really hard.  We got in a conversation with teh couple in front of us, and it helped pass the time.

Back at the hotel, I prompted pulled off my shoes.  Wearing new socks was a bad idea, and my feet were swollen.  That never happened during any of my training sessions, so it was a new one.  I let my feet rest and I gobbled through some of my goodies.  Then the Nerd Husband took a nap, and I drew up a hot bath and relaxed.  Who needs a hot tub when you've got a bath tub?  Yay, value resorts!

After our rest, we decided to head out to actually get to enjoy the Epcot Flower and Garden festival, and we spent the rest of the day on our feet.  My phone told me at the end of the day that it was my "most active day ever" - clocking in at a crazy 18.25 miles.  Holy.  Mother.  Of pearls.

So as a conclusion regarding the Dark Side 10K race - all-in-all, I had a pretty good time with it.  Did I have some gripes?  Yep.  Did I have some nerdy geek moments?  Yep.

Let's start with the complaining first.  ;)

Gripes

• The walk from the bus pick-up/drop-off to the Expo and the Finish Line.
• This was just hard.  Normally, it wouldn't have bothered me, but I was trying to prep for a race.  And then afterward, I was trying to recover from a race.  I felt like all of that walking just tacked another 5K onto my distance, to be honest.  Can we just move the bus area closer to wherever it is we need to be?
• Expo merchandise
• There was nothing left that was worth getting, and we were there very early on the 2nd day of the Expo.  My guess from reading message boards and other blogs is that local eBayers come out, purchase a bunch of merchandise, and then resell at crazy prices on eBay.  Sure enough, I did some searches, and that's what happened.  I hate this.  Please, there are some people who this is their first race.  Maybe just having a magnet to put on our cars would make us feel kind of cool, you know?
• Narrow pathways and too many people - not able to "race"
• I understand that part of this is because I was in the next-to-the-last corral, but surely something could have been done.  Maybe even split up the last couple of corrals.  I don't know, but it was kind of upsetting to not be able to do what I'd trained to do.  I accepted that fact early on, though, and it made life easier.  Next time, I know - submit a proof of time and get in an earlier corral.
• More entertainment in some places
• There were times when there was just...nothing.  Not a lot of times, but I know there's that stretch of road from Hollywood Studios until the access road where my greatest entertainment was the girl who complimented my Asajj hat (without realizing what it was) and the alligator I saw in the bog.  I didn't need much, really.  Maybe even just some music or a random Star Wars character holding a sign.  Nothing big.  But there were times it just seemed quiet.
•  Fix the Race Day photo weirdness
• If you're on the first bus at 3:30, but by the time you get to the Race all of the photo ops are closing...something is wrong.  Severely wrong.  If you need to start busses earlier, that's fine.  If you need to start the festivities later, then that's okay, too.  But it doesn't seem okay that for some reason those of us who stayed on property got left out of the photo op fun.
• Fix the Race Day walk to the corrals
• Did we really have to trek that far to our corrals?  lol  Holy cow.  I mean, I really don't care in the long run - what does it matter?  But that just seemed a bit of a stretch to me.
• Seating at the Finish line - benches, maybe
• I'm not sure how to fix this one, but I saw so many people sitting in the sun on the pavement trying to eat their banana.  It was hot and uncomfortable, and there they sat.  It didn't seem quite fair, and I think that's why we just opted to go to the busses.  Maybe a tent?  Some bench seating or something?  
• Buses
• More of them, maybe?  Or just shaded areas to wait for them?  

And now for some nerdy geek moments...

Fangirl Squee-worthy Moments

• 501st and Rebel Legion volunteers
• I was so glad to see all of those costumers out there supporting the runners and walkers.  That truly made my morning because there were so many of them and so easily accessible to everyone for pictures and whatnot.  Those of us who couldn't afford to wait in official character lines got a chance to take a picture with these folks, and that was just awesome.  I really appreciated them being there.
• Epcot backstage
• Why this made me as happy as it did, I have no idea.  There isn't much back there, but it still felt like I was getting away with something by being somewhere I'm traditionally not allowed to be.  
• Epcot in the early morning
• What more can I say?  Epic.
• High school band playing Star Wars music
• This pumped me up quite a bit, and I needed it after standing in the wind for about an hour and a half.  Thank you, bandies!
• Random Conversations with strangers
• I'm weird; I know.  But this is the part of a convention that always means quite a bit to me - getting into random conversations with random people that you'll never meet otherwise.  You meet these people right now - in that moment - because you're sharing something cool.  You're sharing fandom.  And yes, I'm a natural-born introvert, but I still love interactions like this.
• Getting to wear my medal to the park
• You get into all sorts of conversations with people.  You exchanges congratulations with other racers.  You get congratulated by cast members, and some of them even stop to admire your medal.  It was just another way to meet more smiling people; I liked that.

So it was a mixed bag of good and bad - as most things are, really.  I don't want to knock this event completely in a hole and cover it up for dead because it's just starting, and I think it could be a really great thing.  I'd love to attend next year's race, but due to the timing of it (the weekend immediately after Star Wars Celebration), I just can't make it work.  Perhaps next time...

Training and Costuming - A Dark Side Update

There's quite a few things to be updated on in terms of the upcoming runDisney Star Wars Dark Side 10K race.  I keep watching my little race ticker count down the days, and it's so hard to believe that the Nerd Husband and I will be on a plane to Florida in just nine days.  9 days.  9.  When you write is as a numeral it just seems scary because it's just one digit.  Not two.  1 not 2.  Yep - see?  Scarier.

I am not proud to report where the NH and I are on our training, but I am proud to report where we are on our training based on the craptucular winter we've had here in the lovely midwest of blah.  We have battled stomach illness, colds, fevers, bronchitis, muscle aches, ankle pain, foot pain plus vacation time and weekend-long visits with family.  But through all of this, we are sitting here looking at 51% of our total training sessions completed since December 16th.  That's...not a great number, but given everything we've dealt with and the extreme length of this training (which is crazy, now that I think about it), I'm happy with it.

I realize that if I were running this thing alone, I would have gone about this differently.  I think both NH and I are in the same boat when it comes to that.  We both realized not too long ago that we walk/run differently when the other person isn't with us.  For some reason, we both compensate for the other being there by slowly down (even when it's not necessary).  I think if we were both doing this as single runners, with no intent of staying together, we would be in a vastly different place than we are now.

However, our intent was to do this thing together.  So that's what we're doing, and we've both had to adjust for the other's illnesses and battles these past few months.  It's been a lesson in patience for me, and I'm sure he's had to adjust to some things as well.  It's so different to train with someone, and it doesn't always make it easy.  But this is something we both love, and I can't imagine not sharing it with my best friend.  That just doesn't make any sense to me, so onward and upward we go!

I've fixed up our training schedule for these last few days, and it goes a little something like this:

• Thu 4/7: 2.5 mile walk/run
• Sat 4/9: 5 mile walk/run (or as far as we can get)
• Mon 4/11: 30 min walk/run
• Wed 4/13: either a 30 min walk/run or a 30 min cross-training
• Fri 4/15: (in Florida) light walking at theme parks
• Sat 4/16: Race Day

So...this is the moment of truth time.  Right now I know we're capable of staying under the 16 minute/mile pace requirement, and that might be all we really need right now.  I know us.  We might not be runners, but we are finishers.  We're pretty fit for the most part, and we're definitely capable of walking this distance with no problems.  So I think that plus all of the course entertainment and the characters and the costumes and everything will carry us through to finish this with no problem.  That's what I'm holding on to - hope.  Because hope is a good thing and no good thing ever dies (thank you, Andy Dufresne).

In other fun Star Wars runDisney related news, I finished the daggone costume, yo!  Seriously, the Asajj Ventress Clone Wars inspired running costume is complete, and I - for the most part - am happy with it.  I ran into some issues, though, and I learned some things that I want to try and keep in mind for costumes in the future...

I'll share some pictures here, but I'll put all my process and notes under a cut.  So y'all don't get too bored if you don't want to be...  ;)

(clickable thumbnails)

Skirt FTW!

As I mentioned before, I'm a costumer.  "Cosplayer" I suppose we're called now - still getting used to that term.  I suppose I've been a cosplayer since I was a wee little one (but then again, weren't we all playing dress up/make believe at some point in our childhood).  Memorable costumes of my youth:
the Lone Ranger, generic cowboy/sheriff, Indiana Jones, Catwoman, and Luke Skywalker.  As an"adult" (ha!): generic Jedi Knight (maybe 3-4 versions, I've lost count honestly), Asajj Ventress (twice), Katniss Everdeen, Indiana Jones (again), Lara Croft Reborn, River Song, and my Renaissance Faire garb.  Man, I am really proving my nerd status here with this beginning paragraph.  Word.

Because of my interest in cosplay, the costuming side of the runDisney races has come to really fascinate me.  I love seeing what people have created or how they've come up with their interpretations of characters based on items they find and craft bits they buy at stores to embellish their designs.  It's pretty darned awesome the amount of creativity out there in the world, and I like to see projects like this get a lot of attention.  I think all too often we get caught up in the idea of "I can't do that or make that costume because I'm not talented enough, not smart enough, don't have enough money, etc.".  I've never liked to hear someone say that because I believe that you can do it because there's always a way to make it work - even if it's not perfect.  You just have to think about things differently sometimes. 

I spent a lot of time looking at different runDisney costumes on Google and Etsy and ooing and awwing and smiling over some of the designs.  I knew that because of this element in the runDisney race culture, I would have an even better time at an event of this nature.  I do admit, though, I was a little concerned when runDisney announced some changes to their costume policy.  However, upon reading through the policy, I personally don't object to any of the changes.  Now, I also fully admit I'm not a runDisney veteran, so I fall in the category of "the newbie who doesn't remember the good old days".  I feel bad for the folks who are having to rethink their costumes now because of the policy, but I am grateful that my current idea falls within the rules.

Last night, I spent my hours from 9:30pm-12:00am working on the running skirt I was planning for Asajj.  I don't have a lot of experience working with knit fabrics, so I knew off the bat this would also be a learning experience.  But it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it might be.  I picked up a $1 Simplicity pattern #1201 during a JoAnn Fabric's sale, and I decided I was going to use skirt B as my running skirt.  Based on the measurements on the back of the pattern, I should have been a size 16 (I hate pattern sizes - I really do).  However, based on the "ease" of the garment, I figured I could get away with a size 14 (I was happy to find out I was right - woohoo!).

I played with all sorts of designs at first - eliminate the seam in the front and back, don't make the elastic casing and stitch directly to elastic.  Finally, I just said, "Follow the pattern - that's easiest."  So I layed out my fabric and started cutting in accordance to the pattern.  My cat tried to "help" me by hiding under the pattern pieces and batting at my scissors.  I finally had to call the NH to take her downstairs with him to play videogames so I could finish up.  Once I had everything cut, I picked out my thread, and then sat down at my machine and remembered - I don't have a ball point needle.

Apparently, ball point needles are an important thing when sewing knits.  I won't presume to know the science behind it, but I know that the right needle will make the difference based on what I've read.  I just had a plain, regular ol' needle.  I took a gamble and tested a seam with two scraps of fabric using my stretch stitch on my Kenmore machine.  Looked good to me - no ugly, punched holes because of the sharp needle, and everything looked to be in order.  I figured, hey, if I screw up, I'm just learning a lesson.  On I went!

I stitched up the skirt and then decided to add the casing and the elastic.  I had a bit of an issue with the elastic because I wasn't 100% sure how or where I wanted the skirt to sit.  After some testing, though, I was able to get a fit I liked.  I sewed up my elastic, stitched up the casing hole, and then looked at the next step.  It was something like, "To prevent elastic and casing from shifting during wear, stitch through all thickness of casing into each side seam."  To me that meant stitch through everything, including your elastic.  I thought that was a little weird, but I did it anyway (who knows if I interpreted it correctly).  It still fit and fit well, so I figured it's still a win!

I still have to hem the skirt, but I'm going to wait until I find some good running short.  As I said before, that'll probably be an "in person" purchase eventually - but I'm having a hard time finding them in stores this time of year.

Back to the drawing board!

Ventress Running Costume

I have a history with Asajj and costuming.  My first Asajj costume was the comic book version (not the Clone Wars version we're so used to seeing now).  Working on that project helped me learn an insane amount of skills and information I'd never had to look into before.  I learned to draft patterns from nothing and apply make-up and bald caps.  I'm still pretty darned proud of that costume even if it's not perfect.  Asajj helped me to learn new things about crafting, sewing, and art - as well as giving me an awesome, strong female villain that I could portray at conventions.

So let's see....awesome, strong female character at a time when I'm feeling anxious, depressed, scared and weak.  And I'm going to run a 10K.  In April.  When I thought about it, Asajj was a natural fit for this occasion.  She's a fighter.  She won't let someone put her in a corner or push her around.  She knows what she wants, and she goes out and gets it.  I like that.  I need that right now, so it just made sense.

I decided to go with a Clone Wars version of Asajj since she's "canon" now and quite recognizable.  The few friends that I've told this idea to have been amused and asked if I was running in a bald cap and full make-up.  The answer is first a giggle or a laugh from me which is then followed by a very emphatic "no".  I did a bald cap at Star Wars Celebration VI in Orlando.  In August.  No.  Thank.  You.

So without a bald head or full make-up, I've been toying with ideas on how to design this and make it comfortable for running as well as recognizable.  It's been a bit of a challenge, but I think I'm up for it.  It's been forcing me to think outside the box quite a bit and even put some of my thoughts on the back-burner and simplify simplify simplify.

I'm basically doing this outfit from the "top down" - starting with the race day hat.  I picked up a white Headsweats hat from Amazon and a dual pack of purple Tulip fabric markers (one fine point, one brush tip) from Michael's.  I've never used fabric markers before, so this was a first.  I wanted the white hat for Asajj's bald head and skin tone, and then I painted the purple tatttoos onto the hat by hand.  Well, that was fun.  First of all, it's pretty darned difficult to find a good source picture for her tattoos.  By the time everything was said and done, I swore that Google images showed me 5 different versions of her tattoos from the Clone Wars series alone.  Finally, I found a good close-up image from an action figure, and I used that as my reference point.  If it's not accurate - who cares.  Seriously.

I sketched my outline by hand with a red lightsaber pencil (yes - I totally did), and then I went over it with the purple markers.  I managed the back part of the hat with little difficulty, and I created a pretty decent side tattoo, as well.  Then I realized that the other side would have to mirror this one identically...and I freaked out a bit.  I grabbed a piece of tissue paper leftover from Christmas, and I traced my design onto the paper.  Then I flipped the hat around, lined up my paper, and pushed my pencil through the tissue paper and transferred my design.

It wasn't an absolutely flawless plan.  It worked, yes - and for the most part it lined up.  The design is maybe off by .25 inches or so, and I see it as plain as day.  It annoys me a little, but then I had to think - will it matter later on when I'm sweating on a 10K course and I want to die?  Nope.  Probably not.  So I'm going to go with it and call it a "win"!  I even took it out to the community center for a test run, and it was a success!  No purple paint rubbed off on my hair or head, so it's a double "win"!

I figured the shirt was next on my list, and I had a really nice, short sleeve design laid out - but it would have required sewing and drafting my own pattern.  I figured I could probably do that with a bit of work, but then I realized something - I hate running in sleeves.  So I tried to then figure out if there was a recognizable way I could make this shirt work as a racerback tank top, how could I add the wrappings without being hot, etc.  I knew I could make a tank with no problem, but making one cool enough with those darned waist wrappings would just be difficult without me layering things or having too many itchy seams on my belly.  That didn't sound fun.

So I started looking for navy blue tanks on the internet to see if I could get any inspiration or new ideas, and I happened to run into a Nike racer tank on www.jcpenney.com that made me change the way I was looking at the problem.  It had the navy blue color I was needing, plus it had a wonderful purple accent color that swirled down the sides and then carried around to the back.  I figured, Awesome.  Navy blue for the shirt color.  Wide, open racerback sort of matches her open-backed shirt.  Her original wraps are a gray color with purple accents, and wrap all the way around her waist.  Okay, so there's no gray on this tank, but look, there's purple!  And it wraps all the way around my waist!  And the swirls kind of remind me of her head tattoos and it's on sale and I have gift cards and sold!

It then went on clearance the day my order came into the store.  Not happy about that, but it is what it is.  Thank you, five year old JCP gift cards!

The shorts were a fairly easy choice, though I've been debating on buying them for a while.  I hate to wear short shorts when running because - well - thighs.  I got 'em.  Most of the world has 'em.  And they rub.  "Chub rub" is the wonderful term I've been hearing the most when searching for running shorts.  I want to avoid that.  So I went with a pair of 7" inseam Under Armour Heatgear Shorts.  I picked the black and silver option because it was cheaper than all black, and they just came in the mail yesterday.  I tried them on last night, though, and there's a pair of rather itchy seams that go right down the inner thigh.  Probably not going to be very comfortable for me when running, so back to Amazon they go today.  Shorts will probably have to be an "in person" purchase to ensure fit and comfort.

The other thing that goes along with the shorts is my plan for the skirt, which is something I'm actually going to make and not purchase from the world wide interwebs.  The skirt should come together fairly well, but I'm still working up an ultimate plan.  I have all of the pieces and parts.  I picked up some Navy "Let's Pretend Velvet" fabric from JoAnn's, as well as some 1 1/2" black elastic.  In addition to the velvety skirt, Asajj has this gold/burgundy waist tabard, a white double belt, and a belt buckle.

Starting with the tabard, I picked up a strip of burgundy marine vinyl at JoAnn's.  I originally thought about incorporating the tabard into the fabric of the skirt, but I thought it might get "lost" in my movement.  So I'm going to try this route of letting the tabard hang free and be a stiffer type of material.  If I hate it when I run, I'll use a piece of velcro or snaps to keep it "pinned" to the skirt.  On this tabard, she has a very nice gold design which I wante to replicate.  I wasn't sure of the best way to create the gold accents on her waist tabard, so I picked up three options (that were all on sale or clearance): 1) a fabric paint specially designed for leather and vinyl ($.99), 2) a Tulip fabric paint $.50), 3) a piece of adhesive gold paper in the scrapbooking aisle ($1.59).  The leather/vinyl paint was awesome in the test run, but not what I needed for this project.  It created a very, nice, clear finish with flakes of gold glitter.  It will find a home later, I'm sure.  The adhesive paper looks awesome and clean, but I didn't want it to get ruined if it rained.  I suppose I could always put a protective layer of something on it, though.  But the Tulip paint looks pretty darned good, so I'm going to try that first.

Still uncertain on how to make the belts work or if they'll get scrapped.  The belt buckle I have an idea for, but I have to find the air dry clay that's somewhere in my hell hole of a craft room.  Otherwise, I have another plan.  (So many plans!)

Lastly, at the bottom, my typical running shoes are already navy blue, so that's pretty perfect if you ask me.  I have a massive sock collection, so I was able to find something that worked pretty well with my color scheme.

It'll all come together, and I'll either feel like an idiot or feel like an awesome idiot.  We'll just have to see which one it is!  Yay!