Progress: Akiha Tohno (aka The Esme Cullen Project)

Sometimes dubbed as "The Esme Cullen Project" to throw people off. It's based on an inside joke.

A few of my friends were surprised I was going to do Tsukihime cosplay. I was surprised at myself too. When looking at my choices, Akiha Tohno seemed to be the most like me. The other obvious choice was Ciel, but I've done the schoolgirl thing before. Not to mention, the more information I found about Akiha, the more I realized we're very much a like.

I did somewhat create a first version of this character back in November. While the two who requested the photo shoot remained impressed, I thought it had a few flaws. The first of which included the skirt being too loose. Upon further inspection, the blouse was much more specific. I decided to redo everything.

Of course, it was another adventure in figuring out how to make a pleated skirt. Funny because I've made a ton of dresses before, but never a pleated skirt. The first version of the skirt was completed in less than two hours.

The hardest part was re-creating the blouse from scratch. I took the pattern I used for Roberta (Black Lagoon)'s blouse. I had bought 3 yards of fabric from a hole in the wall fabric store in downtown LA. ($1 per yard!) Unfortunately, I had run out of fabric for the sleeves. I made that trip in late December 2008. I returned in late February 2009 to get the required fabric needed. Luckily, the store still had the same fabric available.

As far as the blouse is concerned, I double layered it. I also added a bow that my grandmother had made for my Karen (Sister Princess) costume. Since that outfit is long retired, it's now a part of Akiha.

I may end up getting a new headband for Akiha or just making a cloth one out of my scraps. Then again, I could use another white headband in my collection.

Akiha is scheduled to debut at Sakura Con 2009.