I'm sure you've all heard the word cosplay at one time or another; for those of you who don't know what it is, I will provide a simple definition. Cosplay, aka costume play, is dressing up as a character from an anime, video game, cult series...you get the point. ^_^
Basically, the people you see walking around in costumes at conventions are cosplayers, or those who practice the art of cosplay.

There are many skill levels amongst cosplayers. Some have amazing costumes, and some make you cringe. But, the number one rule of cosplay is to RESPECT all cosplayers, no matter who they are, what they look like, or what they're wearing. In other words, no making fun of them, publicly or otherwise. Don't rip on them unless you want people to be jumping on your back too. Cons should be a positive environment and experience for everyone. We're all here to make new friends, meet celebs, and get lots of cool swag...But back to the topic of cosplay. Respect also extends to taking pictures of cosplayers, and how close you get to them. If you want to take a picture of a cosplayer, or closely examine their costume - this does not mean staring at certain areas of their bodies!! - you should ask them first. Most cosplayers love the attention (I'll be the first to admit to this!) but some are more shy than others. As well, you should never touch anyone's costumes or accessories unless you're given their explicit permission.

Don't let the above mislead you. Cosplay is actually a lot of fun, not a bunch of strict rules. ^_^
The few guidelines that are in place are there to keep things fun and fair for everyone. Now, on to the good stuff...

There are two main types of cosplay: hall cosplay, and masquerade cosplay.
Hall cosplayers are the ones you see walking around in the halls, in the dealers room, etc. at cons, while masquerade cosplayers are the people that actually present their costumes onstage - usually in a skit of some sort - during the masquerade. (Masquerade costume guidelines will be discussed a little later, as they are a little more specific.) Keep in mind that you don't have to choose between doing the two types of cosplay. You can do both! Heck, if you're ambitious enough, you can even have multiple costumes for hall cosplay. It allows for more variation in all areas of costuming, which brings me to my next point.

When deciding to make a costume, you have two options: you can either sew it, or buy it.
If you choose to buy it, you again have two choices: you can buy a costume from a professional costume designer or you can buy the various pieces and assemble them together yourself. Buying can be an easier option, especially if one doesn't have any sewing experience. If the costume is a simple one (say, for example, a white shirt and black pants) then your best option is definitely to buy it. Or, what you need may already be in your own wardrobe. Thrift stores can also be great places to find costume pieces, for a small price.
If you wish to buy a costume from a shop, or an on-line store, I strongly recommend comparing prices, and talking to people who have purchased from them in the past. If the prices are reasonable and the service is great, then go right ahead! However, be very cautious if you hear mixed reviews, or if things seem too good to be true. Some sites out there are scams, and some costumes are horridly overpriced, not to mention badly constructed. The last thing you want is a costume that falls apart in the middle of a con. ^.^;
There is one major downside to buying your costume, however...purchased costumes cannot be used to masquerade. If you do enter a masquerade with a bought (as opposed to made) costume, then you can't win any prizes. Hence, if you want to masquerade, then you must sew your costume.
Note: as long as your costume is not sewn professionally, then it is an acceptable masquerade entry. In other words, if your mom or big sister sews some of it for you, it's still technically alright. But, it's best to have done as much of it as you can; you have more pride when you do something for yourself, and the judges also like it more when you can describe every little detail and stitch that you put into it.

Sewing costumes is fantastic, fun, frustrating and fufilling...generally in that order. At the the beginning, it seems like a wonderful idea, and you can't wait to start. Then the sewing is fun - until you hit a problem - and you grow frustrated. When this happens (and it almost always does) the most important thing is Makenai!, or don't give up. When the costume is complete, you're bursting with pride about how good it looks...and trust me, you look fabulous, dahling! ^_~
But, costume creation doesn't (ie. it shouldn't) just happen overnight. A good costume takes months, if not years, of hard work and dedication. But, don't let that scare you. This kind of work can be a lot of fun. ^_^

Before we begin, I'm going to start with some basic hints for sewing, that will make things easier:
~always pin your material together, with the right sides facing in, before you machine sew it.
~familiarize yourself with the seam ripper...it can take out any mistakes you make in stitching.
~always practice on a scrap of material before sewing the actual costume, to make sure that the machine's settings are alright, and that you know what sort of stitch will work best.
~make sure that the sewing machine is set up properly before you begin, and that it's running smoothly.
~don't be afraid to make mistakes, they happen to all of us, and are there to learn from.
~if you don't know what you're doing, ask for help.

I think that about covers it, so on to the good stuff!

The first step in creating a costume is to create a costume sketch, which is a drawing of what the costume looks like. You should include at least a front and a back, with all the details of the costume, and it should also be in colour. Basically, you're drawing the character, and leaving out their body. You should also include all accessories in the costume sketch, like jewellery, wings, weapons, etc. You should also decide now what type of material you want to use for your costume, and any decorative accessories, like buttons, trim, etc., that you'll need. Some materials are cheaper than others, but others look better/hold up better/are thicker/etc.

After you have your costume sketch, the next thing you need are your body measurements. Some of the basic body measurements include head circumference, neck circumference, width of shoulders, width of back, length of arm (fingertips to shoulder), length of wrist to elbow, bust/chest size, length of back (nape of neck to butt), waist, hips, inseam (crotch to ankle), calf circumference, and shoe size. You likely won't need all of these measurements, but you'll definitely need some of them, depending on your costume.

When you have your measurements, you need to make a decision: you can either find a pattern that is close to what you need and possibly adapt it, or you create your own pattern, based on your measurements. If you choose to buy a pattern (say, for example, that you're going to create a Sailor Senshi fuku, based off a skating outfit), then you simply need to use your measurements to find the appropriate pattern size.
However, if you're going to create a unique costume (like a Gundam mecha) then it's likely that you'll not find any pattern to suit your needs. If you have a unique costume, then I highly recommend getting a large piece of paper, ie. a roll of newsprint, to trace out your pattern. If you can't get this, smaller pieces of paper can be taped together. When you have your paper, you then draw out your pattern onto it, using your measurements. A good rule of thumb is to make things bigger when in doubt. In other words, if you're not sure if your skirt will fit, then leave an extra few inches just in case. Material can always be trimmed away, but it's much harder to make things bigger if they're too small. Also, you must remember to leave a seam allowance all the way around your pattern. A seam allowance is the extra 4-5" of material that is past the stitching. It's hidden on the inside of a costume, and it helps to keep the costume together. You should make every pattern piece at least a foot bigger than it should be (length and width wise), but not much more than that; anything more than 2" over a foot is just a waste of material. For example, 3' wide pantlegs would be 4' before I sewed them together.

Now that you have your pattern pieces all drawn out, you need to figure out how much material you'll need. This can be done by laying the pieces out end to end on the floor, then measuring how far they extend. This is the simplest way to do so, but this may also be wasteful, especially if you have smaller pieces. Material is always either 45" or 60" across; if you measure that out as well, and keep the pattern pieces within that boundary, then you'll have the closest approximation. (It's best to do it for both widths.) Also, you should always add an extra 1/2 - 1 metre of material to the length, just in case you've underguessed. Better to have some left over than not enough.
After you've determined how much material is needed, then you go to your local fabric store and find the type(s) and color(s) of fabric you wanted - or what's as close as possible to your original choice. It's a good idea to make a list of everything you need to buy, before you go to the store. That way, you can't forget anything. The list should include all thread, needles, buttons, trims, feathers, doodads, shiny bits, etc. that you'll need, Once you've purchased everything, you can head home and start sewing! ^_^

The best place to start is the main garment(s) of the costume, or what will be the layer covering your skin. Start with the most basic construction - any tiny details or accesories should be added at a later date. For example, if I was making a seifuku (school uniform) that had a fancy trim around the sleeves and bottom of the shirt, I'd make the shirt first, making sure it fit me properly, then attach the collar, making sure that it sat in the right place. After that was done, and it looks decent, then I would attach the trim.
When you have the basics of the costume complete, then you can add all of the small details. Start big, and work your way down. That way, you can keep everything as accurate as possible, and have everything in the right places.

Of course, you shouldn't jump into complicated sewing projects right away if you don't know how to sew. Likely, you'd just end up wasting a lot of money on a bunch of material, not to mention frustrating yourself. I strongly recommend finding someone to teach you how to sew the basic stitches - you should learn both machine and hand-stitching - so that you'll be able to complete costumes successfully. Hand-stitching is useful for small items, like attatching buttons, and trim, as well as doing some hems. The sewing machine is used to do the main stitching on the garment, like seams and other hems. The most important thing is not to be afraid of it. I know it sounds silly, but a lot of people are intimidated by it at first. Repeat after me: the sewing machine is your friend. (Mine does have a nickname of "you bastard!" but it's said in the most affectionate way possible.)

Once you have the costume together, the next step is footwear. (Bad pun, I apologise. XD)
While you may not have any problems finding shoes to match a certain costume, many costumes have ridiculously odd (ie. thigh high boots) shoes that would be impossible to find in any store. But don't despair; you can have accurate-looking shoes! Say, for example, that you're making Zechs Marquis' boots. First, you'd start with a basic dress shoe, then cover it with material of some sort. In this case, you'd want them to stand up straight, as well as being black and shiny. I'd recommend making them out of a stretchy vinyl material so you can pull them up and over your leg. For the top flap-like pieces of his boots, I'd recommend covering cardboard in the same material, then hand-stitching it to the rest of the boots. Depending on the height of the shoe/boot, as well as how easily it can be removed, interfacing and/or elastic can also be used to keep them upright.
All types of shoes can be covered with material, in lots of different ways. The best way to attach the material to the bottom of shoes is to bring a little bit of material over the sides, onto the sole of the shoe (on both sides). Then, you handstitch between the two sides, zigzagging back and forth. In this case, more is more - the more you stitch, the more secure your boots will be.
Also, don't forget to include your footwear needs in your shopping list; buy this material at the same time you buy the costume material.

Now that your costume is nearly done, there is only one small detail that will finish them off...accesories! Almost every character has some accessory that they carry around, or some animal companion that keeps them company. If you're cosplaying as Sakura, then you might wan to carry around a Kero-chan plushie, for example. Many characters also have wands or whips or something of the sort that they carry around...but if it's a real weapon, make sure to read con policies beforehand. (Most cons don't let you carry around real weapons, fyi.) Accessories are what make a costume go from excellent to extraordinary; every little detail is important! If a character has an obvious accessory, then you should try your best to make/buy it, for the sake of authenticity.
Accessories can be made out of almost anything, depending on what it's supposed to be. Just keep in mind the relative shape and size of what you need to make. Don't forget that things can also be painted to look a certain way...I've seen a Luna-P made out of a basketball and pipe cleaner. Specific construction of a specific accessory is too broad a topic to be covered here...but I'm sure that you're perfectly capable of brainstorming ideas for yourself. ^_^

The most important thing to remember is not to give up. If you get frustrated, take a break and come back to the project later. This is partly why it's good to start costumes a long time in advance - it gives you more time to work, and you don't feel rushed. Be creative, have fun, and always take pride in your work. The more you sew, the better you get.
And so, that brings me to the end of this article, at least for now. Perhaps more shall come later...but for now, happy costuming! ^_^
� Emi-neko

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Some Related Reading:
Masquerade System
This (taken from Anime North's site) is a good, detailed explanation of how their masquerade system works. This masquerade system is used at most cons.

Guide to Sewing
This site has some good instructions about sewing from patterns, as well as sewing machine instructions...if you know nothing about sewing, I recommend reading it first!

Guide to Fabrics
Like it says, a guide to the various types of fabrics that can be used.

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If anyone wants costume help, or needs suggestions, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected], and I'll respond as soon as possible. ^_^