2022 costumecon 40, BETHESDA, MD
Primalities
Nora Mai in orange: Keeper of Fire. Leslie Johnston in purple: Keeper of Technology. Karen Schnaubelt in earth colors: the Shaman.
Sally C. Fink in blue: Keeper of Knowledge. Lisa Ashton in green: Keeper of Healing.
In 2019 when I discovered the 2022 CostumeCon 40 was going to held within a comfortable driving distance for me, I told my costuming friends Lisa Ashton and Karen Schnaubelt that that I would love to participate in a group presentation with them. They looked at each other and said, “It’s time to do Primal.”
Karen’s explanation of the group: “This group was named Primalities, which is a nonsense word. The group started years ago in 2006 as Primal, and the theme kind of changed, so the name needed to change also. The original was sort of ‘Stomp with better costumes.’ In the final culmination, we had five matriarchs from a post-apocalyptic society, trying to preserve the best of the Old Ways. So we had me as the Shaman, Lisa Ashton as the Keeper of (plant-based) Healing, Nora Mai as the Keeper of Fires, Sally Fink as the Keeper of Knowledge/Memory, and Leslie Johnston as the Keeper of Technology.”
Lisa created the beaded collars and accessories for her costume, mine, Leslie’s and Nora’s. Karen made her own collar, gauntlets and greaves. All the ladies made their own costumes. And along with my own headpiece, I made Karen’s and Lisa’s as well.
This was the first time I had been part of a large group presentation. Previously it had only been me, or me and a partner. Since the five participants lived in different parts of the country, we held regular Zoom meetings to discuss the costumes, presentation and logistics. Lisa set up a private Facebook page for us to post inspiration photos and progress on our own pieces. We decided on music (SKÁLD - Þat Mælti Mín Móðir <My Mother Told Me>), which Leslie edited, and a rough presentation which Nora choreographed. Carol Salemi, an original member of Primal, wasn’t able to participate in the group, though she contributed to our process and acted as our den mom in the green room at the convention.
The five of us were only able to practice our presentation when we finally got together at CC40. And practice we did, numerous times, in the hallway, in empty meeting rooms and on stage during tech rehearsal, until we had our steps and timing memorized.
And in the end, Primalities turned out utterly magical. We won Best in Show Workmanship and Best in Show Presentation!
Note: CC40 took place during the third year of the Covid 19 pandemic, hence the masks in photos taken at the convention itself.
Karen’s explanation of the group: “This group was named Primalities, which is a nonsense word. The group started years ago in 2006 as Primal, and the theme kind of changed, so the name needed to change also. The original was sort of ‘Stomp with better costumes.’ In the final culmination, we had five matriarchs from a post-apocalyptic society, trying to preserve the best of the Old Ways. So we had me as the Shaman, Lisa Ashton as the Keeper of (plant-based) Healing, Nora Mai as the Keeper of Fires, Sally Fink as the Keeper of Knowledge/Memory, and Leslie Johnston as the Keeper of Technology.”
Lisa created the beaded collars and accessories for her costume, mine, Leslie’s and Nora’s. Karen made her own collar, gauntlets and greaves. All the ladies made their own costumes. And along with my own headpiece, I made Karen’s and Lisa’s as well.
This was the first time I had been part of a large group presentation. Previously it had only been me, or me and a partner. Since the five participants lived in different parts of the country, we held regular Zoom meetings to discuss the costumes, presentation and logistics. Lisa set up a private Facebook page for us to post inspiration photos and progress on our own pieces. We decided on music (SKÁLD - Þat Mælti Mín Móðir <My Mother Told Me>), which Leslie edited, and a rough presentation which Nora choreographed. Carol Salemi, an original member of Primal, wasn’t able to participate in the group, though she contributed to our process and acted as our den mom in the green room at the convention.
The five of us were only able to practice our presentation when we finally got together at CC40. And practice we did, numerous times, in the hallway, in empty meeting rooms and on stage during tech rehearsal, until we had our steps and timing memorized.
And in the end, Primalities turned out utterly magical. We won Best in Show Workmanship and Best in Show Presentation!
Note: CC40 took place during the third year of the Covid 19 pandemic, hence the masks in photos taken at the convention itself.
Primalities on stage.
KAREN’S and LISA’S HEADPIECES
As Karen found herself short on time right before CC40 I offered to make her headpiece. She gave me a reference photo similar to what she’d envisioned, told me what colors to use and I took off from there. As Karen was taller than the rest of us and her character was the Shaman, I wanted to make her even more statuesque and commanding with the headpiece. Hence the horns and towering feathers.
I was able to use unique items from my stash, such as the bumpy beads and winged brooch on the top, that hadn’t worked for any of my own projects over the years, and that always gives me a little thrill.
Lisa specified that she wanted bare branches and mushrooms and mentioned she liked a halo representation on a reference photo I’d shown her. I was able to incorporate all of that plus fabrics, trims and embroidered appliques I had left over from Pam’s and Adriann’s CC40 costumes.
Karen and Lisa both added back interest and other bits to their headpieces to personalize and finish them.
I was able to use unique items from my stash, such as the bumpy beads and winged brooch on the top, that hadn’t worked for any of my own projects over the years, and that always gives me a little thrill.
Lisa specified that she wanted bare branches and mushrooms and mentioned she liked a halo representation on a reference photo I’d shown her. I was able to incorporate all of that plus fabrics, trims and embroidered appliques I had left over from Pam’s and Adriann’s CC40 costumes.
Karen and Lisa both added back interest and other bits to their headpieces to personalize and finish them.
The Scribe
The working title of my costume was the Scribe. Of the several beaded collars Lisa had completed by the summer of 2021, I chose the blue one on which to base my costume. (Yes, for once I decided to be blue instead of purple.)
My costume consisted of five main pieces: the kettle cloth pants; a barely visible under tunic to which the high collar, shoulder pieces and white sleeves were attached; a long vest with a high-low hem; Lisa’s richly beaded piece which covered the front and the back of the costume; and the headpiece. As I had very little in the way of nice blue fabrics in my stash, I spent a lot of happy time online ordering pretty textured yardages of this and that.
My costume consisted of five main pieces: the kettle cloth pants; a barely visible under tunic to which the high collar, shoulder pieces and white sleeves were attached; a long vest with a high-low hem; Lisa’s richly beaded piece which covered the front and the back of the costume; and the headpiece. As I had very little in the way of nice blue fabrics in my stash, I spent a lot of happy time online ordering pretty textured yardages of this and that.
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The tiny colored bottles hanging from the front chains represent inks.
I found the calligraphy fabric on Spoonflower, had it printed on lightweight satin, and before I cut it, I splattered the yardage with blue alcohol ink. It then became the flowy sleeves and scroll. I drilled holes in dozens of gold pen nibs and used jump rings to attach them to the trim on the edges of the shoulder pieces and bottom of the front panel. I narrowed the legs of the pants (which had been hanging in the back of my closet since I retired nearly 20 years ago) and glued acanthus leaf lace trim which I’d dyed blue onto the sides. To echo Lisa’s beading, I cut up beaded net appliques, adhered them to strips of fabric saved from the pants and pinned the strips to the tops of the shorty boots. 
My headpiece featured pheasant feather quills constructed from gold pen nibs and filigree cones, crossed paint brushes, pencils, various fabrics, trims, fringe and the beaded band.
As I was only borrowing Lisa’s beaded collar to wear as part of the Scribe at the convention, I asked if she would make a beaded band for my headpiece that I could keep in exchange for my making her Healer headpiece. She liked that idea so much, she agreed and then made a beaded band for her own headpiece. |
Instead of pulling full head buckrams for the Primalities headpieces, I pulled wide Alice bands instead. After shaping and stitching millinery wire to their edges, they were sturdy but flexible enough to fit most anyone’s head.
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As I considered the Keeper of Knowledge also a keeper of memories, I decorated the back of my headpiece with rice paper strips onto which I printed the names of friends and costumers who had passed. This tribute made more than one attendee of CC40 rather teary.
FUTURE FASHION COSTUMES
tHE gUARDIAN eLF
Over the years that I’ve known her, Adriann White mentioned to me on more than one occasion that she would love to wear one of my designs, so when CC40 was a year out, I asked if she’d be interested in attending. If so, I’d make her a costume or two, and she could room with Pam Faint, who’d also expressed an interest in convention. She very excitedly said yes.
So I designed and entered several costumes in the Future Fashion Folio, one each for Adriann, Pam and me, and two others. As I planned to start on these outfits before the folio was judged, I said if they didn’t win, we could wear them as hall costumes. Fortunately the designs I planned for us won.
So I designed and entered several costumes in the Future Fashion Folio, one each for Adriann, Pam and me, and two others. As I planned to start on these outfits before the folio was judged, I said if they didn’t win, we could wear them as hall costumes. Fortunately the designs I planned for us won.
The Guardian Elf was based on one of the doll costumes from my 2021 doll show, the Elf Queen. Adriann’s costume came out very similar though I substituted a printed chiffon cape for the back train and leggings for the greaves.
A professional middle eastern dancer and yoga instructor, Adriann pranced and flirted with the audience and won a presentation award for her performance on stage. |
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The fOREST mOTHER
Pam had wanted to wear her Zoe costume from 1976 at CC40, but could only find pieces of it. I suggested that I redesign the outfit, she agreed and it became the Forest Mother.
We had dyed the original Zoe wig green with food coloring 46 years ago. In 2022 cosplay wigs were readily available in all colors imaginable. Zoe didn’t wear pointed ears because only professional makeup artists were making them at the time and the cost was prohibitive. The Forest Mother and Guardian Elf wore $6 ears I found online. They cleverly hooked over Pam’s and Adriann’s ears, though I used a swipe of eyelash glue on them for stability. 
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The green oak leaves were embroidered on my Viking Diamond. I did so many, I broke the machine and it had to go in for service.
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Pam wore antique glasses that belonged to her grandmother. I swear she just gets cuter as she gets older.
tHE dAME dUCHESS
I reconfigured a purple brooch from my stash, replacing gems and adding star shaped turquoise findings, all of which were adhered to a metal filigree stamping from which I hung dozens of gold chains.
I dyed white organza and lace flower trim purple and was pleasantly surprised by the way the different materials took the dye. I added findings and rhinestones to the centers, and brushed the leafy outer parts with gold puffy paint. I was especially pleased with the headpiece as I’d always wanted to make and wear one of those humongous showgirl ostrich feather extravaganzas. |
Along with the redesign of Zoe for Pam, I decided to do the same with the 1976 Duchess of the Admiralty for myself, again updating the costume for a mature woman. I renamed it the Dame Duchess and entered it in the Royalty Restrictions category of the folio where it won first place.
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hALL COSTUMES
sOCIAL bUTTERFLIES
Rae Bradbury-Enslin came up with the idea of Social Butterfly costumes during the Covid pandemic, thinking it would be fun to flutter about when we could all get together again in person. I liked the idea so much I made Social Butterfly costumes for Pam, Adriann and me to wear as hall costumes at CC40.
I found the Art Deco silver sequin fabric on deep discount and made this outfit for Pam to wear in the Single Pattern contest. Then I found out the Single Pattern was scheduled directly after the Fashion Show instead of being on a separate day. I didn’t want Pam, or any of us, to be rushed into a quick change of costumes, so the silver and black tunic and pants segued into Pam’s Social Butterfly.
I purchased fascinators online for our Social Butterfly costumes, then took them apart and decorated them to my liking. I embroidered the green and gold butterflies for Adriann’s, put together paper and metallic butterflies for Pam’s, and draped mine with leftover wings from my tunic. To make them dramatic and give us all height, I added the tall pheasant feathers.
I also made Adriann and Pam brooches from embroidered butterflies and rhinestone pins. |
Adriann’s favorite color is green and since her Guardian Elf costume only had touches of that hue, I made this costume for her to wear. I had lots of green fabrics left over from the Forest Mother, though of course I had to buy more. After having eschewed green for years, I very much enjoyed working with the color.
I tried coming up with my own butterfly wing but didn’t care for any of my designs, so asked Rae if I could use the one she’d created for herself. She gave me permission, I changed her color of blue to my favorite purple and had several sizes printed on chiffon at Spoonflower.
I used the Folkwear Egyptian shirt pattern for my tunic and layered the cut out butterfly wings over the shoulders and down the front so they would flutter attractively when I walked. The most tedious part of the construction was fray checking all the edges of those chiffon wings. All the other fabrics, trims and sequin appliques came from my stash. 
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Display Contests and Other Bits
CC40 held a doll contest and I entered both categories: Dr. Strange in purchased doll with constructed costume, and three Lady Bun-Buns in the self-made doll with constructed costume. Dr. Strange won Judges’ Choice and the Bun-Buns took Best Concept.
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This hall costume was completely put together from online purchases—the fascinator, the purple glitzy jumpsuit, the pearl drag queen body jewelry and sparkly sneakers.
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There was also a tiara contest. I embroidered the Empress of Elegant on the embroidery machine in four pieces, stitched it together and decorated the bejeezus out of it. It won Best in the Regal Category.