This time next week I’ll be standing in line to pick up my Dragon Con pass. I’m not ready. It’s too soon. Eeek. What do I do? I keep working.

Today I’ve been corresponding with a reader and first time D*C attendee. She needed some help brainstorming last-minute costume ideas. Between the two of us we’ve made a short list. Now I cross my fingers and hope she can find the parts to make one or two of the outfits.

I want to stress to all of you readers planning on attending D*C: costumes are not mandatory. There is a good balance of costumed and not costumed people milling around the convention. If you don’t have the time or money to put something together, don’t feel bad, you ca do something next con. Besides, half the fun is gawking at the people wearing costumes. Take your camera and have fun.

Conventions are packed full of bodies and tempers. Do your best to let things roll off your back and help other people when you can. Your convention karma will thank you.

I’ll see some of you at Dragon Con 2008. Happy costuming!

Carnival. It brings to mind Rio dancers, New Orleans floats, and the spectacle of Mardi Gras. This time think Brit.

The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual street party, the largest in Europe, that takes place during the August Bank Holiday.

This year’s Carnival is August 24-25th. Over the two days, 1.5 million people will take to the streets. A whopping 7,500 participants will entertain the masses. Three hundred food stalls will serve Caribbean treats. That doesn’t’ count the more than seven thousand police and 200 medical staff keeping everyone safe.

The Carnival was started in 1964 to help ease race relations in an ever melting London. A large number of Caribbean immigrants had set up new lives and brought with them tangy food and steel drum beats. A local street party organizer had the idea to tailor the event to the growing Trinidad population. It’s grown every year since, only getting official support in the 80s.

The Carnival opens Sunday with Children’s Day. It’s a family friendly event that showcases the youth. The parades, the bands, the dancers are all under 21. These kids don’t take the easy way, oh no, their costumes and dances are just as intricate and mind blowing as the adults taking the street on Monday. About 30 million sequins, 15,000 feather plumes, and 30 liters of body paint cover the thousands people.

Music and food are just as important as the spectacle at this event. The parades have hundreds of musicians marching. Bands and singers line the streets. Steel drums started it all, but the scene now includes reggae, r&b, and ska. The food vendors serve jerk meats, lots of plantains, and of course the British staple, curries.

The Notting Hill Carnival theme for 2008 is “Welcoming the World.” It represents China’s handover of the Olympics to London. Go have fun. Dance and eat well. Most importantly, dress for the spectacle.

Photo credits: MyVillage, KOCIAK, MyVillage, MyVillage, Haldon, and MyVillage. Links to their profiles and websites can be found in the gallery.

Good question Skymouth. I was writing about Dr. Horrible today anyway, why not talk about the coat?

Dr. Horrible wears the classic mad scientist smock. Some call it a Dentist smock or a Howie coat. Also consider Chef’s coats as a possible match. The reason it is not a Dentist smock, but is very similar, is Dentist smocks are typically short-sleeved. Horrible’s coat is long-sleeved, white, buttoned at the shoulder, and long with side slits. Don’t fret, I have a suggestion.

We ordered our coat (product MCCX1) from a UK supplier. I can not testify to its quality as it has not yet arrived. International shipping is notoriously hard to track. My fingers are crossed. (They canceled the order and failed to refund.) Some costumers have taken to sewing the gown/coat. Admittedly, it’s a simple pattern for an experienced sewer, but us regular folks are better not to try it. My last suggestion is to buy a costume smock and modify it.

The Mad Scientist is very close. Remove all the black buttons. Then attach four buttons to the shoulder. Basic white or clear buttons are fine. Check the length and sides. You’ll want to hem if it hits below mid-shin. Add slits up the sides if none exist. The slit should reach the hip. This is an easy fix requiring only scissors and a straight seam (sew or heat bond). You might also want to take the scrap of length cut to make a waist band for back vents. Finally, add the caduceus logo right front pocket area. We ended up doing this and the results can be seen here.

Skymouth, Dr. Horrible’s coat is likely Dr. Simon Tam’s coat from Firefly. They look identical to me and the costume designer is the same. It could mean the coat was a custom job inspired by the antiseptic Frankenstein look. Let me know if you find something.

Good luck.

My Dr. Horrible post was going to be about the ever troublesome goggles. We had some on order. Back order, actually. That wasn’t a big deal because we knew that all the major suppliers were being overrun with orders. Just a few days ago we were finally notified that the back order that was supposed to take 10 days (ordered in July) will not be available until the first of September. Since we need them for Dragon Con which takes place Labor Day weekend that date was unacceptable. The order is now cancelled.

I’ve called all the local welding supply shops only to find none of them carry a model similar to Dr. Horrible’s goggles. I have found them online but most are international shops and can not be trusted to arrive stateside in two weeks. I’ve ordered them from a questionable little discount store. I have an order number but no tracking number as yet. The order will need to ship by Monday if we have any hope of taking the goggles to D*C. My fingers are crossed and I continue to call stores looking for the goggles.

All this talk of the new Trek movie has me in a Roddenberry state-of-mind. One of my oldest loves is Star Trek.

My dad and I used to watch Star Trek reruns. We saw the Star Trek movies. Then someone with money and power decided to throw a bone to the Trek fans and give us The Next Generation. There was sunshine in the world again. By this time my friends and I were having our own Trek conversations and debates. We all purchased the Klingon Dictionary. Eventually, they gave us Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise. I fell in love with Data (I met Brent Spiner!). But this post isn’t about Data, it’s about Klingons.

Worf is the man. Michael Dorn somehow conveys a full range of emotions despite the head gear and rough voice. Worf isn’t just a security officer or tactical man; he is a father, a widower, and an ambassador. I urge you all to go beyond The Next Generation and watch Deep Space Nine to see the complete Worf arc. Good stuff.

Every year at Dragon Con there’s a massive Klingon presence. It’s the home of the Miss Klingon Empire Beauty Pageant. My friends Lissa and Ash have attended the pageants as spectators and tell me it’s loads of fun. I want to make it to the pageant this year. The costumes look great. They always impress me. It’s a big undertaking: armor, prosthetics, and make-up. The men and women in Klingon wear have it down to an art.

So now you know, I like Star Trek and Trek costume creations. The pageant is on Sunday, August 31. Stay tuned for pictures and recap of the Miss Klingon Empire Beauty Pageant.

Kitty’s coming along nicely. My boots and collar are trimmed with yellow. My belt fits and is only in need of a completed X buckle. Each time I cut out the buckle I find it’s not quite right. Sigh. I’ll just have to pick the least messy one. The pattern is ready for the yellow body accent. This is it. My hands? Why yes, they are supposed to be covered.

Gloves, gloves, gloves. Why must you vex me so?

Kitty needs gloves. Much to my chagrin, my little sewing machine does not have a zigzag stitch. Nope. Just for laughs, I tried sewing the belt, but the evil machine hated the material. The yellow knit and sewing machine are like oil and water. So what do I do?

Do I try to track down a local seamstress that can whip up some gloves for me? Do I buy some cheap marching gloves and try to dye to match? What do you think?