Posted in: Comics, san diego comic con | Tagged: 2016, comic con, cosplay, entertainment, san diego, san diego comic con, sdcc, sdcc2016

A Public Service Announcement For Cosplayers At San Diego Comic Con

Peter S. Svensson writes for Bleeding Cool.

This is a public service announcement. If you, or a cosplayer you know find themselves suddenly in need of emergency repairs to their outfit while at Comic Con International San Diego, you may call upon the services of the mysterious and enigmatic Sergeant Swift Stitch for FREE Cosplay Repair.

Seriously. It's free. This is a service provided to the community, so that seams bursting or glue failing doesn't result in tragedy. Or wardrobe malfunctions.  Or death. Never know at this con…

Last year, I saw this Champion of the Cosplay Community in action, roaming the halls of the con, seeking out cosplayers in need. Sergeant Swift Stitch of the San Diego Stitches Chapter of the International Cosplay Corps has been taking time out of their con to help anyone else whose costume suddenly required assistance since 2014. A noble profession! So, before the con properly begins, I decided to ask them about what advice they would give to any cosplayers so that they wouldn't need emergency repairs in the first place!

"My best advice for cosplayers to have a great convention is wear your cosplay around the house for a few hours. Can you do the bare necessities like sitting, eating and using the restroom without straps breaking or armor parts falling off? I've lost track of how many cosplays I've repaired when they realize they couldn't sit down." said the Sergeant.

Sounds simple. After all, spending dozens of hours to craft an elaborate foam body suit to be the unholy combination of Doomsday possessed by Carnage may seem amazing, but when it turns out that even drinking a bottle of over-priced convention water would take an hours labor, the whole scenario may not be suited for walking through the dealer's room.

The Sergeant gives their services away for free, out of the kindness of their heart. But what if they charged? What if in some twisted dark alternate universe they extorted money from the poor cosplayers who needed help? What glorious costumes would they be able to afford?! Honestly, I was a bit curious.

"My dream cosplay would be hands down no question Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones. The moment she showed up on screen with that amazing brass armor I pointed at the screen and shouted "I'M COSPLAYING THAT!" I know if I really wanted to do it right it would be several thousands of dollars of custom armor so, maybe if I win the lottery." they stated.

Yeah. I'd like a few thousand dollars of custom armor too. Oh well. As long as I had their attention, I asked for the obvious. What was the worst emergency they had to overcome in their service to the cosplay community?

"The most catastrophic repair I've made was one from my first SDCC as a Cosplay Repair person in 2014. A friend who is a member of the Klingon group Stranglehold was less than an hour from her groups annual Klingon play at SDCC when the side seam of her corset exploded. It took me cutting out a square of fabric from a freebie bag and duct taping the ever loving heck out of it over the gap. Luckily the theme was steampunk that year so it made it look more "authentic".

Turning tragedy into opportunity. Sergeant Swift Stitch, part of an international society of cosplayers, will be available to help cosplayers in need at Comic Con International San Diego (why am I using the formal title? No one does that. Everyone calls it SDCC).

Call or text them at (760) 394-6724, and clearly communicate your location. It's a big con. Just saying "HELP ME I'M THE ONE DRESSED AS SLAVE GIRL LEIA" doesn't help at all. They're going to be available from 10 am to 7 pm Thursday through Saturday, and 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday. They will, and I repeat, for free, help repair your costume to the best of their capabilities. (Which are pretty awesome from what I saw last year.)

Cosplayers! Wear awesome costumes, and perhaps get featured in the galleries that Bleeding Cool will be posting throughout the weekend. (Or for the 95% of you who couldn't get Comic Con tickets, just look at the awesome cosplay photos that are sure to come, and imagine that at least one of the people featured repaired their costume with the help of Sergeant Swift Stitch!)

Comic Con is almost here!

To see all the Bleeding Cool cosplay galleries, click here….

Peter S. Svensson continues his never-ending battle to take cool pictures of cosplayers. Sunday, he will be competing in the Pro/Fan Comics Trivia Match, as captain of the Fan Team. Go cheer him on! Next month, he'll be running panels at the Official Power Morphicon, the Power Rangers Convention in Pasadena, CA. There will be cosplay there too! 

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