My name is Vera and I have been costuming for over 10 years. I usually costume as science-fiction/fantasy characters. When choosing what costume to wear to a convention, half of the choice is crowd reaction and the other half is personal preference. Many times it's best to do a character within the first year a movie is released for the most amount of hype. This year I am especcially excited about The Hunger Games. I loved the story, and as fate would have it, I resemble the main actress enough to pull off the costumes well (I call this 'Hitting the Costuming Jackpot" when you are lucky enough to actually resemble a character... it's the first time it's happened for me).

So, this year I am making three different Katniss costumes.... and one little Hobbit! I've been working on them all year, and my Hobbit is done, as well as my Reaping Dress Katniss, and my Hunting Katniss is almost done. I will be dyeing my hair from it's natural blonde color to brunette just for this event. The "showstopper" costume for this year (everyone has a "big" one on their list) is Katniss Everdeen's Girl On Fire interview dress. In this last week of Dragon*Con prep I am still working hard on this dress. I have already dyed and cut petals out of 8 yards of silk and am now attaching them to the dress itself. With a little luck, this will be done in one week and ready for Dragon*Con!