Can I FINALLY Win a Cosplay Contest? | Making a Symphony Miku Cosplay!

PLASTIC DRESS, EMBROIDERY, AND A MILLION TINY HAND SEWN BEADS! I'm really proud of this final miku cosplay, proud of competing with it at the Anime Expo Cosplay Contest, and i'm excited to bring her to more conventions!! Stick around for the Orin cosplay from Baldur's Gate 3. As of typing this, I have already begun crafting and recording the process!
cough cough if any cool crafting or anime/game companies want to SPONSOR ME?? i am available teehee.
Symphony Miku figure is from ‪@GoodSmileCompanyEnglish‬ / ‪@GoodsmileJP‬
Audio from ‪@epidemicsound‬
you can find me here:
/ katiesimrell
/ katiesimrell

[@gryffindoraureole]

I am glad you recognized that winning isn't everything in a cosplay competition! It is always regrettable when I see people discouraged when they don't win. As a judge, I often get a lot of hate and negativity when I honestly just do my best to be as fair to everyone as I can be.

[@Whos_duxell]

At least you don’t do what judges in my area do, at normal contests they always let the little baby’s win with a Tesco dress on and the kid didn’t even wanna go on stage..

[@proseccodallas3249]

@@Whos_duxelloh damn that sounds even worse than nepotism

[@freewingscosplay]

I was really worried we were gonna have a Sarah Spaceman pigtail wig fiasco, but I'm so glad this method worked out for you!

[@juniperjuniper2268]

SARAH SPACEMAN MENTIONED🙌🙌🙌🎉🎉🎉🎉🎊🎊🎊

[@DreamyAileen]

Sarah Spaceman's Miku wigs are like the Dark Souls of Miku wigs lmao

[@freewingscosplay]

@@DreamyAileen Truer words have never been spoken

[@zigboo]

but they are good...

[@twotruckslyrics]

*GLUE*

[@umbreon545]

your work is so amazing! I really appreciate how you documented both your successes and mistakes, which is very relatable for me

[@simrell]

thank you so much! there are plenty PLENTY of failures every time lol

[@MeTalkPrettyOneDay]

Heres a really specific breakdown of what happened with the tights if you're interested: You're right in that your issues mostly came from using a non stretch fabric. Above the ankle and at the foot, you actually have a little too much room. But the ankle is tight because there's no room for your heel to go. That space was accidentally removed when you patterned the sock front-to-back. That space is need for the while also accounting for the relatively much smaller ankle, as well as constant movement and comfort. This is why socks are both knitted (for stretch) and have that extra space in the heel. While it is possible to account for these things with non stretch material, it is extremely hard. Socks have been knitted for pretty much as long as they've existed. So while there are some really weird and gusseted patterns out there, making sure you use stretch fabric when playing sock god (at leask on the sock part), is a much easier solution.

[@laovvi7140]

"I'm not going to be showing the back of the wig to anyone but the judges." *posts video online of you making the wig, including many shots of the back* 🤣

[@simrell]

LOLLL okay fine it's just to impress all of you hahaha

[@cornflakes-does-stuff]

the tinsel in the wig is such a brilliant touch, it makes it so sparkly and glamorous and ties it in with the golds of the cosplay!!

[@zephiel70]

the tulle trick for the pigtails is so amazing, i love it. it gives kind of an ethereal look when you're far away

[@astarfruity]

I had a blast watching your progress! Sad you didn't place but every competition challenges you to try your hand at new skills! Your Miku looked amazing! I can't wait to see you tackle Orin!

[@simrell]

Thank you!!! Already done with orin's wig and hoping to keep it up !!

[@purplebec9112]

I love doing theater, and I would've like to see the whole dance you did. We only saw a sample of it and I could tell you were nervous. It definitely is something of a talent to do. It takes practice is what I mean. But overall it tells a story and that's what you did and you did really good. With love. ❤❤❤

[@beanandcheese.burrito]

MIKU TWIN!!! So glad I got to meet you at AX and was totally inspired by your work :) good luck w your next build!!

[@simrell]

IT WAS LOVELY TO MEET YOU TOO!!!!! thank youu :3

[@alchemyfreak33]

I was there and saw your performance and thought your cosplay was STUNNING. I'm so happy youtube decided to throw this video into my recommended videos so I could see all the work that I knew had to go into building the costume, and actually see all the details I couldn't see from back in my seat. This years AX was my first con in years, and I haven't cosplayed in years, but I have such a love for it. Seeing all the work on display inspired me so much to get back into this craft that I love, and I'm currently in the process of planning my (much less complicated or exciting😅) cosplans for AX next year! Beautiful work, thank you for sharing this process with everyone and thank you for your hard work and love for cosplay that inspire people like me who life kind of knocked out of the hobby for a while but still have the passion for sewing and crafting inside of them 💖

[@Kinoko_Yosei]

OOOH IDEA FOR THIS COSPLAY!! imagine you made false feet ontop of the music box and connected the box to your cosplay so it was a walking music box prop!!

[@Krolshi]

Losing your momentum of motivation when the materials aren’t visible there (yet) is such a mood that I hate and wish wasn’t a thing 😭 The cosplay turned out beautiful and the wig method is so useful! I’m glad you show your wip of it cause I’ll def be referencing it in the future 😆❤️ Also surprised Expo doesn’t have a hall contests. It’s such a big con and lots of other known cons do it 👀

[@Purple_Dragonfly2002]

20:13 I love the shape, i thing steel boning encased in the gold vinyl, going down the length of the seem would allow you to get the structured/flared look you're wanting!

[@db8431]

Congratulations on finishing the cosplay! I learn something new on each one of your videos. Is embroidery difficult to learn? I also have a few tips for you: - you mentioned that you get a lot of your fabrics from Big Z. But if you're in LA, why aren't you getting fabrics, vinyls, beads, trims, etc from the LA Fabric district?? (Around 5th and Maple). It's SO much less expensive and still good quality. - if you have hand drawn patterns you need to digitize, just throw them on a scanner for the most accurate dimensions. - feathering scissors make it A LOT easier to create smooth cuts on hair - find more shortcuts for the tiny details. Like gold trim instead of beading, or a vinyl cutter for repeating pattern cuts (it works for thin foam sheets and can use markers too).

[@sandrakiss8711]

the competitions are very tough, looking back when I was going to almost every event in my country and being friends with the "top" cosplayers, they all had the struggle of making something that would be a favourite to them, to their skill level, *and* also be something the judges would like. Often times they got no placement because someone brought out some monte cristo outfit and went crazy with details, or had some big robotic build. the problem is that it is too subjective, just like how it is with art in general, and the contestants also matter. I had friends quitting cosplaying simply because there were 3-4 people constantly dominating every contest at the same time and they just felt disheartened. I only entered one cosplay contest and never again; that was enough of a discouragement to me,I knew if I tried again and again it would take away the fun of cosplay for me. I hope you get placed next time though! I love your works and it really is unfortunate that you got no placement twice in a row :(

[@Phynnwin]

STOP BC THIS IS THE FIRST TIME EVER SEEING U AND IM SO HAPPY I DISCOVERED UR CHANEL ANYWAYS THAT OTHER SYMPHONY MIKU COSPLAY IS SOMEONE ELSE I FOLLOW AND I THINK ITS SO COOL HOW YALL MET AND I FOLLOW BOTH OF YALL 😭😭🫶🫶

[@lorrieleopard1072]

I cosplayed Miku recently for a party but my hair is too long for wigs, so I ended up just cutting two holes in the wig & poking my own hair in pigtails through the wig & used colored hair spray to make my hair teal. The wig came with clip-on pigtails so all that was left was to clip them to my own hair lol it was the most efficient way I could think of to secure the hair

[@Noblesse_Sapphire]

That's actually really smart, that's probably make it more secure as well, since it's literally connected to your head, right? btw, is colored hair spray ruin your hair? I want to try it, but my hair isn't really in good shape rn 😅

[@lorrieleopard1072]

​@Noblesse_Sapphire not at all! It's just like normal hair sprat excer it's colored

[@crassjellyfish]

OMG I've been designing my Miku wig for Magical Mirai 2021 and I'm planning on using some super similar techniques to you, so I'm really to see what they look like and how they work! You look absolutely stunning, this is such a cool build and a beautiful cosplay!

[@NikaNicoLovesMiku]

OMG THIS IS AMAZING!!! This honestly gives the the motivation to be more creative with my (miku) cosplays now 🤩

[@despairingdreamer]

i've never seen your channel before, but i'm so impressed by this cosplay! you've made such a beautiful and luxurious-looking rendition of fifth anniversary symphony miku!!! i actually have a miku cosplay i've been wanting to do but i'm afraid of because of the need for sewing vinyl-- miku expo 2021 online. she has a vinyl outer dress too. your process gave me some insight on how i could do it!! awesome video!!!

[@bob8mybobbob]

Wow, love how it turned out! All the extra effort to embroider definitely payed off, those textures are gorgeous!

[@CakeCrumb]

Gorgeous cosplay and showcasing of the dedication and love put into this craft. I hope you don't let the not placing discourage you because you can be super proud of this costume!

[@humming0aks]

This has to be one of my FAVORITE miku cosplays Ive EVER seen! Shes so intricate and Elegant and ahiney and beautiful!✨💖✨💖✨💖✨💖

[@kieratemp]

This was a very inspiring video! I’m currently making a cosplay of Ininia from Witch Hat Atelier for a convention and this helped me learn some of the successes and failures you can encounter while making a cosplay. The cosplay you made was incredible! I love all the extra details you incorporated in the design, making it a lot more nicer and prettier to see. I wish you luck on your next cosplay and the cosplays after it! I’m sure they would be amazing :) ❤

[@AT0MRA]

Wow, I loved watching this! I was planning to cosplay this version of miku too, then got distracted by a lot of different mikus-- but its SO COOL to see somebody do this basically the same way I had originally planned it myself! Absolutely love how you brought her to life, was super inspiring to watch! 💙💙

[@sakoofa1759]

I feel like corset boning like whalebone may have worked for the gramophone skirt shape, it’s pretty stiff and heat shapeable, but idk pls lmk if I’m seriously wrong here

[@the_madhadder]

Hi! I recently decided that I was going to get into cosplay, and I love this long form cosplay content. I love watching you create these cosplays and showing the process and showing the frustration. It makes it even sweeter when we see the final result. Please keep doing this. This is absolutely incredible and you’re doing an amazing job.😁 I hope to see more in the new year

[@meeshapennington3768]

I love your videos!!! I’m a semi-expert in machine embroidery… I think you had some push/pull issues with your digitizing and that caused the spaces. I recommend OML Embroidery and her channel for the best information. You would learn a lot and it would take your stuff to the next level!!! I’m also available if you have any questions or ever need some help!!!

[@Silly1336]

I subscribed because of this video because I feel like we share the same thought processes in a lot of ways when making cosplay. And constantly watching videos of big name cosplayers who just magically figure things out can be amazing but also disheartening like it scares me that when I try and fail ,I will think something’s wrong with me. And hey! That’s just me having self esteem issues, but this video caters to that side of me and makes me feel like, “Yeah, im gonna fail, Im gonna have to take stuff apart and make it again. But it’s all gonna be okay, not everyone gets it right the first time” Look look at how beautiful this cosplay turned out! You definitely inspired me today and I appreciate your dedication to the craft!!

[@ashikissick7825]

You did such a good job on your cosplay! I appreciate you showing your mistakes and successes! I can’t wait to see more of your work! I love watching people work while I also work!

[@Callsign-Konig]

23:40 I would've tried to sand it with a very fine sandpaper to see if that works instead of the frosted glass spray. But the frosted vinyl was definitely the better choice

[@melaineylogueart]

First off amazing video!! So many little details and techniques I’ll be using in my future projects! Secondly- I’m also planning on cosplaying Orin and how??? will I do that I don’t know! Best of luck can’t wait so see the updates!

[@weebiejeebies7233]

You did a fantastic job! This is my favorite Miku design and love seeing it come to life!

[@Lunalolttv]

HOLY SHIT HOW DO YOU ONLY HAVE 9K?!!! YOURE SO UNDERRATED imma shout out your channel

[@simrell]

Lol thank you! 😭💖

[@Lunalolttv]

@@simrellhopefully that helped only 50 people told me they actually subbed so I’ll try to get more

[@milkjamjuice]

I watched this while updating a huge customer price index at work. Thanks for showing us your process! The costume looks great :D

[@Harko-]

I’m glad to hear you enjoy making these videos, because I absolutely enjoy watching them! The way you approach new challenges, and how you present it, made me an instant fan. And IMHO the costume looks amazing🤩 Thanks for sharing!

[@Avrii]

Oooh it turned out super pretty!! I loveeee the figure design. It's so pretty and seriously the first Miku I considered getting :'D ALSO SO LOOKING FORWARD TO ORIN!!

[@PersephonesWitch]

Your content is really fun and relaxing to watch, the type of video sort of reminds me of Sarah Spaceman! It’s good to see more cosplay KZbinrs making that form of video. You’ve earned yourself another subscriber!

[@user-hi6tp1od2i]

Some advice for the future (especially with the embroidery here) you can use water soluble stabilizer that you can set the embroidery machine to sew on then soak it in water and no cutting and raw edges is needed

[@jvever4904]

Your cosplay ended up looking so cute! I hope you took it to another con.

[@jaydenking7408]

I definitely think you should compete it again at a later date and remake some parts 😊

[@ReverieCosplay98]

Superhumanly EPIC! Looking fabulous and rocking those twin tails.

[@PreciseSpace]

totally GORGEOUS, all the detail is insane. I hope to be even half as talented a cosplayer as you eventually

[@lyndseycruickshank3248]

Your crafting work is amazing, great job! You definitely deserve to win.

[@VampyBlood17]

This is one of my favorite Miku designs and you NAILED IT

[@ImRobertFinnerty]

I'm not part of the cosplay world and am some internet rando, but I wanted to say that your work is amazing, beautiful, and you are crazy super talented! I especially love your centaur. I can't even sew a buttonhole and I am just in awe of what you can do.

[@AkitakitaNeruFan]

Im only 24 seconds in but had to pause and just.... take in your workspace is everything and more. I love it so much

[@Bohopunkz]

I love your videos and I learn a lot of new things I can apply to my doll customization. So thank you for sharing with us❤

[@xogemgem]

amazing ! loving your videos i’ve been looking for cosplay process videos for YEARS i would love to see vlog of the conventions you go to ✨

[@simrell]

i'll be competing at a convention soon and plan to film as much as possible for a vlog :)))

[@Alexandria-Rose]

Your video just popped up in my recommendations and I quickly noticed all of your Taiga Aisaka figurines! Toradora is my favorite anime and I actually cosplayed her 2 weeks ago at an anime con! Also I enjoyed your content, beautiful work ❤

[@kylesaidninjasweregay]

aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh i love how it turned out!! i thought making a cosplay for this miku would be impossible but you did it!!!11!1

[@emkikiid]

Finally was able to finish this video.i loveeeee the miku cosplay final result and i love your videos. Im sure you´ll win at least something in the next competition because your hardwork and talent is amazing and how you can come up with everything. wish you so much luck hoping to see you create your next cosplay im sure it will as amazing always and im so excitent !

[@pinssnip]

Im so happy I got to see her at Holmat!!! It was fun getting to see your thought process on how to build her weird shape and problem solve hangups 🥰

[@simrell]

thank you pins n snip !!!!

[@TitaXan]

Omg, I'm so happy to find this video, I'm planning to make that same cosplay for like a year now, and seeing you doing this makes me believe that my dream its posible and other thing is that I had the same thoughts as you at some parts of the cos, like the bow beeing there to secure the dress and having a piece of fabric in the midle of it to write down the miku number (01). I really loved this video, thanks. 💗

[@creampuffe]

I love all the beads, it's so shiny and pretty!! and the cosplay turned out amazing, it's as majestic as the original!

[@Auburnabstraction]

Great costume and great video! Definitely my favorite symphony miku design :)

[@pug7142]

I was blessed by getting a picture with you!! Day one i was Conflict Luka but i had no idea you were competing until later into the con. You did an incredible job oh my god

[@pug7142]

*I met you at Holmat !

[@millaCM]

So stunning !! Sim Sim It's so cool to see how it comes together ! Even your suffering is nice to see, as someone who usually gives up ; w ; GOOD LUCK NEXT TIME YOU'LL WIN >: OOO

[@pandapan5797]

Woah. That is beautiful.

[@kacies3594]

I saw your performance at AX!!! I loved it so much!! ❤ So glad this video popped up in my recommended today. I can't wait to see your other cosplays!

[@LitheFider]

I randomly came across you from your centaur video being recommended and WOW you have some amazing skills! Your videos showing all your little details and materials was fascinating to me even as an experienced fabricator and cosplayer myself. I had never seen the tulle trick for the pigtails, I will remember that one! You did the pulled back pig tail hair so well, it makes me want to try it sometime. And gotta comment on all that HAND BEADING you did on the million accents, so much work! (Also it was funny to me seeing your Bernina 830 LE - I was hand me downed one recently and still have yet to try the embroidery. I work for a quilt shop that sells Bernina so I thankfully have some help if I need it and see them doing embroidery on the new machines, but it is still intimating! The 830 was the "picky diva problem child" of the old line and is very fussy with the way it is threaded so you getting it to work nicely is a big feather in your cap!) Lastly I will say I can't believe you didn't place at all. ;_; All those tiny details on your costume and how accurate it was and EVEN MADE A BUILD BOOK?? Contests are such hit or miss, and I only enter them occasionally as I'm more in it for the 'run around the con and do big fan photoshoot as a character I love' stuff, and the time commitment to be in the masquerade is a lot too. It is discouraging when you don't even get honorable mention after so much work, but those contests at the huge cons like Anime Expo are especially competitive. As others have said and you already know, it's for the love of the craft and being a character you enjoy, and winning isn't THE goal, (though it is nice!). Anyway you earned my follow, best wishes on your next cosplay!

[@goodnightprince]

GOOORGEOUS craftsmanship!! you killed it!!

[@V2Blast]

This cosplay looks very pretty!

[@giogio7810]

offtopic, but you look so much nami omg!! also the cosplay looks stunning!!

[@ragemiku]

Currently watching while Making my very first cosplay that just so happens to be MIKU!!! Such an inspiration while I work 💕💕💕

[@abracadabralix]

omg loved your cosplay ! and your videos are so relaxing to listen to when I'm crafting

[@truemewmoonstar]

Please take it as a compliment when I say, you remind me of Jenna Marbles a bit, and I really enjoy it. I also enjoy seeing you at your level of cosplay knowledge, I feel we're at a similar intermediate level. That sort of level where we would know how to execute ideas like patterning and sculpting, but still battle with a sewing machine for like 2 hours. Keep it up, you're really inspiring me to get back to the cosplay grind!

[@dc8179]

This was hugely impressive and a very beautiful cosplay... but OMG I just checked your channel and I can't believe you made the "Harry Potter and the Portrait of What Looked Like a Large Pile of Ash" I watched 5 years ago 😂 frick jkr but it's still hilarious today

[@hanabikamui2349]

You can totally make a new performance with your cosplay and try to win with your amazing miku at another convention, you worked hard, compet til you win !

[@EsotericHashira]

love the craftmenship, very good job, I'll be subbing I hope to see more. GL

[@Amanska]

Amazing as always! It turned out so beautiful

[@FutureKingOfThePirates671]

i think something that could also help make the pleats sharper, is just ironing the pleats down (unless the fabric cant be ironed)

[@Matschen]

I'd love to see you cosplay Orin. She is so cool and I don't even know how I would approach that costume.

[@marianalisboa5389]

Your video is so good!!!!! It's been a while since i did my last cosplay, and this makes me so excited to do a new one!! Please, make more videos like this, i really love your work

[@xmikywayx]

29:48 Is that the right foot for embroidery? Looks much more like a universal/zigzag foot than a free motion foot, which is generally what embroidery machines use in my experience. I am wondering if that could be a contributing factor in the issues with the machine embroidery? Maybe worth looking into. Either way, AMAZING cosplay! Thank you for sticking with it throughout all the issues!!

[@Bunihime]

Omg symphony miku is my absolute favorite

[@noriteller-elsberg2816]

wait i just realized this only has 1 comment which means you’ll probably see this comment so i wanted to say that your work is sooo impressive and beautiful and i love ur videos!

[@simrell]

Hahaha thank u very much!

[@CatbaronAle]

This was lovely. I had it on while working on a book nook model kit ❤ but I gotta knowwwww where did your emerald and gold peacock loungewear come from?? It’s such dream fashion!!

[@tamrawoods3624]

CAN YOU PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO A COSPLAY OF UMAH FROM BLOOD OMEN LEGACY OF KAIN 2!!?? She's definitely an awesome character with no enough recognition 😢😢

[@bats-are-just-Puppy-with-wings]

Love the dark magician t-shirt

[@RandiPoitras]

hii just came from sarah spacemans video today, this is amazing :)

[@virtualcatboi]

this is excellent work! just a note, there are times the audio leveling could use some work, as it gets difficult to hear you over the music ☹️

[@simrell]

Sorry about that! I def need to work on mastering the audio editing, so I'll put extra effort in for the next one !

[@annbrookens945]

I imagine there is a steep learning curve on audio engineering! Good luck!

[@atrashfromsaturn]

This is amazing!

[@reimose]

Oml this is gorgeous!! I also made my symphony miku cosplay which I will perform in tomorrow but I'm kinda worried someone will accuse me of copying you because we pretty much used the same techniques (not sure if any other ones would be possible here though)

[@simrell]

GOOD LUCK ON PERFORMING! don't worry about copying!! everyone is gonna use the same or similar techniques to finish the same design :3 we're all learning from cosplayers that came before us, it's totally natural ~

[@reimose]

@@simrell THANK YOU SO MUCH 😭❤️ its my first actual performance because I only used to do catwalks on contests before so im kinda nervous honestly ,, thank you for the kind words!!

[@reimose]

@@simrell honestly your music box build is so well made, i totally forgot about pvc pipes and just used eva foam for it ,, you did an amazing job with your cosplay and im definitely looking forward to your next projects (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)

[@greenwren5072]

If you put the piece you're emroidering on a frame like the machine uses it's much easier. Figuring out emboidery is not easy if you've never done it before. You did very well for your first embroidery projeect, also I'm very jealous of your machine, but I cannot justify getting one myself. 😄 Now I really want to get back into emroiding.

[@simrell]

Omg yes the frame would have been way easier ! But I only had one of each size and had to put them back on the machine for more pieces 😔

[@greenwren5072]

@@simrell You can get wooden frames for cheap in craft stores, but it's doable without frames too. I think the emroidered details really made the whole dress pop. You should definitely try adding beads to the Orin cosplay, it would look awesome, like blood droplets or something.

[@eri2311a]

Omggg this is so cool

[@evelyn_r]

I'm wondering if it was heavy to just have the dress attached by the neck, whether just using a portion to paint the 01, what if you had made a top section out of mesh so the weight would spread across the shoulders as well.

[@rosegirlz88]

I loved your build

[@Olililly]

This is amazinngggg!!!!

[@evelyn_r]

is it my idea, or is the audio soo quiet in spots and in general quiet, I normally have the youtube audio near the bottom, I had to put it at max LOL not a complaint, just curious if it's me on my end? It looks so cute. if you sew the folds in the inside, it hide the sewing line, and you can go as low as you need to. also starching and ironing it flat should give sharp pleats.

[@dc8179]

Same here; it's just quiet in some spots

[@dankmeemo3464]

Hey, it's pretty cool!

[@whencl0wn]

love it sm!!! btw you might wanna turn the music down a bit, can hardly hear you talking at times;;;;;

[@Purr6q]

im loving the shrek shirt

[@Lemon_Drop_Bee]

I dunno if anyone's gonna see this but I planning a thunderbolt miku cosplay but have no idea what fabrics to use because if you look at the art it looks kinda shiny like vinyl but it would also mean that the jacket sleeves would be vinyl which seems like it would be so uncomfortable 😔. I dunno if anyone knows more about fabric or has any ideas please 🙏🥺

[@nzlemming]

The joys of scheduling. Also, hot. (but entirely sheer would also have worked 🙂)

[@HaleytheTitan]

Guys I think she likes Tears of the Kingdom

[@SillyandgoofyAnim8or]

i think i have the same headphones lol

[@dondichuidian7776]

🥰🥰🥰

[@PUNKJUNKKIE]

just a tip, you should turn down the music in editing when you’re talking outside of editing in the video!!