The Southwest Costumers Guild
is a loose and informal educational society of persons interested in all facets of historical, cultural, science fiction, fantasy, and humor costume. Members are often seen on stage and behind the scenes at Science Fiction Convention masquerades, historical reenactment events, and theatre. SWCG is Arizona's chapter of the International Costume Guild.
Index
Newsletter
Upcoming Events
SWCG Activities
Meet the Guildsters - Mail Links and links to
Member Web Pages
Links - Web Sites of
Interest to the Costumer
Hints and other "How To" Articles
Join the Southwest Costumers Guild - Printable membership form
Recruiting and PR Materials:"Victorian Ball" Foldover Flyer
"Science Fiction Convention" Foldover Flyer
"Renaissance Faire" Foldover Flyer
Quarter-Page Flyer
Color Bookmark
Southwest Costumers Guild has a "Yahoo Groups" e-mail discussion forum. Contact the webmaster for information on how to join.
Click the links below to view issues of Cactus Needles, SWCG's monthly newsletter. You'll need the Adobe Acrobat reader, available free from www.adobe.com.
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Back Issues (More coming soon)
Upcoming Activities
Usually, the Southwest Costumers Guild meets on the last Sunday of each month at a different member's home in the greater Phoenix area. This rule of thumb is often changed to avoid schedule conflict with other events. Guild business is followed by a demonstration or workshop by a guild member or an invited guest. Sometimes we cooperate on a costume project. Sometimes we just socialize. Special SWCG gatherings are sometimes held at science fiction conventions, street fairs, and other public events. E-mail the Webmaster for directions to meetings and events.
Here are some upcoming guild meetings and costume-related public events. E-mail the Webmaster if you know an event that should be on the calendar. A more detailed calendar is included in Cactus Needles.
* Red Text indicates an SWCG activity. Unless otherwise noted, SWCG Meetings begin at 1:00 PM.
January 20-February 19 (Thursdays and weekends) – The Dixie Swim Club at Theater Works, 8355 W. Peoria Avenue, Peoria AZ. www.theaterworks.org
January 23, 27-29 2012 – Phoenix
Chinese Week at the Chinese Cultural Center, 668
North 44th Street, Phoenix http://phoenixchineseweek.org/
January 26-28, 2012 – Phoenix Quilt,
Craft & Sewing Festival at the Arizona State
Fairgrounds (NEC 19th Avenue & McDowell Road in
Phoenix) http://www.quiltcraftsew.com/
January 27-29, 2012 – Buckeye
Days: Arizona Centennial Celebration Celebrate our
state in the town of Buckeye's Centennial Celebration, hosted
by the Buckeye Community Services Department and Buckeye Main
Street Coalition. Town of Buckeye, 517 E Monroe Ave.
623.349.6604. http://buckeyeaz.gov/.
February 3-4, 2012 – Creative
Quilters 9th Biennial Quilt Show at the Lakeview Rec
Center, 10626 W. Thunderbird Blvd., Sun City. 970.231.3368.
February 3-5, 2012 – Two
Rivers Renaissance Faire (Pirates and Faeries
too!) at West Wetlands Park in Yuma, Arizona. http://tworiversfaire.com/
February 3-19 (Thursdays and
weekends) – Hairspray at Theater Works, 8355 W. Peoria Avenue, Peoria AZ. www.theaterworks.org
February
9-19,
2012 – Statehood Days, Phoenix at Pioneer
Living History Museum, 3901 W. Pioneer Rd (Just W of I-17).
Highlights include re-enactors roaming the town and doing
demonstrations inside the buildings, dutch oven cooking,
gunfighter entertainment, Gun Safety talks, trolley rides and
farm animals that can be viewed from their pens. Join us on
the 14th for our grand celebration. 623.465.1052. http://pioneeraz.org/.
February 10-12, 17-19 – A
Midsummer Night’s Dream at Grand Canyon
University’s Ethington Theatre. http://www.gcu.edu/Upcoming-Events/The-Arts/A-Midsummer-Nights-Dream-Feb-10-thru-19.php
for performance times and ticket information, e-mail mailto:ethington@gcu.edu
or call 602.639.8880.
February 11, 2012 – Arizona
Centennial Ball at the Activity Center of Arizona
Christian University, 2625 E. Cactus Road, Phoenix. Join us
for a celebration of Arizona's statehood at an evening of
historic fashion, live music, and dance. http://arizonacentennialball.com/.
February 11-14, 2012 – Arizona
Best Fest Centennial Celebration at the State
Capitol lawn, 1700 W. Washington Street, Phoenix. A festive
environment will surround the State Capitol where there will
be displays, vendors, and live entertainment. Highlights
include the first day issue of the commemorative Arizona
Centennial stamp ceremony and honorary re-naming of Washington
Street to Centennial Way. Join the festivities as we honor
Arizona's past as well as celebrate our future. 602.364.3697 http://az100years.org/
February 11-April 1, 2012
(weekends + Presidents Day) – Arizona Renaissance
Festival, on US 60, east of Gold Canyon, Arizona.
http://royalfaires.com/arizona/
February 16, 2012, 12-7 PM – Theater
Works
Costume and Set Rental Shop Open House at 9299 W.
Olive Avenue, Suite
206, Peoria AZ. As well as their local productions listed
elsewhere on this
calendar, Theater Works makes its collection of costumes and
set pieces
available for rental by other theater companies Check it out!.
http://theaterworks.org/
February 18, 2012 – Dolls,
Bears, & More Show and Sale at North Phoenix
Baptist Church, 5757 N. Central Ave, Phoenix. Sunbonnet Doll
Club presents its 34th annual event, featuring antique,
vintage, modern, and reproduction dolls, bears and miniatures.
Proceeds benefit Arizona Doll and Toy Museum and St. Mary's
Food Bank. 480.419.0246 http://sunbonnetdollclub.com/.
February 18, 2012 – 100
Years, 100 Quilts Exhibit Opening at Arizona
History Museum, 949 E. 2nd St., Tucson. Commemorating
Arizona's Centennial, AHS and the Arizona Centennial Quilt
Project have created a quilt exhibit to educate the public
about Arizona's artisans and their contributions to the state.
520.628.5774 http://arizonahistoricalsociety.org/.
February 18-19, 2012 – Arizona Button
Association Annual Show at Hilton Garden Inn,
11460 W. Hilton Way, Avondale. Features the theme, "See the
World Through Buttons," with U.S. vendors, a competition,
workshops, and a black glass educational display.
623-972-9028, http://nationalbuttonsociety.org/.
February 20-26, 2012 – Winter
Range at the Ben Avery Shooting Facilty (Carefree
Highway, just west of Interstate 17). This is the
Single-Action Shooting Society’s annual cowboy action shooting
competition with an awesome sutler’s row. http://www.winterrange.com/
February 25-26, 2012 – Arizona Matsuri festival of Japan at Heritage and Science Park in downtown Phoenix. Featuring exhibits, demonstrations, arts and crafts, children's activities, bonsai displays, Japanese food, and 3 stages of live entertainment. http://azmatsuri.org/
February 25-26, 2012 – Vul-Con
gaming convention at the Phoenix Convention Center. http://www.vul-con.com/
February 26, 2012 – Hats & Hat Pins*
SWCG workshop at Sharan’s
place in Peoria.
March 9-25, 2012 (weekends) – Pinocchio
and The Magical Adventures of Pinocchio (two
different shows) at Theater Works, 8355 W. Peoria Avenue, Peoria AZ. www.theaterworks.org
March 10-11, 2012 – Battle of Picacho
Peak at Picacho Peak State Park, I-10 between Casa
Grande and Tucson. Reenactment for the 150th
anniversary of Arizona’s only Civil War battle. http://azstateparks.com/parks/pipe/events.html
March 10-12, 2012 – Tucson
Festival of Books on the University of Arizona
campus. http://tucsonfestivalofbooks.org/
March 16- April 2, 2012
(Thursdays and weekends) – A Little Night Music
at Theater Works, 8355
W. Peoria Avenue, Peoria AZ.
www.theaterworks.org
March 17, 2012, 10 AM – St Patrick’s Day Parade
on 3rd Street from Sheridan south to Moreland in
Phoenix AZ, followed immediately by an Irish Fair
at Margaret T. Hance Park. http://www.phxirish.org/
March 17, 2012 – A Night
in the 1940s Big Band Dance and WWII Music Show at
Falcon Field’s Commemorative Air Force Hangar, 2017 N
Greenfield Road, Mesa AZ http://www.azcaf.org/bbd/
March 18, 2012 – Rivet, Grommet, Snap & Stud* SWCG Workshop at Jean’s place
in Sun City.
Learn some basics about leather fasteners.
March 23-25, 2012 – Con Nichiwa
animé convention at Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites
Tucson Airport North. http://www.con-nichiwa.com/index.php/site/index
March 24-25, 2012 – Arizona
Highland Games and Celtic Gathering at Steele
Indian School Park, 300 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix AZ. http://www.arizonascots.com/05games.shtml
March 27-April 2, 2012 – Estrella War at Schnepf Farm in Queen Creek, AZ. The Society for Creative Anachronism’s annual camping, combat, arts and sciences event. New date, new location. http://www.estrellawar.org/
April 6-8, 2011 - LepreCon 38
at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel in Tempe, Arizona features
guests Franchesco and Joe Haldeman. http://www.leprecon.org/.
April 6-May 4, 2012 – Intertemporalist
Steampunk
Exhibition at Alwun House, 1204 E Roosevelt
Street, Phoenix AZ http://alwunhouse.org/
April 11-15, 2012 – Maricopa
County Fair at the state fairgrounds, NEC 19th
Avenue & McDowell in Phoenix. http://www.maricopacountyfair.org/
April 13-15, 20-22, 2012 – The
Boy Friend at Grand Canyon University’s Ethington
Theatre. http://www.gcu.edu/Upcoming-Events/The-Arts/The-Boy-Friend-Apr-13-thru-22.php
April 13 – May 13, 2012 – All
Through the Night at Theater Works, 8355 W. Peoria Avenue, Peoria AZ. www.theaterworks.org
April 13-22, 2012 (weekends and a Thursday) – Sakura
No Ne: Roots of the Cherry Blossom at
Theater Works, 8355 W.
Peoria Avenue, Peoria AZ.
www.theaterworks.org
April 22, 2012 – Geisha Apprentice* at Tasha’s place in Phoenix.
SWCG workshop on
Japanese costume and accessories.
May 20, 2012 – Dead Dog Party* SWCG potluck social at Frances’
place in Peoria. CC30 was last weekend.
Let’s relax a bit.
June 24, 2012 – Accessory Bag* SWCG workshop at Sharan’s place in Glendale. Here’s a
cool pattern for
a costume and accessory bag that fits over a clothes hanger.
July 6-8, 2012 – Medieval Mayhem Renaissance
Faire at
Mountain Meadow Recreation Complex, 1101 Woodland Road,
Pinetop-Lakeside,
Arizona http://www.azmayhem.com/
May 11-14, 2012 – Costume-Con 30* “Sands of Time” at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel in Tempe, Arizona. http://www.costumecon30.org/
May 26-28, 2012 – Wyatt Earp Days in Tombstone, Arizona. http://www.tombstonechamber.com/Wyatt-Earp-Days
August 31-September 3, 2012 – CopperCon 32, “Year of the Dragon,” features guest author/game designer Ari Marmell. http://www.coppercon.org/
August 31-September 3, 2012 – Chicon 7 The 2012 WorldCon at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Chicago. http://www.chicon7.org/
September 1-3, 2012 – Saboten Con Animé convention at the Renaissance Phoenix Hotel & Spa in Glendale, Arizona http://www.sabotencon.com/
November 9-11, 2012 – TusCon 39 at the Hotel Tucson CityCenter features guest author S.M. Stirling and fan guest David Lee Summers . http://www.tusconscificon.com
Return to Index
Here is our events information in the form of a Google calendar created by Margie:
Guild Activities
Randall & Jean at Steampunk Street II in downtown Mesa, April, 2011.
We had a fine turnout for our Barbecue Mixer in April, 2009, with folks from SWCG, Sunacosu,
CASFS, Arizona Ghostbusters and The Rebel Legion. Photo by Mike Contos.
At the Arizona Renaissance Festival, February 2008.
Walking about the Glendale Glitters street fair in December, 2007.
A Duct Tape Mannequin is a useful tool for patterning
custom-fitted garments.
Mucking about in Victorian attire at CopperCon 25. A little image magic by Mike Cassidy shifts us to a more appropriate setting - a table setting.
Meet the Guildsters - Mail Links and Web Pages
Click on the highlighted text to send an e-mail message or visit a personal web page.
President Nyki Robertson.
(president@southwestcostumersguild.org)
.
Vice President Mike Contos
(vicepresident@southwestcostumersguild.org)
Treasurer Margaret Grady
(Treasurer@southwestcostumersguild.org)
Secretary Sharan Hoyle
(Secretary@southwestcostumersguild.org)
Archivist Jean Palmer
(archivist@southwestcostumersguild.org)
Webmaster and Newsletter Editor Randall Whitlock runs
MoiRandall's
featuring his "Randwulf's" line of sewing patterns.
webmaster@southwestcostumersguild.org).
Member Anna Caggiano shows how she built her
Galadriel gown at www.fivemilecreek.net/anna/anna.htm.
Check out member Nola Yergen's theatrical and film costumes
at http://designbynola.com/
or
on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Design-By-Nola/128444573852616
Last updated January 23, 2012 by Randall Whitlock.