Interview of Moniqa Lefevre (USA)

1. For how long have you been in cosplay ?

I have been cosplaying for seven years and modeling for eight years however I've been casually dressing up and costuming my entire life. I guess I just never grew out of that phase as a kid.

2. Cosplay is a time consuming hobby. how long does it take to craft your costumes ?

I do a range of cosplays from things I pick up at a thrift shop to huge armor builds so my costumes can take a range of a simple 10 minutes in a store to weeks of careful construction. 

3. Any other hobby or passion besides cosplaying ?

I play World of Warcraft as well as Dungeons and Dragons mostly. 

4. What materials are you using for cosplay crafting, worbla ? Foam ? Can you talk about that a little bit ?

I use worbla for armor, but I use expanding foam as well as craft foam for most of my props to make them lighter. Worbla can get heavy after a while, but it's extremely durable so it really depends on how much I want to carry during a convention or if I'm just using it for a photoshoot. 

5. Do you have any FAVORITE cosplayer ?

I actually don't have a favorite cosplayer. I love many cosplayers for various different reasons. I usually gain inspiration from many intricate costume designers, sexy cosplayers, and armor builders. 

6. Did you hurt yourself while making a cosplay or in a convention ?

I hurt myself every single time I make a costume. It's usually on a hot glue gun. 

7. Do you sell your old cosplays, or just keep it in a huge closet :D ?

I try to sell my old cosplays to make room, but I find it hard to part with cosplays and usually just end up collecting them and putting some pieces in my closet which I call "the cosplay graveyard".

8. Who teached you to craft your cosplays ? Your family ? By reading books or watching youtube tutorials ?

I learned most of my sewing from just trial and error since I'm stubborn and like to figure things out myself. However, I did much research on lights and worbla on youtube. 

9. Which conventions are you going to this year ?

I went to Anime Boston and U-Con at UCONN a few months ago. I plan on going to Connecticon in a couple of weeks. 

10. What is your limit budget for a cosplay ?

None. I have cosplays ranging from $10 to over $1,000. 

11. Any future super secret cosplay project in mind ?

I have DJ Sona coming out soon. Sadly it's been delayed because I keep accidentally breaking it. I also have Yrel from World of Warcraft and Widowmaker from Overwatch planned and in the works. 

12. What are you doing in "real" life for a living ?

I make clips and focus on Patreon. 

13. You best experience from a convention ? And your worst ?

My best experience with a convention was the first time I went to a con with just friends and not my parents. The worst experience was probably Anime Boston because I was having a lot of family drama that was far away from me and very stressful. 

14. Any advice for cosplay wannabees or beginners ?

Don't compare yourself to others. Learn and be inspired by those you look up to. 

15. Do you have limits ? Some cosplays you will never make ?

I will give everything a try. 

Her facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/moniqalefevre/