The 12 Steps of Costuming

Step 1 We admitted we were powerless over our addiction to costuming, that our lives and our closets and stashes had become unmanageable

Step 2 We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity - the Goddess Glitziana

Step 3 We made a decision to turn our lives over to costuming, as we understood costuming to be, whether anime, furry, SF, fantasy or historical

Step 4 We made a searching and fearless inventory of ourselves…and our beads and fabric and sewing machines, and storage rental facilities

Step 5 We admitted to the Goddess Glitziana, to ourselves and to another costumer the exact nature of our addiction and our costuming sins (such as wearing sneakers with a ball gown)

Step 6 We were entirely ready to have these sins and costume defects removed (although not to remove our fabric, beads and sewing machines)

Step 7 We humbly asked the Goddess to remove our shortcomings and re-measure us so as to accurately construct our garments

Step 8 We made a list of all costumers we had ever beaten in a Masquerade and became willing to make amends to them (and perhaps offer to let them join our next costume project)

Step 9 We made direct amends to other costumers and to fabric and trim dealers wherever possible, except when to do so would cause extreme jealousy or envy

Step 10 We continued to take inventory and when we had excess beads or fabrics, freely admitted it (although we did NOT let the fabrics out of our hands)

Step 11 We sought through solitary meditation (and designs) to improve our connection with the Gloddess of Glitz, and prayed and worked for the power to carry that out and thus win the BIG masquerade

Step 12 Having had a spiritual costume awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other costume addicts, and persuade them to join our convention