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 and cosplay. Members are
often seen on stage and behind the scenes at Science
Fiction Convention masquerades, historical
reenactment events, street fairs and theatre. SWCG
is central Arizona's chapter of the International Costume
Guild.
Our Website is now hosted by Costume.org!
E-mail us at: southwestcostumers@gmail.com.
Index
Newsletter
Costumers Calendar
SWCG Activities
Hints and other
"How To" Articles
Randwulf's
Smartphone Pouch - Free sewing pattern from
SWCG VP Randall
Join the
Southwest Costumers Guild
Recruiting and PR Materials:
"Renaissance Faire"
Foldover Flyer
(Featuring a practical belt pouch pattern)
Quarter-Page Flyer
Bookmark
SWCG
Bylaws
SWCG members receive our
newsletter, "Cactus Needles" by
e-mail.
A few weeks after its initial publication, we
post Cactus Needles to this website for all to
enjoy.
Current Issue -
January 2026
Back
Issues (All the way back to the
Cactus Needles premiere in 1994)
Cactus Needles is released under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No
Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please
print the newsletter and give it to your friends,
but print the entire newsletter and don't make any
changes or charge any money. Go to www.creativecommons.org
to view the license. Individual articles and
pictures belong to their authors. If you'd like to
reprint an individual article or picture, please
e-mail southwestcostumers@gmail.com
for appropriate permission.
The
Southwest Costumers Guild usually meets one
Saturday afternoon per month at a members' homes or a
public venue like a restaurant or museum
in the
greater
Here are some upcoming
guild meetings and costume-related public
events. Red Text
and an asterisk* indicate an SWCG
activity. Unless otherwise noted, SWCG Meetings
begin at 1:00 PM.
E-mail the Webmaster
if you know an Arizona costumed event
that should be on the calendar.
September
30, 2025 - May 3, 2026 - Ray
Harryhausen Exhibit at
The Mini Time Machine Museum of
Miniatures, 4455 East Camp Lowell
Drive, Tucson. Features a
distinguished selection of
miniature armature models from
Clashs of the Titans, Jason and
The Argonauts and more of Ray
Harryhausen's classic films. https://theminitimemachine.org/
January 31 - March 29, 2026
(weekends plus Presidents' Day) -
Arizona Renaissance Festival
in Gold Canyon, Arizona. https://arizona.renfestinfo.com/
February 8, 2026, 10AM-12PM - Love
Letters & Lemonade:
A Valentine's Day Picnic
at Rosson House, 113 North 6th
Street, Phoenix.
February 14, 2026, 10AM-1PM - Peoria
LibraryCon: For the Love of
Fandom at Peoria Main
Library, 8464 West Monroe Street,
Peoria.
February 21 & 22, 2026 -
Arizona Matsuri
Festival of Japan at Steel Indian
School Park, 301 East Indian
School Road, Phoenix. https://azmatsuri.org/
March 19-22, 2026 - Wild
Wild West Steampunk Convention
at Westward Look Wyndham Grand
Resort and Spa, Tucson. https://www.wildwestcon.com/
June 5-7, 2026 - Phoenix
Fan Fusion at Phoenix
Convention Center. https://www.phoenixfanfusion.com/
Here is the book list for the first half of
2026:
February 17, 2026 – Revelation Space by
Alistair Reynolds
March 17, 2026 – Elric of Melnibone by
Michael Moorcock
April 21, 2026 – Guards! Guards! By Sir
Terry Pratchett
May 19, 2026 – Spinning Silver by Naomi
Novik
June 16, 2026 – Akira by Katsuhiro
Otomo
Guild Activities
SWCG hosted Costume-Con
30 on May 11-14, 2012 at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel.
Click the link to see some pictures from the "Sick Pups"
archive.
Meet & Greet table at LibCon West in December 2025.
Our first get-together since the pandemic - a simple diner luncheon.
Randall, Tasha and Paula at Tempe Library ComiCon in 2018
At Steampunk: An Exquisite Adventure in November, 2013.
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.
Updated February 5, 2026 by Randall Whitlock.
Direct correspondence to:
Randall Whitlock, Webmaster
Southwest Costumers Guild
2320 West Seldon Lane
Phoenix AZ 85021