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 -
December 2025
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 3-6, 2026 - Painted
Desert Fur Con at
Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel. https://painteddesertfc.org/
January
17, 2026, 10-4:30 - Superhero
Saturday at 9610 North
Metro Parkway West, Phoenix AZ .
Superhero Saturday is the
signature charitable event for the
Phoenix Police Sergeants and
Lieutenants Association (PPSLA) to
benefit Childhelp and PPSLA
Charities sponsored by our friends
at QuikTrip! Superhero Saturday is
a Comic, Cosplay, and Car Show
Festival that is free to attend
and open to the public. https://www.superherosaturday.org/
January 17, 2026 - SWCG Meeting*
at Mark's home. Remembrance of Mahala. Plan activities
for the rest of the year. Contact southwestcostumers@gmail.com
for details and directions.
January 23-25, 2026 - Taiyou Con anime convention at Mesa Convention Center. https://taiyoucon.com/
January 31, 2026, 10-3 - Tempe
FanCon at Tempe Public
Library, Rural Road & Southern
Avenue. Comic and cosplay fans
grab your capes and superpowers
and come to the Tempe Public
Library for a celebration of
comics and pop culture. Join us
for free family fun including
costume contests, authors and
artists, entertainment, activities
for the kids, photo ops with
characters, fandom related items
for sale, and food trucks. There
is no table fee for exhibitors and
the event is free and open to the
public. The event will be held
outdoors in the Library Plaza. Look for a
Southwest Costumers Guild meet
and greet booth among the
exhibitors.
January 31 - March 29, 2026
(weekends plus Presidents' Day) -
Arizona Renaissance Festival
in Gold Canyon, Arizona. https://arizona.renfestinfo.com/
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:
January
20, 2026 – Shadow Life by Lin Christie
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 December 19, 2025 by
Randall Whitlock.
Direct correspondence to:
Randall Whitlock, Webmaster
Southwest Costumers Guild
2320 West Seldon Lane
Phoenix AZ 85021