Dire need of costume advice

[dreamxtime]

'kay, I'm a total newb to cosplay - the costume I'm working on now is my first cosplay ever.

It's going fairly well, I'm cosplaying as Sakura Shinguji from Sakura-Taisen. This costume needs to be finished in a week. I have almost everything done, but I'm having a bit of an issue with the obi.

A lady made the obi for me because she wanted to help, and I was much obliged, since she's good at sewing. Thing is, she did it wrong and instead of being solid blue fabric, the obi is blue fabric with a red-and-gold pattern. I haven't put the light-blue thin ribbon-like part over the royal blue yet, since I'm at a loss.

If I try dyeing the obi, I'm running a risk of ruining it, and if that happens then I'm up a creek without a paddle.

I could just leave the pattern, put the light-blue ribbon on, and say it's a personal touch, but as I've never cosplayed before, I don't know how that will go over. I really want this to be done right, but I also don't want to mess it up, since I'm so close to convention time and my blood, sweat, and tears have gone into this costume.

I don't know what to do. Any advice from more experienced cosplayers?

[TR Rose]

If you think about it, most anime is simplified for ease of animating. Adding extra detail can usually make a design stand out more than if you had done it plain. If you had left something off, it would be noticeable. Adding a design to the fabric makes it more realistic.

*tosses 2 yen in bucket*

[BlackKnightress210]

As long as you're happy with how it came out, so will everyone else. Some may be petty over that sort of thing, but most if it turns out will will congradulate you. As TR Rose said, the detail will stand out. I visualise this look stunning. Go with what you feel is right.

Good luck,

~Moi

[dreamxtime]

^_^ Many thanks to both of you.