Despite having no formal training, Alena fell in love with competitive costuming in the early 2000s and taught herself to sew, craft, scupt, cast, knit, tool, laser-cut, and otherwise mangle a variety of materials into complex costume designs. Her cosplay team “…And Sewing Is Half The Battle!” (consisting of Alena, her sister Laura, and university chum Mark) has won more than 50 awards for craftsmanship and presentation around the United States, and now teaches costuming classes and workshops at conventions around the world.
With the skills she acquired as a hobby costumer, Alena moved into the professional field, providing costume work and SFX makeup for museum exhibits, live theatre, and film production (including The Asylum’s Operation Dunkirk, Star Trek Phase II, and several series pilots). The majority of her costumes are now produced for competition or exhibition, though she does take extremely limited private commissions.
An avid cosplayer, Alena and “…And Sewing Is Half The Battle!” still make appearances in costume at around a dozen fan events per year. More of their work can be seen on the “…And Sewing Is Half The Battle!” website, as well as the ASIHTB Instagram, Tumblr or Facebook pages.