Let's be clear about one thing: There's no such thing as a "free" hobby — unless you're into collecting twigs and sticks, that is.

This is what makes the do-it-yourself (DIY) culture so great because it lessens the burden on your pocket. The flipside is that you will have to compensate with more effort and time — important elements which will determine the outcome of your DIY creations.

Cosplay (costume play - a staple at most anime and comics conventions) girls Nur Hashimah Abdul Rahman, Nur Aina Mohd Khairi, Anna Noor Ridiyana Jamaludin, Nur Ermy Nadia Mohd Hussain, Nurdinni Ahmad Shokri and Nor Mara Abdul Halim (all aged between 22-26) bring DIY to another level that is apparent in their handmade costumes.

"It's not as difficult as it looks — as long as you know where to find the right references and the tutorials," said Nur Hashimah, who is a leader of sorts in the group of Disney female lead characters.

"When it comes to cosplaying certain characters, you will find that it's a chore to find items that can easily be converted into props or accessories. A lot of the time, you must be prepared to make the items from scratch."

For her cosplay as Belle, the simplest part for Nur Hashimah was finding the wig (which she personally styled), the shoes and the gloves.

"Fortunately for us, we have a friend who is also a tailor by profession. She was a big help when it came to making our costumes," she said.

For Anna, aside from allowing her to unleash her creative side, cosplay is a dream come true for this lover of performing arts.

"I've always wanted to know what it was like to be in the performing arts and cosplay seemed like the perfect avenue for me to bring to life the characters that I love," said the marketing executive from Gombak.

She cited Multifilla in Seri Kembangan and Art Friend at The Gardens, Mid Valley as two best art shops to go to for your arts and crafts needs.

"There are a lot of things you can make with paper clay, which is good for sculpting into objects. I also use a lot of craft foam and PVA glue for my projects," she said.

"It's always a good idea to get as much reference photos of the props or accessories you plan to make so you can make them as detailed as possible.

Try to check on the Internet for photos of those items that were handmade by other cosplayers so you can have an idea of the kind of materials that went into their construction". Nur Aina added, many stores have ready-made items which you can easily incorporate into your costume, like gloves and boots.

Bridal stores, for one, sell gloves of various lengths and colour and the Friday night market near Cheras Leisure Mall sells some good boots. "If you want a small gold bauble, you can paint a pingpong ball with gold spray paint.

But if you wait till Christmas time, you could buy those tree ornaments instead," she said. And if it's fabrics you want... "Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Kuala Lumpur has plenty of textile stores for you to choose from. Beads, sew-on plastic gems and faux can be obtained from Semua House," said Nurdinni, who has cosplayed with Nur Hashimah and Nur Aini on a number of occasions.

Newcomers to cosplay Nor Mara and Nur Emy said they have much to learn before they can be on par as their DIYsavvy friends but nevertheless find the activity to be an enjoyable one.

"When you have a group of friends to help you out, things get done easier and faster," said Nor Mara.

"For my first cosplay, I actually had my boyfriend's mother teach me how to sew on her sewing machine while a friend's wife taught me how to draft patterns. I was so excited that I plunged ahead with the sewing work non-stop for three whole days," said Nur Emy.