Modesty's Costume Closet

The past few months I had started noticing a trend in my creative projects. I wasn't making good progress with them. At first it was little thing here and there because some of my normal routines saw a shake up. Then there was a big one, buying a home. It's one of the top stressors in life milestones. And I underestimated how much it would affect my mental state and my creative projects!  The Stress Effect The more we have going on, the smaller creative capacity. Since stress affects both body and mind, the necessary components for engaging in complex hobbies sees changes. Many aspects of crafting or costuming require concentration, focus, and hand-eye coordination. These are high level tasks that a person can't do well if they are tired, hungry, anxious, or upset. So, it's unwise to handle sharp tools in such a state!  So what can you do to keep up with your projects? Especially if there's a deadline?! Suggestions and Thoughts As an aside, I'm not a mental heal...

 Big news. I've been rather quiet the past few weeks not only because of the holidays but also because most of my projects are stalled...save for knitting and crochet.  All this because...I'm buying my first home! 🏡 It's an incredibly confusing and stressful process. (I'm doing it on my own too...so spooky!)  The effects of the stress are incredible...worse than when I was unemployed. BUT this place will finally give me my own dedicated craft room/guest room.  I am very excited even though the new expenses are going to just completely cut my costume budget for the year. Incredibly...I don't have plans for Halloween or the Dance Showcase so mostly just sewing clothes. Weirdly.  But I do have backburner plans for more kimono, shoe making, and random props. I'm actively working on my crochet haori based on Giyu Tomioka.  Absolutely crazy pattern Until I move in April. This blog will be in hibernation. 

Printing your own shoes is a slowly growing hobby, but it can be a bit dubious because 3D printing can be finicky and it could be dangerous. Most beginner friendly 3D shoes include slides, flip-flops, or sneakers. There are a few high heels that I have seen, but when it comes to shoe making, this is a style of shoe that is difficult to design properly and safely even in regular shoemaking.  Here are some of the benefits and drawbacks of 3D printed shoes:  Accurate replication of shoe parts Durable material, suitable for outdoor or indoor use Flexible to firm Orthopedic Friendly Many files available Drawbacks Flexible filament difficult to print with for beginners May need a specialized 3D printer Can be more expensive for simple style shoes (Think, A few dollars for a pair of flip-flops versus one you print yourself that have a high investment cost.)  Disconnect between digital and physical models Takes a LONG time to print a shoe What you need to 3D Print Shoes An FDM pr...

 The costume was finished on time and I was please with my approximation for this costume. I ended up not focusing on character accuracy 100% but at least recognizable. So, I'll go through the method I ended up going with for the leotard and skirt, the accessories, and what I decided to leave out.  Leotard and Skirt So, for the overall costume I kept the skirt and leotard as separate pieces because I thought I could use the leotard as a base for a future costume. This meant I followed the advice in the pattern except I made the leotard a lined leotard. I learned a new method of lining tops called the Burrito Method. Saves me a lot of heartache!  The skirt also used the pattern pieces but I went off-script for this piece. I left the back seam open on the belt and upper part of the skirt. Like a fly on a pair of pants. Then I cut two "button holes in the back of the belt. The large ribbon that sits on the back I have extra ties on that I loop through the holes and tie down....

 Continuing from my previous post on my adventure with this potential yarn project: Tomioka's Haori. Once I knew how much yarn I'd need, I needed to buy it. However, turns out 15 balls of yarn is expensive! (Who knew!?) So...this started me on a journey of research for the best price! This leads me to consider other yarn brands and yarn weights.  Finding Similar but Cheaper Yarn It will be a roll of the dice whether you're lucky to find a more economical price and have the yarn include all the same features as your original plan or whatever the pattern called for. This is where the internet helps us. Some websites have categories of different yarns that you can search by weight, fiber type, price range, gauge, and more. Ravelry has an extensive yarn database. But I also like to use Yarnsubs.com.  Search engines or AI can help identify alternatives for you as well by typing in "an alternative to brand name yarn".  Or you can go to your preferred yarn shop in person...

 I have no focus lately. 😝 But I have be weirdly distracted by a potential NEW yarn cosplay project...Tomioka's Haori. Went to see the Infinity Castle movie at the theater and remembered that I had made a color chart. So busted that out...saw I did the cube pattern wrong and fixed it. Also re-calculated measurements and adjusted things because I had set it to the gauge for loom knitting...and I'm going to crochet this one.  But that's not the point of this post...just the inspiration. This post is going to be the various ways I tried to estimate how many balls of yarn I'd need for this project. So...here are the facts. This is my own pattern and it is untested! I know the brand and colors I WANT to use but we'll see how much of a budget buster that will be. As well as a yarn stash hog.  Okay, so there are 4 methods I'll suggest. Incremental Pattern Inspiration Weight + Area Measurement Weight + Stitch Count Incremental Purchasing This is a method that takes bas...

Shoemaking is not something I thought I'd really get into but I've been doing my research and making some prototypes. This is in part because my feet are very small so finding thrift shoes in the style I want is difficult. So, I've been learning and remembering different ways of making costumed footwear and I'm making a little series about it. So here we go.  Fabric shoes with EVA soles and toe covers Now a common method that's tried and true in costuming is modifying an old shoe or using a shoe as a base. Shoe/Boot covers are fairly common. However, I'm not going over that method. (I like Simply Spandex's Tutorial on boot covers , so you have a resource.)  This series is going to focus on making a shoe from scratch. And I'm stopping short of leatherworking and actual cobbling. Which is another thing you could do. (Here's a Shoemaking Course List) .  I wanted to focus more on crafty methods for making shoes including:    Yarn-craft shoes (knitting or...