Modesty's Costume Closet

How can you afford to make expensive-looking costumes without breaking the bank? This is one of those challenges I face with every project, but always make an effort to plan for and estimate. This is the method I use to plan and budget a project.  Listing out Necessary Materials  To start off, I make a list of materials. Correction...I actually will make multiple lists of materials because I'm often using the lists to compare methods, materials, and costs. But at the start, I make a list of what I need, the quantity of material I need, and a rough estimate of how much it will cost.  To determine cost I often just use what comes up on a web search and round up. The point of the list is to estimate and use that estimate to make decisions on whether or not this is a thing I COULD make.  While making a list if I run into a product that has a price range, I enter the low and high end. Such as if I buy a new pair of shoes versus a used pair of shoes. If I'm trying to decid...

Dressing up and feeling good are important factors for the hobby of costuming. Yet, it can be easy to get caught up in trying to replicate a character's look as accurately as possible. In many cases, it is IMPOSSIBLE. Yet, that can be a hard thing to accept. My body does not look like most of the characters I want to dress up as. And this becomes discouraging at best and depressing at worst.  Overcoming the desire for accuracy in the face of impossibility is important for moving forward. But getting close is possible. Here I will go over how you can achieve "the look". Method 1 - Find Common Features I did have a lot of similar features. The easiest method is choosing a character that shares many of your features! This will save you a lot of headache throughout the process and can save you money. Characters to choose from are diverse in body shape, hair style, height, body colors and so on. Choosing a character with a similar or possible hair style saves you from needing ...

This weekend was non-stop sewing of the Obi belt because I didn't feel like hand sewing the sleeve lining. But JOKE'S ON ME, because the obi required quite a bit of manual sewing. Not that I hate hand sewing, but it is inconvenient.  For the most part I followed the recipe Simplicity included but I did have to extend the belt just a tad. The largest size was about an inch or so too small and I was nervous it wouldn't fit around me. My instincts (for once) were on point. The belt fits where it's supposed to. Had to hand sew the hook and eyes and I had to hand sew the back support to the obi itself.  The dress form is to MY waist size. Where I deviated from the pattern was with the tie in the back. I needed something that would look formal, but not cover up my awesome tail. I did some Pinning and found a couple of styles I thought would work and I could easily figure out how to pattern.  Back bows Both back bows were just looking like rectangles of fabric inserted through...

 Today I've attached the sleeves to the body. All that's left is hand sewing the lining to the sleeve seam and such.  It looks finished!  Guh...attaching sleeves with lining is so fiddly. I think the instructions in the Simplicity pattern make more sense. I may "re-do" the sleeve attachments since I don't think I got them quite right. But most of this week has been lost to 3D printing projects. But hey...I like how this is coming together.  The next steps will be to make the Obi belt. This project was what I was distracted by this week. I've written more about this project in my Modesty Studio Blog . 

Day 8:  I quickly sewed the lining pieces together. I still have to attach the lining to the kimono and add the collar. Then...the sleeves. 😬 Day 9:  Collar and Lining added.  The body of the kimono is constructed. Woo-hoo!  I constructed the sleeves so they have a lining in them. Now I have to figure out how to attach the sleeves. 😭 After this point, the Kimono is constructed and will need to be painted by hand. But I may start working on the Obi belt next.  Reflection on Commercial Kimono Patterns So I have two patterns but of the two I think the Simplicity one is a bit better in terms of pieces and body construction. However, the instructions for the sleeves are so awkward. However, the McCalls pattern instructions have been a bit clearer and the sleeve construction easier to understand. It also includes good tips on making applique and when to apply it.  In my opinion, it would not have hurt to also check the Folkwear pattern and a few free independe...

Part of designing costumes is finding a way to pick from many solutions. Limiting these choices can be the art of design.  I have some of my own "Guiding Principles" or Design Principles when it comes to costume design. Some of these constraints are based on non-mutable factors. (Or currently difficult to change.) The fun ones are a bit on the arbitrary side. These are self-imposed limitations for the costume that as a designer I decide to apply to any given costume.  The point of these principles is to help you make a final decision if you are paralyzed by many choices. I may get hung up on some pretty silly things, so at the very least, this helps me move forward and kind of imply that I had a plan all along.  Immutable Design Principles We might run into some touchy subjects here but whatever, here we go! Immutable principles are either constraints your life situation has you in at any given time or core beliefs about what you wear. This can mean things like religious ...

This weekend was not very productive on the costume or knitting front. But I did do a bit of online shopping and wish-listing for possible props for Wisteria Fox.  Silk Wisteria branch. Some of the ideas for props or accessories I had were:  Mask Oil-Paper Parasol Folding Fan Paper Lantern Wisteria flowers  Fangs Kanzashi Claw nails Character Guiding Principles But I can't nor should do all of these. In these situations, I can use what I'll call "character guiding principles" to narrow down what would be appropriate and other decorating themes. If you are thinking of a character, these are just a cluster of traits or words that you can associate with them. Then when considering props you can weigh if the item fits or pick a color that works best.  For example, Captain America is patriotic and protective. The shield as a prop makes sense to these principles because the primary purpose of the shield is to protect the ones behind it which is what Steve Rogers is known f...