Modesty's Costume Closet

After many years of being away, I'm planning a trip with friends to the Texas Renaissance Faire. It's been a good 5 or 6 years since I've been there. My first true Ren Faire was at my undergraduate school Grand Valley State University and I made a dress with my mom's help. (We used a commercial pattern.)   First Ren Faire 20+ years ago!  First Ren Faire Costume Considerations The two biggest things to know about Ren Faires are that they are an outdoor venue with lots of walking . Just like any county fair if you think about it. Also, it is important to note that dressing up in garb or costume is OPTIONAL . It is not a requirement although it is very fun.  If you do want to wear something special, you need to consider:  Weather Conditions - based on what region you are in. It's HOT where I am, but you may be blessed with chilly fall weather. Time Budget - how long do you have before the Faire? Funds Budget - how much do you want to spend or can you spend? Comfort

 🎃 Halloween creeps up quicker than we like! We are halfway through September, and that means all the stores are finally displaying their spooky supplies.  This year for Halloween, I'm going for a scary costume, the wendigo or not-deer inspired costume that will also be a stash buster. While I have made some purchases for the costume, most of it will be made from leftover scraps from other projects.  3D Printed Parts The 3D printed parts include:  Skull Mask Claws Antlers + Headband Raven skull necklace These have all been printed and assembled for the most part. The mask has elastic on it to keep it on, the antlers detach from the headband so it can be easier to insert them through the fur hood. I'm using tiny rubber bands to help keep the claws on my gloves.  Boots I ended up purchasing these boots from ChaosCostumes . The hoof size compared to my 3D printed buck is much larger. Safety matters! The shoe is a tad too big, so I have purchased some heel pads and a detachable an

 As we grow as a society and as our exposure to other cultures increases, the question of whether or not we can wear another culture's traditional costume becomes a sensitive subject. Most of us want to avoid the cultural faux pas of wearing a costume that offends a majority of people! So, how does one navigate these tricky waters?  What are we trying to Avoid? I think going into this, we want to consider what may be wrong with wearing a costume from another culture:  Showcase our Ignorance Encourage Negative Stereotypes Portray a Caricature  Reducing or Mocking a Culture Display Arrogance Lack of Empathy In our day and age of information access, ignorance of a culture is no longer an acceptable excuse...past a certain age. Admittedly, children under a certain level of maturity do not have the capacity to grasp important historical realities for other people. They grow into it. And I think the current generation of parents are more culturally sensitive than previous ones and are th

 Inevitably, mistakes will happen.  Oops! Messed up again! The worst kind are the ones that happen late in the game, just before deadlines, and it's just not going to work out. Often times, mistakes will cost you either time or money...but usually both. There are a few approaches to dealing with mistakes:  Abandon Abandon means stopping the project wherever it is but keeping what you have done so far. Maybe some parts came out very well and you can pick it up later when you have more time or experience. Often times this can happen because of a loss of interest in the character or subject matter.  In my case, I have abandoned my Dalish Inquistor costume. I still have all the materials from all those years ago.  I was stuck on this part. I could not make the bodice look right and instead of making other parts of the costume, I set it aside for later.  Another example was my Voltron Paladin costume. I made the under-armor, but then lost interest in the character. I used the materials

So I managed to make a pair of Zori (thong sandals) to test if it would be a viable option for my Nezuko and Rengoku casual cosplay. I managed to make my test pair, and it's pretty comfortable, but I learned a lot and will gladly share.  The pattern I used and adjusted is by  Whistle and Ivy .  Additional Resources Before I jump into what I did for my tiny-ass feet, I wanted to share some resources on how to make Sandal soles for your zori. The videos in this list show how to crochet a sole for multiple sizes of feet. The videos use Medium weight or worsted-weight yarn, which is different from what I use. But it should serve as a good guide. Also, it includes how to make a Rope Sole or convert a foam flip-flop sandal into a base for your crochet shoe project.  You may also want to consider ways to make the bottom of the sandal non-skid or a bit more durable on other terrains. Whistle and Ivy shares 7 methods for making crochet slippers non-slip .  My Supplies Onto the show. These

 GUYS! I learned a new thing. This may be a "Yeah, duh!" kind of situation, but I never thought to knit or crochet sandals. Seems like a legit thing, especially for ME, who has small feet and a hatred of that round plastic between the toe rod of normal flip-flops.  These techniques can work for other series too that use the zori aka thong sandals. (AKA the bane of my feet's existence.) Method Considerations This is more than likely going to be a crochet project than a knitting one, to be honest. But all in all, there are 3 main methods for making knitted footwear:  90% Yarn  Hole punched Soles Repurposed Flip-Flop/Thong Sandals With mostly yarn, you're going to basically have super floppy, uncomfortable sandals unless you include some sort of stiff material like a stiff felt or EVA foam or an old sandal.  Hole punch soles or insoles let you knit up around the sole instead of knitting the sole itself.  Repurposed sandals provide the base, and you knit or crochet around