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Showing posts from September, 2023

Halloween 2023: Fox Maiden

Even though I started this costume back in April, it feels like I'm down to the wire on this. My time perception is so dumb sometimes. There are only a few more things to do.  1. The Mask + Kimono Got the kimono pretty much done.  The Kitsune Mask is painted and sealed with varnish. I added the macrame cord and elastic and the wisteria resin charm.  Fixed the nose! 2. Goro Puppet I've had my head down with the puppet for the past couple weeks. It's coming along! I attached the ears AND made the front paws. Fixed the body girth and added stuffing here and there. I need to fix one of the arms that's gone a bit wonky. BUT I think the claws on the front paws came out very cute! And the head looks so nice with the ears on.  I attached the head to the neck and closed up a few more seams. Made a few mistakes that I'm going to cover with extra fluff. 😅 I'm still fiddling with the stomach opening for my hand and I need to make the tails. I think that will be my goal for

Fabric Prints: Getting Designs onto Fabric

This post will offer ways you can put design onto fabric to match a character for cosplay or just to have a cool design on your garment.  The 3 main "categories" or methods are:  Painting Applique Sublimation/Screen Printing Painting This is the most accessible and often cost effective way to put a design onto fabric.  The benefits are: Can match character designs exactly Color availability Flexibility  Often inexpensive (although, you can always find a way to spend too much.) Some of the downsides: Sometimes only specific types of paint will work for your fabric (dark, stretch fabric, sheer, etc) It can be tedious for large amounts of fabric Some paints can crack, fade or even wash out in water Requires a steady hand and coordination Can get messy I like looking at Dharma Trading's website for research on what paints work best with whatever fabric I'm working with.  So there are many methods of painting fabric of all kinds. There's also a plethora of paint speci

Kimono Project 1: Ruka Rengoku

 My first kimono project is to recreate Ruka Rengoku (Luka in the english dub...ugh...) blue flower kimono from the anime.  This one! So some quick analysis.  What kind of Kimono is it? Going through my "design tree" I have these main questions to answer: Who is wearing it, what's the occasion/formality level and what time of year is it? Who: A middle aged married woman. This means that the height of the garment is my full height and the sleeves will be shorter.  Occasion: Sick in bed. So this will be a very casual kimono...even though it's pretty. They're pretty pajamas basically. The screenshot doesn't show it but she's not wearing juban, the sleeves are horizontally and vertically short, the obi is not very wide.  Season: Summer based on the colors and floral designs. Based on this information, I deduce this is likely a yukata. (Or possibly a sleeping kimono.) Either way, I will be making a yukata which means:  short sleeves A hanhaba or heko obi cotton