Modesty's Costume Closet

This should round out the things you can make or acquire for your kimono ensemble. This is not an exhaustive list but there are a few things I wanted to cover. Tabi  Geta or Zori Korin Belt Haori Himo Haori/Nagabaori Kanzashi Hair Pins Fans and Bags Footwear Tabi are socks made to be worn with sandals. Although, based on construction, Tabi can also be slippers or proper shoes themselves! It all depends on how it is made.  Knit Tabi Socks are a modern version of tabi that behaves just like a sock. It's stretchy because it's knitwear. And as you know, I've knit my own tabi , so you can learn how to knit your own too !  Sewn Tabi are a bit more like making clothe shoes if you are familiar with the process. The outer sole of the shoe may be a fairly thick or leather-ish material because these can be used as indoor shoes and may need that extra protection to last longer. The outer and inner material can be made from stretch or non-stretch fabric.  Pattern for Tabi Zori an...

The obi is supporting actor of a kimono ensemble. They can be equally as extravagant in design motifs and materials. Any design motifs can be woven, embroidered or painted onto the obi. Silk painting being the most formal.   Types of Obi  Kaku Obi - This is typically the Men’s Obi but women can wear it too. Consider it gender neutral. It has a width of 9 - 10 cm (3.5 - 4 inches) and a length between 3.6m - 4m.  Hanhaba Obi - Informal Female Obi, which translates to Half Width because it is half the width of a formal obi. Hanhaba obi are 15 cm wide and 3.6m - 4.5m long (Suggested: 3.80 - 4.20m) (4m - 4.40 m for wider waists). Nagoya Obi - Semi Formal Obi made of stiff fabric or reinforced with a fabric stiffener/interfacing. There are a few ways to make a Nagoya obi (named after the region.) One way is to make the entire obi all one uniform width for the full length. But there are some that are pre-folded to make an Otaiko musubi. So it is half-width for a few yard...

   I've been following this tutorial on making Kitsune masks.  Things I've learned.  Glue is sticky! It's all over my fingers after a few minutes. But peeling the glue off is cathartic. I kind of love it. I guess it's like how some people like slime.  The first layer of paper mache will be kind of rough and a bit wrinkled.  I made the ears and forehead bump before putting down my first layer of mache.  It takes SO much paper! But varying the thickness and length helps with curves and dents.  I've got one layer of paper so far. It's already hardened but definitely needs smoothing out.  After awhile, I was not loving the shape of the first mask. I wanted a 2nd crack at it so I started another one. I cut up another soda fridge box and this time the base was much smoother. I made the muzzle smaller. I used brown paper from a roll and made sure most edges were uneven. (It sticks better.)  2nd attempt. A smaller snoot side by side comparison f...

 The most iconic thing about a unicorn is her horn. I had a pretty good idea for what I wanted.  What I didn't want:  I didn't want a chunky, fat horn that sits on the very top of my head. I did not want the "headband" party style horn that is all too common for a kid's birthday.  Horn length is a consideration too since I will have a dance partner and don't want to cause injury.  My vision was to have a short horn coming out at an angle from my hairline.  Elements I did want:  In addition to a horn, I wanted this to be a crown with veil since I have short hair and wanted to give the impression of a mane. Flowers also made sense.  The crown also needs to be secure on my head since I am dancing.  Supplies I ended up going the wire crown route instead of a headband. Simply because it's what I had on hand.  18 gauge Wire Floral tape Silk flowers Hot Glue Stiff felt Plastic hair comb Glittery craft foam Resin Unicorn Horn (pre-made bought it...

 My recent failures with creating a silicone mold have prompted me to dig deeper into the processes of creating a mold of an object to cast in a different material. I'm going to start with the basics: What is Casting? A cast is a reproduction of an original item in new material.   Common Materials to cast with:  Resin Plaster Plastic Wax Latex/Rubber/Silicone Food (Ice, Chocolate, Hard Candy, etc) Molten Metal  Common methods for casting are:  Slip Casting - makes a thin layer, commonly used for latex masks 2-part Cast - Make a mold with 2 halves sandwiched together  Pour Mold - put material into a divot  What is a Mold? FYI, this didn't work out. A "mold" is an imprint of an object that we can pour the material into.  Common materials to make a mold with:  Plastic Silicone/Rubber Metal Clay Plaster What is a Buck? A "buck" is what we call the subject of the casting, the original piece, so to speak. Whether you are sculpting something to...

I've been experimenting with knitting socks on the loom. I found a tutorial on sandal socks and have adapted it to suit the loom I have. I've been able to knit ONE sock so far and it does fit, so successful test!  Supply List In the Round Loom (suggested below)  Sock Loom CinDwood wedge Loom KB Universal Loom KB Flexee Skinny  Loom Pick Stitch Markers Yarn Needle/Darning Needle Tape Measure Calculator  Technique List Basic Cast-ons, Bind off, Knit stitches, purl stitch, etc Kitchener Cast-on Drawstring Cast-on German Short Row Heels and toes Short Row Heel and Toes Kitchener Stitch Measurements For Tabi, these are the important-to-know measurements so you know how many pegs you'll need to cast on and how many rows you need to get Length.  Circumferences Ball of Foot Big Toe Group of Little toes Lengths Whole Foot Base of Toe to Ankle bone (insole) Length of Big Toe Length of Index Toe Length of Pinky Toe More Detailed Explanations The Best Way to Loom Knit Socks...

 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 cro...

Hello again. I'm still on this Demon Slayer Cosplay Knitting kick. But perhaps this will be more accessible. Maybe. I've been burned before. I need to rest my brain and try something a little easier to comprehend than socks.  For real, let's talk about knitting belts, obi, and other waist-related accessories.  Thankfully, all demon slayers have a uniform belt. I have not found one that has any special doo-dads or designs. And if there are, don't tell me about them.  Uniform Belts Are the trouser loops white? Who dressed you? These are white belts about 1.5 - 2.5 inches thick (relatively speaking). The buckle is a rectangular shape, and it goes into white loops...which kind of doesn't make sense since the pants are black. The hell do those loops come from? I know belts sometimes have a sliding loop but do they have two!? (Shhh...don't ask questions...it upsets us.) Anyway, knitting would basically consist of knitting a length of fabric that could go around your w...

The first color chart I attempted was for Kyojuro Rengoku's kyahan. I've actually thought about how to approach many other characters too, so this would be my suggested route for attempting these costume parts in fiber craft!  my result! Basic Design  The actual way to make these leg wraps is a rectangle-ish shape of cloth that you tie around your lower leg. But for cosplay, there's something to be said for keeping things simple and not adding more velcro to a piece just to hold it together. Besides, like most animation, they don't put seams on these things. So you GOTTA make a jammin' pair of semi-slouchy leg warmers. Just slide 'em on without a fuss. No buttons, buckles, or bowties.  There are  approaches for knitting legwarmers that affect the final look and which color change method works best.  Knit flat and make it a tube later  Knit in the round and make it a tube from the get-go  Difficulty may be relative to your skill and preference, but for ...