Modesty's Costume Closet

   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 front inside the masks Aft

 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 on Etsy years ago)

 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 cast later or have a

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 That Fit Co

 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

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 characters

Ever since my string of madness back in February, I have been happily knitting away and starting more projects than I can finish. Just like every knitter. 😜 I am enamored with the idea of yarn craft/fiber craft costumes, but it is certainly not an efficient method. I'll get faster eventually, but for now, I'm doing the inefficient right-hand/English knitting instead of the quicker continental knitting. Anywho...let's talk tabi!  This is how far I got before restarting. Capturing the Essence The nice thing about most shows is that they don't get too crazy with the sock design.  Demon Slayer, for most characters, uses either a white or "black" or Dark solid color. There are exceptions, of course. (Glaring at you, Mitsuri...and your delicious pinstripe thigh highs.) I do love her aesthetic. When it comes to the height of the socks, most of the major characters have leg wraps (kyahan) or long pants (hakama). This means you can make the ankle bit as tall as comfor