Modesty's Costume Closet

 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

Iconic characters have iconic jackets, aka haori. The nice-ish thing about these coats is that they are very loose fitting, so sizing will be a little easier to comprehend than something more fitted like the shirt and pants.  Nice, loose kimono-sleeved coat Focusing on the main characters and the Hashira, there are 3 flavors of haori:  No Sleeves (aka cloaks/shawls) Standard Sleeve Long/Wide Sleeve Then looking at the color changes, level of difficulty would probably be:  Simple = Kanao, Mitsuri, Nezuko Intermediate = Kyojuro, Tanjiro, Obanai, Zenitsu, Sanemi, Urodoki Advanced = Giyu, Gyomei, Shinobu The Cloakers Two of the characters wear a shawl or cloak instead of a haori jacket: Kanao and Kyojuro.  I've already provided a knitting pattern for Kyojuro . So I will speak no more on this cloak.  For Kanao, you want to use a crescent-shaped shawl pattern based on how she wears it. You can also knit the knotted pin using i-cord. Although, I might crochet the pin instead.  Standa

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

There are many devices you can get to work on costumes. But because costume creation can be diverse, it is possible to prioritize certain tools over others. This list is just going to be my top 3 with some honorable mentions.  #3: Computer/Internet Connected Device This is a pretty old machine now. Still runs Windows 7. It used to be that a computer was the only way to interface with the internet and a myriad of other devices, but it is no longer true. However, investing in a decent machine can mean you can connect it to many different peripherals. Some of these may be every-day like a printer or scanner. However, for most other machines I'll go over you will need something to run software. I could not run my die cutting machine without the associated software. I could not print 3D models without my slicer software. Not to mention that the internet is an invaluable information resource for pretty much anything I'd need to do. It may be a no-brainer but a good computer or any de

With the iron-on pieces affixed to the pattern pieces, the rest of the project is simply following the pattern instructions...for the most part.  Just your run-of-the-mill sewing... Making Gathers/Ruffles The apron pattern trims the bib, pocket, and skirt with a gathered lace or ruffled edge. There is more than one way to gather trim. Pattern instructions usually assume you don't have a lot of fancy feet for your sewing machine, so they explain how to do things with a standard foot.   Standard Foot Method In this method, you take a length of trim and sew two rows of long straight stitches or basting type stitches. Gently pull the bobbin threads and scrunch up the fabric. Then take this scrunched or "gathered" trim and apply it to your pattern piece.  All methods point inwards because the pieces are turned out.  Gather foot One of the fancy feet you can get for your machine is a Gather Foot. It uses the feed dogs to create an even gather as it sews it down. It is possible

Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV) needs heat to get the glue to fuse with fabric. Loads of official tutorials show how to transfer HTV to fabric using official heat presses. Needless to say, yes, heat presses are ideal for this process. However, this is a budget blog so lets look at best tools.  Tools Last blog, I kept referring to HTV as Iron-on...and that is because I'm using my normal, everyday iron. There are pros and cons to using a household iron for this process:  👍Convenient if you already have one on hand 👍Irons come in many sizes 👎It has limited surface area 👎The hot surface is irregularly shaped 👎HTV does not work with a steam iron 👎The iron needs to be very hot! 👎Cannot be used easily on round/cylinder shaped objects  Using an iron is possible but may not be the best tool in the following cases:  Applying a very large iron on piece Producing a large quantity of products with HTV You plan on selling what you make.  You are applying HTV to a curved object...like a mug, bas

 Die cutter and plotter machines use vector coordinates to plot movement of the blade/pen. That being the case, it works best with simple images, not so much with multi-colored images or images with thin lines. Vector or "stencil style" images and shapes work best for this machine.  For the aprons I had a combination of simple shapes, a stencil, and a mildly complicated solid shape. These images included:  3 circles for gold buttons 2 silver bars  Kanji symbol in silver Flame Hilt in gold and red Stencil Kyojuro in black Dimensions For this project, dimensions of the image were extremely important. The pieces that would have iron-ons included the heart shaped pocket and the heart shaped bib. Using the paper pattern I blocked out where the image would sit.  The pocket had a 3 x 3 inch block. With the dimensions and placement set, I could adjust my images to fit.  Simple Shapes Most die cutter machines come with their own software which converts images to plot points and cut li

This past week I was eager to use my die-cutter machine to make something. This did sidetrack me from working more on my swimsuit but It was just a fun quick side project. Lately, an email ad from Redbubble reminded me of the aprons I was looking at. Of course it was Demon Slayer related, how could it not be? But I did not feel like purchasing one when I could make one. The Cricut kit I purchased came with 4 sheets of glitter iron-on vinyl sheets. (Also known as Heat Transfer Vinyl or HTV.) That's when things started.  Pattern Hunt First, I wanted to find a pattern for the apron. I knew I wanted something with good real estate for placing iron on images and something with a pocket or pockets. Lately, vintage recreation patterns have been my jam and after a lengthy search, I ended up finding a pattern I liked.  Simplicity S9311. I picked the Yellow Apron. I liked the heart pocketed and slightly French maid looking apron. Went ahead and purchased a yard and a half of Poly Cotton Broa