Modesty's Costume Closet

My current project is making a new ballroom gown for a competition in March. My theme has been gothic rose as mentioned in a post I made a year or so ago.  Old design ideas  So as you can see there were a few considerations for this theme and a new dress. Now that I have a dress and have made a few costumes, I know what cuts I like. Some of the tailoring elements for the dress that I like are:  Godet Flared skirt Off the shoulder wide neckline Long sleeves The aesthetics/theme that I was aiming for were:  Gothic Colors Dark Roses So my first order of business was finding a pattern. I know...I could draft my own but I don't. I found something I liked from Just Dance Patterns .  Design 465 It has all the elements that I wanted. Off the shoulder neckline, godet skirt and long sleeves. I sent the pattern to a printer to get it printed on A0 paper...which is becoming a favorite thing for me to do now.  But obviously, I need to make the dress a bit of my own des...

Over the past two weeks, I've worked on the male kimonos and got them put together.  The ensemble is not quite finished yet, I am working on hakama for both of them.  Color-wise they look similar, but you can tell they are different material. I've sewn the haori for the more matte red one.  With the haori As you can see, it's a very shiny haori. Needs a haori himo and some paint on it. But significant progress was made!  Kimono and Haori What Went Well I did my French seams correctly!  I figured out MY way of attaching the Okumi with French Seams These did not take long to make Pinking shears really help reduce fray They fit! What I learned Took me a bit to figure out how to put on sleeves since there no opening.  I did have to fudge some measurements because I was a little short on some of the fabric when I cut it and did not want to buy more.  The collars were still kind of a pain to put on but I'm getting better at stitch-in-the-ditch.  Blind h...

 Another week, another kimono constructed and I feel this is my best one yet!  Before putting on the collar and sleeves.  All put together Such a pretty pattern! I used a walking foot to make this one which meant I had to sew a bit slower, but that gave me nicer seams.  I will be going with serged seams or "hair line" seams, but I have not done that yet as of writing this post. For now, she's set aside so I can start working on the NEXT kimono which is my burgundy men's kimono. (I've already had some trouble with it. I really have to pay attention to right side wrong side when using fabric that has no obvious pattern.😅) So we're chugging along at a good pace with this project. Here's what's left:  Hem, attach collar and sleeves to burgundy kimono✅ Construct the Red Men's Kimono✅ Cut, mark and construct the Cotton Cat Kimono Sew the grey hakama✅ Sew the red haori✅ Sew the black lady's haori  Sew the black hakama Some of the extra little project...

 It's been a great year for costumes and getting into various yarn crafts, and it shall continue into next year. Here's what I've been thinking for potential costume projects next year.  In Progress  Demon Slayer in Yarn  This is has been a fun experiment that I've fallen in love with. I've knitted a shawl, one sock, crocheted some sandals and almost finished a sweater! I hope to finish the other sock, some legwarmers and the sweater next year so I will have a Flame Hashira outfit in mostly yarn. I'm not knitting pants.  It has advanced my knowledge of knitting techniques and skills to the point where I am considering making a pattern book of anime and video game inspired knit projects. I'll have to actually make these projects and figure out how to demonstrate things. My camera work is mediocre at best, but I may be able to get away with making illustrations here and there.  Goro the kitsune I feel like I've very much neglected this almost finished proj...

 🎃 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...

 The year is a bit more than halfway done, and looking back on my 2022 Wishlist , let's see what I've actually accomplished on my list and what has changed.  From the Originals List Goro the Kitsune - Stalled 🟡 I started making the pig skin leather leg wraps, but I think I screwed it up already and need to remake them in a different material. I've selected my leather for the bracers. I plan on using my Cricut to engrave the edges of the leather in a fun design that I have yet to make/find. I also need to remake the ears somehow and figure out how to make the tails. Knitting 3 tails will take a long time, so I'm thinking that I'll actually make them out of faux fur fabric, which means getting said fabric. We'll see what wins out. I could still finish this costume before the end of the year, but I'm not feeling very motivated to do so at this time.  Sakura the Kitsune - Replaced by Wisteria Fox - Finished 😀 When I started Wisteria Fox, I said it would repla...

So spooky! The idea for this costume came from my brainstorming on what to wear for office Halloween. I do have a couple of already made costumes I could use that I haven't worn yet, but I was hit with this idea when I remembered that I 3D printed a fox skull mask and found my "shaggy" faux fur fabric. I have so much scrap material around that I'm just "saving for a rainy day". Well, the rainy day has come and I wish to use up my scraps and clear out some of my closet. So...the spirit of greed and starvation the Wendigo.  Components  The costume was in part inspired by another person's 3D kit on Thingiverse . It used a variation of the fox skull, added antlers and long claws. So, what I'm borrowing from that design is:  Skull Mask Antlers long Claws Fur Hood Where I will differ is I'm using this as an excuse to finally make those Hoof Boots I wanted. I am also making the cloak part more like a Ring Wraith or Dementor cloak.  Body long-sleeved shi...