Modesty's Costume Closet

 My plan is to make a total of 4 kimono. 2 are cosplay kimono and 2 are original designs.  I am taking a different approach to these (and any future kimono) than I did with the Wisteria Fox project. Recently I sent images of it to fellow kimono stylists for feedback and got some helpful advice. I also got access to a Patreon video for tailoring kimono from bolt to finished product. Haven't had a chance to watch it yet, been busy with Halloween and Dance Comp dress which I finally got in the mail! I'm sure it will give me even more insight than I have now. But, I need to get this post out of my head and onto the digital paper.  So, first, if you want to make a kimono, These are the 3 videos I recommend you start with from Billy Matsunaga Ultimate Kimono Measuring Guide (video) Make an Authentic Kimono (the easy way) - Video ( Men's Version ) How to Put on Kimono by Yourself - (video) From there, it makes following these patterns and sewing tutorials a bit easier:  How to M

The Goro puppet project has been going on quietly in the background. It is a learning experience and some things are going very much to plan while other things are decidedly not.  My first positive is the back scales:  I was able to crochet the back in a few hours. (Not in one sitting mind you.) I mixed metal with plastic scales which has a fun effect. I still have some left over plastic scales that I could sew into the body but I like how this looks.  Victory 2: Body Structure While the head has been my main focus I was able to take a break from that and morph some EVA foam sheets into a makeshift skeleton for the body.  Positive 3: Started the yarn tails to see how they'll look compared to the body size. I've done this before so feel confident that I can do it again.  Positive 4: While I did burn myself with hot glue, I made some ears with minky, stiff felt, and a bit of faux fur. I even painted them so the markings are correct.  Positive 5: Mouth contructed! I put in the jaw

  Yes, change colors again. Now that I've had a little break, I'm ready to jump back into this project. It's gone through a few more revisions.  1) I departed from the Miko style and started leaning more into just Kimono + Hakama. I was starting to get tunnel vision with color choices and making sure I was picking the right colors. This way relaxes cultural/religious connotations which were starting to make me feel weird.  2) I changed colors AGAIN. But finally saw something on pinterest that I felt hit all the right marks for me and decided to borrow the color theme. I'm also going to put a pattern on the kimono and possibly on the hakama too via applique.  Other than that here's the plan: Study While writing this post, I landed on this YouTube channel and it's helping me so much! I know I'm super cheating and still doing thing costume style.  She also has sewing tutorials. 🎉 But watch just parts of her videos have already helped me with things like how to

 ...shoulders knees and toes! Just a little update on some of the little things I've been doing.  I printed out a couple versions of the eyeballs just to see which one looks best. It took a few layers of white paint but we got there.  For these eyeballs, I printed out the iris and made a cabochon out of uv resin. The 3D printed eye is round with a flat part where the cabochon and iris sit. I then continued to blob on UV resin (Gel Nail polish) until the shape was smoothed out and it was shiny. I like the size of these irises but I wanted to try to experiment.    These eyes were from Tioh and already had an indented iris and pupil. I used acrylic paints to color the iris and pupil. (I messed up one pupil.) Once the paint was dry, I filled in the indent with UV resin. My paint job kind of ruins this but I want to see how they look in the face. I'm not sure if large or small irises are better.  I'm also painting the teeth and gums for the mouth pieces.  Painted and sealed with

 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)

I was revisiting some of my sketches for Goro's fox form that I made awhile ago.  The first image is the ideal look I want for the puppet except the front paws aren't quite right.  The correct vibe and anatomy. Wrong face, but correct front paws. The character concept for Goro is a dragon-blooded kitsune. This is why he has scales down his back and more dragon-like front paws. However, I must consider how to make this in puppet form! There are few things these front paws need to do:  Support the puppet by hooking into my clothes with claws Have a bit of weight to hold it in place Keep a round, finger paw shape Support the wire frame and remain posable Method 1: Sewing The easiest method would be to simply sew and stuff the paws more like a lizard or frog. This would give them the correct shape. The downside is that squishy front paws won't "hook" onto my clothes as easily because stuffing deforms. Even if the claw portions are a hardened material, it won't dis

 I finished crocheting the top. I'm much faster at crochet than any form of knitting but the stretch of knitting is so nice! To make this more secure, I'm going to use elastic in the back corset to keep things tight. I'm also going to make a little cloth bit that goes around the neck band and snaps in the back. Got some snap tape because sewing in individual snaps is kind of a drag. I'll likely sew in some bra cups as well to help it keep the right shape.  This crochet pattern is available for free on Ravelry: Primrose High Neck Halter . Um...yeah that's it. Short post...for once. 😜

 My brain has ping-ponged into all aspects of this costume and for now I'm looking into how to make the Shrine Maiden Costume. I am utilizing all my experience with making kimono and kimono-like costumes to make this. Not really futzing much with the original look.    Design Considerations Accuracy with some flare Making room for puppet arm vs regular arm Simplifying the design so it's not a hassle to wear and keep on (I hate having to worry if my pants will slide off or something.) Pieces/Layers Juban/Undershirt For style points, I'm making this red. The "Puppet" arm may need extra consideration such as an opening in the Juban sleeve at the front or under the arm. I could also do this for both sleeves so I can switch primary puppet arm if I wished.  Kimono This will be a plain color or small patterned top with semi-detached sleeves. The left sleeve will be the primary "puppet sleeve".  The length of the kimono will only come just above the knees...to sa

 The production of this costume has been as elusive as a unicorn. In part because I've put some kind of extra pressure on myself to have a certain look for my dance. So, hopefully, writing this will help me nail down some of my indecision. (Spoilers: It does!) Source Inspiration The theme of the dance is Night at the Movies, and I picked "The Last Unicorn". I will be dancing a rumba to the opening theme. I knew I was going to be "the unicorn" and my partner will be another character. (I'm hoping the red bull.)  Design Considerations In any costume design there's both a practical and aesthetic consideration.  Dance Costume Considerations Because I will be dancing with a partner, I need to make sure that my garment is out of our feet's way, I can move my arms and legs freely, and I don't have any costume malfunctions. So the major points of consideration are:  - hem length: I want to avoid catching the hem on my heel or have my partner trod upon a

Progress Report Time! The beginnings of the puppet are taking shape. The focus has been on getting the head infrastructure in place.  3D model by Tioh So this was kind of the "easy" part. I resized the models to fit the sketch size and then just let it print. I mean nothing too fancy. I've temporarily attached the lower jaw with zip ties but I'm not mad at how it's been working so far so I may just keep the zip ties on. 🤷  I did the same thing for the eye mechanics Original by Tioh The mouth was also resized and printed. These were so tiny but proportional so glad I didn't have to sculpt them.  A beautiful fit! Now the models still need some work. The eyes and teeth need to be the proper colors. The inside of the head needs a few things to prepare for internal mechanics. But before getting into all that, I will have to create a pattern for the fabric covering the head. I'll be taping down masking tape or painter's tape over saran wrap. The tricky part

 Since I have settled on a front-carrying design, I started delving into more research on making hand puppets in general.  Size Reference Diagram The Plan (Currently) Most of the sculpting will be done with 3D printing instead of clay. I just prefer to do things this way. The body framework will include armature wire, EVA foam, and I will most likely sculpt the paws from clay. I plan to cover the body with a mix of felt, Minky, and brushed-out acrylic yarn. The puppet will open and close its mouth and blink.  Prep Work  So far I've been doing a search for 3D models and finding the scale. Once I found a good base for the head, I had to figure out how big this thing would be. I found my oversized drawing paper, traced my arm in the "puppet position", then started building out the puppet around it. I will use the drawing as a guide when creating the frame of the body and sculpting the paws.  3D Models I'm using several free 3D models by Tioh on Thingiverse including the

 When I originally started thinking about a puppet-related costume, I came up with three ideas: Rod/Cable Puppet Kasugai Crow Hand Puppet Goro the Kitsune Walk-along/marionette Kirin/Unicorn The reality is I can't do it all. As you may surmise from the title of this post, my focus for now is on the Goro puppet. Like I said, I had been plotting out all three and have some pretty interesting research results from my time spent figuring out how to make a crow, but I'd be much happier making yet another kitsune. I have the things that I like! And right now, it's Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, and Kitsune. I'm simple like that.  I'm rambling, aren't I? The Inspiration and Initial Research The character I have in mind is from my visual novel project (6 years so far in the making). He is highly anthropomorphized, expressive, and mischievous. However, I have never made a puppet of this nature so I need to ensure I do not over-complicate the design.  His beast form At t