Modesty's Costume Closet

Duct tape Dummy or a Duct tape mannequin is a quick way to create a replica of your body for all kinds of projects. From being a dress form to creating a pattern, Duct tape dummies (DTD) are incredibly useful for all kinds of costume projects.  However, if you are trying to make a full body DTD, you'll need assistance to make it. It may also destroy some of your clothing in some methods. And you may not feel comfortable making one as it is restrictive.  The primary reasons for making a DTD are to make patterns for clothes or armor. Because it is easy to translate the 3D form into a 2D pattern.  Puppet head covering pattern. Personally, for things like gloves or boot covers, I have no trouble making a DTD of an arm or a leg. But full body I need a different approach.  Method 1: Silhouette Tracing As a kid, I remember having a criminal outline done on banner paper of myself. It is still a viable approach although now I may need to tape pieces of banner paper side by side. You can kin

This post will offer ways you can put design onto fabric to match a character for cosplay or just to have a cool design on your garment.  The 3 main "categories" or methods are:  Painting Applique Sublimation/Screen Printing Painting This is the most accessible and often cost effective way to put a design onto fabric.  The benefits are: Can match character designs exactly Color availability Flexibility  Often inexpensive (although, you can always find a way to spend too much.) Some of the downsides: Sometimes only specific types of paint will work for your fabric (dark, stretch fabric, sheer, etc) It can be tedious for large amounts of fabric Some paints can crack, fade or even wash out in water Requires a steady hand and coordination Can get messy I like looking at Dharma Trading's website for research on what paints work best with whatever fabric I'm working with.  So there are many methods of painting fabric of all kinds. There's also a plethora of paint speci

 Continuing with our Mompe Hakama/Karusan-bakama we're going into some of the prep work for construction! See Part 1 for pattern drafting and design stuff .  NOTE : This is currently UNTESTED. I have sewn trousers before and pockets, but not button flies. I'll update this as I learn more with my actual experience. 🙈 Waist Band Closures A challenging part of this is that you WILL need closures. Because this is non-stretch fabric and we are not constructing traditional hakama, we must have an opening so we can get our trousers past our hips and up to our waist. However, I personally did not want to have that "J" shape fly on the front of my hakama and I wanted to have the closures hidden. So how to do this? I have a couple of options.  Buttons on the side Seams - I found a drawing I did where I drew a 1920s aviatrix with pilot pants and it had buttons up the side seams. I can hide the buttons easily enough and it is kind of like sasahida in traditional hakama. And the

The defining feature besides the pleats are the gathered portion of the trouser leg. I feel these can be the most complicated of the Hakama. So, I will have multiple posts. This post will go over design elements, other patterns, measurements, and pattern drafting. The next post will go into sewing instructions.  Update : Recently learned that Mompe is usually worn by female laborers and Karusan-bakama are the more ballooning type hakama seen in Demon Slayer. I will go over sewing for Karusan-bakama. Just wanted to make sure I had my facts on straight.  It still gathers at the ankle. You can see examples of this style of hakama in: Demon Slayer, Spirited Away, and Inuyasha.  Two Versions  So once again there is a more traditional look to these and a more western style to them. I'm leaning toward making this Demon Slayer style which definitely takes a more Western approach. However, the video that helped inspire this post shows a more Eastern Style with ties and sasahida if you prefe

The side openings on hakama can feel a bit exposing if you're not wearing a full kimono underneath or perhaps you just can't stand to be without pockets! While these things are not necessarily historically accurate for the area, you can make it work.  Modesty Panels These will be panels of fabric that hang from your waist at your sides where the openings of the hakama are. You can choose to attach these to the belts (himo) of your hakama or to make your own waistband.  You can use any kind of cloth but the idea is to use any left over clothe from making your hakama. But if you want different colors or prints go for it.  You will cut a rectangle with rounded corners that is 16" tall and about an inch wider than your side openings (sasahida). To keep it from fraying, either use a serger or overlock machine to finish the edges except at the top. Alternatively, use a zig-zag stitch on your regular sewing machine all around the edges except the top..  Make a waistband from elas

This is the classic style that you likely think of when you hear the word "Hakama". Very wide-legged pleated trousers worn by swordsmen and warriors. Admittedly these are "modern" hakama. There are variations based on historical time period and social status. But these should suit most cases.  So, lets go over how to make them!  You will see examples of this in many games and Anime but some faves of mine include: Rurouni Kenshin, Bleach, Demon Slayer, XXXholic, Hell's Paradise and Genshin Impact.  UPDATE 4/10/2024: I've redone all my instructions. Now that I've actually made a pair of hakama and found some more resources, I felt this needed updating.  From Chihirohowe's Guide Design Elements Color For modern or fantasy character design, no limits to color! You can also use print fabric and add designs! Historically, these would be a solid color and often have a neutral color scheme (white, grey, black, brown). More colorful hakama were usually worn

The bright red hakama with a white kimono is a common sight in both anime and video game characters. Shrine maidens or Miko also wear this combination of colors when they work at Shinto shrines. Honestly, there is a LOT of history and cultural significance wrapped up in this one.  Anime/Games: Inuyasha, Genshin Impact, Sailor Moon,  So let's talk Design. Design Considerations Cultural Significance This is one I'd pay attention to if I was creating a character of my own. I assume that already created characters have had this research done and have taken their artistic license.  Some of the research taught me a few things: The color is technically scarlet or vermillion, not "red". 🤷 Miko are not part of the Shinto clergy. Sometimes they are just seasonal workers.  Generally, Miko are young women in their teens or early 20s. After a certain age, they wear different colors.  This was based on Heian nobility colors and fashions.  Color Like I said earlier, the color is ve