Modesty's Costume Closet

 Continuing from my previous post on my adventure with this potential yarn project: Tomioka's Haori. Once I knew how much yarn I'd need, I needed to buy it. However, turns out 15 balls of yarn is expensive! (Who knew!?) So...this started me on a journey of research for the best price! This leads me to consider other yarn brands and yarn weights.  Finding Similar but Cheaper Yarn It will be a roll of the dice whether you're lucky to find a more economical price and have the yarn include all the same features as your original plan or whatever the pattern called for. This is where the internet helps us. Some websites have categories of different yarns that you can search by weight, fiber type, price range, gauge, and more. Ravelry has an extensive yarn database. But I also like to use Yarnsubs.com.  Search engines or AI can help identify alternatives for you as well by typing in "an alternative to brand name yarn".  Or you can go to your preferred yarn shop in person...

 I have no focus lately. 😝 But I have be weirdly distracted by a potential NEW yarn cosplay project...Tomioka's Haori. Went to see the Infinity Castle movie at the theater and remembered that I had made a color chart. So busted that out...saw I did the cube pattern wrong and fixed it. Also re-calculated measurements and adjusted things because I had set it to the gauge for loom knitting...and I'm going to crochet this one.  But that's not the point of this post...just the inspiration. This post is going to be the various ways I tried to estimate how many balls of yarn I'd need for this project. So...here are the facts. This is my own pattern and it is untested! I know the brand and colors I WANT to use but we'll see how much of a budget buster that will be. As well as a yarn stash hog.  Okay, so there are 4 methods I'll suggest. Incremental Pattern Inspiration Weight + Area Measurement Weight + Stitch Count Incremental Purchasing This is a method that takes bas...

 The design frenzy has settled down. The initial excitement wanes a bit as expected. But there is still more to think about. While I'm pleased with the potential ideas, there are a few things I should consider on a more logical and practical basis. For example, what's going to be the challenge in making this dress? How expensive do I think it will be? Is my production plan the best way to make this? When it comes to accessories, what will be great for dancing and what will get in the way or become an annoyance?  Current preferred Design Lets start with determining potential Accessories. Accessory Evaluation Going off my drawing, here are the accessories I might use:  Feathered Headband Stud Earrings Long Pearl Necklaces  Ornamented Necklace Black Gloves Gold bangle bracelets White Feather Boa Ornamented Belt/Sash T-strap Mary Jane Shoes A couple of non-negotiables include the shoes and at least one other Flapper staple such as the headband or pearls.  For dancin...

 This may be a bit tangential from my usual topics but it was inspired by some character bounding shawl ideas I had so we can tie it into that. But Ombre or Gradient yarn cakes are really pretty. I have been crocheting with one. However, the challenge comes with finding the right colors in the right sequence. So that go me curious as to how to make my own Ombre yarn. So here's what I've researched as possible ways to get that color change effect along with some of the pros and cons of each.  1. Purchase Skeins of Colors Sticking with the idea of using solid color yarns, you purchase yarns in the colors you want and create the cake. However, color choice is important here. To make the change of color more gradual, you will need yarn colors in the transitional color. So if I'm going for yellow to red, I may get an orange that is a good blend of those colors. The more "steps" of colors you get the more gentle the transition is between colors. Below is a video example...

In preparation for my next sewing project, I wanted a cutting table but I have no room in my apartment for more furniture. I also want a better surface to iron on that's bigger than my ironing board. Currently I cut my fabric on the floor which is fine for smaller projects. But making my hakama was really testing my physical limits. So to avoid further spinal aches, I wanted to lift my fabric prep from the floor to a table.  I have a cheap, long card table that used to be my main crafting table when I first moved to Texas. It's a good height but the surface is shot due to years of sloppy crafting. It's a long, narrow table which is going to work well (I hope) for my kimono sewing. However, I want to make the surface smooth and clean so it's easy to cut. My current cutting board is too wide for the table. So my first objective was to figure out how to make this table a better surface for cutting fabric.  Cutting Board As long as you're using scissors to cut, a cuttin...

 We have confirmation that I will be partaking in Smooth for the mini-match.  But I'm going to do the cost analysis for both because I'm feeling  both. Let's start with the current plan.  Modified Flame Dress  Base Dress = $115 Rit Dye Synthetic = ~$11 each (I need 2 Red and Orange) Metallic Spandex .25 Yard of Red = ~$4 Gold/Bronze = Owned $0 (or $4 each) Fire Opal Rhinestones = $5 - $6 Siam Red Rhinestones = $5 - $6 White Rhinestones = Owned $0 Fabric Spray Glue = $10 New Base Dress = $60 Red Elastic = $5  Alt: Found a dress in the color scheme and base design that I like for only $60 and free shipping.  Potential Total = $153 - $170 Alt Cost = $82  (This also negates the need for dye or red spandex) Work Time = 2 days (1 day dye and cutting fabric, 1 day applying applique and rhinestones) Supply Shipping = Dress, Stones, fabric glue, elastic 1 - 5 days Flame Dress (From Scratch) White Power Mesh 1 yard = $6 White Spandex 1 yards = $11 Red Spand...

 Shame on me for not posting sooner, but the Unicorn dance costume was a success! (A proper post-mortem will come later.)  However, I've decided to enter my first competition. Just a mini-match for now but I will need a dress for it. Which of course, is very exciting when it comes to "what should I wear?" I've been Pinning ideas for different dress shapes, colors and designs and maybe overwhelming myself. So, it's time to hit pause and layout some design considerations as well as practical ones. Let's start with practical.  Practical Considerations - Budget and Investment These are the pillars of practical decisions for costumes (and other creative things): Budget and Investment.  Budget = what you can spend/spare in terms of time, money, space, and energy. Basically it's what you have on hand already.  Investment = what you can put into a project in terms of time, money, space, and energy. It's more about capacity. My analogy of this is Investment is ...

 I'm writing this in hopes to help myself really. I struggle with this so much! Now, I do end up finishing many projects but my apartment has become a testament to my impulses. So, let's dish about focus and starting too many things at once.  ✨SPARKLY!✨ The "sparkle" is meant to grab your attention, that is its job. My tendency is to follow it probably farther than I want. HOWEVER, much like the psychology of advertising I find inspiration can often be that distraction that pulls me away from a current project.  Here's what I mean.  I'm currently working on my puppet design. It needs a lot of research for the parts I want to make for it. The pinterest board is very full and more is added to it all the time. (I really need to organize it.) As I'm researching how to make the scales, I find the silicone scale tutorial video. Instead of just leaving it as research, I start looking at other videos by the same person because there are related topics like what ki...

After many years of being away, I'm planning a trip with friends to the Texas Renaissance Faire. It's been a good 5 or 6 years since I've been there. My first true Ren Faire was at my undergraduate school Grand Valley State University and I made a dress with my mom's help. (We used a commercial pattern.)   First Ren Faire 20+ years ago!  First Ren Faire Costume Considerations The two biggest things to know about Ren Faires are that they are an outdoor venue with lots of walking . Just like any county fair if you think about it. Also, it is important to note that dressing up in garb or costume is OPTIONAL . It is not a requirement although it is very fun.  If you do want to wear something special, you need to consider:  Weather Conditions - based on what region you are in. It's HOT where I am, but you may be blessed with chilly fall weather. Time Budget - how long do you have before the Faire? Funds Budget - how much do you want to spend or can you spend? Com...

 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 charact...