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

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

Dressing up and feeling good are important factors for the hobby of costuming. Yet, it can be easy to get caught up in trying to replicate a character's look as accurately as possible. In many cases, it is IMPOSSIBLE. Yet, that can be a hard thing to accept. My body does not look like most of the characters I want to dress up as. And this becomes discouraging at best and depressing at worst.  Overcoming the desire for accuracy in the face of impossibility is important for moving forward. But getting close is possible. Here I will go over how you can achieve "the look". Method 1 - Find Common Features I did have a lot of similar features. The easiest method is choosing a character that shares many of your features! This will save you a lot of headache throughout the process and can save you money. Characters to choose from are diverse in body shape, hair style, height, body colors and so on. Choosing a character with a similar or possible hair style saves you from needing

Part of designing costumes is finding a way to pick from many solutions. Limiting these choices can be the art of design.  I have some of my own "Guiding Principles" or Design Principles when it comes to costume design. Some of these constraints are based on non-mutable factors. (Or currently difficult to change.) The fun ones are a bit on the arbitrary side. These are self-imposed limitations for the costume that as a designer I decide to apply to any given costume.  The point of these principles is to help you make a final decision if you are paralyzed by many choices. I may get hung up on some pretty silly things, so at the very least, this helps me move forward and kind of imply that I had a plan all along.  Immutable Design Principles We might run into some touchy subjects here but whatever, here we go! Immutable principles are either constraints your life situation has you in at any given time or core beliefs about what you wear. This can mean things like religious beli

 In the previous post , I laid out how to describe different aspects of fabric when trying to find a good fabric for your costume. This post will go over ways to apply those terms and actually pick out a fabric for your costume. I will attempt to teach by examples.  4 Avenues of Research Cheat! I mean...look at other cosplays. You can often find images of photoshoots which make for better references than illustrations. If you are lucky, the costume maker may have posted a journal about how they made their costume or at least list the materials they used.  Check for Suggestions in Sewing Patterns Sewing patterns will list suggested fabrics to use for the costume. Pop those terms into a search engine and see the results.  Historical, Cultural, or Real Life Examples With a search engine or books, you can find out about how clothes were made back in the day or what materials are used around the world. You can also check the tags on your clothes to see what it's made of.  Narrow down to