Modesty's Costume Closet

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. 😜

 I'm going to share a bit of my process for making decisions. Lately, I have been assailed by indecisiveness and fretting about costume colors. So, I've sat myself down and did some practical things to help make these decisions.  Requirements This will require visual aides so either use a drawing that you will trace and color in or scan in a drawing to manipulate on art software. I use Photoshop but you can use any program that lets you dump colors and change layers.  Process Brainstorm :  Find inspiration based on costume themes or favorite colors or common color compliments for clothes or traditional cultural colors.  Create a cookie cutter template where you can place the colors generally where they need. If you are doing this physically, make sure the linework is bolded so you can retrace and try other colors.  Look at them all side-by-side.  Eliminate first by 'feeling'. "I'm not crazy about this combo." "Not my vibe." "Just not into it...

 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 ...

It is very difficult for me to settle and just do one thing. Maybe it's a generational thing to have so many choices that we're paralyzed when told we have to pick one. (Story of my dating life. 😅) In my efforts to declutter my apartment and start gaining some focus, I've been reflective of how I manage so many projects. Or rather...start so many and rarely finish.  Always making the same mistakes... So, one thing I've been trying to be good about is prioritizing projects before buying supplies and starting them. However, I failed to realize something until well...today. There's the LOGIC of setting a priority but my anxious mind tries to sabotage that. So Story time... A Tale of Two Dresses On my list of costumes to make is a green dance dress for St. Patrick's Day, a costume for a dance performance in June, and the big puppet and costume for Halloween. All of these costumes have due dates. Not a bad thing to have, it helps set priorities. By logic, the priori...

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...