Modesty's Costume Closet

 My recent failures with creating a silicone mold have prompted me to dig deeper into the processes of creating a mold of an object to cast in a different material. I'm going to start with the basics: What is Casting? A cast is a reproduction of an original item in new material.   Common Materials to cast with:  Resin Plaster Plastic Wax Latex/Rubber/Silicone Food (Ice, Chocolate, Hard Candy, etc) Molten Metal  Common methods for casting are:  Slip Casting - makes a thin layer, commonly used for latex masks 2-part Cast - Make a mold with 2 halves sandwiched together  Pour Mold - put material into a divot  What is a Mold? FYI, this didn't work out. A "mold" is an imprint of an object that we can pour the material into.  Common materials to make a mold with:  Plastic Silicone/Rubber Metal Clay Plaster What is a Buck? A "buck" is what we call the subject of the casting, the original piece, so to speak. Whether you are sculpting something to cast later or have a

 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

I get on kicks or fads every so often. Lately, I've been bitten by a knitting bug...and while researching those techniques brought up an old video I had watched about someone building a big sleeve dragon puppet, and it was all over from there. Now, I'm on a puppet kick. Puppet props, not puppet costumes like fursuits. That's a post for another time.  Design Considerations Size and Weight For any prop, you need to carry around or transport, you must consider how big it is and its weight. I'm not saying your puppet has to be small and lightweight...but know your limits. You don't want it to be so light that it breaks easily, either. I guess durability  is another feature you'd want to consider.  Desired motion and manipulation style How do you want the puppet to move? Will it open and close its mouth? Wiggle its ears? Blink? Wink? Have glowing eyes? Walk!? Once you decide how you want it to move, you need to figure out how to make that motion happen with the struc

 My posts have been sparse of late but as I mentioned, I have been helping with costumes for a play at my church. It's given me a lot more insight into costume production, considerations for this unique situation, and how much my technical writer job came into play.  Really lit up! The Boar's Head Pageant This is a medieval play about the Epiphany. It depicts the medieval celebration of the Boar's Head feast and its new role as a celebration of Christmas and the Epiphany (the visit of the Magi). It's a Christian thing to put on this part medieval and part Christmas pageant. My parish had its first Boar's Head Pageant in 2003 and has put it on nearly every year since. We did not put on any production during the pandemic so instead of celebrating the 20th annual, it's the 17th. We're getting there!  The first portion of the play includes lots of singing of carols, both common and obscure, professional and not-so-professional performances. The second portion of

 It's been a great year for costumes and getting into various yarn crafts, and it shall continue into next year. Here's what I've been thinking for potential costume projects next year.  In Progress  Demon Slayer in Yarn  This is has been a fun experiment that I've fallen in love with. I've knitted a shawl, one sock, crocheted some sandals and almost finished a sweater! I hope to finish the other sock, some legwarmers and the sweater next year so I will have a Flame Hashira outfit in mostly yarn. I'm not knitting pants.  It has advanced my knowledge of knitting techniques and skills to the point where I am considering making a pattern book of anime and video game inspired knit projects. I'll have to actually make these projects and figure out how to demonstrate things. My camera work is mediocre at best, but I may be able to get away with making illustrations here and there.  Goro the kitsune I feel like I've very much neglected this almost finished proj

I've been experimenting with knitting socks on the loom. I found a tutorial on sandal socks and have adapted it to suit the loom I have. I've been able to knit ONE sock so far and it does fit, so successful test!  Supply List In the Round Loom (suggested below)  Sock Loom CinDwood wedge Loom KB Universal Loom KB Flexee Skinny  Loom Pick Stitch Markers Yarn Needle/Darning Needle Tape Measure Calculator  Technique List Basic Cast-ons, Bind off, Knit stitches, purl stitch, etc Kitchener Cast-on Drawstring Cast-on German Short Row Heels and toes Short Row Heel and Toes Kitchener Stitch Measurements For Tabi, these are the important-to-know measurements so you know how many pegs you'll need to cast on and how many rows you need to get Length.  Circumferences Ball of Foot Big Toe Group of Little toes Lengths Whole Foot Base of Toe to Ankle bone (insole) Length of Big Toe Length of Index Toe Length of Pinky Toe More Detailed Explanations The Best Way to Loom Knit Socks That Fit Co

Similar to how I came up with the concept of Wisteria Fox, I'm going to try to explain the round-about way I came up with my designs for my Polish Vampire Hunter. Inspiration Sources Primarily, I have wanted to make a traditional Polish dress and embroidered vest. I have everything I need for it...except patience. 😜 So keep that sitting on the backburner for many years and add in the armor making course I took. Which made me want to turn this folk art vest into folk art bodice armor. Which leaked into my Lotara the Drow design.  THEN came the fanfiction. I'm a big fan of a variety of vampire hunter related media...and I really didn't realize until now how prevalent it was. Some of the big influences were:  Castlevania Demon Slayer Vampire Hunter D Blood+  Vampires are fun characters. Going from General to Specific So that's the influence, but the inspiration came from research! At first, it was just a general idea of what would be traditionally appropriate. Some inspir