marzipanandminutiae:

marzipanandminutiae:

“burgundy crepe georgette fabric” none of those words are fibers

Satin, Sateen, Georgette, Crepe, Velvet, Velveteen, Charmeuse, Brocade, Damask, Chiffon, Taffeta, Dupioni, Broadcloth, and Twill are not the names of fiber types. they are weaves. if I want to know what something is made of, and the description just says the weave, that tells me nothing

cotton is a fiber. wool is a fiber. silk, linen, viscose, lyocell, modal, hemp, rayon, and my despised enemies polyester and lycra are fibers. “Vegan” anything is a fiber that’s lying to you about not being plastic, but that’s a separate conversation

identify. a fabric. with useful terms.

(via marlequinncos)

fabrickind:

Hello everyone!

This is a tutorial to make a detached collar and (faux) French cuffs. I intended this to be for Playboy Bunny-style costumes, and that’s a good use for them, but I can see people wanting to make these for fashion purposes or other costumes, as well. 

The collar is functional and buttons at the neck, and the cuffs are functional but use a snap on the inside and decorative buttons sewn to the outside to imitate the look of cufflinks. This makes them easier to deal with during a con day and makes it easier to either make custom “cufflinks” or to use what you have in your sewing stash rather than buying or attempting to make actual cufflinks.

Keep reading

amazonmandy:

Elitism in supplies: Are we still on this? I’m always a little bummed to see the discussion going around the cosplay community where ppl judge others for not using “professional” enough supplies. If you have access to expensive fabrics, laser cutters, embroidery machines (I want one, too!!), and more, that’s amazing, but stop criticising those who don’t.

I made these costumes ages ago, before high end supplies even existed. The eyes on Washu are Mountain Dew bottles, and Seras’ gun is all plumbing supplies. Ifurita’s staff was plastic bottles I cut up, my Draenei bow was insulation foam. I feel like nowadays if I used those supplies I’d be dragged for it, which is so sad.

Please remember at the end of the day we are all playing dress up, even those of us doing it for a living, and tearing someone down over it seems so ugly and unnecessary. Uplifting others lifts you, as well.

squeakadeeks:

Fabric overview: Neoprene scuba

next up on my favorite fabrics is neoprene scuba! This is a newer fabric to me but once i started using it, i couldnt stop haha.

neoprene scuba is a polyester double knit fabric with a sponge-spacer in between that can vary in size from barely noticeable to 3mm or more. its sometimes referred to as spacer fabric as a result. the term “scuba” can be thrown around a lot, but it typically refers to a thick, double knit poly fabric. It will usually have stretch via the knit weave. (this is something to watch out for, consistency in labeling is worth making note of)

I love neoprene scuba for its ability to hold smooth, defined forms. the thickness is great for smoothing, and the spongey layer gives it a good, shapely body structure. plus the double knit weave creates a soft finish. because of these properties, its my #1 go to for cartoony costumes.

neoprene scuba is also great for bodysuits and form-fitting things as well due to its smoothing properties. I like it a lot for boot covers.

Typically the two main things i use scuba for are bodysuits and capes. Capes for the shape, bodysuits for the smoothing. also it doesnt fray much so I have on occasion left edges raw!

Things to watch out for: 1) as was alluded to, its not easy to shop for. because of the variation in sponge thickness, if youre buying online its not easy to tell if youre getting a thinner, standard double knit or a true spacer scuba. also the terms can be hard to track from neoprene, scuba, spacer, bonded wetsuit fabric, etc. it takes some footwork to find the right fabric. 2) by nature, its a stretch fabric and its not easy to make…unstretchy. this stretch can pose challenges for draping, especially on capes. 3) its heavy and its itchy. no surprise that twice the layers of fabric mean that it can get heavy fast, and the sponge layer is made of little polyester pokers that can irritate the hell out of skin. lining a bodysuit or finishing internal seams is a must. 4) neoprene isnt easy to top stitch. its like trying to top stitch marshmallow. i havent been able to top stitch neoprene in a way that doesnt create a rounded bump effect (which hey, you might even want depending on the application). 5) its a thick heavy fabric, so its another needlesnapper when sewing. also because the dual layers, pressing seams is not always easy. 6) sometimes it has a waterproof finish that makes paining hard, ive also had the sponge layer *literally* suck paint up when trying to airbrush it. (again, think about how applying watery paint to a sponge would go)

despite the downsides, its a fast favorite of mine. what it can do well, it does *so* well. its a special fabric thats akin to sewing with a thin layer of plush marshmallow (as as mentioned…pros and cons to that)

I get my neoprene fabric from big Z mostly, but its also offered at fabric wholesale direct and spandex world. jo anns also has some fascinating scuba suedes that im a big fan of as well. it has a price point between 9-20$ a yard.

squeakadeeks:

Fabric highlights: Microsuede

I get a lot of questions about material choices, so I thought it would be cool to do little overviews of my favorite materials! (since to be honest, i pretty much just rotate between 3-4 fabric types haha)

Starting with microsuede, my all time favorite and most used material choice. Microsuede is a faux suede made from lots of tiny polyester microfibers split and combined together. its similar in feel to natural suede but distinctly different in its overall fabric drape. It can sometimes have stretch, but usually its a non-stretch fabric. (also not to be confused with microfiber!! mircofiber fabric is similar but its much softer, its the material that cleaning wipes for glasses/screens are used of.)

Some of the advantages of microsuede is its a thick, sturdy fabric. Personally I find it a very friendly fabric due to its thickness and body. Its a great choice if you want something to have some heft to it and structural support. It presses well and can hold folds like the dickens. Its both easy to work with and easy to make a garment that looks nice out of imo. It comes in all kinds of weights from apparel to upholstery. I’ve personally never used heavy duty, true upholstery weight microsuede so I cant speak much to that, I tend to use microsuedes intended for apparel.

Another great advantage of microsuede is it has an inherent, mottled texture. this is great for making simpler, color blocked designs still have visual interest.

It also takes to adhesives well due to the fuzzier texture, meaning the glues can grisp with more surface area (you just might have to press it in a bit, its still a poly fabric so its not the easiest thing to get hot glue to stick to but by god it can be done).

But microsuede is not a one-size-fits-all fabric. One, the stiffness it has can be a downside if you want a more flowy drape, it would rather fold and crease than flow. Two, its a pain to paint or use HTV on, the fuzzy texture is a downside here. Three, It can also show needle holes if you have to seam rip depending on what you used. You can use a universal needle on microsuede dependings on the weight (I usually do). But its still a thick fabric so be sure not to use too thin of a needle, i also have luck using medium pressure and a walking foot. but all the same ive lost many a needle to microsuede via snapping.

Another thing is personally i find that due to its texture, it looks more homespun and rugged, as such I would hesitate to use it if i wanted a costume to look more regal or formal (i still used it on thistle though lol so its all about the particular use-case)

I source my microsuedes from Big Z primarily (like literally 90% of the time) but I also use fabric wholesale direct, and jo anns, who despite their markups does have some very nice quality suedes, i love their stretch suedes in particular.

I love microsuede. its probably my favorite fabric to use and I will even change my plans on a costume just to use it!

lucerocosplay:

Break down of my melon soda float prop for my Sailor Jupiter Bunny Suit build. You could easily tweak this for any other drink prop and the majority of materials were sourced from Daiso, including the tray it velcros to so it’s fairly low budget.

Keep reading

squeakadeeks:

some information about how I shape my cosplays!!!

(via marlequinncos)

silencedrowns:

matching some of our cel collection to my Classe Wig swatches for cosplay pedantry

alt is nearly impossible but specific choices and thoughts on them after pics!

Rose of Versailles

• Oscar: GD14
• Rosalie: GD28

Dear Brother

• Fukiko: GD05 or GD06 are both close, GD08 depending on skin tone
• Kaoru: BR03 (we didn’t hate RB04 either if you need a redder color)
• Rei: absolutely no match in Classe and weirdly enough, after holding up other swatches to her, none of the better matches read well as Rei! It’s a bizarre color. Just get Coscraft Pale Olive, the only color that I’ve seen that actually reads as Rei

Slayers

• Xellos: PP12 for a true match to the lighter parts, PP14 if you want to go darker
• Lina: OR03, but OR04 would be okay if it’s better on your skin
• Amelia: PP10, or if you want lighter and less saturated, PP14 isn’t bad

JoJo OVA

• Dio Brando: GD21
• Polnareff: GD09

Turn A Gundam

• Harry Ord: S12

pippenpaddlopsicopolisthethird:

silhouette-cosplay:

Some ramblings about fitting for cosplay!

[Image ID: Screenshots of a twitter thread by silhouettecosplay. The thread reads:

One thing I’d love to see more cosplayers, especially competitive cosplayers focus on is ✨️fit.✨️ I see so many costumes both online and when I’m judging that are made from beautiful materials with wonderful embellishments, but the base garments do not fit them well. 🥲

Someone can have really intricate embroidery or perfectly finished armor pieces, but then the sewn pieces are stretched or dragging or baggy where they shouldn’t be, and it kinda diminishes the whole look. Details are great, but they’re better over a solid foundation.

Rigging/proprtion also fall into this area - maybe their materials are spot on, but if their pauldrons are slipping off because of weight or their bodice is too tight because they focused on “accurate” shapes instead of adjusting to their own body, those things are noticeable!

And if these things aren’t a concern for you personally, that’s fine! Many ways to cosplay. But I encourage folks who want to up their construction game to really take the time to improve their fit. Make mockups, do math, do some reading on alterations and fit adjustments.

I’ve talked a lot in the past about the importance of neat and tidy finishes, but the best pressed and hand finished seams won’t look good if they aren’t actually fit to your body.

Pressing seams does help, of course! Other things like properly made darts, clipping and notching curves, stay stitching curved edges, and marking your stitching lines instead of relying on seam allowance can all improve the fit of your costume.

Additional tips include:

• Doing mockups and fittings with the undergarments you plan to wear
• Building from the inside out so each layer fits the one below it
• Planning your attachment points from the beginning
• Practising techniques on scraps of your real fabric

I cannot stress enough the importance of foundations. Especially in competitions, all the bling and embellishment in the world will not hide the actual construction!

End ID]

(via marlequinncos)

queenofzan:

ramshacklefey:

cognitivejustice:

Download this easy DIY clothing repair guide (only 10 pages) from Uni of Kentucky

link to PDF

https://fcs-hes.ca.uky.edu/sites/fcs-hes.ca.uky.edu/files/ct-mmb-147.pdf

fcs-hes.ca.uky.edu

Excellent resource if you’re new to sewing and want to start doing some clothing repair!

Professional seamstress here, who has taught intro to sewing many times, saying: this guide is excellent!

(via leafstranger)