in this house we have endless respect for cosplayers from the days before VCRs.
You couldn’t just rewatch the episode to look at all the details of the costume. You got lucky with press photos showing up in magazines or you just watched the episode/movie while sketching furiously
thinking about that one woman who made a Star Wars flight suit in 1977 entirely from trading cards and sketching details in the theater. or stories I’ve heard about old school Trek cosplayers getting the bizarre seam placements right by photocopying magazines onto overhead transparencies and projecting them onto butcher paper.
I’m a semi old school cosplayer (started in 2001) so some of the old school techniques are still things I learned on (I’ve sketched from stuttering VHS tapes on pause and used the overhead transparency trick)… what we have access to now for costume recreation blows what they had out of the water just in terms of reference material, let alone specialty costume supplies like thermoplastics and cosplay wigs.
taking some time today to discuss xiao! specifically the upgrades i made to him for metrocon 2023. i did so much experimenting with new techniques and materials, so i wanted to share that here to document, and maybe inspire some of my fellow artists/cosplayers!
i don’t think i could ever properly explain how happy i was after remaking xiao’s shirt. the previous version (which was purchased) fit really poorly, and the fabric was not great. it constantly pulled out from the waist of the pants and it practically blocked any airflow. the solution was simple: remake it from a bodysuit. that way the shirt not only stayed in place but also already gave me a much better form-fitting base to start out with. the mesh panel in the back was the part i worried about the most but ended up being the part i’m happiest with! i used power mesh that i hand dyed to be close to my skin tone (though the color isn’t very clear due to my binder’s color).
the swirling pattern on the bodysuit is a metallic white fabric paint. i made a digital drawing of the pattern on procreate, then printed it onto freezer paper. after cutting it out with an exacto knife, you can actually iron freezer paper onto fabric (shiny side facing the fabric) and it creates a nearly seamless stencil for fabric paint! i see myself using this technique a lot in the future, it’s literally perfect!!
the black leather piece at the neck and shoulders was my biggest obstacle. not only have i never worked with leather, but it is also a non-stretch material i’d be attaching to the collar/neck portion that very much needed to be able to stretch to be pulled on. thankfully the design worked out that i could have 2 closure points, one on the back of the neck and one at the front of the neck. the entire piece is hemmed by folding over and gluing the raw edge to the inside, then i glued hem tape over those raw edges to cover them and make them softer on the skin (the entire leather piece is unlined, due to its complex shape). all the visible edges of the leather were satin stitched to give them a clean, crisp edge. the gold appliqués on the front and back are 2mm eva foam covered in a gold stretch fabric, then glued onto the bodysuit with e6000!
the two white pieces that frame the mesh panel on the back gave me more difficulty than i expected. their shape is a bit deceiving, and needing them to lie flat on my back without sacrificing the stretch of the main garment meant i couldn’t just top stitch them onto the back. and while i’m not super happy with how they ended up aligning (where they meet at the top is much further down than i was aiming for), i still think it came out really nice!
and that’s the finished top!
here’s a front and back of the finished top! the sleeve is held up with clear bra straps that hook onto the inside of the shirt at the shoulder. all in all, i absolutely love how this newer shirt came out.
besides the shirt/bodysuit, the boots also got an upgrade! i snagged some boots on sale on amazon for $20, which was an insane steal! this style is very universal for so many costumes, and it also helps that the boots are comfortable and flat too! all of the accessories on the boots are affixed temporarily or from the inside (velcro, snaps, and elastic) so that the integrity of the outer boot remains untouched and i can reuse them for several costumes and even everyday wear. i also replaced the gold piece around the neck that holds the “scarf.” just like the pieces on the shirt, it is 2mm foam covered in gold fabric. this not only helps the gold elements feel more cohesive but also lies a lot more comfortably on my neck!
For Suletta, you will likely need to add some kind of structure in there, but you miiiiight be able to get away with just heat styling.
I would first try heating with a hair dryer or flatiron and teasing, and using that heat and teasing to get a nice base for the shape. Smooth some fiber over it with a flatiron to get it into shape, and spray it.
I have a feeling that won't be enough to hold the shape, so I'd recommend putting in some structure. Depending on what you are comfortable with and the effect you want, you can try putting a piece of wire in a heat-and-tease ahoge to hold the shape, you can use a longer piece of wire and bend it into the shape of the ahoge, anchor the wire in the wig, and do the heat-and-tease around that to get a more structured look, or if you want full structure, you can glue wefts down to a piece of wired stiff felt or craft foam to create the most structure possible. Doing the latter with the drill curl packing tape and wire method would also work -- just shape it differently.
Here's a few tutorials that may help. You basically just need to scale up a narrower ahoge tutorial, or adapt a drill curl tutorial to be an ahoge shape instead.
I love to see that you are doing Rune Factory cosplay!
That said, some parts of this will be very easy to thrift and modify, and others will need a little creativity and perhaps sacrificing of accuracy. I'd suggest something with fewer armor details for a first cosplay, but that's still doable with some work.
I'm coming at this from the angle that you are thrifting due to both skill level and budget.
From the top:
The grey shirt will be quite easy. Find a white or light grey ribbed shirt or sweater, cut off the sleeves and sew the edges so they don't fray. If you got a white shirt, check the fiber content -- I'd recommend a natural fiber like cotton -- and dye it to light grey. Use the cutoff sleeves to test the dye.
The vest is going to be difficult to get from a thrift store and alter due to the shape. You MIGHT be able to get a blazer or vest in the correct color and alter it, but that would probably be more difficult than making it from scratch.
If altering: remove the sleeves. Cut off the lapels and the collar. Cut open the front to the correct shape, and add the side dart to fit it, as well as fitting from the side seams.
If making: Alter a pattern to have the correct front opening shape, do a mockup, and take it in to fit.
The apron is easy -- simply take a rectangle of fabric, hem it, and sew a strip of fabric onto it so you can tie it around your waist. For the pockets, I'd do patch pockets and glue on fake rivets (painted googly eyes, anyone?). The zigzags can be done just with topstitching.
For the pants, you can buy the widest leg pants you can find, paint on the stripes, and take in the bottoms. You can use the excess fabric you cut off the length of the pants to create the cuffs.
For the armor, look through our website for armor tutorials -- I'd recommend foam for budget reasons.
Good luck! This will be a challenge to thrift most of, but with some mods, you can probably get something close enough.
This seems to be based off an Inverness coat, like the kind Sherlock Holmes is traditionally depicted as wearing.
I assume the part you are having trouble with is the cape assembly, which is exactly what an Inverness cape pattern will get you. The front needs to be open, which is easy to modify from almost any coat pattern with a center front opening (even a double breasted coat would be easy enough to modify to that center front opening), and it is held together in front by the belts.
The cape assembly will be the same as your pattern, but you will likely need to shorten the length of it. It also appears that the coat in question has a double cape -- I would shorten the cape pattern even further and shape it into that shape, and sew it to the longer undercape at the neck. When you sew the collar on, the edge there should be hidden.
The rest is basically changing the shapes of hems and such and adding surface decorations.
I would look into wing and tail harnesses for this (I'm thinking the big Ahri type tails, not just a single cat tail). You can adapt these types of harnesses depending on how close to your body you want the figures -- You can use them pretty much as-is if you want them very close to you, but might need to create some structure (additional wire? PVC pipe? Dowels? This will depend on your harness and how heavy your figures are) that holds them away from you and is hidden somehow by the figures themselves if you want a little distance.
Some ideas on the angels themselves:
Starch and cheesecloth, like those Halloween ghosts. Would need at least some internal structure to hold the shape, but might get a cool draped effect.
Fosshape, which is a fabric thermoplastic, but a bit pricey. This can make hollow forms without a lot of weight.
Inflatable dolls that get clothed. Also very cheap and light and wouldn't need much extra skill to sculpt.
Sculpt out of foam like a puppet or fursuit. (Fursuit tutorials might be a good place to look here)
A wire form with paper mache, foam, fabric, or other covering (chicken wire, perhaps?). This would be a bit heavier but would allow more flexibility.
It really depends on the look you want, your skill level, and budget, so hopefully one of these ideas sparks something in you.
This is a very timely ask because I've been off and on considering remaking my own Ulala cosplay (RIP to the one that I wore so much the fabric disintegrated) and might finally do it.
My first piece of advice is: this costume is somewhat advanced just because of the materials involved, but if you don't mind using different materials, it's not TOO bad.
I'll start with the shapes and types of patterns you should look for, because thankfully the shapes of this are easy. The top should have princess seams, likely armhole princess seams. This will get you that tightly fitted look over the bust, and you can take in the side seams and the princess seams just under the bust for a tighter underbust fit. The collar is probably a quarter or half circle -- mess with shapes on paper scale mockups until you get one that looks right.
The skirt looks like a half circle to me, but again, play around with paper patterns to get the right shape. Use a circle skirt calculator to get the measurements you need for the skirt and for your collar. (Be sure to use the waist measurement where the skirt sits, not your true waist!) These are used by taking a string or measuring tape and drawing a circle using the radius it tells you -- the waist radius is the inside of the donut and the full radius is the full length.
I'd recommend getting a pattern for gloves that have finger gussets, and basting the gussets in by hand before machine sewing. Since you're doing the white version, you can probably purchase boots rather than making bootcovers, and use a paint like Angelus leather paint for the platform.
The 5 logo can be painted on with fabric paint or ironed on with HTV. If you don't have an HTV cutter, you can do it by hand or find a friend with a die cutting machine (Cricut, etc.) to do it. If you choose to stencil, I'd recommend the freezer paper method.
Fabric is the hard part.
The way the costume is drawn makes it look like shiny PVC vinyl type fabric. This fabric is what makes it a bit advanced -- vinyl type fabrics (I'm including shiny, smooth stretch pleathers here that have the same look even if they're PU or a material other than vinyl) require some different techniques -- but switching the fabric to something less perfect for the look but easier to sew would greatly help. A shiny spandex would work if you added structure to the skirt, but you may find it difficult to sew.
I'd go with a slightly shiny but still structured woven material for a beginner sewist. A bottomweight cotton sateen would work quite well. If you don't mind something a bit more slippery but that is shinier, I'd go with a peu de soie (a type of heavy satin).
If you choose PVC, I'd personally go with something more structured than a thin stretch one, but not TOO thick because of the gloves. Order swatches when ordering online. The official costumes from the promo events when the game came out seem to be made of a similar material. (Look at those for reference!) If you go with PVC, you need to use a teflon foot or a walking foot for your sewing machine, otherwise the fabric will stick, and you need to be VERY careful about sewing and pinning because needle and pin holes will not close back up like with most fabric. I'd invest in some cheap sewing clips.
Regardless, the skirt and collar will need some added structure -- I'm looking at using fusible foam (like Pellon Flex Foam) for mine, as I just did a cosplay with fusible foam in the skirt and the shape was great. Just make sure you test it ahead of time to be sure it plays nicely with your chosen fabric.
She’s an absolute classic, but also a doozy, considering her cartoon proportions. This is not a beginner project, so I'm going to assume you already have some dressmaking knowledge and don't need the super basics like what type of pattern to use (find a strapless gown pattern, preferably with princess seams. You can hide the seams with careful cutting of the sequin material.)
My first piece of advice: saw “screw accuracy” and don’t have the low back. It would be nearly impossible to have the amount of bust support you will need while also keeping the low back.
My second piece of advice is to build a corset either into or under the costume. This way, you can get that bust support and maximum cleavage while also making your waist look as tiny as possible (even if you don't tightlace past an inch or two, it will still create the illusion of a much smaller waist!).
My third piece of advice is hip padding to really push those proportions. Wear two or three pairs of dance tights over the hip padding to squish down all the edges and give a seamless look.
For the actual sewing, you will need structure, structure, structure. I would advise looking into how actual ballgowns and red carpet dresses are made -- basically, you will use an understructure of much thicker and more stable fabric, bone that, possibly add some fusible fleece on top to smooth things, out, and then add the fashion fabric, which is the classic red sequin fabric. Even with a corset understructure, you will need this much support to keep the heavy fabric in place and smooth on your body. If you opt to not have a corset, this becomes even more important.
If you opt to go for the super low back...that is some highly advanced dressmaking, but I would recommend a Misses Kisses bra in that case if you want the extreme cleavage.
I hope that helps! The main problem with her dress is the proportions, not the actual sewing.
I'm assuming you want to do the classic Disney Sleeping Beauty in the pink/blue dress, since you didn't specify.
The hardest parts of this pattern to find will be the bodice and that neckline. If you can't find an all in one pattern (there seem to be plenty in kid's sizes, but maybe you struck out on adult sizes), you wil need to cobble this together.
The skirt and underskirt are thankfully the easiest patterns of all: circle skirts. I'd say that Aurora's skirt is a single full circle skirt, so 360 degrees of sweep. Luckily, this is the easiest type of circle to calculate for, and here is a calculator that can help you do it.
The pointy part seems to simply be an overlay on top of the skirt:
For the bodice, you want princess seams and a center front seam, but in order to get the distinctive V shape her bodice has, you have to make sure that the lines aren't equidistant down the bodice, but rather, come inward into that V shape near the bottom. The bodice of this pattern looks pretty close, as does this bodice. Here are two out of print options:12.Of course, the bonus of that second one is that it has the neckline included!
For a great blog of how this dress goes together (including showing the shape of the neckline collar piece), I would recommend taking a look here.
Keep in mind that you will want to add some boning to this bodice to it can keep shape.
What you want to do for this type of arm wrap is to make each "wrap" as a single piece, rather than trying to wrap the fabric every time and hope it stays.
There are two main methods of doing this: you can either sew the strip of fabric down to a tube of fabric, making sure there is enough stretch in the fabrics themselves to fit over your hand and arm, and then simply slip your arm into it.
The other method is basically the same, but if you have non-stretch fabric, you will need to create some sort of closure, like a separating invisible zipper, on one side so that you can take the item on and off.
Make your beading more sustainable by reusing beads from old or thrifted jewellery, or by getting your beads through thrifting or freecycling platforms.
Some ideas:
Beading can be used to make a picture come to life. It’s a nice way to decorate fabric or to make an art piece for your wall.
It can also be used to spruce up clothes you haven’t worn in a while, like this sweater and pair of jeans.
(Image source) [ID: close-up on the shoulder of a gray knit sweater embellished with beads and rhinestones.]
(Image source) [ID: close-up on the edge of a pocket of a light blue pair of jeans. The edge has been embellished with white and silver beads and pearls.]
Beads can also be used in visible mending to decorate a mend you’ve made.
(Image source) [ID: close-up of a hole in the knee of a pair of blue jeans. The rip has been patched with a black piece of fabric. Black beads have been sewn in and around the patch.]
Aside from mends, they’re also great to cover up stains with.
(Image source) [ID: close-up on a red knit sweater. An abstract patch of red, blue, and gold beads covers up a stain in the fabric.]
You can combine beads with different sewing techniques, such as embroideryfor example, to achieve different effects.
(Image source) [ID: an embroidered moon and stars in gold thread on a black fabric. Sequins have been sewn among them to add shine to the embroidery. A metal hoop with two birds lies in front of the embroidered piece.]
Conclusion:
Bead embroidery is a technique that can be used in a wide variety of ways to embellish your clothes, to hide mends, and to cover up stains. Experiment and have fun with it!
My husband and I went to Dragon Con. We live in Covington, Georgia…so
it is a staycation near home.We gone to Dragon Con a few times and a few more virtually (four total, so I am new) I love it.
We saw all the terrific costumes and
people at Dragon Con and my husband said, ‘wouldn’t it be great to
gather the scraps of the costumes and make and amazing Dragon quilt’. So he set up a PO Box and we decided to ask for six inch squares of
fabric so it would not be too overwhelming for me to sew and quilt.
There's several ways to go about this that I can see.
I would recommend a leather or faux leather for the belt itself. You can get one with a metallic finish if that's the look you are going for.
For the studs, you can either buy studs meant for making belts, or, for a cheaper option, use googly eyes, half pearls, or small stud cabochons that you paint. I'd use a rhinestone glue to attach these.
For the buckle, you have a couple of options. Cheapest would be something like craft/EVA foam or thin sheet plastic cut into shape. Luckily, the hand designs are fairly flat, so you can simply cut out the shape from a thin material and glue it to the surface of the faux buckle. I would hide a real buckle underneath. If you have access to resin casting and mold making, a sculpt that you cast in resin would work quite well, though this costs more money and requires more skill. If you have access to 3D printing, you may also be able to 3D print the buckle. Search around to see if someone has already made a file for it and use a service, or model your own.
For finishing the buckle, again, a few options. Plain metallic craft paint can look a bit cheesy, but it's a cheap and easy option if you want a more matte metallic look. An option for a very shiny metallic look is car wrap vinyl, which adheres to the surface and is shrunk down to fit with a heat gun, and gives a nearly mirror finish. For something this size, it's also worth looking into painting the surface and then buffing a chrome nail powder in whatever color your particular color scheme calls for onto it. This creates a very realistic metallic look, but tends to cover best on small surfaces. If you have trouble with it, try mixing it with a bit of clear varnish or some glue, or use it on slightly tacky glue. If the color scheme you are using allows for it, you can also use Rub n Buff, a wax-based product meant for coloring furniture and décor items that gives realistic metallic looks, but it generally comes in "natural" metal colors rather than, say, bright Jojo green.
This answer depends on a few things, such as what you are putting your wig on.
Here's a few solutions to troubleshoot what the issue is:
If the wig holder itself is stable, but the wig head keeps falling off of it:
You may need to either increase the size of the wig holder or decrease the size of the hole in the bottom of the wig head. A taller or thicker rod for the wig head to sit on would help. You should also check the bottom of the wig head to see the condition of the hole at the bottom: is the wig head old? Has the styrofoam worn away or smooshed down inside and around the edge of the hole? If so, retiring the wig head for display/storage only and getting a new one for styling would help, as this is very common with this type of material, or you can try making the hole smaller again by filling with another material (foam clay might work for that).
If the wig isn't on a stable base or holder:
This depends on the type of holder you are using. I find that a tripod or otherwise taller holder works quite well (I use a metal stand from a dressform that's basically a single vertical tube with feet for stability), though tabletop holders are often convenient. If you are using a tabletop holder, make sure it is stable on whatever surface you are using, and consider adding weights to the bottom to help hold it in place. If using a clamp-type holder, make sure that it is securely clamped to the edge of a table or other surface so that it doesn't wiggle when working. Wiggling is your enemy here.
If the wig head tends to move most with long wigs:
Use the above tips, and also treat longer and heavier wigs with care. Make sure the wig itself is well-secured, and consider placing the long hair on a table or other surface to hold the extra weight when not working on that part of the wig/when you don't need the hair to be free hanging.
The good news is that it is perfectly doable on a budget, but the bad news is that you may have to sacrifice on some of the features you want.
Lighted props, larger props, and transparent plastic props (especially shapes like spheres) are notoriously difficult and expensive to make in terms of materials. In a case like this, you will have to get creative.
One of the easier sacrifices to make will be the threaded part. This will open up your options widely in terms of base spheres you can use, each with pros and cons, but should still allow an opening for the lights.
Here are a few ideas for base spheres: - Clear plastic domes for light covers - Oversized plastic Christmas ornaments (this would be my choice, I think, as it is closest to what you are looking for). Look for one that says "fillable," like this one. - A play ball for children. You will likely have to look around to see if you can find a transparent or semi-transparent version, and create your own opening. - A pre-made globe lamp (another top contender imo, since the lighting is built in)
You can also attempt making a sphere, though this is less ideal: the striations in the original would make it possible to hide seams in plastic, and the fact that the bomb appears frosted may allow you to hide internal structure like that of a round lantern.
Lighted props like this can get pricey, so look around and get creative, even if it means doing a bit of reimagining of how it works.
This depends a lot on what you are painting onto the vinyl and how the vinyl is being used.
If you are working with vinyl fabric and want a complete color change: you are probably out of luck, but you can experiment with dyes for synthetic fabrics. I know these will dye clear vinyl and some pleathers, so it might be worth a shot.
If you are painting designs that need to be painted or are changing the color of shoes: Angelus leather paint is the go-to brand for this.
If you are painting shoes that don’t flex too much (so more shoes than boots): You might have luck with Design Master Colortool spray. This is a spray paint meant for both real and faux florals, so it is soft, and can be used on fabrics. Some cosplayers have had luck using this on shoes, though I don’t know if I would test my luck on something that bends a lot/is floppy like boots.
If you need large, geometric designs or anything else with hard edges and a single color: heat transfer vinyl will be your friend! Be sure to be VERY careful with the heat and use a press cloth. You don’t need a fancy die-cutting machine to use it, either, if you just need a one-off design and have good control with scissors and/or a craft knife. If doing multiples of a design or a very delicate design, you may need a machine (or to borrow a friend’s).
There’s a few things you can do here, with varying levels and types of skills involved.
For the clothing, you can either buy clothing or you can make clothing. If you make the clothing, look for silver metallic fabrics: silver lame, silver pleather or vinyl, silver foiled or silver mystique (foil dot) spandex, etc. These won’t be comfortable fabrics to wear, but you can get a more realistic metallic look this way.
If you buy clothing, start with a grey base and paint over it with fabric paint. This will take a long time and a lot of paint. For anything stretchy, be sure to stretch it to at least the amount of stretch you need when worn while it is being painted, or else it may not stretch enough once the paint is dry. Make sure the paint is either safe for fabrics or you mix another paint with fabric medium, or else you will end up with crunchy, flaking clothes! You may find it easier to use a spray-on fabric paint like this one (there are many other brands, so look around at reviews) than to use a bottled paint you have to brush on. Since you’d be using a grey base, you would really only need enough paint on the clothing to give it the shiny appearance.
You can also try a hybrid approach if you can find a silvery mesh fabric, and add the silvery mesh over existing clothing.
For the wig, since this outfit is a pretty cartoony style, I have a cursed suggestion: style a grey base wig to exactly how you like it, and then spray paint it with regular silver spray paint. It will have to be stored on a wig head as to not squish it and flake the paint (though spray painted wigs are more flexible than you’d think), and the style isn’t going to ever budge again.
If that’s too cursed for you, look into what Land of the Lustrous cosplayers do with bits of vinyl and tinsel and add some metallic touches to a regular silver wig. You can also use silver hair glitter to add to the look.
For the skin, you are going to have to get familiar with body painting techniques, but thankfully you really only need to do your face and neck. I would find some metallic silver tights that are a lighter color than your leggings and wear them underneath, and also find (or make out of an extra pair of tights) matching silver gloves for you hands.
I haven’t personally done silver metallic body paint, so someone in the comments may have brand suggestions, but I have heard good things about Mehron’s metallic powder. Be sure that you research proper setting methods for whatever type of paint you go with (we can always help you with that here once you decide on a type).
I would also suggest adding a bit of a silvery white highlighter to the high points of your face to create an additional shiny metallic look and to add a bit of dimension back in.
