New sewing/needlecraft thread

[Anonymous No.10261594]

Old one in autosage
>>10164075
This thread is for the discussion of sewing, needlecrafts, fibers arts, and other related crafts in the context of cosplay and j-fashion.
I'm the gull with the cast iron White Rotary machine from last thread and I thought I would give a quick update: after chasing down and backordering a part, I got it running again, it just needs oil. I'm very excited to use it to sew leather, but am a bit annoyed that White machines use a non-standard bobbin size. Anyone else own a vintage machine? A treadle machine is something I'd love to get someday

[Anonymous No.10262079]

I'm learning crochet, I hope soon I'll be able to make lace ribbons. I'll make some necklaces, I have this cute cameo I'd love to use.

[Anonymous No.10262639]

>>10262079
Here's a pic of the cameo to keep the ball rolling. I'm gonna pair it with a dusty pink skirt I'm planning to make.

[Anonymous No.10262758]

>>10262639
Are you crocheting a border for it or what? Crochet is something I've thought about taking up but I already do too many crafts and my current craft space consists of an overflowing table shoved in a corner

[Anonymous No.10262812]

>>10262758
Nice idea! I was thinking of making a crocheted choker and use a setting for the cameo, but a lacy border would look cute too.

[Anonymous No.10263119]

>>10262639
pls tell me you're using thread otherwise it's gong to look hella tacky

[Anonymous No.10263297]

>>10263119
You mean for the lace? I am using cotton.

[Anonymous No.10263590]

Does anyone have any experience selling on Etsy? Are people more inclined to purchase from Etsy opposed to your own website? A lot sellers are discussing Etsy in a rather negative light. Are the fees really that high?

I've started my own tiny indie brand selling hats and accessories. I have sold a few items through Facebook. But I would like to expand my business outside of IG and Facebook.

Would it be best to create an Etsy shop, and at a later date create my own website after establishing an audience? Or should I continue selling through Facebook/IG, and create a website once I've gathered more followers?

I'd really appreciate any advice.

[Anonymous No.10263716]

>>10263590
I sell on Etsy and I'd say go for it and see how you like it personally.
I find it really user-friendly and you do get a decent amount of traffic from the site. I don't find the fees that awful either really and they have an option for sales tax built in.

Also buying/mailing shipping labels and all that through Etsy is quite simple.

[Anonymous No.10263791]

>>10261594
>Anyone else own a vintage machine? A treadle machine is something I'd love to get someday
I've got a variety, including a treadle. Though it would be great buuuut I'm 6'4" tall dude and the ergonomics are shit and I cant be assed to rip the desk apart and build a new one more suited to myself. I rarely used machines though, I just like finding old ones free or cheap and messing about with them. 99% of my actual sewing I just do by hand cause why the hell not.

[Anonymous No.10263816]

Recommendations for a beginning machine under $200 (closer to $150)? I've thrown away about 2 or 3 Goodwill finds, I'm just going to spend the money.

[Anonymous No.10263858]

>>10263816
Singer Brilliance 6180. It has a computerized screen, automatic needle threader, work light, and thread cutter on the side. Really easy to thread your machine and bobbin through. Very beginner friendly. Michael's had an excellent black friday deal on it last year and Joanns seems to be having a lot of machine deals these days.

[Anonymous No.10263899]

Anyone know what these type of sleeves are called? I have a fairly good idea of how to draft them, but I have concerns about the upper part keeping their shape especially if I opt to use a heavier fabric

[Anonymous No.10263904]

>>10263899
puff sleeves. you can create an inner sleeve layer and then stuff the space between them to keep that puff. KirileeCosplay has a tutorial video on youtube showing that method

[Anonymous No.10263911]

>>10263899
I've heard the term Mutton sleeves in that historical context.

[Anonymous No.10264106]

Okay gulls,
does anyone have any reccs for a backup sewing machine? I sew daily (self-employed) and would like a decent backup machine if my main one has to go to the shop.

I currently use a Janome so I'd be happy with a cheaper one (of the same brand) or one similar but having a walking/even feed foot and can sew heavy stuff is a must for me.

[Anonymous No.10265679]

How can you fix itchy seams? Like if you're using lacy fabrics, can you put something over the seam to cover the itchy ends?

[Anonymous No.10265706]

>>10263590
I think Etsy is a good place to start. Lots of people sell there. Once you get bigger, your own website can be better.

[Anonymous No.10265741]

>>10265679
bias tape

[Anonymous No.10265750]

>>10265679
as >>10265741 mentioned, you can use bias tape, or if you need something lighter you can use bias strips of chiffon. It's called a Hong Kong finish or bias bound seams if you're looking for tutorials on the technique.

[Anonymous No.10265752]

>>10265679
Like >>10265750
also said, bias tape but also don't be afraid to french seam.

[Anonymous No.10265820]

>>10265752
French seams are honestly amazing, especially with thin materials or lacy stuff. Prevents fraying or unraveling and hides everything neatly so you don't have visible edges. Also great for when you can't afford a serger but want professional seams on sheer garments especially.

[Anonymous No.10265843]

>>10263899
Leg-o-mutton or gigot sleeve. Will need a lot of interfacing or other techniques to keep that volume. These look ruched, and I think this dress is Edwardian inspired if I'm not mistaken.

[Anonymous No.10267640]

>>10264106
Have you thought about getting an industrial straight stitch machine?

[Anonymous No.10267907]

>>10265679
Line your garment

[Anonymous No.10268098]

>>10263899
I recommend a layer of apparel canvas, a layer of buckram, and another layer of canvas for very heavy fabric like the velvet shown; especially because of the gathering. These fabrics will gather and look nice while also adding support to your mutton, but will not breathe very well.

[Anonymous No.10268268]

>>10263791
>99% of my actual sewing I just do by hand
Do you just have shitloads of free time, no actual working sewing machine, or are you like...a historical accuracy person? I know very few people who would voluntarily hand sew for the majority of the time unless they are going for historical re-enactment, or don't know how to use a machine/are intimidated by their machine.

[Anonymous No.10268306]

>>10268098
With the weight of velvet you might even want to create a sleeve crinoline, it would be lighter than a triple layer of canvas

[Anonymous No.10268571]

Having the ‘’time of my life’’ with this fabric. It’s a cotton I’m adding a stabilizer to so that it wrinkles less. Any tips and tricks for heat bond? I haven’t used it before and it was recommended at my fabric store.

Pic of bare bones concept, from phone.

[Anonymous No.10268795]

How do I achieve a nice, smooth shape for a vest like in pic related ? I'm remaking a cosplay and my previous vest was a terrible and shapeless mess. I assume it was a mix of me being a girl crossplaying, using a fabric that maybe wasn't heavy enough, and probably the pattern not being correctly fitted. The main problem was sagging, with diagonal creases forming from the middle and up towards the armpits.

As I'm planning to remake it I've practiced padding my waist to get a flatter body shape, and I'm gonna make a mock-up, but my main question is : do I need something to weigh my fabric down and help it hold its shape ? Can I use some thick iron-on interfacing ? I've read about bespoke men clothes and padstitching, but I'll be using velvet and it will be hard to make discreet stitches.

[Anonymous No.10268812]

>>10268268
>shitloads of free time
>historical accuracy
Both of these basically. Mostly do historical re-enactment but also general renaissance festival/fantasy stuff, but I'm also currently unemployed lol. I'm a geologist though and a lot of work I do is sort of seasonal, or it's just intermittent field work where I'll have weeks at a time off, not the regular day in day out 9-5 monotony.

I also just like making stuff though, so doing it by hand isn't really a bother.

[Anonymous No.10268817]

>>10268795
If you've got problems with it being shapeless and drooping and such then it's probably way too lightweight. I don't think you'd need to necessarily stiffen up the outer fabric, but a proper waistcoat should have an interior layer of hair canvas or maybe something even stiffer, which should play a large role in keeping it's shape with a thin/fine outer fabric.

[Anonymous No.10268819]

>>10268795
You need to tailor it for your breast, from the sound of what’s happening with the fabric, so it lays flat. As for the sagging, you need a mid to heavy weight interfacing but I would also recommend a stabilizer because it’s a difficult fabric. There’s a lot that goes into the inside of men’s suits, vests included.

[Anonymous No.10268908]

>>10267640
I haven't
however being in an apartment I don't have space and since it's a backup I wouldn't want to spend nearly a grand.

[Anonymous No.10268948]

>>10268795
Don't use super stiff heavyweight interfacing, midweight is better (you want a vest that still has movement and structure, not a priest's collar that looks and behaves like cardboard) and possibly interlining with canvas as well.

[Anonymous No.10269005]

Thanks for the help!

>>10268817
Yeah, the fabric was a thin velvet so I assume that's why it didn't hold its shape well. The new one is thicker, so it should at least help somewhat.

>>10268819
I've read some tutorials and blog posts about bespoke men's clothes and wow, I had no idea there was so much stuff hidden inside.

>>10268948
I'm not sure where the boundary between the two types is exactly ? I got some at the haberdashery (the person who helped me was a dude who seemed knowledgeable about the construction of men's garments), it's a little stiffer than my fabric, but not "stand on its own" stiff.

Regarding adding an extra layer of canvas, it sounds good, but I've tried padstitching some on a test piece and due to the fabric being velvet, it's hard to hide and it pulls on the velvet's hair. Plus, I'm planning on embossing the fabric (and I'd like to do it as late as possible in the construction to avoid any unnecessary rubbing and erasing of the pattern), and I'm not sure if it would work well if the back of it has too much stuff on it.

Sorry, I didn't pick the easiest project!

[Anonymous No.10269589]

>>10269005
What about Double sided interfacing? It’s got a sticky side on one end and a paper that protects the other sticky side. You iron it on one fabric first and the second after you peel the paper.

[Anonymous No.10270370]

>>10269005
Why are you padstitching canvas directly to the fashion fabric? Fuse your interfacing, the canvas can be a floating interlining and it will still help shape the garment...

[Anonymous No.10273932]

>>10263791
recently got a vintage one but i have to take in to a shop to see if i can some replacement parts as I don't think the belt is functional and need to see what bobins and needles can go with this one in particular
if curious about what kind i've included the type in a photo

[Anonymous No.10274071]

>>10268268
last time I came into a sewing thread here, and suggested to a beginner that they get right to using a machine instead of handsewing several feet of seams/hems on beginner projects like pillowcase/apron/pajama pants, I was boo'd and hissed out of the thread. Someone posted the gif of Wayne from Wayne's World pointing and saying 'Get a load of THIS guy!'

seriously though. you're right, why would anyone handsew any real length of seams or hems, especially straight ones?

[Anonymous No.10274673]

>>10274071
Was that also in the context of them owning multiple machines already though? A machine can be a lot of outlay and most beginners, by dint of being beginners, have no idea how to pick a decent second hand one

[Anonymous No.10274679]

>>10263297
For projects like this, yarn weight is much more important than the type of fibre the yarn is made of. Pretty much everything above lace weight is going to look chunky rather than elegant.

[Anonymous No.10274806]

>>10274673
not sure what you're saying, it was obviously a beginner with no experience and no machine. The recommendation was for them to find a used machine, or a new one - just, A machine. Any machine. You're totally weird for disputing this - it's like cruel and usual punishment to tell a beginner to handsew in order to 'learn'. That's like telling someone who wants to get into cooking that they should only cook over an open fire, NO OVENS, NO COOKWARE, NO STEEL KNIVES, only open fire and flat rocks and sharpened rocks! It's absurd and it feels like you're trying to make it seem hard for them so they give up

when they could just instead learn to use awesome modern tools perfectly suited for the purpose

fucking /cgl, telling people it's totally okay to spend nearly 250 dollars a month on lolita shit but spending the same amount on a sewing machine is 'bad'?

[Anonymous No.10274809]

>>10274806
*cruel and unusual, not usual. Angry typo.

seriously though. This is some mad fattie gatekeeping shit. You're worried if too many people from /cgl learn to sew they won't buy niche crap from your weird online store

[Anonymous No.10274881]

>>10274806
No wonder you got chased off last time, you sound like you huff paint before you type.

[Anonymous No.10275347]

>>10274673
Honestly with brother machines being 150 (my area) and a great little learning machine, there’s no need to hand sew. Even if my old singer and ancient one go out of commission, I know there’s always an option. Granted I keep my Singer well cared for and fixed up, she’s older than the computerized ones and I highly recommend finding one. They’re very easily fixed up when broken, no computer errors and a great workhorse.

[Anonymous No.10275467]

I'm looking to hand sew a wizard hat for the first time, are there any tips and suggestions that have personally helped you when you were first starting out?

[Anonymous No.10275680]

>>10275467
A former would help because it would remain in the cone shape while you worked on putting it together. Now whether there is one specifically ready made or if you might have to get creative is another matter.

[Anonymous No.10275761]

>>10263904
They're leg of mutton sleeves, fool. Don't pay advice to that hack of a sewer, her tutorials are shit. If you stuff them with stuffing the instant you try to wash them the puff will go lumpy as hell because the stuffing will clump.

[Anonymous No.10275917]

Is there a trick to the first few stitches with a sewing machine? I'm brand new to the whole thing and when things go wrong it's generally at the very beginning. Do you just need to give it some gas at the beginning? I think I may be to hesitant at the start which messes everything up.

[Anonymous No.10275973]

>>10275917
Depends on what goes wrong. If you get thread vomit your threaded incorrectly or the tension is off. Use a scrap piece of your fabric to adjust your machine before you start, even if you had it right and didn’t see for a few days. Things shift around easily, it could always be out of wack when you first start.

[Anonymous No.10276055]

>>10274881
Look, here's the fattie with a sad online store desperately wishing her crap niche lolita items will be bought by gulls. Doesn't like it being pointed out. Gatekeeper doesn't want her tiny, TINY potential customer base to learn to make things themselves.

[Anonymous No.10276192]

>>10263899
As stated in one of the replies, they used sleeve supports / crinolines / frames in historical garments. This is what one for an 1890s leg of mutton sleeve looks like. Don't start putting in stuffing or anything like that.

[Anonymous No.10276274]

>>10276055
Don't pop a blood vessel by projecting this hard.

[Anonymous No.10277481]

>>10275917

Common newbie mistakes:

setting up:

1. If you have one of the newer machines with drop-in bobbins, double check the direction the bobbin should be facing. anti-clockwise vs clockwise can be pretty disastrous.

2. In that vein, double-check the set up of the top thread. All the hooks and loops you pass through regulate tension on the thread and bad stuff usually happens if you skip some.

starting:

3. Pull both thread tails (top and bottom thread) to the back of the machine. Small tiny important step, it tends to mess with the tension and create a threads nest if you don't.

4. Place the fabric and lower the presser foot. Then lower the needle into the fabric using the hand crank/knob on the side of the machine. Helps you start with the needle/fabric in the right place.

5. Then gently step on the pedal. No giving gas nonsense, this is a sewing machine, not a lawnmower.


If problems still crop up after that, more likely the machine needs servicing. Sewing machines need continuous use or some of the parts become out of alignment, not to mention cleaning out piled up lint from the inside.

[Anonymous No.10277575]

Any good starting points (book recommendations, etc) for getting into millinery? There are no courses held locally, and my worry with online resources is that a lot seem to be like the "mom blogs" and take shortcuts/have no idea of actual technique but just do whatever works, or seem to be hugely technical and assume you own everything required. I'm assuming that there's some sort of happy medium with an initial outlay that isn't horrendous but requires maybe one or two hat blocks, felt, and buckram?

[Anonymous No.10277806]

I'm going to cosplay a character from a tentacle hentai to a convention and I want to drag a big tentacle behind me. For clarification, it does not have suction cups. What would be a good fabric to sew a long, kind of shiny looking (maybe?) tentacle out of?

[Anonymous No.10277897]

>>10274809
Yeah, idk if I'd go as far as say they're gatekeeping, sounds a bit like you're projecting. People can be super weirdly defensive over handsewing, though. I remember a while back someone was asking about sewing and they insisted on not getting a machine because they wanted to do it by hand. I suggested to try embroidery if they really wanted to do stuff by hand since sewing straight seams is so inefficient and honestly, really fucking mind numbing. They got offended bc they did not just "want to mess around" and they were taking it so super seriously.

I'm not sure what happened last thread that you got such a reaction anon, but most threads people suggest that beginners buy a good used machine, avoid cheap machines with shitty parts, etc. I mean, it's not like you won't be forced to handsew, anyway. You still need to handsew to attach buttons, some trims, potentially for invisible hems, and a whole load of other stuff.

[Anonymous No.10277944]

I have an embroidery machine and I've been working at digitizing and designing stuff, but I'd love to get feedback on what people think would be cute/cool to embroider?

I'm not really looking to AA or etsy but just make cute stuff for fun!

My machine can make 4'x4' but I can always split larger designs!

Inspiration c/o @clammyheart

[Anonymous No.10278249]

>>10277806
I'd say a shiny spandex or stretch vinyl

[Anonymous No.10278254]

>>10277944
I'm a massive patch nerd so I would easily suggest making those. I personally like nerd patches that don't look like explicit nerd patches. Stuff that normies won't care about, but stuff that other weebs will get.

They're not difficult to make, either. The hardest part would be making the design I'd imagine.

[Anonymous No.10278257]

Kinda new to this board. Don't have that much interest in cosplay myself but I like to occasionally check what other people manage to do.
But I'm mostly interested in sewing. Never done it in my life, but I think it would be useful to get down the basics at the very least.
How did you guys learn it? What's the best way to start learning it?

[Anonymous No.10278292]

>>10278257
kinda same, but a little farther along lol
i've been buying boxes of sewing shit from antique shops and repairing clothes and stuffed animals. don't quite have the money or space to get into making clothing or getting a sewing machine, but in the meantime i've been studying how shit like this works and what makes up parts of clothing that i want to construct, like lolita dresses

[Anonymous No.10278294]

>>10278292
What kind of resources do you use to study? Do you reads books on the topic or do you follow online videos on it or something similar?

[Anonymous No.10278300]

>>10278294
i mostly just google around, hoard patterns for things that interest me when ill have the resources to use them, hang around here for tips, but i mostly experiment with sewing myself during repairs or modifying clothes that don't fit me anymore anyway.

[Anonymous No.10278301]

>>10278300
Alright. Thank you mate.

[Anonymous No.10278309]

>>10278301
Best of luck. In the end the best way to learn is whatever works for you. I like videos and experimentation, if you prefer reading books then hell yeah

[Anonymous No.10278456]

I want to buy my first seger/overlock machine soon and I'm wondering if anyone here has any recs?

I own a Pfaff quilt expression and I was thinking of just going for a pfaff hobbylock for more of the same brand..
Unless there is another one generally known to be pretty good?

[Anonymous No.10278655]

>>10278257
>How did you guys learn it? What's the best way to start learning it?
my mother was sewing all her life. When she grew up almost everyone knew how to make their own clothes, cause it's not like you could go shopping at the mall for it (Eastern Europe in the 70s and 80s). Her grandpa was a tailor as well, so it was kind of "in her genes" to sew. She made me and my siblings so many cute clothes from Burda patterns. They used to come as magazines, and they weren't available where we lived so she used to get my dad to buy them on business trips to Germany, and later Czech republic.

She never actually had time to teach me to sew, but I was always at least mildly interested. I was taught how to do little things here and there, but never actually knew how to operate a machine or lay out a pattern. In my junior and senior year I took fashion classes in high school. The first course was about 50/50 industry and marketing stuff, the rest was sewing. The second course was almost all sewing. So that's where I finally learned how it works and what to do. My first machine was one I got for free from my fashion teacher because she was getting rid of a bunch. I made my first few cosplays on that machine, it wasn't the greatest and jammed all the time. A few years after that I went to a tradeshow with my cousin where I bought a Janome for like 60% of the sticker price. It's pretty fantastic and I love it.

The nice thing is, one of those dysfunctional machines was also a Janome, so I pillaged it for different types of presser feet and forgot about it. It sat in my parents' house for years and then when my father had a bit of time my mother dragged it out of storage, they opened it up, cleaned up all the gunk, fixed some broken wiring, and now my mother has an 80s Janome that works like a dream. She also has a White machine that sits inside a table but prefers the Janome because it's more portable and she can sew while watching TV. Janomes are pretty great.

[Anonymous No.10278656]

>>10278655
cont'd.
If you're looking to start learning, I personally found classes very invaluable because I learn well from watching and doing. I would check in with your local fabric store and library to see who offers classes. My friend took costuming college classes, but that's a bit pricy ofc. Our local library has a media lab rn where you can 3D print and rent sewing machines, so basically a babby cosplayer's wet dream. (You can also scan stuff, use audio recording equipment, and all sorts of stuff, it's neat).

If you can't find classes where you're at I recommend youtube. Nowadays I supplement what knowledge I already have with youtube and sewing books.

[Anonymous No.10278718]

New guy here, my gf has a sewing machine and I have a closeby hobby lobby/michaels/Joann's and 2 days to work on it. With little experience (just helping her make pillows and such) how possible would it be to see together a passable gandalf robe/hat/belt? Would materials be cheaper than buying the costume? I already have long hair but would have to buy a beard, I think it's $11 on amazon. Also any tips for temporarily making my hair grey?

[Anonymous No.10278719]

>>10278718
Forgot pic

[Anonymous No.10278721]

>>10275917
I usually hold on to the threads behind the machine until I've done a couple of backstiches to secure so they don't get sucked into the machine

[Anonymous No.10278728]

I'm trying to sew a very narrow lace to the edge of a 15mm wide ribbon and my machine keeps eating and mangling the trims in the feed dogs/bobbin hole. Any tips for techniques or adjustments I can make to my machine? Or am I better off handsewing in this case?

[Anonymous No.10278730]

>>10278728

Tearaway/soluble stabilizer. Put it under your trim and when you're done, tear away the stabilizer.

You can also put tape over the bobbin hole, the needle will still be able to punch through it (and it punches through the same hole anyway, so not like you've gotta worry about getting tape caught in your sewing).

[Anonymous No.10278769]

>>10278730
Different anon, but that last tip is really interesting. I never thought of that.

[Anonymous No.10278965]

>>10261594
I have a bunch of vintage machines including a treadle Adler 30-1 leather patcher which I converted to being powered by a motor. You're probably better off with one of the hand cranked machines, you can get a lot of control with those. Not as much as a digital servo motor but not bad.

[Anonymous No.10278977]

>>10278718
It's best to get a wig for your hair, because there's no good temporary hair colour you could get.

With the amount of fabric a robe requires, unless you find it sale, it would be best to just buy the costume. I personally don't recommend doing anything as a beginner if you're on a tight deadline, you'll just panic when you mess up and frustrate yourself. Could it be done? Maybe if you worked nonstop but personally I would be so unhappy at the end lol. I speak from experience pulling off an all nighter the night before the con and still having to fix shit on my cosplay once there.

[Anonymous No.10279584]

Trying to be Shimeji. I can get a sweatshirt but the issue is I'm taller than her (6') so I can't find anything that reaches down to below my knees. Would sewing extra material to the bottom be possible, or would it look disjointed? Any other ideas?

[Anonymous No.10279593]

>>10276192
ntayrt but this is so helpful. A couple years ago i was tearing my hair out trying to figure out how sleeves got so puffy and i never knew about this.

[Anonymous No.10279597]

>>10279584
It would look weird. Can’t you find a sweatshirt dress that’s long enough? Those seem to be popular in mainstream fashion where I live at least.

[Anonymous No.10279635]

>>10279584
What color are you looking for? I found this: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33042193110.html

[Anonymous No.10279637]

>>10279584
a few more options while I'm at it:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000109560435.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32926015356.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32944721823.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000032984903.html

[Anonymous No.10279673]

>>10279584
>but the issue is I'm male, so I don't know what sweaterdresses are

ftfy

[Anonymous No.10279685]

>>10279673
>women above 5 feet don't exist
commit seppuku. You're the reason shit like Tall Girl has to exist

[Anonymous No.10279932]

>>10279635
>>10279637
>>10279597
Thank you anons. I found https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075XMC2BG as well. Seems similar.

Did some basic measurements. From shoulder to knee I am 44 inches, and my chest size at its biggest is 35 inches.

Sizes on the link above: S-Bust:40.9in, Length:39.8in | M-Bust:42.9in, Length: 40.6in | L-Bust:44.9in, Length: 41.4in | XL-Bust:46.9in,Length:42.2in | 2XL-Bust:48.4in,Length:43.0in.

If I get the 2XL one would it look comically large in the upper portion? Or do you think it's fine since its a sweater anyway?

I looked at the AliExpress ones too. This one seems to be the best: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32926015356.html.. Their XL is 104cm (~41in) bust and 110cm (~43in) length (I'm hoping that length is from the shoulder and not from the hood or something). Does that sound like it'd fit well? Or maybe it'd still need additional alteration to make it skinner afterwards?

[Anonymous No.10280081]

>>10279932
It's better to take something in than to have it start too small. Look at how boxy and unfitted the character reference you posted is.

[Anonymous No.10280526]

So im trying to do a cosplay of lee chaolan from tekken and want to make the overcoat and got the files for the embroidery pattern how would i go something like below into a actual pattern for a embroidery machine?

https
https://imgur.com/BOeQXWs
https://i.imgur.com/vcTpGJx.png

[Anonymous No.10280619]

>>10280526
See if there's image converting software for the specific program the embroidery machine uses.

[Anonymous No.10280627]

>>10280526
Embroidery software usually has a feature to convert images into embroidery files. Do you own an embroidery machine or are you ordering from someone?

[Anonymous No.10280876]

>>10280627
I dont have one atm but i will do my own investigation on the mean, time

[Anonymous No.10281310]

>>10280526
If you already have a machine, download the sewart free trial and try your best. Otherwise, pay someone to digitize/embroider.

[Anonymous No.10285755]

Hey. I wanna see if I can put together a Lilith Aensland cosplay without the wings in the hair or the hips/back.
What would be the best way to do this? I had an idea of buying maybe a pair of leggings or whatever, then sewing on or somehow putting the patterns on as best I could, probably with stencils or something, I dunno. When it comes to the main piece, I'm not so sure. Should I just go ahead and try and get a swimsuit and cut the upper parts? Whatever I decide on, I need to actually keep the thing up in the first place, so I'm gonna use straps to go over the shoulders and connect with the back of the main piece as well. Gloves/Arm parts should be pretty easy, and I know I'm nowhere good enough to even attempt the feathers or the arms connecting to the main piece, so I'm not even gonna consider it.
I'm open to the change of my current ideas, since I have almost no clue what the hell I'm doing. Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous No.10285756]

>>10285755
leggings are too bulky and would look like shit under a swimsuit

[Anonymous No.10285760]

>>10285756
Maybe I'll check the archive and see if a previous anon has tried this before, might be able to steal ideas. Cheers for the information, hopeless when it comes to this stuff.

[Anonymous No.10285785]

>>10285755
man, why do new cosplayers always try to bite off more than they can chew.... I'm not sure if it's a good thing that you've put this in the sewing thread rather that the cosplay help thread. The fact that you're trying to construct this outfit out of premade items says a lot but hey, at least you're here to improve.

I'm not a hugely skilled sewer myself but this is how I would approach Lilith:
-make the "main piece" by looking at bunny suit patterning techniques (probably the duct tape method) and putting a chest cut out into the pattern. There are tutorials everywhere for bunny suits which are basically strapless leotards, and structure components like boning and cups which will help to hold it up.
-Then I would probably buy a long sleeved shirt or gloves in the right colour for the sleeves, and cut and attach it to the top of the leotard. The feathers you could maybe look for premade feather trim, or sew some like petals out of fabric.
-you're basically going to have to fabric paint the leggings or stockings while you're wearing them, get a friend and a stencil or sticker paper of some kind to keep the painting clean.
-just buy some boots if you suck at sewing, or look up bootcover tutorials
-wings could be made out of wire and craft foam, or fabric over a wire covering? You can make the head ones attach to a headband under your wig.
Really anon typing this out just made me realise that you actually need to google how to make each component of the outfit and go from there, or give up and sew something simpler, or just buy it.

[Anonymous No.10285786]

>>10285785

[Anonymous No.10285789]

>>10285785
I understand, since I'm sure this is quite the difficult thing I'm trying to do. I'm sorry, I guess I have ambitions and I dive in the deep end a bit. It isn't something people like me are really even interested in usually I bet.
I'm really not bothered about the wings at all, at least not the damn massive wings. Fuck them, they can go.
If I could, I wouldn't go pre-made, but I'm sure for the the strapless leotard it'll be the hardest part. I'm not sure cups apply to me.
I thank you for this advice!

[Anonymous No.10285791]

>>10285789
Cups will probably apply no matter how small chested you are unless you want it to fall down, show nipple, or have boned it the whole way up on the front.

[Anonymous No.10285793]

>>10285791
Even for a male?
I'll take your word for it either way, you know a lot more than I do.

[Anonymous No.10285794]

>>10285791
I think what OP really means is that they're an autistic man who won't need cups.

[Anonymous No.10285795]

>>10285794
>autistic
Hidoi.

[Anonymous No.10285843]

>>10285786
Does anyone else feel claustrophobic about the idea of wrapping yourself tightly in duct tape or just me? I've used painters tape in the past with no problem (aside from my only brain cell making the pattern come out wonky and therefore useless), but duct tape gives me the heebies.

[Anonymous No.10285845]

>>10285789
Double sided fashion tape, clear straps, and boning/interfacing to the bodysuit my dude. Or attach the suit to a bra with clear straps - it won't look flawless but it'll stay.

[Anonymous No.10285847]

>>10285845
Cheers. I'm not aiming for flawless, I'm aiming for the best I could realistically do. Its not like I'm going out with the thing.

[Anonymous No.10285864]

>>10285847
>Its not like I'm going out with the thing
Well if you wanted a shit tier costume that you're only going to wear inside your own home that just has to vaguely resemble the source material to meet your low standards why didn't you just say so?

[Anonymous No.10285865]

>>10285864
Hey, I didn't say shit tier. I'm not looking for perfect, since that's way out of my ability, but I'm not looking for cardboard-shit tier or shit tier barely resembling stuff.
Sorry if I'm coming off as an asshole or anything of the sort. I'm just barely experienced in anything like this. I'll take the advice.

[Anonymous No.10285872]

>>10285847
Imo, you might as well wear it out if you have it, but whatever works for what you need. Good luck

[Anonymous No.10286005]

>>10285843
Painter's tape works fine, and you're not supposed to do it tightly, or else your pattern might end up too small

[Anonymous No.10286088]

>>10285755
here you go, perv

square neck mesh top
square neck red latex bodysuit
black sheer tights
feather boa

pic related has sold-out items, but the keywords i gave will help you find something similar

make the cutout in the top and bodysuit. take it in at the side seams if it has too much titty space for you. handsew the feather boa to the bodysuit straps. wear the top and tights under the bodysuit. paint the bats on the tights.

[Anonymous No.10286137]

>>10286005
Yeah, I know it's not a rational fear, but my dumb idiot brain makes my heart race at the thought. I'm glad painter's tape works well though.

[Anonymous No.10286141]

>>10286088
Thank you very much. I've got more than what I need just from this posts and posts before. All of you have been a massive help

[Anonymous No.10286592]

>>10285843
You’re not alone. I’ve tried both duct tape and plaster bandages to make a custom dress form and fainted both times despite my partner leaving me plenty of breathing room. He had to cut me out of the half-finished shells while I lay barely conscious on the floor. Fun times.

[Anonymous No.10287324]

Do any of you have a good pattern for a sleeveless doublet? I know Simplicity has one but shipping a Simplicity pattern to my country costs an arm and a leg and I'd rather not spend that much money on a simple pattern.

[Anonymous No.10287390]

>>10287324
If it's too expensive new, you can often find patterns secondhand on ebay, etsy or rakuten

[Anonymous No.10287429]

>>10287324
Tudor Tailor

[Anonymous No.10287547]

>>10286592
Oh no!! Kudos to you for trying again despite fainting the first time. That must've been quite the experience for the both of you, lol

[Anonymous No.10288529]

hopefully my question is not too off topic : I came back from a travel in japan and I bought uv resin in diffrent 100 yen stores so I could compare it. But really I don't have a lot of idea on what I should be comparing the resin on ( maybe yellowing over time and thickness but other than that ). Does anybody have other ideas ?

[Anonymous No.10288532]

>>10288529
I think this is maybe not the right topic, but I'd say how brittle it is and how easily it scratches?

[Anonymous No.10288604]

>>10288529
How it flows.
Is it easy to work with.
How well it accepts different colorants
How long it takes to cure using a uv light and sunlight
The clarity of the finished piece

[Anonymous No.10293646]

Idk if this is a good thread to ask, but if I wanted to do a Fl4k cosplay (borderlands 3)-
Is that cel shading effect a realistic goal?
How would you dirty up/season and accentuate cloth colors? Airbrush? Soaking in pigmented water?
How do you make cosplays that aren't sweaty as fuck to wear?

I have painting experience but not cosplay experience, so I get how lighting and color interact but textiles are confusing to me.

[Anonymous No.10293711]

>>10293646
Use cotton or linen if you can. Anything like polyester will look cheap and feel disgusting. If you're lazy and don't feel like buying dye you can stain cloth with teabags or coffee grounds

[Anonymous No.10294069]

I asked this question in the other thread like an idiot, but I will ask it in the proper place instead.

I'm very new to sewing and want to make the jacket and pants for this character, Flynn from Shin Megami Tensei 4. Would I be able to buy or find patterns of something close enough to modify them? Or would I have to do something like this by myself.

Additionally is there a site I could use to learn what to call certain types of clothes, so I could look up instructions for them easier?

[Anonymous No.10294117]

So, I'm a /fit/izen. I'm still growing size wise, and a lot of my cosplays from a year or two ago barely fit me now due to gains. I've been wanting a mannequin for a while, but I feel like it isn't going to be worthwhile since my overall body shape changes regularly. Is there like a set point in time when it would be a good idea to take the plunge, or should I just look for an adjustable male mannequin (if they exist)?

[Anonymous No.10294140]

>>10294069
Looks like a coat with a very short capelet without arms.
I think you could modify the inverness pattern
http://www.marquise.de/en/1900/howto/men/index.shtml

>>10294117
yes get the adjustable male mannequin, totally worth it.

[Anonymous No.10295445]

Looks like I too am a bumbling buffoon when it comes to asking questions in the right location. So uhm. Let's try this again.

I doubt this is a smart decision to get into the hobby, but I'm planning to do a Fire Force cosplay. I want to make the fire retardant uniform myself, but I'm not sure how to go about it.

Someone recommended adjusting the template for a trenchcoat, which seems like the right way to tackle the patterns, but the materials are something I'm still kind of torn on.

Traditionally, "Bunker/turnout gear" is made of aramid fabrics (like kevlar) and padded with fire retardant foam. Does anybody have a good suggestion for an affordable fabric that looks and feels similar, but is like, cheap (wasn't planning on fighting actual fires) and some material to make it very bulky, like in the series?

[Anonymous No.10295456]

>>10295445
Make the costume large and loose drifting, then grab something from the utility fabrics aisle and use it as an interfacing/interlining to stiffen and pad out the structure. I'm thinking the stuff that looks like foil normally marketed for making your own heat pads and oven-safe mitts can work? It's lightweight iirc

[Anonymous No.10295472]

>>10295445
For the love of God please make a mockup first before using expensive fabric.

For the blue stripes you should get really reflective fabric

[Anonymous No.10295660]

>>10295456
I like it! Really gives it that fire resistant feel. Thanks!

>>10295472
Definitely. Don't quite feel like throwing all this money down the drain while I haven't touched a sewing machine in like... 5 years. Getting reflective tape should be fairly easy. I've seen pretty big rolls go for a pretty low price. D'you reckon just sticking on the tape's good enough? Or should I secure it in some way? Thanks!

[Anonymous No.10295663]

>>10295660
You should sew the tape on at least, a straight stitch along both sides

[Anonymous No.10295666]

>>10295445
How about black neoprene, if not for the outer then maybe as the underlining or lining? It has enough bounce to it to hold up a bulky structure like those coats. Could also check out scuba knit if you want something lighter.

Also seconding sewing the reflective tape on, topstitch would be neatest and fastest but handsewing would also work if your machine hates it.

[Anonymous No.10295683]

>>10295666
>>10295663
I thought as much, I think working in a nice black (or white) stitch on top of the tape would make it look cooler too.

Neoprene's a pretty good idea! Affordable, bulky, not too flexible. I don't mind if it weighs a bit more, the only thing I'd personally worry about is sitting down.

[Anonymous No.10295690]

>>10277944
>>10278254
> I personally like nerd patches that don't look like explicit nerd patches. Stuff that normies won't care about, but stuff that other weebs will get.
This.

[Anonymous No.10295892]

>>10261594
Novice sewer here. What is your guys' preferred method for marking on fabric? I like tracing wheel and carbon copy paper but it's cumbersome sandwiching multiple layers of fabric and copy paper to get markings on both sides of whatever I'm making.

[Anonymous No.10295964]

>>10295892

Don't you usually just mark one side?

[Anonymous No.10295984]

>>10295892
I use chalk or removable heat markers, some times copy paper.
But mostly chalk..

[Anonymous No.10295993]

Where can I find some nice quality reasonably priced lace?

[Anonymous No.10296097]

>>10295892
chalk or soap. If you don't want to risk staining the front, what you can do is mark the back, then sew along it in matching thread, so you get your lines on the front in a way that won't leave traces and you don't need to wash off which is useful for delicate fabrics.

[Anonymous No.10296098]

>>10295993
I get mine on Aliexpress, read the reviews carefully and look closely at the photos and description and you should avoid shitty products.

[Anonymous No.10296181]

>>10268795
I think this vid would help you a lot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THzNFKwrIOM
your problem is a combination of fabric weight and mens tailoring just generally being a lot more than meets the eye. Your going to need to fit it to your body shape for sure, meaning more dart and tucks than a mens vest would require, as well as a bit of padding like you already stated. Mid weight interfacing would be best, and if your using velvet like you said make sure its a very heavy one.

[Anonymous No.10296279]

Hey guys, need some advice. I'm gonna be sewing my first bunnysuit soon, I'm using the Amber pattern from Aranea Black Corsets. Only problem is that the whole back is lace-up, and I need to have a few rows of ruffles on the butt for it to be accurate (which it needs to be, since it's gonna be part of a competition cos for me). What's a way I can preserve the lace-up of the pattern while also having the butt ruffles? I thought about just having them on either side of the lace-up back, but that would just look disjointed. I feel like there's a way that I could have the ruffles be add-on after I put on the bunnysuit, but the craftsmanship of this needs to be really high. Does anyone have any ideas?

[Anonymous No.10296284]

I got some lace off aliexpress that I thought was white, but it turns out it was off-white and now doesn't match with the rest of my cosplay. Would bleaching it turn it to pure white or nah?

[Anonymous No.10296285]

>>10295892
I use Frixion felt tip pens, as soon as I iron the fabric the ink disappears. Doesn't work on very dark fabrics sadly but is an absolute winner when you want no ambiguity over where you should be sewing.

[Anonymous No.10296296]

>>10296279
do you have a picture of the character you want to cosplay ? Or a sketch, maybe that could help to figure it out .

[Anonymous No.10296303]

>>10296296
Sure. Here's the back of the pattern I'm using, and here are the butt-ruffles on the character.

[Anonymous No.10296366]

>>10296303
I'd sew up to the grommets, make the ruffles a bit longer, then add snaps to connect both sides of ruffles together in the middle.

[Anonymous No.10296542]

>>10296284
if it's made of nylon or polyester I don't think bleach will work and you may even damage the lace. Try bleaching a small test piece first.
If it's cotton it should bleach fine.
Just remember to use diluted bleach.

[Anonymous No.10296552]

>>10275917
Make sure you stitch two stitches, then backstich one, then continue stitching. Backstitching is key.

[Anonymous No.10296555]

>>10295892
Use a chalk tracing wheel or wax pencil. That’s what most pros use.,

[Anonymous No.10296570]

>>10295892
I think your problem is that you're marking both sides, wtf is that shit. Mark on the wrong side of the fabric.

[Anonymous No.10296774]

>>10295993
laces.taobao.com

[Anonymous No.10296784]

>>10296303
Is there any reason you’re making it a bunny suit instead of just a spandex bottom with a corset top, out of curiosity? These bottoms are similar to the ruffles that are on the panty part of a ballerina’s tutu, which are typically made of performance spandex in modern costumes.
I’ve made this costume before with the skirt if you need any advice on other parts!

[Anonymous No.10296945]

>>10295964
>>10296570
Nta but maybe they're cutting on the fold?

[Anonymous No.10297341]

>>10296784
Oh my friend recommended for it to be a bunnysuit and then a top on top? She's made a similar costume before and she said it really helped with silhouette, because I need some assistance with that lol. I'm doing it for Holmat and not with the big skirt, so I'm just really hoping to make what I do have as clean as possible. I've got 2 weeks with the rest of the costume done, so I figured I'd take the time to go the extra mile, since competitions make me nervous.
Oh wow you made the costume before? Do you have any general advice or pics? Might end up making the skirt one day to add on.

[Anonymous No.10298736]

Anyone have any recommendations for a sewing pattern I can modify for the blazer for Lysithea fire emblem?

[Anonymous No.10298740]

>>10298736
That's gorgeous, I'd wear that blazer all the time

[Anonymous No.10298829]

>>10298740
Yeah, the character designs for the academy phase are super nice and sleek, I love them.

[Anonymous No.10298882]

>>10298736
someone on Etsy is selling her pattern with mariannes and brigitte(?)
I bought it a few weeks ago its really detailed
She also sells other uniform patterns as well

[Anonymous No.10298986]

Hey gulls, I have a question for anyone who’s done sewing commissions before. I’ve been doing them very casually for about a year, and i just got a request for a cosplay that included a pair of shoes, but I’m not quite sure how to go about it. If I were making then for myself, I would thrift a pair of boots and modify them with paint and trim, but I’m not sure if that’s appropriate, since with all my other comms, I’ve made everything from scratch. But then, shoes are very expensive to buy new, unless there’s a good place to buy cheap shoes that I’m missing out on.

Anyway, yeah, any advice on this would be great since I’m sorta at a loss for what’s best in a commission setting.

[Anonymous No.10298990]

>>10298986
I'm not a commissioner, but would it be possible to make a boot cover instead? They're typically better for a cosplayer to use in the long run since you don't have to buy multiple pairs of shoes. Perhaps ask the client what they'd like to pay for?

[Anonymous No.10299013]

>>10298986
That's something you need to discuss with the client, especially since shoes need to fit them really well or they'll be very uncomfortable.
>>10298882
Who the hell is brigitte?

[Anonymous No.10299352]

is there a technique or presser foot i can use to pseudo increase the max stitch length?

[Anonymous No.10299374]

>>10299352
What are you trying to accomplish?

[Anonymous No.10299391]

>>10299374
more voluminous gathering

[Anonymous No.10299392]

>>10299352
It’s called a basting stitch you do it with your hands lol

[Anonymous No.10299443]

>>10299391
A gathering foot or ruffler would aid you. Otherwise you can set the stitch length to maximum and hand gather. More fabric means that you can volumize the gathers or you can add horsehair braid if its a bottom hem.

[Anonymous No.10299694]

>>10297341
I found the corset to be effective enough, but if you need reduction all the way down / don’t want spillage from under the corset, a bunnysuit might be your best bet! For the lace part, you might want to consider just covering the eyelets in that area with thread and a button hole stitch to make them more subtle (or just use white eyelets) so that the lace can cover them. If the lace is extra ruffly in the center, it should appear relatively continuous on each side of the opening if it’s closed. Look into lacing patterns that won’t crush the lace.

For general skirt tips, pic related is a rough idea of how I made my skirt!
I made an open hoop skirt using this tutorial as a base ref: http://istoria-n.tumblr.com/post/123609095563/open-front-hoop-skirt-tutorial
I added a lot of extra hoop steel to the opening than the tutorial (purchased separately), and flexible pvc tubing with 3 thick, twisted wires threaded through it so that the skirt was somewhat posable. A butt pillow/ bustle underneath the skirt (in the same color of the underskirt) was necessary to counterbalance the weight and to prevent it from closing in the front. Adding the petticoat netting made the skirt more cupcake-shaped.

I’d probably remake mine to be more structurally sound if I still had the cosplay (I sold it a while back unfortunately). One of the big things is that you really need is support for the skirt around your waist— ideally make a thick, boned (possibly laced) waistband under everything so not all of the weight is on your hip bones. Mine came out to be about 13 pounds so the small waistband made it feel terribly heavy and uncomfortable.

lmk if you have any more specific questions! I found the rest of the cosplay to be pretty trouble-free other than the skirt. Thank you for giving more cosplay love to one of my favorite characters aaa

[Anonymous No.10299802]

>>10299443
not getting it with the gathering foot either is actually what prompted me to post. before that i'd tried just the regular foot with tension and stitch length both maxxed out. either method results in too-close gathers. ruffler i think would be overly structured but i haven't got one.

picture a blindstitch that's spaced too widely. imagine how gathering along that thread would come together. that's the sort i'm aiming for: more voluminous at the stitchline
>soft and drape instead of crisp and ruffle
>fall away in gentle folds rather than rise away in outward flare
>closely bunched not tightly puckered

if i sanic it through at warp speed and keep it taut on the way out, a darning foot with tension near 2 and the feed dogs left engaged gets me a workable stitch length. can't really into an accurate stitching line that way though. plus even being careful it still seems like only a matter of time before i'd get a face full of needle shrapnel.

any ideas?
>tl;dr trying to work out how to gather more fabric at a time/greater volume of fabric into each stitch

[Anonymous No.10299843]

If I'm working with a pattern for the first time and it isn't in my size or proportions is it simple to make edits so that they are or make alterations so they look more like a cosplay outfit?

[Anonymous No.10299853]

>>10261594
What's the worst injury you've ever sustained while sewing or crafting?

[Anonymous No.10299941]

>>10299843
>size
yes
>design alteration
yes
>proportions
it depends on where it isn't fitting properly and in how many ways your body deviates from the average/standard that patterns are drafted for. for instance: heaven fuggen help you if shoulders come into play here. i barely even enjoy this shit half the time anymore.

>>10299853
sewn my finger to the fabric more times than i can count and near miss with a borken sew machine needle pinging off my upper eyelid/brow that could've gone very badly but nothing truly injurious thus far. non-sewing: sliced into my fingers/hands with chisels a few times. nicked my thumb with a saw. nothing story-worthy there either really.
>ehh i'm almost done, i'll sharpen it in a sec, it'll be fine
>ehh it's one tiny quick bit, i can hold it like a complete retard for just that, it'll be fine
>welp

[Anonymous No.10299946]

>>10299853
Crafting I sliced my arm with a blunt craft knife and ended up needing stitches. Wearing, I was doing a promo gig and dislocated my knee and had to keep on going and wearing it for 4 days

[Anonymous No.10299984]

>>10299802
>before that i'd tried just the regular foot with tension and stitch length both maxxed out
You don't want the tension maxed out as well, just the stitch length. Then you hold the bobbin thread and move the fabric along with your fingers. The method you mentioned isn't a bad one, but its easier to control the gathering with the one I mentioned.

[Anonymous No.10299988]

>>10299853
I'm a beginner so I only have a near injury story. I was working through some layers of a thick material and my needle snapped in three. The pointed edge flew straight at the center of my eyeball, but thankfully I happen to wear glasses for impaired eyesight so it saved me from a trip to the ER. I do need to invest in safety goggles, but I try to at least wear my glasses at all times when sewing now.

[Anonymous No.10299989]

>>10299941
>>10299843
I agree with the other anon, pattern manipulation isn't easy but its doable. Can you give us a better idea of what you're trying to accomplish?

[Anonymous No.10300133]

If I need to add a lining to a pattern that doesn’t come with one, can I just duplicate the main pattern onto the lining fabric and sew them together? I saw a tutorial that involved raising the armholes and whatnot for ease of movement but I don’t really care about that, I just need a lining to be there.

[Anonymous No.10300154]

>>10300133
Yes, you can, and it will be easier with smaller projects. Bigger items will have more issues with stretch and drape responding differently between the shell and lining but if a super clean fit isn't important then it's not that bad.

[Anonymous No.10300155]

>>10299989
>>10299941
Yes.
So I've been looking for patterns that would be very similar to the dress of Mature from King of Fighters. The issue is that I'm a guy and measurements I've found are always too small. I guess by proportions I mean more like lengthening a dress or giving it more cleavage. If it helps here's the pattern in question.

[Anonymous No.10300156]

>>10300133
You can easily just do that, 99% of the time it works

[Anonymous No.10300159]

>>10300155
And here's the character I'm sewing the dress for

[Anonymous No.10300163]

>>10300159
That character has a white vest underneath and a coat/dress thing, about modifying them to your size you should better make a basic bodice and skirt with your measurements and modify that to do what you want, the forms from the patterns can help you on redrawing them on your bodice. But it’s still trial and error. Go to some sewing classes and get help from the teachers.

[Anonymous No.10300171]

>>10300154
>>10300156
Thanks heaps!

[Anonymous No.10300173]

>>10299984
still can't get it. the gathers are still just way too close, it doesn't look right. holding the fabric up and letting it gather on a drawstring looks lovely. trying to sew it in place invariably just ends up looking like a damn bed ruffle. and sewing-related *anything* it seems is futile to try and search for info on. why do i like this again??

[Anonymous No.10300181]

>>10300163
I already have the vest taken care of. Or rather I know how im going to make the vest. I'll take your advice on making a dress and going from there. I'll also look into possibility some classes as well. Thanks anon

[Anonymous No.10300192]

>>10300181
https://www.moodfabrics.com/blog/the-xryis-dress-free-sewing-pattern/
have a look at this one, might be able to get you part of the way there

[Anonymous No.10300356]

>>10300192
This is almost exactly what I was looking for. I've still got a month and a half until the con too so I'll experiment. Thanks!

[Anonymous No.10300429]

>>10300173
>the gathers are still just way too close
so spread them out with your fingers? thats why its a nonpermanent movable stitch.

[Anonymous No.10300439]

>>10299853
one time while sewing through many many layers of fabric and interfacing, I put my finger right under the needle of my machine and punched a nasty hole in my pointer finger nail. Luckily the needle proved weaker than my flesh/bones, and broke up into pieces, and the only piece in my finger was really big and easy to pull out. The machine was fine! I decided it had good torque in the motor!

[Anonymous No.10300468]

>>10300173

Some options that might work for you:
-Zigzag stitch over a piece of string. Mark centers, halves, and quarters on the piece, pull the string to gather and then distribute gathers evenly by making sure that the segments you made earlier are all equal length. Secure in place with normal stitches.

-Maybe try flounces instead of gathers? As in, unironed pleats. You can do double-hand pleats which are knife pleats folded over twice (sucks up a ton of fabric as a heads up, but fits a lot of fabric in one place), or just normal unironed knife pleats or box pleats. If you put something like fishing line or horsehair braid into the hem you’ll still get a lot of fluffiness and body.

-I’m not sure what application these ruffles are going to, but if it’s something like a skirt then you could also look into cartridge pleats.

In the end, I personally think the best option is just to gather with long hand stitches. It’s really not that bad or slow, you just have to mark centers so the gathering stays consistent.

[Anonymous No.10300791]

>>10300439
Mine was the opposite, I was sewing a zipper and put my finger under the needle, it went cleanly through the nail and the finger and came out with no problem, didn't touch the bone or shatter so I didn't have to go to the ER to get it checked out. Good thing I was working on black fabric.

[Anonymous No.10300794]

>>10299853
Probably just stepping on a pin that was in my carpet. Hadto pull it out of my foot. And the time I accidentally leaned my arm into a hot iron and got an instant blood blister. The scar is still there 8 years later.

[Anonymous No.10300833]

Complete fucking newbie trying to make their first cosplay. Does anyone know what this specific skirt is called? I know it's sort of A-line but I can't find a pattern that includes the panels. Also, how the absolute fuck do these sleeves work? I'm so completely lost.

[Anonymous No.10300842]

>>10300833

You can literally just make an A line skirt and cut these triangular shapes and then just have the green layer beneath but if you look at cheerleading skirts you might find information about the proper way to construct that layered faux pleat effect.

The shirt is just an off the shoulder top with more detailed cuffs on the sleeves.

[Anonymous No.10300860]

>>10299694
Nayrt but I just wanted to say thank you for being so candid and helpful about how you made this skirt. I need to make a similar skirt for a cosplay and was struggling with a lot of the details but this is super helpful.

Anyways, I have a question for a different cosplay. I'm going to try to make Oriko's magical girl outfit but I'm struggling with finding a jacket pattern like this, with two rows of buttons and an asymmetrical opening. Does anyone know a similar pattern I might be able to modify? I've been striking out locally.

[Anonymous No.10300861]

>>10300842
Thanks! Definitely going to look into the cheerleading idea. For the sleeves, should I make them of a thinner fabric and just a bit longer so when I put the cuffs on it bunches up nicely? Or will it just end up wrinkling like an oversized sweater? should I look into interfacing like a mutton sleeve?

[Anonymous No.10300863]

>>10300833
I would do box pleats with the pleats being a contrasting colour. you would end up with seam lines though (either down the sides, where the skirt separates from the bodice).

Character designers don't always draw seam lines where they should realistically exist, so keep that in mind as well - it's sometimes not avoidable to put seams even where they weren't drawn in.

[Anonymous No.10300865]

>>10300863
Would I just sew the two different fabrics together for the pleats? I don't mind seam lines, I feel like they add to a cosplay & make it look more like it's actual clothing, which is what I'm going for ideally. Thanks for being so patient with me. The most sewing I ever did was industrial arts at school and I've forgotten all of it.

[Anonymous No.10300884]

>>10300860
Glad it could be of help! If the character you’re making doesn’t have a lot of extra stuff on the skirt you probably won’t need a super heavy duty waistband, since most of the weight from mine was from the many pounds of polyfil stuffing in the white poofs.

I tried my best to look and this pattern seems fairly close? There’s quite a few vintage dress patterns in this style. If you need more options search “double breasted blazer/dress/coat pattern” on google shopping.
As a heads up coat and blazer patterns will be a lot more loosely fitted than your reference, so you’ll likely need to make a lot of mods to tailoring. A simple dress bodice pattern with princess seams may be easier to modify (just duplicate the front panel and add button holes accordingly) than a coat pattern, if the vintage dress patterns aren’t in stock.

[Anonymous No.10301017]

I usually just sew dressed and not blouses but I've done similar sleeves once I just made the hole of the sleeve a bit wider than normal and then gathered it smaller. It's similar to doing a puffed sleeve at a shoulder but you would gather the whole sleeve all around the bottom to match the circumference of the cuffs.

[Anonymous No.10301019]

>>10301017

>>10300861

Woops dropped my reply

[Anonymous No.10301377]

Weird question, anybody willing to provide concrit on the layout and presentation of sewing patterns? I haven't used that many premade patterns, so I don't know if there are unspoken rules I'm breaking or other ways to improve the readability of my own patterns.

[Anonymous No.10301379]

>>10301377
I think in general you should try to have your text and your grain be aligned on the grid rather than rotated, as much as possible. I would also avoid the rounded arrows with the black outline, they should be solid for the sake of precision. Also, have you added the seam allowance? I know a lot of people don't add it to their home-made patterns but I find it better when they're accounted for on a commercial pattern.

[Anonymous No.10301381]

>>10301379
Oh sorry I just threw that image up so my post wouldn't get buried in a wall of text. Here's the actual pattern file
>https://www.deviantart.com/toyhermit/art/Phascomon-Plush-Pattern-814627776

That one is a fucking monster, here's a simpler pattern if you don't wanna trudge through that for the sake of a random anon's request.
>https://www.deviantart.com/toyhermit/art/Bewear-Plush-Pattern-757283850

Anyhow, thanks for the feedback, that's exactly the sort of thing I was looking for.

What do you mean aligned on the grid? Like, keeping them oriented either parallel or perpendicular?

Solid arrows are a good idea, that will probably let me get away with smaller ones on tiny pieces too. I'll try that out on my next pattern and see how it looks.

I don't add the seam allowance to the pattern pieces themselves, but the pattern page itself always lists the seam allowance. I...don't actually know how you're supposed to find the line to sew on when the pieces include seam allowance. Like, obviously on a machine you've got the measurements on the needle plate, but what about hand sewing?

[Anonymous No.10301382]

>>10301381
you add a mark on your machine that shows you 1/8inch or 1cm whatever you are used and sew using that as a reference.

[Anonymous No.10301383]

>>10301382
Yeah I figured out that part, most of my stuff requires extensive hand sewing, though.

[Anonymous No.10301384]

>>1030138
>>10301382
ahh im retarded
By hand if you don't have the allowance like known by practice its better to mark it with chalk and align your pieces.
As a general practice I always mark it with chalk.

[Anonymous No.10301385]

>>10301384
So I'd be tracing out each piece twice, basically? Like, tracing out the seam allowance size to cut, then going over each piece again with the chalk to mark the actual sewing line?

I've seen that "tape two markers together to add seam allowance and trace the pattern at the same time" trick, but I guess this is sort of the opposite situation.

[Anonymous No.10301386]

>>10301385
>>So I'd be tracing out each piece twice, basically? Like, tracing out the seam allowance size to cut, then going over each piece again with the chalk to mark the actual sewing line?

Yes, i do this. Certainly its not efficient or fast but it gets the job done good.

[Anonymous No.10301387]

>>10301386
Ok, I assume the reason to do it this way is to ensure none of whatever you marked the pattern with through in the stitching?

[Anonymous No.10301426]

>>10301381
>What do you mean aligned on the grid? Like, keeping them oriented either parallel or perpendicular?
Yes, exactly that. But from your other patterns I see you're working with very little space so it's fine if they're not aligned.

[Anonymous No.10301459]

>>10301385
>>10301386

It seems to be a Japanese vs Western sewing thing, I've seen other bloggers cover how Japanese patterns don't include seam allowance while western ones do, which seems pretty consistent with the patterns I have.

If your market is western hobbyists then I'd stick to the norm. Though, if the pattern is really small and finicky it might be a good idea to print both the seam allowance and sewing line so you don't lose detail.

As for this question >>10301387 -- what I've actually seen is some people don't bother tracing twice (some seem to even cut around the pattern without tracing at all, if the fabric and pattern is simple enough for it), they use the guide on their sewing machine to lay down the seam. It's usually really simple dresses, so it's possible to do it without too many complications. I can see the appeal, though.

[Anonymous No.10301746]

>>10301426
Yep, it's hard to fit text and grainlines onto a pattern piece less than an inch wide

>>10301459
Huh, I didn't know that about Japanese patterns. Any idea why?. On an unrelated note, why are Japanese craft books so much more in-depth and advanced than any Western craft book I've ever seen?

I don't really have a "market", I just share my patterns for free just cus I can't stand the idea of spending weeks or months refining a pattern for it to only get used one time.
>some seem to even cut around the pattern without tracing at all
Oh yeah, I could see how people manage that when working with flat fabrics and a rotary cutter.

[Anonymous No.10302101]

>>10300884
Compared to yours the skirt will probably be pretty simple, it's just pic related.

As for the other cosplay, thanks for the advice. I've always had a rough time with making good princess seams but you're right in that the fitted look is definitely more true to the cosplay. I'll have to think about what I want to do there.

[Anonymous No.10302419]

>>10299694
Holy SHIT! This is literally the most gorgeous princess of the crystal skirt I've ever seen, I'm literally in shock right now. Do you possibly have a pic of you in the whole costume?

If I do end up making the skirt in the future this is such a huge help, thank you so much. You're seriously talented.
I do have one question, you talk about "butt pillow/bustle" underneath. What is that, and how did you make/attach it?

Also your hat looks way nicer than mine lol, do you have any tips on how you made that? And what are the giant pearls made of? Sorry for so many questions your cosplay is just amazing.

[Anonymous No.10302492]

>>10302419
Thanks! The butt pillow was literally just a red half-moon filled with a lot of polyfil stuffing and a waistband in the front (i just did mine with elastic, you may need a non-stretch waistband for security). It was about 12-14 inches wide in the back stuffed if i remember correctly, so probably a few more inches unstuffed. You could probably add two hooks in the back to secure it better to the bunny suit.

The hat is honestly a bit shoddy (at least the decorations lol), the pieces are just plastidipped / painted and glued-on craft foam with matching cravat fabric for the eyes. To pattern it I just made a base sculpted out of like... aluminum foil and tape on a head form, then saran wrap and duct taped around that for the pattern. The hat was interfaced with felt and I made a little stuffed compartment to add polyfil to the horn things.

The pearls are plastic “fillable” christmas ornaments that I painted on the inside with pearl pigment and glued shut. Since they open up and have loops on both sides, one loop could go on the bottom and the other on top.

If you have any questions after this thread dies you can email me at [e-mail]!

[Anonymous No.10302516]

>>10279685
As a six foot tall woman, I also thought you were a male due to your lack of awareness of the concept of a hoodie dress and how bad of an idea adding extra material to the bottom of a garment would look.

[Anonymous No.10302717]

>>10300865
I believe you do, yes. The seam lines of the contrasting fabrics end up hidden within the pleats themselves.

I had this pattern when I was a teenager and learning to sew, if you needed an example. But there's tutorials out there - search for "contrasting box pleats" or something like that.

[Anonymous No.10302720]

>>10301746
>Huh, I didn't know that about Japanese patterns. Any idea why?
I don't have the answer why, but European patterns are the same way, none of my mother's Burda magazines back in the day had seam allowance but their patterns in North America do. I guess America introduced it sometime it's just convention at this point, but it never caught on elsewhere?

[Anonymous No.10302750]

>>10299694

I could kiss you, anon. I've been wanting to do a costume which has a skirt just like this for the longest time and figuring out how to get that silhouette has been the only thing that's stopped me.
Thank you so much for sharing this.

[Anonymous No.10302757]

>>10299853

A sewing needle broke and I set it down on the table to put away in a sharps box later as my brother and partner both take shots on the regular. At some point it got knocked off and lost in the rug under the table.
While I was able to find the sharp tip and disposed of it, the blunt end that inserts into the machine remained missing and I figured I'd find it later and it posed less of a risk because it's not the needle point. I mostly wear slippers around the house, but often kick the one off my pedal foot. I forgot all about it, walked around the table and found the blunt piece with my foot. It went in a good centimetre and was firmly wedged in there, the reason I couldn't see it before was because it was pointing upwards and gave it the perfect angle to insert itself into my foot.

[Anonymous No.10302959]

>>10302757
Ouch. That's why I don't have a rug in the area where I sew, and I also have a strong magnet I can use if I lose a sharp metal object.

[Anonymous No.10303112]

I'm trying to find a sewing machine that isn't insaly expensive that won't just break on me after a week, I wanna get better and make cute stuff for people reee

[Anonymous No.10303127]

>>10300429
maybe shallow would've been a better word choice. stitch length is the limiting factor here. think wave amplitude.

>>10300468
>In the end, I personally think the best option is just to gather with long hand stitches.
yeah, you're right. part of me is still half tempted to try modifying a presser foot but i'll file that away for later and just go with what definitely works for now.
>I’m not sure what application these ruffles are going to
neckline, chiffon, dress, very simple silhouette
>you could also look into cartridge pleats.
ooh neat. hadn't ever heard of these before now. looks like they ought to do the trick! thank you so much

[Anonymous No.10303137]

>>10303127
Ahhhh I see.

[Anonymous No.10303139]

>>10303112
Check out Facebook Marketplace and Black Friday sales. Imo I haven't found anything worth buying a thrift store so far unless you're into vintage sewing machines, but I managed to get my Singer Brilliance 6180 off of FB for $50 without the cords and another $30 for the cords. It was a gud deal

[Anonymous No.10303320]

If I want to make a bag like pic related, should I use faux leather, cow hide, or soft leather sheepskin? I try to be conscious of animals when I purchase products and never buy leather items new, and if I purchased real leather would go to a local tanner/person who deals in secondhand animal skins and furs.

I'm mostly concerned about whether or not soft leather would be too thin as some larger sheets have natural holes and thin spots. But I have a Janome at home machine and don't know if I could even get much done with a very thick leather.

[Anonymous No.10303395]

>>10303320
Have you ever sewn leather? Or are you even a good sewer? If you say no to either one don't even try, it's too hard for you. Leather is one of the shitties material to work with as every mistake you make will show. Start with something easier. That bag is high level stuff. I've seen too many beginner sewers wanting to sew leather and failing miserably. Some even so bad they completely ditched the hobby.

[Anonymous No.10303445]

>>10303395

I'm a relatively experienced seamstress with garment weight fabrics. I've only repaired thin leather things like bits on shoes and jackets before. I specifically wanted to make my own bag in this style either with denim (which I can do easily) or leather (would be more versatile) to custom fit my giant water bottle and my laptop, plus have it as a horizontal rectangular backpack rather than a messenger bag/briefcase

If I wanted to alter an existing bag (I have some limited access to an industrial sewing machine that can work with leather), could I simply remove the messenger strap and use a heavy duty srt of D rings and pre cut leather strips made for bag straps and attach that to the right spots on the bag?

[Anonymous No.10303466]

>>10303320
Stay away from soft leather for this unless you line it with something heavy duty....and at that point you might as well go for the cow hide.
Soft leather will stretch and pull out of shape over time and it will look more like a shapeless hobo bag then this type of bag.
Since you don't have a lot of leather experience, I'd go with the fake leather. That way hopefully it won't be too expensive if you fuck it up.

[Anonymous No.10303470]

>>10303466
Also, if you decide to just buy something, try searching for soft leather briefcase on ebay, I found a lot of bags like the one you posted the pic of.

[Anonymous No.10303669]

>>10303112
My starter machine was a Singer Classic that ran for yeeeears, I highly recommend for a beginner.

[Anonymous No.10305010]

Does anyone have tips for handling bulk/several layers of fabric around invisible zippers? I'm attaching one to a skirt with a few layers of tulle over a solid lining and I'm not sure how to handle attaching everything at the zipper seam.

[Anonymous No.10305051]

>>10305010
You should at least baste the fabric edges together before putting in the zipper

[Anonymous No.10305144]

Need some fabric recs. Not sure if I want to go the typical uniform fabric route, since she’s not a normal student. Thinking of a fabric with some texture or pill to it.

[Anonymous No.10305177]

>>10305144
Velvet would look nice, don't get stretch though it's a bitch to work with

[Anonymous No.10305218]

>>10305144
Seconding the velvet rec, I saw someone do a Flayn dress out of it and it was stunning. I would do that and raw silk for the gold parts.

[Anonymous No.10305337]

>>10305177
>>10305218
thank you, anons! I was honestly thinking velvet this entire time but I was afraid it’d look silly. But this helped a lot.

[Anonymous No.10305383]

>>10305010
Invisible zippers often aren't designed to handle bulky. Have you thought about leaving the tulle out of the zipper seam and carefully tacking the raw edges to the lining once the zipper is inserted to avoid catching?

[Anonymous No.10305639]

>>10305144
like others anons said, velvet, but maybe cotton/ cotton blend velvet, it's less shiny and a bit more easy to handle

[Anonymous No.10305792]

>>10305144
Velveteen might be easier to work with than velvet, the pile is generally shorter and doesn't need as much protection with pressing etc

[Anonymous No.10306922]

>>10302720
Back in the day, most people used to trace the outline of their patterns so they would have a line to sew along. Seam allowance didn't really matter as it could be anything, so long as you had the stitching line marked, and most people trimmed the seam allowance down and finished edges if needed afterwards.

[Anonymous No.10306929]

>>10306922
Yeah this is how I do it

[Anonymous No.10306930]

Are brand full shirring JSKs always an exact rectangle or do some brands shape the front bodice a bit different to account for bust room? It feels like my BABY JSKs have armpit room/some sort of difference in the shape in the bust but I am unsure. My Meta JSK seems to be a rectangle all the way.

[Anonymous No.10306962]

Would you consider this a(n attempt at a) flat-felled seam? They obviously tried to replicate the look from the outside, but surgery with a seam ripper shows that the fabric panels don't interlock. It looks like they folded, pressed, and stitched each panel separately along the seam line, placed the fabric panels, then carefully topstitched. Would this have any effect on the strength of the seam? Even though there's no stitch going through all layers simultaneously there will at least be 2 lines of stitching along the seam.

I'm writing a review of a product and I don't know whether I should praise or criticize this feature.

[Anonymous No.10306963]

>>10306962
On another seam.

[Anonymous No.10306964]

>>10306963

[Anonymous No.10306965]

>>10306964
This is what it looks like fully assembled before surgery.

[Anonymous No.10306966]

>>10306965
And this is what I always thought an ideal flat felled seam should look like.

[Anonymous No.10307017]

>>10306962

It's a funny way to do it. At first I thought they might be trying to lighten the thickness of the seam by having less overlapping fabric, but then I read your description again and now I'm confused. Seems like it would be less work, more efficient and sturdier overall to just do it correctly rather than pressing two fabric seperately, sewing them up, then sewing two panels together.

To answer your question. Felled seams will always be stronger due to the two lines connecting the fabric, but then again you don't always need it that strong. For a normal dress, the princess seam is usually only one single line of stitching, yet nobody really expects it to fall apart -- the fabric on a normal dress doesn't really need that much reinforcement the way a pair of jeans does. If you poke at the dress and it doesn't seem like the single line of stitching will fall apart, then it's probably good enough to hold a dres together.

I'd give the product a low mark due to >>10306965 though - drunk lines, wonky serging, pilling edges? unless the dress was already manhandled before you took this photo.

[Anonymous No.10307119]

>>10307017
This isn't a dress. It is a reproduction of a historical military uniform that is meant to see harder use outside running, jumping, crawling, shooting, etc. The pants on average are better except for pic related, a prime blowout location, at the crotch. I think they were going for flat-felled seams throughout but I don't know if they were successful. I already commented on this and the interior finish. The outside looks perfectly fine believe it or not.

[Anonymous No.10307126]

>>10305383
The project is a wedding dress for a friend of a friend who doesn't seem to have an eye for quality sewing so I'm not super worried about the outcome. I tried to get her to do something different with the zipper but she insisted on an invisible zipper so I'm just going to shut up and get paid to do what she asks me to do. I think I'm going to try layering the tulle such that the edges would blend and it would cover the zipper when worn, which eliminates the problem of the bulk at the zipper seam and won't interrupt the volume of the skirt.

[Anonymous No.10307132]

>>10307119
Also it's in new condition, straight from the company's warehouse.

[Anonymous No.10307241]

I've been using a random pass me down 70s sewing machine that I can't even find a manual for and I'm in the market for a new one. I'm probably going to get a Brother or a Janome but they really all seem identical to me. I mostly make plush toys (so lots of fiddle little seams) but am interested in clothing, what should I be looking for? Something with digitised embroidery would be really cool for plush details but I'm confused over if a machine that does both is as good as a separate embroidery and sewing machine. Any advice/guides?

[Anonymous No.10307431]

>>10307241
I have a hybrid sewing/embroidery machine, it's the brother innovis 955. It was $800 including embroidery software and one maintenance a year for five years. It's a really good sewing machine, I use it a lot and some of the features like broken thread detection and automatic buttonholes came in really handy and I'm glad I got a machine that included them. I'm less impressed with the embroidery, it's only 100*100mm which is fine for plushies but quite small for costuming which is the main thing I use it for, and it starts struggling at stitch densities a bit low for my liking. In total it was much cheaper than the same quality sewing machine and an embroidery machine but if you want to do a lot of embroidery, bigger embroidery, denser or more precise embroidery, I would get the equivalent sewing-only machine and a dedicated embroidery machine.

[Anonymous No.10307436]

>>10306930
Usually they are shirred rectangles +/- space for arm holes as far as I can tell. Some are slightly trapezoidal so give a little more room at the bust. You can't really shape full shirring unless you start putting darts or more panels in by which point you may as well do back shirring alone

[Anonymous No.10307448]

>>10307436

So is it a sort of cutout for arm holes out of the side and then it comes up higher in the front the way a strapless dress might have? I wish I could remove the shirring to check but I don't want to wreck my brand just to imitate it.

[Anonymous No.10307498]

>>10306930
>>10307448

Otome no sewing has a fully shirred OP in a few of its volumes, if you prefer to go that route instead. Though I should mention the shape is trapezoid in some of them, which seems counterproductive until you remember that some anons have mentioned that OnS seems drafted for flatter-chested girls.

If you really want to draft your own without outside references, I'd suggest to start by looking at raglan sleeve bodices. Then after you've done the raglan seam, modify the neckline, then add back where the extra fabric would be for the shirring.

[Anonymous No.10307510]

I'm not sure if I'm in the right place but I've run out of places to turn to on the subject of customising items of clothing. I wish to add a white stripe roughly 2in wide along the seam of a piece that is a cottom/poly blend. I'm not sure if I should go with using a good fabric paint or very diligently apply belach to it.

The benefits of paint is that it's easy, and safer than bleach/acid-washing

the benefits of acid-washing is that the stripe will be permenant, you can wash away a paint, you can't wash away a permenant alteration to the fabric. Plus the pain stripe will not show the texture of the material underneat it, which isn't the worse but it'll stick out more.

I'm sorry if this is the wrong place ot ask this sort of thing but I'm truly stuck. I don't have too much money floating right now and so I'm hesitant to pull the trigger on one method over another.

[Anonymous No.10307512]

>>10307510
pictures would help but sounds like your safest bet would be fabric paint or topstitching white bias tape along the seam

[Anonymous No.10307532]

>>10307510
sewing a strip of fabric is the best way to go

[Anonymous No.10307537]

>>10307510
I'd sew ribbon along the edge, it should look fine without too much effort and you can pick the seams anytime if you want to remove it.

[Anonymous No.10307611]

>>10307510
Definitely sew the stripe on, don't paint it.

[Anonymous No.10307617]

Hi anons, was hoping for some fabric help with this cosplay. I was thinking for the white of the dress to use something like cotton sateen so it doesn't have too much of a shine, but for the red to use maybe something like velvet or charmeuse?
Would love to hear some opinions of other people though!

[Anonymous No.10307651]

>>10307617
velvet for a skirt is going to be a bit risky at that length, normally velvet stretches and at might sag. If you're dead set on velvet I would make sure it has a backing and since it's a bit weighty make sure you have a proper hoopskirt or petti underneath.

[Anonymous No.10307659]

>>10307617
I'd definitely go with something lighter than velvet, charmeuse could work but I think something stiffer would have a better shape, especially on all the bottom points. But if you like the look of a fabric that's not stiff enough you can always back it with interfacing or a different fabric.

[Anonymous No.10307675]

>>10307617
I’ve never seen velvet or anything with a nap used for an underskirt and I imagine it would drape rather awkwardly.

[Anonymous No.10307680]

>>10307651
>>10307659
>>10307675
Thank you, I didn't think of that! I'll be having a petticoat and hoopskirt underneath, but is there any fabric you could possibly recommend that has a more 'luxurious' vibe to it?

[Anonymous No.10307699]

>>10307680
Bridal satin or duchess satin will probably be the easiest to work with (pretty sheen and will have a good drape on the under layers since it's less flimsy / flowy than charmeuse)
Taffeta is another sound option which has more of a "crisp" drape.

If you want more of a texture, a slubby dupioni might work? Don't use if you're planning to make it a circle skirt since it has lines running in one direction, only use if it's going to be paneled.

There are also two-toned options for both taffeta and dupioni! Usually they're more expensive though.

[Anonymous No.10307704]

>>10307617
>>10307680
I would recommend against cotton sateen for the white part because it'll wrinkle too easily. I would go for something with more polyester/synthetic content to keep it smooth. Matte red satin can work for the red parts. You can line it to reinforce it or get a bottomweight satin to start with.

[Anonymous No.10307932]

>>10307448
Yes, think of it like a strapless bodice block with a rectangle inserted in the middle - otherwise it's a plain rectangle/trapezoid with the wider part of the trapezoid at the top.

[Anonymous No.10307939]

I'm looking to get into embroidery, what's a good versatile embroidery machine?

[Anonymous No.10308768]

>>10307704
>>10307699
Oh, I forgot to reply- Thank you so much, this has been incredibly helpful!!

[Anonymous No.10310425]

stuck at my parents' house for the next 1.5 weeks with their sewing machine, many yards of fleece and a dozen fabric quarters. in the mood to sew but i have no ideas. what do?

[Anonymous No.10310426]

>>10310425
If they have also fillings make plushies

[Anonymous No.10310434]

>>10310425
bows, crounchies

[Anonymous No.10310442]

>>10310425

You could make cute bunny eared fleece pajamas (assuming it comes in any solids or cute prints)

[Anonymous No.10310470]

every time i turn on my babylock sewing machine it automatically sews forward at full power, and it wont stop unless i switch it off. not sure what to do here because searching "sewing machine sews when turned on" doesnt give any helpful results obviously

[Anonymous No.10310475]

>>10310470

Dang babylocks are up there in price too you'd think they'd have less crazy issues like that.

[Anonymous No.10310489]

>>10310470
Faulty pedal maybe? Is it the kind of pedal that's part of the power supply or is it separate?

[Anonymous No.10310493]

>>10310470
I've had this issue with a babylock and a singer tiny serger, both times it was because I didn't plug in the foot pedal jack all the way. Just enough to make the connection but not enough to work correctly.

[Anonymous No.10310555]

>>10303320
Fake leather is worse for animals because of plastic fibre shedding.

[Anonymous No.10313266]

A friend of mine has been helping me look for patterns to make Lapis Lazuli's pants, and currently this design for paper bag pants is the closest we've been able to get to the actual shape. Should I just start with this pattern, or does anyone have anything better that comes to mind? Opinions and help also welcomed.

[Anonymous No.10313432]

>>10313266
top half is def paper bag waist, bottom half is similar to harem pants minus the ridiculous dropped crotch part. i'd start with the pattern you have there and concentrate first on getting the fit right through the waist and hips, then add more volume tapering down the leg to exaggerate the flare a bit more. looking at how to do a bishop sleeve may be helpful.

one thing to note is how the pants are cuffed at the hemline. on the character the fabric falls neatly in smooth unbroken lines. on this pattern (and on most if not all of what you'd find re: harem pants, bishop sleeves) the fabric is gathered to the band and thereby won't mimic that same smooth sculpted look exactly. how many fucks do you give about that?

[Anonymous No.10313468]

>>10313432
>how many fucks do you give about that?
How many fucks do YOU give? It's your costume, my dude. You get to decide how you want to realize the character's costume.

[Anonymous No.10313496]

>>10313468
it's not their costume. go back to your remedial english class.

[Anonymous No.10313692]

>>10313432
Thank you for the help! Bishop sleeve is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. Now I can look up actual references to modify the pattern I end up going with. As far as the cuffing goes, I honestly hadn't given that part much thought, but for my first attempt, I'm gonna focus on getting the paper bag and bishop sleeve combo right before making further modifications.

[Anonymous No.10313813]

>>10313692
very welcome. good luck!

[Anonymous No.10314932]

Any idea where to get leavers tulle base for lace making ? I really like the look of the diamond shaped one with knot ( like on the top of te lace in pic related ). Ironically I can't find some irl and this type of lace is made in my country.

[Anonymous No.10316309]

Is there a sewing community that's not exclusively lolita nor women in their 40s and above?

[Anonymous No.10316328]

>>10316309
The best I've found is like these threads. Cosplay channels/boards get flooded with people asking about building prop and armor and doing crafting rather than solid sewing questions, and sewing communities are pretty much all normalfags who have no experience with adapting it into cosplay.

[Anonymous No.10316360]

>>10316309
Historical reenactment. Not kidding. That’s all I’ve found. I mainly sew lolita but every lolita sewing group turns into a useless hugbox within months of its creation so I went looking for another sewing community that would at least be able to give halfway decent advice. There’s very little out there, especially if you want to sew things that you wouldn't be able to find in any main street store. The historical sewing community is by far the most helpful community I’ve found, even if they disapprove of zippers and elastic.

[Anonymous No.10316507]

>>10316309
>>10316360
The historical costuming community is still going to have plenty of people over 40 though. I'm curious what the original anon has against experience though? Older sewists will have more experience than newfags.

[Anonymous No.10316526]

>>10316507
Sure, but if it's 95% older women in the group they tend to be cliquey, set in their ways and have a "this is how it's done don't try anything else" attitude, which isn't super conducive to innovation and creative solutions. It's better and more welcoming when the group has all kinds of people in it.

[Anonymous No.10317009]

>>10316309
Corset-making communities. You get a range from "I only make corsets" to "full historic accuracy" as well as finding cosplayers, costume-makers and people who went from garments to corsets and vice versa

[Anonymous No.10317230]

>>10316507
Because I need friends :(
I'm more than fine to be sewing/knitting with women who are in their 70s, I'm actually still doing this, a hugbox too sadly, but let me just find women who just wanna sew some cute clothes too just to make some friends. But I guess there's no community, an online community then?

[Anonymous No.10317287]

>>10316309
>>10317230

r/sewing on reddit usually has a mix, we had a slew of prom dresses last month, there's some dude sewing suits and there was something drag queen yesterday.

If a group is that inclusive it might be too big to make friends anyway. If you're gonna include all of the peoples that's going to be a lot of people.

[Anonymous No.10317479]

how do you pick up the line of stitching left by the invisible zipper foot after you've gotten as far as you can go with it? adjustable zip foot gets nearer than standard zip foot but seems like it'd be a bitch to keep the stitching in line and not have it come out wonky. is hand picking those last couple inches the way to go here?

[Anonymous No.10317482]

Okay this is seriously a dumb question but I need to remove a dart from a preexisting pattern. I saw a tutorial on it but honestly I'm kind of a brainlet when it comes to sewing... is doing that sort of alteration on a commercial pattern something feasible for someone who's in the low intermediate sewing skill range? Or should I just look for a different pattern and not fuck with the dart?

[Anonymous No.10317486]

>>10317482
think of a pizza with one slice removed. the empty space represents the dart. you can close *that* dart by scooting the slices around so there's not an empty space at the original location anymore but the empty space itself isn't filled in, it's just been shifted elsewhere. make sense?

[Anonymous No.10317538]

>>10317479
You pull away the unsewn part of the zipper from the fabric and finish the rest the seam normally with a regular zipper foot on the fabric by. Then pin the loose end of the zipper back down to the seam allowance and sew it down to the allowance on both sides. The seam should enclose the end of the zipper. No foot is going to fit around it.

[Anonymous No.10317584]

>>10317538
sweet, thank you

[Anonymous No.10318555]

question to all: what's your success/fail ratio like?
>for every [# of] garments i make, [#] of them miss the mark in some way
what are your #s?

[Anonymous No.10318563]

>>10318555
I always make muslins, can't be making mistakes on my expensive fabric
That said, I usually end up making 1-4 muslins depending on how fitted the garment is and if I'm drafting a pattern from scratch. My bust/ waist/ hip measurements are all over the place for commercial pattern size charts so I usually need to make a lot of modifications.

[Anonymous No.10318604]

>>10318555
Well I'm an annoying perfectionist and use expensive materials like real leather and silk so yeah I usually make a few muslins... first one never is that good desu

[Anonymous No.10318734]

>>10318555
I'm not sure if anyone would be honestly willing to say that any garment they make comes out 100% perfect. Like the other anons, there's tons of mock up failures and sometimes a re-do in fashion fabric if you're unlucky enough. Not to mention how many times you can sew and unpick a garment without considering it a full failure. So, that question is difficult to answer. On my first ever garment, I made 6 mockups of the bodice and 1 of the skirt and still fucked up, but that's because I was a beginner.

[Anonymous No.10318771]

>>10318555
Define win/fail… I feel like there will always be a handful of tiny mistakes in my costumes no matter how many muslins I do, like "the sleeves should've been 1/8-1/4" longer", "the back feels tight", "why won't the front smooth out completely, did I need to turn the fabric and cut it against the grain?", Or "the stripes should've been 1/8" narrower", "I ran out of time and glued this ribbon together in the back", etc. However, people who see my costumes never point out any of these to me and all say it's great, it's perfect. I've never made a costume where I was 100% satisfied with all of the construction, but I've had 110% satisfying experiences wearing them to cons and events.

[Anonymous No.10318886]

So I'm trying to make a Hatsune Miku cosplay and I only attempted sewing a year ago trying to make a mockup from an existing pattern and somehow fucked it up. How screwed am I and does anybody have any tips?

[Anonymous No.10318902]

>>10318555
If you define "fail" as something I threw out and redid, I'd say that happened like 3 or 4 times over 15 to 20 costumes of maybe 3 garments each. For garments I just wasn't super happy with at the time but still kept, I'd say another 5.

[Anonymous No.10318903]

>>10318886
It's not the easiest beginner project but it's not super advanced either. For pleated skirts there's a billion patterns out there so that's a good starting point. When it comes to mockups, you want to 1) use a fabric with similar weight, stretch, etc as your fashion fabric and 2) make several if the first one isn't satisfactory. At the mockup stage I will often write notes straight on the fabric, sew another bit to a piece that's too small, etc, don't worry about it being ugly outside of the shape of the garment and the seams. And if you know anyone who sews, having their help in the beginning is invaluable, when I started out I asked my mom and my grandma for help and they taught me basically everything they know.

[Anonymous No.10318971]

>>10318886

You're probably better off looking up how to draft a basic bodice so (A) at least you understand what you're doing, rather than blindly altering a pattern that you don't understand, and (B) you can draft the design you want instead of having to headache around existing patterns.

It's hard to say how fucked up. I bought a pattern drafting book and drew up wearable pants on my first try, but I had experience with making simple normie clothes before that. It helps if you aren't also completely clueless about using a sewing machine, pressing, finishing hems and seams, all the other skills that go into constructing garments.

[Anonymous No.10319096]

I'm looking at making an arm sash similar to pic related for a con in may, but I'm an absolute newbie to sewing outside of some textiles sewing I did in school.

For the sash itself, I was looking at a plain purple sash like pic related that loosely covers the arm, with a white circle on the front side with a letter in the middle of the circle-

I have no sewing machine, so I was wondering what supplies would be recommended? I already have some fabric shears, but I'm worried about how I could create a perfect circle in white fabric without some sort of knife, but I'm not sure what kind I should be looking at. Additionally, is there any way to make the sash "hold down" the circle and the letter? I understand I can sew them with thread, but I'm slightly worried about them flapping slightly on the edges- while at the same time minimising the amount of stitches.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, cheers

[Anonymous No.10319116]

>>10318886
> trying to make a mockup from an existing pattern and somehow fucked it up
Great! Find out what you did wrong, learn from it, and start the next mockup. If the answers to this question >>10318555
gives you any indication, failure is necessary. What exactly was the problem? Are you comfortable with posting pictures?

[Anonymous No.10319131]

>>10319096
>I have no sewing machine, so I was wondering what supplies would be recommended?
You can use a handsewing needle, a ruler, a disappearing fabric marker or chalk or light pencil or really thinly cut bar of soap, matching threads (white, purple, and the color of the letter(s), and I'd recommend some wonder-under or spray fabric adhesive.

>White circle and letters
This comment is too long so I'll put it in another part

>Sash
1) Cut a long rectangle out of your purple fabric.
Width: length around your arm + .5in seam allowance on both horizontal sides
Vertical Length: 2 x (desired length of sash, ie. how long you want the finished product like the picture to be)
2) Fold fabric in half horizontally or hotdog style with 'right' sides facing inward (ie. wrong sides, or the not-pretty, not-to-be-seen side facing you)
3) sew the horizontal edges (top and bottom), but leave the sides open
4) turn your rectangle inside out so that the pretty side is facing you
5) move the rectangle with your fingers so that the seam is in the middle of the sash instead of on the top and bottom
6) Choose one of the following finishing methods:
a] fold the sash hamburger style so that the horizontal edges meet, right sides facing in and wrong sides facing out (ie. the part of the sash that will be actually touching your skin facing outward. Then, sew the horizontal edges together. Press the edges open and use fray check or an overlocking/whip stitch to finish the seam. Flip inside out and you're done. Attach to your costume however you please.
b] fold the edges of one of the horizontal edges inward. Pressing it down would help immensely but you can use pins or just hold it down with your fingers. Insert the other horizontal edge into this hole and sandwich inbetween. Sew through all layers. A stitch will be visible from the outside, but there will be no seams to finish.

[Anonymous No.10319135]

>>10319131
>white circle (method can be applied to the letter(s) as well)
1) use a circular object the size you need to trace onto the fabric with whatever marking tool you have chosen
2) mark a circle .5 inches all around your desired circle. It doesn't need to be perfect.
3) cut around bigger circle, then cut slits into the bigger circle while making sure not to cut at all into the desired circle's line
4) bend the slits backward so that they are touching the wrong side of the fabric and press down with an iron. Go slow and try to be as neat as possible so that the circle looks good on the right side of the fabric
5) Choose an attachment method:
a] use wonder-under to adhere the circle to the sash. Apply after sewing the sash completely
b] use a fabric adhesive spray on the wrong side and press it down with your fingers to the fabric. Alternatively you can skip the spray and pin it into place. Then use a satin stitch around each edge to keep it secure. This is easier on a machine but if one isn't available to you, then sit down with a good movie or podcast - you're in it for the long haul. Apply before sewing the sash. Make sure that you are putting it into the correct place before doing all of that work.

[Anonymous No.10319267]

>>10319116
I really don't have any photos. I have a difficult time reading patterns and properly putting stitching and knowing how to sew interfacing or the inside of a garment. A lot of basic things. Are there any youtube tutorials or channels I could watch you would recommend?

[Anonymous No.10319290]

>crepe de chine
>polyester
seams are puckering. halp

[Anonymous No.10319368]

>>10319267
I like Professor Pincushion, but searching by the terms you need is a good process too. Try imagining creating the garment step by step. Sometimes that would help me see where I was overlooking a material like interfacing or something. I also like to watch a lot of cosplay sewing tutorials and builds for costumes other than the one I'm working on because seeing the process and how other people fail can be really helpful.

>I have a difficult time reading patterns
Honestly, it's a whole different language, I don't blame you. I just bought my first commercial patterns myself and oof lad. I'm having a hard time.

> knowing how to sew interfacing
That one has actually been made easy for you. There's iron on interfacing. All you do it cut out your pattern piece minus the seam allowance on all sides and iron the rough side down against the wrong side of the fabric. Whammo - done.

Best of luck. if you have any more questions, feel free to come back to us.

[Anonymous No.10319465]

>>10319131
>>10319135
Thanks so much. As the latter stage would be easier with a machine, and I am on a slight budget as it's only a small step in my full cos, are there any reccomendations that could be made for a cheap sewing machine? I'm mainly looking for under 50-40 GBP, and I'm happy to go used- what sort of brands/models are reccomended?

[Anonymous No.10319504]

>>10319465
If it has to be one as cheap as that, check Aldi. They've got cheap beginner machines for about £30. They're very basic, probably only got a few stitches, but they'd do the business for you for to get used to using one and until you can afford a bigger, better machine.

[Anonymous No.10319514]

>>10319368
Thank you!

[Anonymous No.10319972]

>>10319290

Have you tried playing with the tension settings? Also try changing your needle, sometimes just swapping them out fixes everything. I'll even go between standard points and ball point needles to see if it makes a difference and 9/10 times it usually fixes it.

[Anonymous No.10320068]

honestly it's a stupid question but does anybody in the world ever modded/tuned they sewing machine to make it more power full or change pieces to make it stronger? I have mostly seen people adding electronic part to mechanical machine.

[Anonymous No.10320579]

>>10320068
Not that I've heard of but the sheer concept of a sewing machine going into maximum overdrive a la Spongebob makes me chuckle

[Anonymous No.10320581]

>>10319465
Try secondhand stores and facebook groups. I got my Singer Brilliance 6180 for $50 becuase it came without cords (which cost another $20-30). I think Joann's is having a sale right now on them. They have some simple machines for around $70. Black Friday would be the best time to buy though.

As for brands, Singer, Janome, and Brother, Bernina, and Juki are popular and trusted. The machine I have that I mentioned above is very beginner friendly. If you're looking to make the leap, I'd recommend finding one with an automatic needle threader so that you won't be tearing your hair out at the first needle change. Not required though.

[Anonymous No.10321674]

I was wondering if anyone can help me with this, does anyone know how to sew the nose of this plush? Or what the technique is called?

[Anonymous No.10321788]

>>10321674
Theres a guy that does plushies in the sewing thread on /diy/, im sure he'll know.

[Anonymous No.10322369]

>>10321788
Thanks anon!

[Anonymous No.10323023]

>>10295690
>>10278254
hey patchbros

[Anonymous No.10323972]

I'm planning on sewing on some stockings onto a pair of dancer tights. Would sewing a non-stretchy fabric work okay, and how would I go about it so it doesn't rip?

[Anonymous No.10327278]

>>10313432
desu if u really wanna be anal about it just use interfacing, splice them and add buttons to the back so they dont have that band look.

[Anonymous No.10327813]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33008751122.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000060.3.1b7720a6HEwPNx&gps-id=pcDetailBottomMoreThisSeller&scm=1007.14977.148727.0&scm_id=1007.14977.148727.0&scm-url=1007.14977.148727.0&pvid=af353523-51c3-4adc-b872-42ebc4f7c78b&_t=gps-id:pcDetailBottomMoreThisSeller,scm-url:1007.14977.148727.0,pvid:af353523-51c3-4adc-b872-42ebc4f7c78b

https://www.amazon.com/HAITRAL-Machine-Portable-Adjustable-2-Speed/dp/B07P5YF6KN/ref=asc_df_B07P5YF6KN/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=366315344371&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16418824489183235490&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9026804&hvtargid=pla-790923289849&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=77370842318&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=366315344371&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16418824489183235490&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9026804&hvtargid=pla-790923289849

Is this good for newbie core?

[Anonymous No.10327908]

Anyone got a good resource for sashiko patterns?

[Anonymous No.10327909]

>>10327813
No, both of those are going to be absolutely awful. Even the $100ish Singers from Walmart, which I'd never recommend, would be better than either of these.

[Anonymous No.10328330]

>>10327909
so I gotta buy the expensive stuff?

[Anonymous No.10328345]

/3/ here, just learning to use Marvelous designer
Is there something like cgpeers that has a collection of sewing patterns?
Or at least a collection of the basics (coats, shirts,etc.?)

[Anonymous No.10328349]

>>10328330
DA, but not necessarily. The problem with those mini machines is that they break so easy that it's not worth the money. They also can't do 99% of the functions that a real machine. It can't even handle most fabrics other than basic single-layer cotton. It's honestly cheaper in the long run to learn handsewing than it is to use one of those. As a certified cheapskate myself, I'd suggest perusing the Facebook Marketplace for one. I got a Singer Brilliance 6180 for $50. It only came with the machine and a universal needle, but the cords were cheap enough. Thrift stores are also a great bet if you don't mind an older model. It might need a lil fixer up or a cleaning, but it's easy on the wallet. If you don't mind waiting a while, Michaels and Joanns have excellent deals on sewing machines year round but especially on black friday. Joann's has a great starter machine for roughly $70