Easy Pattern Drafting For Absolute Beginners

Easy Pattern Drafting for Absolute Beginners

Tutorial by: Cathy Hay Tutorial link: http://yourwardrobeunlockd.com/home/65-drafting

Cheap Homemade Fangs Tutorial by uncredited 

Do you have any suggestions on what fabric to use for superhero/villain cosplays? I am a cosplay noob and don't want to just go pick things willy nilly that dont work or work together lol. Any help is greatly appreciated!

hoooo boy do I ever

I assume we’re talking your traditional comic book bodysuit type deal?  Because the answer begins and ends with spandex - but knowing what type of spandex you want is the tricky bit

Thankfully, it’s not actually that tricky, it’s just kind of hard to find info on.

Your typical spandex is also called milliskin, and sometimes you’ll find it in both matte and shiny varieties.  The shiny stuff isn’t actually metallic or anything, it’s just a tiny bit sparkly.  I probably wouldn’t personally use the shiny stuff for large parts of a bodysuit, but for details that need to stand out it’s great.

Milliskin is super useful because it’s very stretchy, not extremely expensive (or at least, it shouldn’t be), and comes in a ton of colors, but if you don’t need something in an odd color, moleskin is the same basic material, but thicker.  If you want to wear a catsuit but are a bit self-conscious about wearing a single layer of stretchy bullshit, this is what you want.  it also comes in matte and shiny, and also something called “rough.”  I’m not exactly sure how rough differs from the others, except that it must be…rougher.  Moleskin is what they use to make football players’ pants; it’s a sturdy material.

There’s also something called “jumbo spandex,” which I haven’t actually used; I think this is even heavier weight than moleskin.  I wouldn’t recommend it, because as the thickness increases it’ll get harder to work with, but it exists.

…so that’s your basic stuff.  That’s what I would recommend for, say, an old-school Superman costume.  But then it gets weird.

There’s also “wet look spandex,” which I think usually compares in weight to milliskin, but has an odd sheen to it…like it’s wet.  It’s hard to explain, except like that.  It’s a little bit shiny, but without the aggressive plasticness of PVC, which can be a really nice effect.

Stretch PVC/stretch vinyl is the devil.  For someone with no experience, I cannot recommend strongly enough against it.  It is very shiny and looks impressive when used well, so people do use it, but it looks very tacky when everything doesn’t lay perfectly flat, and it doesn’t stretch as much as normal spandex, so it’s very hard to make it fit right.  AND it doesn’t breathe AT ALL so it’s even obnoxious to wear.

Matte stretch vinyl is a little bit better, but I may just be saying that because I like how it looks.  I’ve used it for accent pieces, but I definitely would not try to make most of a suit out of it.

Metallic spandex is kind of cool.  It looks almost-but-not-quite like metal when laid flat, and shines beautifully when draped.  Unfortunately, the metallic finish tends to rub off the spandex backing after a while, so I wouldn’t recommend it for anything that’s going to get a lot of wear.  But I used it for the lining of a cape once and it was awesome.  It’s usually much easier to work with than PVC, and it’s also great for gluing over simple foam armor pieces instead of painting. 

Nooooow you probably need to know where to get all of this.  Don’t go to Joann’s; their selection is extremely limited and they have a bizarre range of quality, from disgusting to the touch to diminishing returns levels of niceness.  You don’t need Joann’s $17 spandex; no one does.  I use two websites almost exclusively, spandexworld.com and spandexhouse.com.  You can also find some decent stuff on Ebay, and I did once have to get a specific galaxy pattern custom-printed on Spoonflower, but 90% of what you need is at one of those two sites.

One last reminder is to watch out for whether fabric says two-way or four-way stretch.  Two-way will only stretch across the grain, and four-way stretches both across and along it.  One isn’t necessarily better, but for most superhero stuff, four-way is a safer bet.  It makes the fit a bit more forgiving and it’ll be more comfortable to wear.

….good luck.  That may have been more information that you really needed.

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axEvKhFehqI)

LEDs can be extremely fun to work with but purchasing the wrong LED can cause a lot of unnecessary frustrations and wasted cash. The terminology for LEDs and online resources can often be overwhelming and confusing so this guide’s sole purpose is to help break down the fundamental basics to help you better understand what to look for.

@shinicosplay Thank you for the info, it’s much appreciated. However I was referring to the company Wonderflex World. But I still appreciate the response!

Hi again! This is just a general question for the whole community. Has anyone ever used wonderflex world? Are they a reputable company? Thank you.

I haven’t!

If any of my followers have info about it, please let us know :)

- Mod Sky

Making earrings from a plastic cup (or bottle)

A year ago, during one of our Pathfinder games, I finished the iced tea I’d carried out from lunch at McAlister’s Deli, then cut up the plastic cup to make these earrings for my Kunzite (Sailor Moon) costume. (They’re actually opalescent in real life, but the camera doesn’t capture the colors well.)

You can obviously vary the design quite a bit, but here’s how I made this pair. (If you try it, send me a picture. I’d love to see what other people make!)

Process:

Using sharp scissors, carefully cut shapes from PET plastic (#1 recyclable, such as a 2-liter bottle or many food containers). Gently shape them into a curve if desired.

Coat the back of each piece with a layer of glue (something that is flexible and dries clear; I used Jewel-It).

Pack the wet glue with super-fine iridescent glitter (available at craft stores; fine nail glitter also works).

Once glue is dry, add a layer of opaque paint behind the (now clear) glue.

Use a hot needle to punch a hole for the wires.

I am a huge fan of recycling trash to make costumes. (And multitasking. I get a ton of costuming work done during game nights!)