How I Transfer From Drape To Parttern! (( This Is Not The Only Way Or Necessarily Best Way))

How I transfer from drape to parttern! (( this is not the only way or necessarily best way))

🔸1. Before you take the piece off the form LABEL EVERYTHING: what the piece is, lines to match everything up, all seam lines. 🔸2. Trim all the excess fabric to the seam lines. 🔸3. Pin to muslin and add seam allowance. Cut out. 🔸4. Use the muslin pieces to make a mockup. Try it on (and twirl ✨) 🔸5. Mark adjustments, remember to count in seam allowance. 🔸6. Seam rip and iron, add any additional allowances for linings/facings. Pin to fashion fabric and cut 🔸(optional: pin and trace the final mock up pattern piece to butcher paper for a paper pattern. (At this point I typically don’t do this because of time))

Fake Chain

Tutorial by:  scubaspook1 Tutorial Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeXdsY1n7vg

Foam & Sharpies: two of the biggest weapons in my cosplay arsenal! Did you know that you can use Sharpie markers for coloring plastic gems? It works beautifully, it doesn’t cut down on their translucence at all, but allows you to turn in any color you need! A super cheap way to convert gems when you can’t find exactly what you need in the right color! These are for my new NoFlutter costume that I am working on! Instagram Facebook Twitter `

GUEST POST: 'Wonder Woman'—Armor vs. Underwear & Why It Matters - We So Nerdy

Costume designer and romance author Amanda Weaver shares her insights into the evolution of 'Wonder Woman' costuming and why intent matters.

I saw Lindy Hemming’s work in Wonder Woman and I almost cried. Scratch that, I did cry. Lindy Hemming didn’t use fetish lingerie as her starting point, she used armor. Actual armor. Roman armor, to be specific. Romans made armor out of overlapping bands of very heavy leather. Because it was organic material, very little of it survived, but here’s a fragment:

You can see this same technique clearly on Antiope in Wonder Woman:

And you can see it here on Diana:

It’s been highly stylized on Diana, but the inspiration, the intent, is there:

Remember when I said sometimes I can tell exactly what a designer was looking at when they designed something? This is a piece of Roman leather armor made out of a crocodile hide:

This is one of Hippolyta’s costumes. I almost squealed out loud in the theater when I saw it!

All the Amazons had fantastic, warrior-based details. The folklore about Amazons cutting off a breast so they were better able to fight? (which has no historical basis, btw) Lindy Hemming gave them a metal breast plate on one side:

And, as a side note, can we talk about the casting of the Amazons? All those gorgeous, strong, athletic women of all ages… swoon!

Yes, Diana’s costume has been stylized and they made her attractive, but that costume first and foremost is armor. It’s functional:

That skirt? The shape is Roman, cut high over the thighs so it doesn’t impede movement:

Those aren’t sexy thigh-high boots:

They’re Roman greaves, meant to protect, and they buckle on. Again, ARMOR!

With Wonder Woman, the starting point, the INTENT, is everything. The reason I literally cried watching the Amazons fight is that FINALLY, somebody started at the right place. That design showed respect. The intent, right from the start, was to portray those women as warriors, and that, at least for me, made all the difference.

Cosplay Scaling and You

Hey guys, so I’m gonna delve a little bit into my process of planning a cosplay. Something that I think is pretty important and can be often overlooked is scaling your cosplay or prop to fit you. There are lot’s of methods on how to do this, but I’ll be sharing mine. 

*For this example, I’m going to show you how I scaled my Holy Blade (from Sailor Moon) for my Serenity cosplay.

Things you’ll need:

measuring tape

a ruler or yardstick

calculator (optional)

paper and pen/pencil

reference images

Step 1:

First, you’re of course going to want reference images of what you want to scale to fit your size. Obviously in the case of your prop you want as many close up shots for detail as possible. However, I’m going to stress that you look for an image with either your character holding the prop, or if you can somehow manage, a side by side image of your character and their prop. 

(Images like these are incredibly helpful)

Step 2: 

Next, you’re going to want to measure the distance from the top of your head to your chin. For this example, I’m going to be saying the measurement came out to 10”. Keep your measurement written down somewhere so you don’t forget it later.

Now, using your measuring tape again, measure your characters head. Let’s say Sailor Venus’ head was 1” from her chin to the top of her head.

This means, that our conversion rate is 10” to every 1” we measure in our reference image.

Let’s say the Holy Blade measures roughly 4 1/2”, that means our sword should be 45”.

However, in my case those extra 10” would have made this ridiculous to carry around the convention floor. So in some cases you might find an accurate sized prop might be too large to work with. That’s fine, just fudge a little! 

You can apply this method to scale out things other then props too. Things like wings, dress trains, tails, and other cosplay parts can be broken down with this method.I hope this was helpful, and good luck cosplaying!

Paper Mache Tricks and Tips

In the age of thermoplastics and resins paper mache seems a little unglamorous and low-tech, but it’s still worth considering as a material if you’re getting into prop and armor-making.  If you have low budget for your project but plenty of time in which to complete it, it’s worth a thought.

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