How to make a Loki costume part 3- Materials
A fair chunk of the work put into this costume has been on gathering the correct materials for the job. Any one else looking to make a loki costume I’ve just made your work a lot easier, here’ s the list of where I sourced everything:
Wig (original seller has shut up shop, here’s a close match though)
Black leather: http://www.leprevo.co.uk/ ( 017 cowhide brazillian leather)
Patterned leather: http://www.pittardsleather.co.uk/ (Big thanks to Liz for letting me know about this place. Call up and ask for a sample sent to you. They emboss lamb leather so you’ll need about 5 hides) My sample looked like this: 
Green fabric: I dyed noile silk in my washing machine with dylon dyes, all from fabric land. It looks like this http://www.fabricland.co.uk/NOILE.jpg
Metal edging: cheapest place I could find was on ebay here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Zipper-stopers-Top-Stops-30-per-pack-/350410295147?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item519614c76b Mine were size 10 in the brass. They come in packs of 30, I ordered 65 packs.
Metal chainmail fabric: Tricky one, on close inspection the costume looks like it’s got this stuff on it:
You can order samples and buy from this american company here: http://www.whitinganddavis.com/pages/cfMeshFabrics.cfm
Or you can buy 2 of these on ebay and repaint them like I did:
For armour I’m using silicone moulds and easy flo 120, which I buy here:
http://www.mouldlife.net/easyflo-120-1090-p.asp
Black poppers for boot covers
Boots: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140832642298&var=440075012505
(bit pricey but they have the perfect toes. Had to be cut down at the front to avoid the trousers bulging)
And that’s about it! If there’s any bits I’ve missed please let me know and I’ll try to track down how I sourced it.
How to make a Plugsuit Side tutorial- Skin tight gloves
I hate gloves. Every costume maker does, they’re fiddily and a bad fitting glove will show up far more than a bad fitting jacket will.
Here’s how I make lycra gloves, with a helping hand from my friend- freezer paper!
How to make a plug suit Part 2- Armour/Plugs
All the fiddly plug parts done! Every bit is made from plastazote foam, in white so I can draw on it. All the complex parts were patterned in paper/card first with a lot of trial and error before being cut in foam and stuck together. These will all be covered in foam in various ways and sewn into the costume. Working with the plugs first and building the suit around them will make it much sturdier. I don’t want plugs to pop off, so I’m going to try to make it impossible for them to leave!
Of course the most important bit is this:
This is a list of every armour bit I had to make, with notes added as I go. This gives you an idea of what you have left and helps you keep track of what needs doing. Saves you a lot of time in the long run, trust me!
How to make a Plug Suit Part 1- Mock Up
Yet more boring stuff that no one cares about reading- the meticulous pre-planning behind a costume.
I’m currently making a plug suit for a client, which looks like this:
She lent me the model for reference which is wonderful, nothing better than a mini 3D version of what you want to make.
The client provided me with a duct tape dummy which is vital to making a costume like this. They made it using this guide. Using the dummy I drafted up a pattern in some scrap lycra I had knocking about. It’s a raglan sleeve to reduce restriction on the shoulder and uses a swimsuit line on the legs for the same reason.
It hangs on the back of my workroom door so I can scare myself when I forget it’s not there.
The commissioner lives locally to me so I invited her over to test the fit and draw on all the patterns and seams with a chalk marker.
Any parts that were too large were taken in on the spot with a stapler. I now have something I know fits, and it’s time to start work on the final project!
How to make a Loki Costume Part 2- Mock up a pattern
Leather is expensive. Before you make anything it’s always a good idea to make up a rough version first and only cut into the expensive fabric when you’re completely happy with it. My commissioner lives in another country so we couldn’t arrange a fitting in person. Instead I send this to them, they try it on and give me feedback on the fit.
Here’s some pictures of it on my mannequin. My commissioner is a guy with a flatter chest than this, but it gives you an idea of what it looks like.
It’s made with white curtain lining which has a similar texture to leather. White also means that when it’s sent back to me it’s easy to draw all the lines of the interlocking pieces (like on the arms) and give them detailed labels. More labels= less confusing when you start sewing. All the seams are on the outside to make it easier to adjust if need be.
I’ve split the costume into 3 parts- trousers, tunic and coat. It’s technically a separate shirt and tunic, but to make it easier to get into I’m making them as one item with a zip up the back. The seam will be hidden by the coat and the hair and it helps keep the number of layers down. This looks like it will be a bit of a sweltering costume, so anything I can do to cool it down the better.
Next step is material tests and information on where I sourced all the supplies for this.
How to make a Loki Costume Part 1- References
So, big project time. I was approached by a commissioner to do this costume and I just couldn’t resist. They wanted to see progress images and we agreed that it would be a nice idea to blog the progress so other people could see how the costume is made if they’re making their own.
The most important part of making a costume replica is having as many pictures as possible. The commissioner was really good at this one, though I did have to do a bit of research myself. Below is my reference folder for this costume, sourced from all over the internet.
I also found this image of a costume study By Meramor on deviant art. I’ve included the original and a slightly lightened version so you can see the lines in the back of the coat. It’s very accurate, the only thing I would say is different is that the left handed lapel needs to be smaller.
Now you know what the thing looks like- next step is patterning!
Sima Yi Costume Post!
Source: Dynasty Warriors 7
Worn to: Amecon 2012
Awards: Amecon 2nd Place
I like sewing, so I made a costume with lots of sewing in it :P This was made to be worn for the Amecon Omake. I don’t even play Dynasty Warriors, it was just pretty.
Click my face to read how I made it!
Excellent Iron Man tutorials
I sometimes get asked for a tutorial on how I made my 1 week iron man costume, but like most things on the internet, someone’s already made a better one!
http://www.xrobots.co.uk/
Here’s some videos he’s made that I think are particularly good:
This technique would also be fantastic for anyone making halo armour. He uses PVA coating and various paints while I used PVC fabric stretched over foam, but I think his technique is much better for a beginner with armour, and has many advantages (like the way it treats curves and strength) that PVC doesn’t.
How much to charge?
As a commissioner it’s always awkward knowing how much my work is worth. For all of you out there who also make commissions, Cathy Hay has once again published a wonderful article on the subject:
http://www.foundationsrevealed.com/free-articles/62-how-much-to-charge-by-cathy-hay
Corset making tutorial list!
Just waiting on the photos and videos from minami, but until then I’ve come across a fantastic set of Corset tutorials that pretty much cover corsets from start to finish!
Drafting!
http://www.foundationsrevealed.com/free-articles/74-draft-your-own-corset
http://yourwardrobeunlockd.com/images/stories/pdf/draftyourowncorset.pdf
Inserting a busk!
http://mrseamstress.blogspot.co.uk/2009/04/corset-making-101-inserting-busk-1.html
http://mrseamstress.blogspot.co.uk/2009/04/corset-making-101-inserting-busk-2.html
(I like this method most as it reduces the stress on the seam of the corset and creates a little flap to prevent a gap at the front)
Sewing the damn thing together!
http://steamingenious.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/corsetmaking-part-4-folded-seam-method.html
(This is the method I use the most, great to have a well written tutorial on it!)
Finishing it off!
http://yourwardrobeunlockd.com/freebies/356-perfect-binding-part-1-by-cathy-hay
http://yourwardrobeunlockd.com/freebies/356-perfect-binding-part-1-by-cathy-hay?start=1
Costume Commissions are currently closed except for particularly interesting projects!
After a lot of thought I’ve decided to close costume commissions except for particular interesting ones that people ask me for. Please feel free to email me with commission ideas, however I’m focusing on tutorials and comic work this year so I’m cutting back on the number of commissions I take.
I’ll be working through my current commission queue in the mean time, taking pictures of how I make things as I go. I hope to get a lot more tutorials up on the website in this coming year, so watch this space!
Amazing Chiffon Hemming tutorial!
Chiffon. It’s a light weight semi transparent fabric that if you’ve ever sewn, you’ll know the pain of 100 suns.
Here’s a fantastic tutorial by Eggie’s Red Dres which produces seams that look this good:
Click through to read more!
Last Con of the season!
Phew, what a year! Just came back from the last convention of the season, now have a big break until the end of January for Akumacon in Ireland!
It’s been a busy year, more conventions than I ever thought possible have turned up. The next few months will be focusing back on commission work, a January of Taxes and refurbishing our shed to take more stock.
I’ve been behind with updating the site with tutorials, but I’ve been doing some really interesting commissions recently that has thrown up what I like to call a “disaster tutorial”. It’s rare that you get to see people make mistakes, so I’ll be taking you step by step through everything I did wrong, what I learned, and the final finished result when everything finally went right!
Riddle me this batman…
Tutorial: Sewing on a button
This is a really quick tutorial of how to sew on buttons in a way that’s both strong and neat. I’m experimenting with webcam tutorials, so if you want more videos please let me know. Only issue is that it has to be short and my camera isn’t very high quality. Any ideas please let me know and I’ll try to record myself doing it!
Tutorial: Platazote and Latex Katana
I’m back from Eastercon and Bristol Alternative Market, and the site has finally moved over to its new server! As celebration, it’s time for another tutorial!
This is the basic technique for making convention safe foam weaponry. It’s based on techniques used by LARPers, so these swords are light, durable and won’t hurt people if you bash them. The exact same technique was used on Seigfried’s sword, just scaled up with a much thicker core and foam.
I’ve never found another tutorial for this on the internet, so here’s hoping it’s helpful! Let’s begin. (more…)
Tutorial- Steel boning for Corsets
Now this is something I get asked about a lot- how do you bone your corsets? I use flat steel boning, which you can buy from Vena Cava. I use the 13mm stuff because it’s a easy measurement to make 15mm boning cases on my machine, and it’s heavy duty without being too hard to work with.
So first off, why steel boning? Well, most people don’t realise that with corsets it’s actually the fabric that does all the cinching in. The boning is there to push the fabric out so it doesn’t rumple and hurt you. The more boning and the stronger the boning the more comfortable a corset actually is. Steel boning is actually easier to use than you think, and works out just as cheap as many other alternative methods out there.
The issue with steel boning is that you have to finish the tips, otherwise it will just poke its way out of the corset over time. This tutorial will show you the method I use to make my tips safe, so without further ado, here are the materials you need!
You will need:
- A Dremel/Rotary tool. You can use a metal file, if you want to do this forever. A grinder will also work wonders.
- Tin snips to cut the steel
- PTFE tape. Used by plumbers for radiators. Get some cheap on ebay or a hardware store.
- Continuous steel boning. This is 13mm from Vena Cava.
You will also need the corset you’ll be boning so you can take the measurements.
Tutorial- Perfect Machine Bias Binding with Mitred Corners
Whew- this tutorial is a mouth full!
I’m covering two hated things here- bias binding and it’s fancy little square corners. This is how to make something like this:
See it’s beautiful corners and the way it’s great on either side? Yeah, if you want to know how to do it, walk this way….
Tutorial- Continuous Bias Binding
This tutorial is about how to make a lot of bias binding if you need it.
Bias binding is useful for many things, mainly edging. You can make it out of practically any woven fabric as long as it’s not too thick. I make most of my own bias binding because I like to colour match, and also because the satin used for the regular reels of the stuff tend to be really shiny and horrible.
What is bias binding? Bias is the diagonal on a woven piece of fabric. But cutting on the bias you can take a non stretch fabric and make it stretchy enough to be sewn around corners.
You will need:
- A Metre Ruler
- A biro pen or pencil
- Fabric 150x75cm
- A sewing machine
- Sissors
Tutorial- Giant Hair Bow
I’ve made a tutorial! The first one is a nice easy one that I thought people would find interesting. It’s how to make a very large hair bow that stands up. I know my costumes don’t look like I make this sort of thing a lot, but it’s something I do often as part of commission work.
Step 1
Let me know what you think of the gallery system! This is my first time testing this, I’d like to know what you think.
Here are some tutorial ideas that I’ll be doing next:
- Making continuous bias binding
- Sewing bias binding with a machine
- Covered buttons
- Button holes
- Making a covered busk corset