This past weekend, my gentleman and I went to a comic con in CT. It was the first time in my life that a male was not only willing, but actually suggested we cosplay together, so I jumped on it despite having schoolwork and other hobbies to deal with. I like to think I've calmed down since I was last cosplaying (mostly for the ren faire, but I have made steampunk stuff as well), so instead of jumping right into things with the final material, I took a couple other steps in between. This decision was also based on the fact that I didn't have an actual pattern for any of the pieces I was making, and the fabric stores near me are rather limited in their selection of useful, hardwearing fabrics.
Tunic/ Obi
Step 1: Mockup
Using sheets from the thrift store ($1.50 for a king size sheet instead of $1/yd even for cheap fabric at the store), I made a mockup of the tunic, using a kimono-style cosplay pattern. It seemed to go pretty well, so I jumped the gun and made it out of the final fabric, only to discover that the stiffer fabric didn't hang well unless it was rather revealing in the front, and the collar sat almost at the shoulders, making it very difficult to wear a robe over it.
yay tunic!
boo, wide collar
Step 2: Mockup round two and modifications
Switching to a generic jedi tunic pattern, I made the mockup, then changed the side seams to be a bit more fitted and made the sleeves wider (this sounds so easy - there were several trials of this). I made a mockup of the obi/ waist band from that pattern as well, to make sure the final would sit properly and modestly, then transferred the pattern and my modifications to the final fabric.
Step 3: Final finishing
Somehow, I forgot to transfer the side seam modifications to the final, and didn't discover it until after I'd serged all the inside seams and sewn it together. Serging after sewing is a bit of a pain, but I like finished seams that iron open and don't have threads hanging loose. They seem to sit better while wearing, and you don't end up with unraveled seams or loose threads poking out. In order to keep the seams hidden, the neckline was slipstitched on the inside, and the sleeve and bottom hems were machine sewn with the bottom thread on the outside to keep from being obviously machine-made. The obi is two layers of interfacing between fabric, and since the "strings" for the obi would be under a leather belt, I just used grosgrain ribbon for ease of sewing and use.
Robe
Step 1: Mockup
I found a pattern description on an old Star Wars forum that looked relatively easy, well laid-out, and good quality. Finding 8.5 yards of 60" wide fabric for a mockup is... prohibitive... I used what I had: a 500-yard roll of interfacing. The results were definitely interesting. That much interfacing is both rather smelly and very difficult to work with. I'm pretty sure the results would have stood up without me being in it.
Step 2: Modifications
The plus side to using interfacing, though, is that it was very easy to make notes on the mockup as I discovered necessary modifications. The biggest issue I had was that the robe was enormous. The shoulder seams needed taken in, I cut the hood down by 5" height and width, the sleeves and the length were 10" too long even after generous hemming, and the original pattern didn't lay out exactly how much and where needed gathered for the neck seam. Some of that was discovered after the final fabric was cut out, but for the most part, the mockup was hugely successful. And made me look like a jedi crime scene investigator.
Next, on CSI: Tatooine...
Step 3: Final fabric
I'd found a rough, woven fabric in a good shade of brown that didn't seem too heavy... until I cut out 8.5 yards of it and draped it over myself. Even with cutting out excess fabric per my above modifications, it was huge. And heavy. And warm. Definitely something you could live in out in the wilds somewhere. Anyhow, I sewed it all together per my notes, handstitched the shoulder seams, and did the same upside-down sewing so the bottom thread would be visible on the sleeves and hem. The pattern said to handsew the seams down (I don't know if there's a stitch name for it, but slipstiched after folding over side over the other). That was done the night before the con, and only on visible seams, since it's so time consuming.
Definitely good for hiding oneself...
Both
Step 4: WASH
I know I'm picky, but this is very important to me. Cosplay should not look like an obvious costume - it should look like you are that character, and this is just another day for you. If you're going to walk around a hot, crowded convention all day, it should be comfortable and easy to wear, not something that was clearly just unwrapped from its bag and doesn't sit right. So: wash. Make the outfit look a little worn, a little lived in, and comfortable. Ideally, I'd have liked to wear the outfit a few days just running errands, but I did't have the luxury of time, so the tunic and the robe were both washed a few times to break them in.
Step 5: Accessorize
Again, if you're trying to be a character, you need the things that person would need regularly. I lucked out here in that all the pieces we purchased separately either worked perfectly or only needed small modifications, such as extending a belt loop for a pouch, or creating a method of hanging the lightsaber from my belt. The two pouches fit everything I needed, and I was able to enjoy my time walking around without worrying about things falling off. I didn't have time to make pants, so just wore comfortable brown leggings, and the boots were purchased well in advance of the trip although I didn't have time to break them in as much as I'd wanted.
In the end, I realize I lucked out on a few things. I'd really prefer to have time to put everything on and make sure there are no mishaps at least once before a convention. Considering everything else on my plate, though, I did what I could, and I can't complain. The gentleman wore his usual outfit under the robe I made him (based off a matrix pattern, minus the sleeves and plus a hood), with a similar belt, pouches, and two lightsabers to match. We got a number of compliments, and intend to use the outfits again for later conventions, until I get good at other costuming styles.
Tunic/ Obi
Step 1: Mockup
Using sheets from the thrift store ($1.50 for a king size sheet instead of $1/yd even for cheap fabric at the store), I made a mockup of the tunic, using a kimono-style cosplay pattern. It seemed to go pretty well, so I jumped the gun and made it out of the final fabric, only to discover that the stiffer fabric didn't hang well unless it was rather revealing in the front, and the collar sat almost at the shoulders, making it very difficult to wear a robe over it.
yay tunic!
boo, wide collar
Step 2: Mockup round two and modifications
Switching to a generic jedi tunic pattern, I made the mockup, then changed the side seams to be a bit more fitted and made the sleeves wider (this sounds so easy - there were several trials of this). I made a mockup of the obi/ waist band from that pattern as well, to make sure the final would sit properly and modestly, then transferred the pattern and my modifications to the final fabric.
Step 3: Final finishing
Somehow, I forgot to transfer the side seam modifications to the final, and didn't discover it until after I'd serged all the inside seams and sewn it together. Serging after sewing is a bit of a pain, but I like finished seams that iron open and don't have threads hanging loose. They seem to sit better while wearing, and you don't end up with unraveled seams or loose threads poking out. In order to keep the seams hidden, the neckline was slipstitched on the inside, and the sleeve and bottom hems were machine sewn with the bottom thread on the outside to keep from being obviously machine-made. The obi is two layers of interfacing between fabric, and since the "strings" for the obi would be under a leather belt, I just used grosgrain ribbon for ease of sewing and use.
Robe
Step 1: Mockup
I found a pattern description on an old Star Wars forum that looked relatively easy, well laid-out, and good quality. Finding 8.5 yards of 60" wide fabric for a mockup is... prohibitive... I used what I had: a 500-yard roll of interfacing. The results were definitely interesting. That much interfacing is both rather smelly and very difficult to work with. I'm pretty sure the results would have stood up without me being in it.
Step 2: Modifications
The plus side to using interfacing, though, is that it was very easy to make notes on the mockup as I discovered necessary modifications. The biggest issue I had was that the robe was enormous. The shoulder seams needed taken in, I cut the hood down by 5" height and width, the sleeves and the length were 10" too long even after generous hemming, and the original pattern didn't lay out exactly how much and where needed gathered for the neck seam. Some of that was discovered after the final fabric was cut out, but for the most part, the mockup was hugely successful. And made me look like a jedi crime scene investigator.
Next, on CSI: Tatooine...
Step 3: Final fabric
I'd found a rough, woven fabric in a good shade of brown that didn't seem too heavy... until I cut out 8.5 yards of it and draped it over myself. Even with cutting out excess fabric per my above modifications, it was huge. And heavy. And warm. Definitely something you could live in out in the wilds somewhere. Anyhow, I sewed it all together per my notes, handstitched the shoulder seams, and did the same upside-down sewing so the bottom thread would be visible on the sleeves and hem. The pattern said to handsew the seams down (I don't know if there's a stitch name for it, but slipstiched after folding over side over the other). That was done the night before the con, and only on visible seams, since it's so time consuming.
Definitely good for hiding oneself...
Both
Step 4: WASH
I know I'm picky, but this is very important to me. Cosplay should not look like an obvious costume - it should look like you are that character, and this is just another day for you. If you're going to walk around a hot, crowded convention all day, it should be comfortable and easy to wear, not something that was clearly just unwrapped from its bag and doesn't sit right. So: wash. Make the outfit look a little worn, a little lived in, and comfortable. Ideally, I'd have liked to wear the outfit a few days just running errands, but I did't have the luxury of time, so the tunic and the robe were both washed a few times to break them in.
Step 5: Accessorize
Again, if you're trying to be a character, you need the things that person would need regularly. I lucked out here in that all the pieces we purchased separately either worked perfectly or only needed small modifications, such as extending a belt loop for a pouch, or creating a method of hanging the lightsaber from my belt. The two pouches fit everything I needed, and I was able to enjoy my time walking around without worrying about things falling off. I didn't have time to make pants, so just wore comfortable brown leggings, and the boots were purchased well in advance of the trip although I didn't have time to break them in as much as I'd wanted.
In the end, I realize I lucked out on a few things. I'd really prefer to have time to put everything on and make sure there are no mishaps at least once before a convention. Considering everything else on my plate, though, I did what I could, and I can't complain. The gentleman wore his usual outfit under the robe I made him (based off a matrix pattern, minus the sleeves and plus a hood), with a similar belt, pouches, and two lightsabers to match. We got a number of compliments, and intend to use the outfits again for later conventions, until I get good at other costuming styles.
It has been said that we did this costuming just as an excuse to buy lightsabers. I can't really deny that! Here's more of the gentleman's outfit; it was much easier to make, since I had a real pattern for it, and didn't have to take pictures to see how it fit.
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