Costume & Crafting Help

[AntiM]

Jo-Ann Fabrics has McCalls patterns for $.99 this holiday weekend, so today and Monday. Lots of good jumpsuits, and adult sized animal suits! I swear I have almost every McCalls costume pattern, just in case. I've even used a couple.

[C.f.M.]

Jo-Ann Fabrics has McCalls patterns for $.99 this holiday weekend, so today and Monday. Lots of good jumpsuits, and adult sized animal suits! I swear I have almost every McCalls costume pattern, just in case. I've even used a couple.

I happened to be in a Hobby Lobby when they had Simplicity for .99. I got many patterns I'd wanted for literally years, but wouldn't pay $20.

http://playabound.wordpress.com/2009/09 ... the-cheap/

Over $100 in patterns for eight bucks. I was stoked!

[slvrnmph]

[quote="C.f.M."][quote="AntiM"]Jo-Ann Fabrics has McCalls patterns for $.99 this holiday weekend, so today and Monday. Lots of good jumpsuits, and adult sized animal suits! I swear I have almost every McCalls costume pattern, just in case. I've even used a couple.[/quote]

I happened to be in a Hobby Lobby when they had Simplicity for .99. I got many patterns I'd wanted for literally years, but wouldn't pay $20.

http://playabound.wordpress.com/2009/09 ... the-cheap/

Over $100 in patterns for eight bucks. I was stoked![/quote]

You got quite the score it seems. I plan to stop by the mall and check for holiday sales.

[Shotglass75]

any tips for making a mask and costume like the one shown in this video



Skip to 2:55 or 6:15 to see what I'm talking about.

[C.f.M.]

I couldn't get it to load, but based on the stills I see, it looks like you just need a black bodysuit and EL wire. Lots of it.

[AntiM]

I didn't feel like watching all ten minutes of it to see the costume, but I think the mask could be done like a wrestler's mask, with tiny LED lights poked through it. Put the battery pack at the nape of the neck.

[EmilyD]

Look for knits when checking out materials. Knits don't unravel when they are cut, so you don't have to worry about sealing the edges to prevent your costume from mooping.

I've yet to try out this idea

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=333544.0

I LOVE that idea C.f.M. I'm going to give it a go! But...not use hot glue. I'll be using silicone instead. It's easy to find nice, cheap sweaters at thrift stores. This is genius! Thanks for the tip.

Felt fabric also doesn't unravel and it can be sewn or glued onto existing garments for decorations.

[Eric]

I LOVE that idea C.f.M. I'm going to give it a go! But...not use hot glue. I'll be using silicone instead.

Good call- I was going to say the same thing when I looked at the images. Hot glue has a very high chance of re-melting out there.

Those sweater boots have given me ideas. I think I need to head to Chinatown & get some cheap slippers this week.

[EmilyD]

I didn't feel like watching all ten minutes of it to see the costume, but I think the mask could be done like a wrestler's mask, with tiny LED lights poked through it. Put the battery pack at the nape of the neck.

That's what it looks like to me too AntiM. It's dots rather than wire. It could also be done on a balaclava:

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/Pr ... _Black.jpg

Though...many of those LED lights have lead warnings on them because of the wire. I'm not sure I'd want them on my skin.

[EmilyD]

Jo-Ann Fabrics has McCalls patterns for $.99 this holiday weekend, so today and Monday. Lots of good jumpsuits, and adult sized animal suits! I swear I have almost every McCalls costume pattern, just in case. I've even used a couple.

Thanks for the tip on this AntiM. But we'll have to allow several hours for standing in lines. :-( That place is notoriously understaffed!

[AntiM]

Too bad, ours is usually ok, unless you're mad enough to try Black Friday. Never again!

[PugRay]

any tips for making a mask and costume like the one shown in this video



Skip to 2:55 or 6:15 to see what I'm talking about.

I guess there could be a couple of approaches:
Best option comes down to a matter of budget versus aesthetic.
(IE:How authentic or true to form of a look are you hoping to achieve?)
First I'll explain what it looks like is happening in that video and then the steps to recreating the effect.
The video is a representation of Mocap system utilization before objects are applied and oriented to the capture points.
It appears that the 'mask' (which in all likelihood has 300-350 markers) and the figures dancing have a Gaussian Blur applied to the optical system data collected either from Marker based LED technology or semi-passive imperceptible markers in conjunction with high speed LED projectors.

Basically if you want to recreate that effect ideally you could use 2 of those blank Mardi Gras masks ($2-5) and 300 5mm diffused LED's (300 @ $.40 $120) Although I should let you know up front this project would be tedious right from the onset as well as difficult. Essentially you'd end up sandwiching the 2 masks together with some mystery adhesive after you've installed the LED's through the top layer and wired/soldered them in paralleled series together in the middle. (This way ya won't get zapped with 12 volts to your phiz) If you made it that far you'll then have to figure out were to discretely get your power from the unit to your driver (battery pack) which I hope would be in some convenient place.
Anyway, hope that points you in the right direction.

[Shotglass75]

[quote="PugRay"][quote="Shotglass75"]any tips for making a mask and costume like the one shown in this video



Skip to 2:55 or 6:15 to see what I'm talking about.[/quote]

I guess there could be a couple of approaches:
Best option comes down to a matter of budget versus aesthetic.
(IE:How authentic or true to form of a look are you hoping to achieve?)
First I'll explain what it looks like is happening in that video and then the steps to recreating the effect.
The video is a representation of Mocap system utilization before objects are applied and oriented to the capture points.
It appears that the 'mask' (which in all likelihood has 300-350 markers) and the figures dancing have a Gaussian Blur applied to the optical system data collected either from Marker based LED technology or semi-passive imperceptible markers in conjunction with high speed LED projectors.

Basically if you want to recreate that effect ideally you could use 2 of those blank Mardi Gras masks ($2-5) and 300 5mm diffused LED's (300 @ $.40 $120) Although I should let you know up front this project would be tedious right from the onset as well as difficult. Essentially you'd end up sandwiching the 2 masks together with some mystery adhesive after you've installed the LED's through the top layer and wired/soldered them in paralleled series together in the middle. (This way ya won't get zapped with 12 volts to your phiz) If you made it that far you'll then have to figure out were to discretely get your power from the unit to your driver (battery pack) which I hope would be in some convenient place.
Anyway, hope that points you in the right direction.[/quote]



Actually I just saw a making of video. It looks like for the body, they just had a body suit with some LED's attached to it and when they filmed it, they purposefully shot it out of focus. For the mask, you are dead on. I think this one is gonna be outta my league and budget.

[PugRay]

any tips for making a mask and costume like the one shown in this video



Skip to 2:55 or 6:15 to see what I'm talking about.
For the mask, you are

Code: Select all

dead

on. (hmmm indeed) I think this one is gonna be outta my league. (perhaps don't sell yourself short)

Guess I'm sticking with my el wire costume from Hallowing

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d199/ ... stume2.jpg

Well if you were to consider alternatives...

I thought about going with EL myself since I have a bunch of it laying around anyway I'm sure it will find a way to incorporate itself into my costume as long as it doesn't detract. It seems EL has already pervaded the playa en masse. So to pacify my desire to cultivate the sui generis I have aquired some advanced illuminant tech that I have not seen applied in such a way before. The price point was astonishingly low for what it is (4869676820496e74656e736974792058656e6f6e2057686974652053757266616365204d6f756e74205369646520476c6f77204c454420466c657869626c65204c69676874696e672053797374656d)

[/code]

[trystanthegypsy]

Canada needs pattern sale stores!

[PugRay]

Canada needs pattern sale stores!

Now that you mention it I can't recall a single dedicated pattern store around chicago either.

[Timezone LaFontaine]

I ran into an issue last year which I ran out of time before figuring out... I wanted to use fabric ribbons in order to add stripes to various pants legs and coat sleeves. And I wanted them to end mid-way up the sleeve, in a diagonal. So, like five stripes with space between them and they all end in a diagonal line that extends across all five. The problem I ran into is, the ribbon wants to shred like crazy when you cut across it. Does anyone know, is there any way to prevent this, maybe with a fancy stitch at the ends? Or maybe there's a better kind of ribbon, or something else entirely that's better for stripes?

[slvrnmph]

[quote="Timezone LaFontaine"]I ran into an issue last year which I ran out of time before figuring out... I wanted to use fabric ribbons in order to add stripes to various pants legs and coat sleeves. And I wanted them to end mid-way up the sleeve, in a diagonal. So, like five stripes with space between them and they all end in a diagonal line that extends across all five. The problem I ran into is, the ribbon wants to shred like crazy when you cut across it. Does anyone know, is there any way to prevent this, maybe with a fancy stitch at the ends? Or maybe there's a better kind of ribbon, or something else entirely that's better for stripes?[/quote]

The problem you are having is that the ribbons are a woven material and wovens all shed like crazy when you cut them. If you go to the sewing section of your local craft store you should be able to find some fray check http://www.dritz.com/brands/showcase/de ... EM_NUM=674. You'll want to test the fray check before hand on the ribbons you are going to use. On darker materials it can dry white, so you may want to sew the ends with the fray check on them under. The other thing you can do is pick up some bias binding (also in the sewing section) and sew that to the ribbon ends to bind them. Option 3 is only good if you have access to a serger, but if you do a serger will allow you to bind the edges f the ribbon with thread.

[gidget]

The problem you are having is that the ribbons are a woven material and wovens all shed like crazy when you cut them. If you go to the sewing section of your local craft store you should be able to find some fray check http://www.dritz.com/brands/showcase/de ... EM_NUM=674. You'll want to test the fray check before hand on the ribbons you are going to use. On darker materials it can dry white, so you may want to sew the ends with the fray check on them under. The other thing you can do is pick up some bias binding (also in the sewing section) and sew that to the ribbon ends to bind them. Option 3 is only good if you have access to a serger, but if you do a serger will allow you to bind the edges f the ribbon with thread.

I second this... a good tip on the Fray Check if you are cutting satin or sheer ribbon or fabric is to put the Fray check on before you cut. "Draw" your cut line with the Fray Check (make sure when you cut the bottle tip off not to cut too low, or else you will have a big puddley mess, and don't squeeze too hard), wait for it to dry completely, then cut down the middle of the Fray Check line. You'll get a nice clean cut.

[jella]

Fusible webbing comes in many widths. you could even do it all at once and fuse it right to the sleeve. zero moop factor after it's ironed on to the ribbon

[Timezone LaFontaine]

Thanks for the tips y'all. Stripey liberation is within my grasp!

[trystanthegypsy]

Canada needs pattern sale stores!

Now that you mention it I can't recall a single dedicated pattern store around chicago either.

stores that have patterns on sale!!!

namely catsuits/dancewear... I tried to draft a pattern for one and damn it's hard.

[EmilyD]

I ran into an issue last year which I ran out of time before figuring out... I wanted to use fabric ribbons in order to add stripes to various pants legs and coat sleeves. And I wanted them to end mid-way up the sleeve, in a diagonal. So, like five stripes with space between them and they all end in a diagonal line that extends across all five. The problem I ran into is, the ribbon wants to shred like crazy when you cut across it. Does anyone know, is there any way to prevent this, maybe with a fancy stitch at the ends? Or maybe there's a better kind of ribbon, or something else entirely that's better for stripes?

Sounds like a great costume idea. One tip is...most ribbon these days is synthetic and you can melt the ends with a lighter or match just like you would synthetic rope. It's not super pretty but you can melt the end of each ribbon and then bend it under and stitch it down. Hope that helps.

[AntiM]

Fusible webbing comes in many widths. you could even do it all at once and fuse it right to the sleeve. zero moop factor after it's ironed on to the ribbon

Great stuff. I used a brand called Stitch Witch. I just like saying Stitch Witch.

[Elorrum]

re the lighted mask in the video. I was thinking that illuminite fabric dots would not be emitting light, but they shine very bright from nearby light sources. Someone going by on a bike or art vehicle with a light on it would get a neat surprise.

[Shotglass75]

Kinda like reflector tape or something similar? Hmmm, interesting

[gidget]

Fusible webbing comes in many widths. you could even do it all at once and fuse it right to the sleeve. zero moop factor after it's ironed on to the ribbon

Great stuff. I used a brand called Stitch Witch. I just like saying Stitch Witch.

Depending on the fabric, Stitch Witchery or other fusibles won't necessarily make a permanent bond. Cotton or silk, no problem, but some synthetics can't handle the heat of the iron for the duration needed to bond the fabric without melting or burning. The fabric will seem bonded at first, but may eventually slide right off and definitely won't hold up to washing. Always best to do a test sample before launching into the whole thing...

[C.f.M.]

Yup. Cotton/natural fibers hold Stitch Witch best - be sure your iron is HOT and you press down and iron and iron until it's all melty and stuck.

Use a pillowcase or dish towel or something in between your iron and the fabric.

Then let it cool completely before fooling with it.

If it came out wonky, re-heat it and pull fabric apart while it's hot and melted.

[EmilyD]

Platform work boots in progress, acrylic paint, and stencils from the fabric store:



I know they'll get covered with dust but at least they won't MOOP on the Playa.

[jella]

Oh Emily those are soooo cute... gimmie gimmie

seriuosly, what brand are those ?