Costume & Crafting Help

[C.f.M.]

Argh!

I bought surplus jodhpurs the other day that were grey, and I've decided to dye them black to fit my costume--

Unfortunately, even following the directions, I found that they darkened a shade or two darker while all the threads did indeed take the dye.

What did I do wrong? Am I dealing with pants that simply cannot be dyed?

Were they all cotton? Did you follow the timing directions for the shade you wanted?

The majority of us won't know, we'll just be thinking "mmmm...a man in uniform...."

[caveatlector]

Were they all cotton? Did you follow the timing directions for the shade you wanted?

Hah. They're wool, actually. Yes. Frightening, but pretty authentic. I opted to follow Jella's advice and re-do the whole dye bath thing with the hot-water dye and finish it with a acid bath to fix the dye.

They're not *black* but they're darker. We'll see if they survive the cold-water washing tonight.

The majority of us won't know, we'll just be thinking "mmmm...a man in uniform...."

Hee. I sincerely hope so.

[C.f.M.]

Were they all cotton? Did you follow the timing directions for the shade you wanted?

Hah. They're wool, actually. Yes. Frightening, but pretty authentic. I opted to follow Jella's advice and re-do the whole dye bath thing with the hot-water dye and finish it with a acid bath to fix the dye.

They're not *black* but they're darker. We'll see if they survive the cold-water washing tonight.

The majority of us won't know, we'll just be thinking "mmmm...a man in uniform...."

Hee. I sincerely hope so.

Wool jodphurs, quite a find.

The last time I dyed something was a loooong time ago. We dyed all of my friend's undergarments black (because black is how we felt on the insiiiiide). They were white cotton, and still faded to grey pretty soon.

At least now you have the jodphurs, to run a pattern from, to make more if you need to.

Do mounties frisk people? Or just ride around on moose?

(Just kidding.)(about the moose, anyways...)

[caveatlector]

Do mounties frisk people? Or just ride around on moose?

(Just kidding.)(about the moose, anyways...)

Actually, the mountie's primary job, beyond enforcing the laws in the wild tundra of Ontario, is to protect our moose hatcheries.


What a moose hatchery might look like.

[Risky]

Boobies!

Working on my ABC (Anything But Clothes) outfit and well...
harumph.

[Joe Buck]

Caveatlector, brilliant work on the Mountie coat! And you have the mustache to go with it!

I'm surprised that the wool won't dye black readily, but I'm lacking in knowledge in that area. Our camp has a tie-dye shin dig and I know that vinegar is supposed to help make the dye fast but that is all I know. Good luck!

I also have some authentic wool jodhpurs, love 'em. Nothing like a crisp pair of jodhpurs in the morning to make one feel superior. Something about them screams 'respect my authority!' LOL We had a whole lot of fun with greeting people at our regional with these outfits!...



keep a look out for us at the greeters gate and on the playa! jodhpurs rule!

[theCryptofishist]

Black is hard. If you dye your shirt blue and it doesn't come out the exact shade, it's still blue. If you dye something black and it doesn't quite work, it's grey.
It's my understanding that black is not an easy color to get.

[C.f.M.]

Black is hard. If you dye your shirt blue and it doesn't come out the exact shade, it's still blue. If you dye something black and it doesn't quite work, it's grey.
It's my understanding that black is not an easy color to get.

I'd say easy enough to get, just hard to keep.

[trystanthegypsy]

Were they all cotton? Did you follow the timing directions for the shade you wanted?

Hah. They're wool, actually. Yes. Frightening, but pretty authentic. I opted to follow Jella's advice and re-do the whole dye bath thing with the hot-water dye and finish it with a acid bath to fix the dye.

They're not *black* but they're darker. We'll see if they survive the cold-water washing tonight.

Um. Have you tried them on? Usually you can't hot dye wool without it shrinking like a mofo. I hope they still fit!

[jella]

my mom washed a wool sweater once It fit a 5 year old after that

[jella]

Unjon you have mail

[EmilyD]

my mom washed a wool sweater once It fit a 5 year old after that :(

Ahhh yes, I call that accidental felting. One of my boyfriends did that to an angora sweater. It was like doll clothes afterwards. Now though I'd cut it up and use it for needle felting, my new favorite craft (that I don't have time for).

Okay off to the Endodontist hopefully NOT for a root canal but if so, hopefully with some good drugs.

[caveatlector]

Nope! The pants worked out fine, although they're a little tighter around the calves than I'm used to.

Sadly, they're not black, they're charcoal grey-- but I get the impression I'm splitting hairs here.



Ta DAAA!

I might build some more structure into the bottom of the tunic, but beyond that, it's pretty well done.

[MisaBlue]

Woooooooooow, that is so cool!
I love man in the uniform

[robotland]

"I'll save you, Nell!"

*leaping onto Horse*

[geospyder]

Yukon King has to stay home. No animals allowed on the Playa.

[baconqurlyq]

I have a genuine dilemma on my hands.

Two years ago, for Halloween, I bought a rider unicorn costume (for a little girl). I cut it apart and altered it so it would fit me and look like it was in pain, dressed up in pigtails and my wedding tiara, and was an insane adult. Thankfully I saved the rider unicorn, because fast forward, I'm going to burning man, and the head of the unicorn would look awesome mounted to the basket of my bike.

So I've had it out in preparation for sewing. One of my cats seems to have taken to sleeping with it.

http://tweetphoto.com/40481665

It's ridiculously cute. I can give in to my basic nature, which is to spoil the crap out of my cat, or use it in my project anyway and deny him his sleeping buddy, since he probably won't want it after it's coated with Playa dust.

Yes, I'm aware that this is a silly dilemma. I take full ownership of the silly.

[Dusty Bacon]

Hello Fellow Playa Costumers,

I'm Dusty Bacon and I'd like to invite you all on over to http://DustyCouture.Com for lots of blog content pertaining to some fashioncentric aspects of Burning Man culture. We've been posting since last October so there's lots of content up. We've been doing video blogs all week this is one of our main gifts to Burners (we do it for the love as there is no money being made) so feel FREE to come over and check it all out!



[youtube][/youtube]

[EmilyD]

Nope! The pants worked out fine, although they're a little tighter around the calves than I'm used to.

Sadly, they're not black, they're charcoal grey-- but I get the impression I'm splitting hairs here.


Ta DAAA!

I might build some more structure into the bottom of the tunic, but beyond that, it's pretty well done.

caveatlector, that is fucking beautiful! Great job!!! I don't think anyone will even notice that the pants are gray. Won't it all be dust-covered anyway?

[baconqurlyq]

Little bugger answered the question for me. He barfed on the unicorn head, and I'm so grossed out by it that I threw it out. *sigh* Cats.

[C.f.M.]

Little bugger answered the question for me. He barfed on the unicorn head, and I'm so grossed out by it that I threw it out. *sigh* Cats.

Lame. Wipe the chunks off with a paper towel and throw it in the washer.

[lucky420]

Dusty, caught the show at Junkee's your fashions are awesome and the models runway routine was really fun to watch...

[Radioactivebongwater]

Hey Crafty Burners!

Here is a website/link to help out with your 2011 costumes.

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?board=348.0

I -highly- recommend signing up for this website. I've been an active poster on it for almost a year. (And by active, I mean I am on it -everyday- )

In addition to a friendly community, you can get advice and tips for projects, which has helped me out of a few of those amateur sewing "What the heck do I do now?" situations. There's also organized craft swaps: You sign up for a theme, get a partner, create something and your partner creates something, and then you snail mail the packages to each other. I've even found a fellow burner on there. With jokes about a craftster camp one day. :D

Also. Another link worth looking at: (RAINBOW GLITTER BIKE) Now that's how to jazz up a bike.

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.ph ... msg4054914

If you sign up, Go ahead and PM me and I'll give you my username on there. I'm so serious, this site is HELPFUL.

[jella]

Great links, thanks
Registered as Jella

[Tin Halo]

I just followed the instructions to make an ear hat from the nice naked lady in the last Jack Rabbit Speaks and it was a complete success! Her instructions are very easy to follow.

Protip:
The pattern is almost exactly the same size as a USPS Priority Mail Flat-Rate envelope, so if you have one of those laying around it will save you some pattern-making.

[youtube][/youtube]

I think I'm in love.

I haven't got the time (at present) to read all ten or so pages of this thread, so sorry if this has been covered but the other day, it occurs to me... would there be any real need for a sewing machine out on the playa? I was looking at my good ol' late 60's/early 70's Sears/Kenmore (in 'Dead Avocado', doncha know) and thinking it might be a good thing to take--provided, of course, there was some 110 available--for people who need emergency repairs or have last-minute flashes of brilliance.
Good idea? Lousy idea? Overkill?

[theCryptofishist]

Definitely--if that's how you want to spend your time doing that.

[Tin Halo]

Well, that's kinda the rub. On one hand, it seems it'd be a decent contribution; on the other, I was thinking maybe having a station set up for anyone who knows how... outfit fall apart? Step on up and have at it. That kind of thing.

[theCryptofishist]

Okay. You can bring it out and let it be known in the nearby camps that it is there and will be available between one and four in the afternoon. Then you hang in your shade and "supervise" and it's not taking you away from anything else.

[Tin Halo]

Seriously, tho... how often do people seem to need this kind of thing? I hear the occasional story, but don't know if it's a common enough occurrence; iow, providing a solution for a problem that doesn't exist.

[theCryptofishist]

Um. Clothing rips. Or gets cigarette burns. Maybe you pick up something at Costume Cult and it needs some hemming or other tailoring.
I pmed a few people trying to find someone who had brought a treadle machine because I was hoping someone would do something on playa for FaeTora, back when she was so upset about her sewing projects. I think it's a case of "If you bring it, they will come." If there's enough knowledge that it's there.