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Oh, God. I'm A Crazy Person
I'm clinically insane. That's the only explanation. And you know, this really isn't my fault, I can't be held responsible - this is because of lack of sleep (I do crazy things when I'm sleep deprived, like making rp journals) or the fact that the water was shut off this morning in my apartment (Me last night: I want to wash my hair. Mmmm, better not, there's never hot water at night. Me this morning: *turns on the facet* *no water at all* Oh, you are kidding me.) Oh! Finals. This is because of finals. And I'm still half-sick. Really, I can't be expected to make rational decisions right now.
*takes deep breath*
So you want to know what I'm not doing?
This morning, I did not take screencaptures of Suki's awesome and fiendishly complex outfit.
I am not poking around on fabric sites looking at what's available.
I am not looking at pattern sites and thinking, 'hmm, am I crazy, or would that Tibetan Chupa make a good base for her outfit'?
Oh, god, I'm clinically insane aren't I?
Flist, I throw myself on your mercy.
Help.
If you could either a.) find and return my sanity
b.) give me the information on cosplay, specifically time/skill/money estimates, ideas on how to make the vest, headdress, arm bracers and detailing.
c.) smack me across the mouth and stick my head into a bucket of ice water.
A-Line Skirt]
no subject
http://www.wodefordhall.com/kosode.htm (http://www.wodefordhall.com/kosode.htm)
http://www.reconstructinghistory.com/japanese/Jap123s.html (http://www.reconstructinghistory.com/japanese/Jap123s.html)
Traditionally, the pieces were cut to a standard size, and then the fit was adjusted by taking wider or narrower seam allowances. That's an extra layer of confusion you probably don't need as a beginner, though; the Folkwear yukata pattern has the proper garment shape and guidelines for different sleeve styles, but marked in more gaijin-friendly sizes. (A quick search on sewingpatterns.com shows cheap Butterick and Simplicity kimono costume patterns -- they might not have all the authentic finishing details included in the Folkwear pattern, but the basic lines look similar and they're pretty cheap!).
However, the girls' dark green overrobes aren't quite cut like a basic kimono; the neckline is a little higher, and lacking the band; the sleeves are longer and narrower, and the overlap on the front pieces is much higher up on the chest; the silhouette of the neckline and front overlap is less like a kimono and more like a men's cheongsam (http://www.mandarintouch.com/index.php?cPath=2_158) style, similar to the more Chinese-influenced fashions with asymmetrical front closures that seem popular in the Earth Kingdom in particular. (It's definitely not tight set-in sleeves and close-fitted bodice like a modern qipao, like the Folkwear "Hong Kong Cheongsam pattern"; it's a lot closer to their "Chinese Jacket" (http://www.folkwear.com/114.html) pattern, the version with the stand-up mandarin collar and assymetric close. If you wanted to try to work straight from patterns with minimal alterations, using that jacket for the top and a slightly a-line skirt with a bit of pleating at the front could work, then just use the basic skirt pattern to cut an overskirt that is a few inches shorter and split in the front, cut from the same lighter fabric as the jacket. Or you could use hakama for the underskirt -- that's another one of those things you can just do from a diagram:
http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/katchu/graphics/patterns/hakama1.PDF?53,17 (http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/katchu/graphics/patterns/hakama1.PDF?53,17)
http://www.sarcasm-hime.net/hakamapattern.html (http://www.sarcasm-hime.net/hakamapattern.html)
...although again, Folkwear's pattern is nice and detailed if you feel more comfortable not working from a chart.
For her armor, the animators skimmed on the details so you can't really tell if it's supposed to open up at the back or the sides; Japanese armor of similar shapes could fasten either way, so really you can just pick whatever you like. This page has some really detailed stuff for SCA folks building their own: you don't want to go that fussy level of working with individual metal plates, but it'll give you a good idea of how the overall pieces should be shaped and fit together:
http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/katchu/katchu.html (http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/katchu/katchu.html)
The arm bracers, I can draft you a pattern from these leather bracers I've got -- you could pretty much do them out of one large piece of whatever pleathery stuff you use for the armor, some appliqued trim and edge bindings, if you're not scared of working with stretch fabrics I'd suggest filling in the section where mine lace up with just a flat panel of spandex in a matching green, so you can just pull them on over your hands and they'll fit snugly over the sleeves. Gloves you can find patterns for, but working with those tiny pieces and stretch fabrics might be a bit much for a beginner -- simpler to get readymade gloves in a matching color, or dye to match, and just embellish with a bit of trim.
no subject
*brain tries to inhale it all at once* *fails*
Gloves are actually the one part of the costume I already have. ^_^