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[PetiteAltesse]

Another update for Amon:

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Sorry for the poor photo quality. All that's left to do is sew down the front panel, make the leather bit that goes around the hood, finish the leg armor, make my belt, and make spats for the shoes. Then I'm all done!

Well, aside from washing and ironing.

[J-tective]

Hey guys. I could really use some help. I found a pant pattern for Mako's pants that are exactly like his. (Here's a pic. They're pant 'B'.)
http://images.patternreview.com/sewi.../7230/7230.jpg

Now, the major problem I'm having is I can't for the life of me find a suitable fabric for the pants. It has to have some stretch to it but nothing I found at Joanns seemed like it would work. Can anyone help me out here? I'd really appreciate it. And for some reason after I finished cutting the pattern out, the front pant leg piece is about an inch shorter than the back leg piece even though I cut them both on the corresponding line. Any tips on that as well?
Also, I see a lot of people using cotton (Kona perhaps?) for Mako's jacket but all the cotton fabric I find seems to thin for something like a jacket. UnlessI'mbeingsuperpickyoneverything.

[Black_The_White]

Originally Posted by J-tective

Hey guys. I could really use some help. I found a pant pattern for Mako's pants that are exactly like his. (Here's a pic. They're pant 'B'.)
http://images.patternreview.com/sewi.../7230/7230.jpg

Now, the major problem I'm having is I can't for the life of me find a suitable fabric for the pants. It has to have some stretch to it but nothing I found at Joanns seemed like it would work. Can anyone help me out here? I'd really appreciate it. And for some reason after I finished cutting the pattern out, the front pant leg piece is about an inch shorter than the back leg piece even though I cut them both on the corresponding line. Any tips on that as well?
Also, I see a lot of people using cotton (Kona perhaps?) for Mako's jacket but all the cotton fabric I find seems to thin for something like a jacket. UnlessI'mbeingsuperpickyoneverything.

I'm not super sure about the pants but as far as the Kona cotton goes for the jacket, yes, the cottons are really thin. But if you line the jacket as well and perhaps use some interfacing it'll work out just fine. I've used Kona cottons for jackets before doing this.

Just don't use them for pants.
I totally made that mistake just last week (im going to blame the fact that I made them during midterms) ..and I now have see through pants. Anyways.

[Black_The_White]

I was wondering if anyone had any good tips for storing/traveling with a Toph wig. About a month ago I moved twice and while my other wigs fit all nicely in a bag..well..Toph wigs dont. And my car was totally loaded with stuff so keeping it on a wig head (which by the way..doesnt work with the cheap ones because its so back heavy) wasn't an option. I ended up putting it in a drawer of a little dresser thing I had. Just laid it back on the bun inside thinking it was safe.

And it sort of got ruined.
I pulled it out and the fronts not straight anymore and all the hair is just..yeah well. its a mess. I have to take it all apart and I guess wash the wig and hope it straightens out again.

Anyways, tips anyone? I want to know a good way for the next time I travel to a Con or something.

[tereshkova2001]

For pants, I like twill, either brushed or regular. If it has to be stretchy, a knit or interlock will work. My personal preference is always for natural fabrics like cotton, not polyester, but synthetics are cheaper and usually work okay.
Jackets always have a bunch of layers to get the right structure. The outer fashion fabric is backed up with something heavier; you can see that if you check out commercial suit coats. I'm fond of wool and wool blends for jackets. A corduroy might work too, and look a little rustic.
My favorite way to buy fabric is always to go to the store in person and fondle it, and go to stores other than Joann's if it's an option. They've got nice lightweight cottons, as you say, and some good brocades, but for variety and heavier natural fabrics I go elsewhere. (If you happen to be near Denver, Colorado, get ye to Denver Fabrics posthaste. They are my very favorite fabric store.)

[tereshkova2001]

Originally Posted by Black_The_White

I was wondering if anyone had any good tips for storing/traveling with a Toph wig.

I've never done Toph, but I do have a backheavy elaborately styled Padmé Amidala wig. I always keep it on the wighead unless it's on my head. It usually ends up propped against the wall or tilted over sideways, because it's so heavy. I used a ton of hairspray in styling it, so I'm not too worried about bits coming undone as long as it has the internal support of the wighead. When I'm traveling, I put a grocery bag over the wig and bundle the whole thing in a large black garbage bag. I usually pack it separately in the car, not in my suitcase. If you can put it in a dedicated cardboard box, that helps too.

This summer I went to a con halfway across the country and shipped a bunch of stuff. I wedged this wig and a Princess Leia cinnamon buns wig, on their heads & in bags, in amongst my Zuko armor and other things and fedexed the box to the hotel. They arrived just fine.

So the key, I think, is making the room to keep the wig on the wighead. That underlying support is crucial.

[harmonyisarine]

Originally Posted by J-tective

Hey guys. I could really use some help. I found a pant pattern for Mako's pants that are exactly like his. (Here's a pic. They're pant 'B'.)
http://images.patternreview.com/sewi.../7230/7230.jpg

Now, the major problem I'm having is I can't for the life of me find a suitable fabric for the pants. It has to have some stretch to it but nothing I found at Joanns seemed like it would work. Can anyone help me out here? I'd really appreciate it. And for some reason after I finished cutting the pattern out, the front pant leg piece is about an inch shorter than the back leg piece even though I cut them both on the corresponding line. Any tips on that as well?
Also, I see a lot of people using cotton (Kona perhaps?) for Mako's jacket but all the cotton fabric I find seems to thin for something like a jacket. UnlessI'mbeingsuperpickyoneverything.

I used wool flannel for my Mako's pants, but that doesn't have very much of a stretch to it. I second going to a fabric store and fondling things till you find one that works. As for his jacket, I actually used the cotton twill at Jo-ann's. Between the lining and the shell both being twill, it has more than enough body to stay in shape. The trade-off is that the color selection is far less, and I had to custom dye mine. The upside to dying it is that RIT dye has an amazing dye mixing guide on their site, and we were able to get the perfect colors.

So, if you don't mind dyeing your own fabric, I suggest twill for the jacket. It holds shape much better than Kona.

Edited to add this link to my Mako, so you can see the drape of the twill. http://www.cosplay.com/costume/433733/

[J-tective]

Originally Posted by harmonyisarine

I used wool flannel for my Mako's pants, but that doesn't have very much of a stretch to it. I second going to a fabric store and fondling things till you find one that works. As for his jacket, I actually used the cotton twill at Jo-ann's. Between the lining and the shell both being twill, it has more than enough body to stay in shape. The trade-off is that the color selection is far less, and I had to custom dye mine. The upside to dying it is that RIT dye has an amazing dye mixing guide on their site, and we were able to get the perfect colors.

So, if you don't mind dyeing your own fabric, I suggest twill for the jacket. It holds shape much better than Kona.

Edited to add this link to my Mako, so you can see the drape of the twill. http://www.cosplay.com/costume/433733/

Ah, thank you so much! This really helps me. This gives me a better idea of what to look for. I really appreciate the help and suggestions! Your Mako looks rad.
I actually bought two colors of suiting fabric for Mako's jacket but I'm still iffy if I want to use it because it's not that heavy but it's definitely sturdy though. I'm mainly concerned with the weight of it holding up for the collar.

Also, did you use a pattern for your pants that was appropriate for your fabric? Maybe if I changed patterns that don't use stretch material, I could go back and see what fabric I can use. I saw more non stretch fabric than anything.

[J-tective]

And thank you to Black the White and tereshkova2001 for your input as well!

[harmonyisarine]

Originally Posted by J-tective

Ah, thank you so much! This really helps me. This gives me a better idea of what to look for. I really appreciate the help and suggestions! Your Mako looks rad.
I actually bought two colors of suiting fabric for Mako's jacket but I'm still iffy if I want to use it because it's not that heavy but it's definitely sturdy though. I'm mainly concerned with the weight of it holding up for the collar.

Also, did you use a pattern for your pants that was appropriate for your fabric? Maybe if I changed patterns that don't use stretch material, I could go back and see what fabric I can use. I saw more non stretch fabric than anything.

Thank you!

The twill I used really wasn't that heavy, it just draped in a way that I liked for the jacket. Between the two layers of twill, the bias trim (also made of twill), and a layer of light interfacing, it held itself up quite nicely. If your fabric is too heavy to stand on its own, get a medium or strong interfacing and sandwich between the layers.

And alas, I drafted all of my own patterns. However, you should be able to find knicker patterns pretty easily, especially now with Halloween. Both Mako and Bolin's pants are actual knickerbockers (which made me far too happy), and 20s fashion never fully went away. They may be called newsboy pant or 1920s something or other, I just know that I tend to see patterns for knickers around this time of year. Being able to use a non-stretch definitely will help to find a suitable fabric.

I actually still need to fix Mako's collar, but you can't see the mistakes when Scarfy is on. ^_^

[Black_The_White]

Originally Posted by tereshkova2001

I've never done Toph, but I do have a backheavy elaborately styled Padmé Amidala wig. I always keep it on the wighead unless it's on my head. It usually ends up propped against the wall or tilted over sideways, because it's so heavy. I used a ton of hairspray in styling it, so I'm not too worried about bits coming undone as long as it has the internal support of the wighead. When I'm traveling, I put a grocery bag over the wig and bundle the whole thing in a large black garbage bag. I usually pack it separately in the car, not in my suitcase. If you can put it in a dedicated cardboard box, that helps too.

This summer I went to a con halfway across the country and shipped a bunch of stuff. I wedged this wig and a Princess Leia cinnamon buns wig, on their heads & in bags, in amongst my Zuko armor and other things and fedexed the box to the hotel. They arrived just fine.

So the key, I think, is making the room to keep the wig on the wighead. That underlying support is crucial.

Ahhh, thank you so much. I really wish I would have asked this before moving to save me the hassle of having to take the wig apart now. But oh well. Now I know. And yeah, I totally learned about the whole propping it up against walls or what not when I was first styling it and it kept falling over. hahaha.

[lovesexnpocky]

Originally Posted by J-tective

Hey guys. I could really use some help. I found a pant pattern for Mako's pants that are exactly like his. (Here's a pic. They're pant 'B'.)
http://images.patternreview.com/sewi.../7230/7230.jpg

Now, the major problem I'm having is I can't for the life of me find a suitable fabric for the pants. It has to have some stretch to it but nothing I found at Joanns seemed like it would work. Can anyone help me out here? I'd really appreciate it. And for some reason after I finished cutting the pattern out, the front pant leg piece is about an inch shorter than the back leg piece even though I cut them both on the corresponding line. Any tips on that as well?
Also, I see a lot of people using cotton (Kona perhaps?) for Mako's jacket but all the cotton fabric I find seems to thin for something like a jacket. UnlessI'mbeingsuperpickyoneverything.

Sew Classics Interlock WILL WORK. (I made Korra's top out of it and if you look at the way it stretches, it will work nicely) But if you want to know a secret, I am using a scrubs pattern for his pants, just making them shorter, and I use cotton. Kona is a high quality cotton and to be honest, don't get it on sale. Find coupons, because the most they sale for is around 25-30% SOMETIMES 40%. But the next sale is the Columbus day sale, so.. >>

Also, for his lining. Use a muslin. A thin muslin. The lining is a light light gray and instead of trying to find the right color, a thin bleached muslin will show the gray of the jacket through and it should work nicely. (As far as your pattern question, I truly don't know ;_; )

[Kesra]

...Guys I found a shoe pattern. One that would work for the Fire Nation shoes. I'm so thrilled with it.

Butterick 5233

[Simetra]

I finished my Gran Gran Katara wig. It was more a matter of sewing the hair, than gluing or styling http://www.cosplay.com/photo/3307581/

Does it pass?

[tereshkova2001]

Simetra, that's lovely! The hair loopies are such an iconic part of her character design, and you've executed the whole thing very well. I'd love to see pictures of the whole outfit when it's finished.