HELP: Cosplayers, Costumers, Seamstresses, Tailors, anybody...

[ValarDisneyus]

Hey-does anyone know what fabric is used on Disney Princess costumes with long sleeves in the parks? Not the dresses for little girls to buy in the store, the sleeves that friends of Aurora wear, for example, with the clear elastic that goes around the middle finger. It's sheer, and stretchy, I imagine breathable....It is boggling my mind. It appears like organza or maybe chiffon, but...with stretch? It's not nylon, is it? I've never seen a "run" in a sleeve in any photos.

 

[gules]

Do you have a picture? I'm having trouble visualizing the part of the dress you're talking about.

 

[ValarDisneyus]

Sheer sleeves. Very Elsa-ish. Is it power mesh, maybe?

 

[NotUrsula]

There is a very good chance that you have some in your home right now: look at your bras. The fabric is nylon chiffon tricot, and it is very commonly used in brassiere linings. It has a bit of stretch on the cross, but not a whole lot; about 10-20%. You also will see it used a lot on children's swimsuits and nightgowns; it makes cute ruffle trim, and it doesn't fray when cut. It's a favorite for theatrical work because it is quite durable.

Here is some light pink available from Fabric.com: https://www.fabric.com/buy/uf-740/nylon-chiffon-tricot-light-pink. And a whole range of colors from a wholesaler: http://www.afc-wholesale.net/product-p/w502-180.htm

 

[ValarDisneyus]

I bought that! I have it already, and it's not sheer. *pout*

 

[NotUrsula]

There is regular tricot, and then there is chiffon tricot; the chiffon type is semi-sheer. Regular tricot is opaque, and very slightly heavier.

Another fabric that you will often see used in these situations is Glissenette spandex, which has more stretch to it; two-way instead of one-way. Glissenette is always sheer. It's popular for skating and dance performance costumes because of how well it stretches, but it will run like a rabbit if you snag it. http://spandexcollection.com/category/sub/18/110/glissenete.html
In my experience, the WDW character costumes don't use this fabric, but you will see it on dancers sometimes

 

[ValarDisneyus]

There is regular tricot, and then there is chiffon tricot; the chiffon type is semi-sheer. Regular tricot is opaque, and very slightly heavier.

Another fabric that you will often see used in these situations is Glissenette spandex, which has more stretch to it; two-way instead of one-way. Glissenette is always sheer. It's popular for skating and dance performance costumes because of how well it stretches, but it will run like a rabbit if you snag it. http://spandexcollection.com/category/sub/18/110/glissenete.html
In my experience, the WDW character costumes don't use this fabric, but you will see it on dancers sometimes

See, I'm wondering if I got the wrong weight of tricot chiffon. I got...I think it was 40 denier? Maybe I needed 15? I've been sewing for years, but only started with knits this last one. It's a bit bewildering; I don't want to be in over my head. I want to learn this!

 

[gules]

My initial guess would have been some kind of nylon or spandex blend in a light weight. I have to agree that it seems to be the chiffon tricot if you want something specific. I'm also seeing one made of polyester that looks opaque, so the tricot seems to be the method of weave applicable to any fabric regardless of materials. Check what you have, as it might be made of polyester as well.

Tip from a cosplayer on a budget: get swatches of cloth before you buy the whole thing. If you can't get what you want at a brick and mortar retailer where you can play with the fabric, order from places online that will send you fabric samples. I actually use Fabric.com. I do pay a bit for the samples, but it helps me pick exactly what I want. They also have a good return policy in case I end up with the wrong stuff anyway.

You're not in over your head yet. If you're only just now getting used to working with knits, pick some easy projects and try using jersey knit. It's more forgiving than other stuff, breathable, comes in lots of colors, and you'll get used to working with stretch. Make sure you have the parts for your machine that you'll need, such as double needles and satin foot additions. Play with cheap discount fabric to get used to it, or with the sample swatches you get when picking your fabric. With stretchy fabrics, remember to note which way it stretches as well as using stitches that have give so they don't break. The simplest is the zig-zag stitch, which any sewing machine can do. Knits require a steadier hand, a more discerning eye towards your fabric, and a LOT more patience. I still hate using it if it can be avoided, but it's just so nice-looking!

Best of luck!

 

[ValarDisneyus]

I'm actually doing pretty well with knits! You should check my PTR in my signature and look at my daughter's Mega Man costume for Halloween, head to toe in Interlock Twisted Yarn, and it only took me 2 hours. I'm proud of it!

 

[NotUrsula]

If you are REALLY on a budget, don't go to fabric stores for fabric at all; go to thrift shops. You'd be amazed at how much stretch chiffon you can get out of the skirt of a $10 ugly bridesmaid dress. This works especially well for children's things; my mother used to dress us in very high-end fabrics that she took off of thrift-shop finds.

The drawback is that this method requires a certain level of stockpiling, but for basics you can't beat the price.

My go-to fabric for park-wear princess dresses is cotton sateen, and I get it mostly at Tuesday Morning: in the form of king-sized sheets.

 

[gules]

I'm actually doing pretty well with knits! You should check my PTR in my signature and look at my daughter's Mega Man costume for Halloween, head to toe in Interlock Twisted Yarn, and it only took me 2 hours. I'm proud of it!

Wow! Very nice! I couldn't do as well in only 2 hours. I particularly hate doing pants. I never get it right. D: Also, I loved the accompanying story. She thought Japan was a fictional country? I used to have a boyfriend whose father told him dirt came from Bristol, TN, and he believed it for the longest time as a child. That's what it reminded me of, but a bit in reverse.


Also, the thrift shop tip is great! I usually make over pieces if I go to the thrift shop, but I'll keep the dress thing in mind if I ever need higher-end fabrics. Most of my projects currently involve armor, but that won't always be the case!

 

[ValarDisneyus]

Yes, I LOVE the thrift store tip!

...I wonder if my Tuesday Morning has any pink sheets...

And I have to make armor soon, too. Unfortunately, I can't tell what the heck to make the neck piece out of. Molded plastic? I don't even know where to start with that. Luckily, I do know how to boil leather for the shoulders.

 

[Random Ninja]

Yes, I LOVE the thrift store tip! ...I wonder if my Tuesday Morning has any pink sheets... And I have to make armor soon, too. Unfortunately, I can't tell what the heck to make the neck piece out of. Molded plastic? I don't even know where to start with that. Luckily, I do know how to boil leather for the shoulders.

Thermoplast or worbla would work well for the neck piece. Both can be ordered from several costume sites.

 

[gules]

You'd be surprised what you can do with simple craft foam, hot glue, modge podge (or school glue) and paint. The answer is A LOT. Just look up "craft foam armor." Especially if you want it to be lightweight, foam is just so much more convenient. You can make the leather pieces from it too. Weight might not be a concern if it's for you, but if you want to do something for the kiddo you might consider it. Worbla is supposed to be good, but both deform in the heat and I feel that foam is more replaceable. Plus it's not too hard to cut with regular scissors, and will give before it hurts anyone.

I'm guessing Tuesday Morning is a thrift store of some kind? I don't think I have one. D:

 

[ValarDisneyus]

Craft foam may not be bad. I actually looked at an armor tutorial for it a long time ago and then forgot all about it. (My husband made a Bane costume after the Dark Knight, including me molding his head in plaster so he could cast it in concrete, mold the mask in clay, cast a mold of that, and then make it out of flexible rubber/silicone mask stuff. It was a brutally long and expensive project, but a re-cast went for $600 on eBay, so I think it's reasonable to assume he did a good job.)

Anyway, I don't remember what we had originally intended to use the craft foam for but I know that we ended up using something else. I did use craft foam once to make mallorn leaf holders for lembas bread. (Lemon scones, really, but super buttery and delicious). It would be nice and light for my Squeaks, though. I wonder if the finished piece would fit in a shoebox for packing? I'd be so scared of squishing it when I go to pack!

 

[NotUrsula]

You'd be surprised what you can do with simple craft foam, hot glue, modge podge (or school glue) and paint. The answer is A LOT. Just look up "craft foam armor." Especially if you want it to be lightweight, foam is just so much more convenient. You can make the leather pieces from it too. Weight might not be a concern if it's for you, but if you want to do something for the kiddo you might consider it. Worbla is supposed to be good, but both deform in the heat and I feel that foam is more replaceable. Plus it's not too hard to cut with regular scissors, and will give before it hurts anyone.

I'm guessing Tuesday Morning is a thrift store of some kind? I don't think I have one. D:

Tuesday Morning is an import liqudation chain. They sell household items mostly.

If you are really going to get into armor, you may as well bite the bullet and learn to cast. It isn't that hard really, now that you can easily buy ready mix compounds online.

 

[gules]

Uuurgh. Casting is so... expensive. And time consuming. The things I want to make often bear no resemblance to each other, and I don't have the confidence to resell on ebay. No, I'll stick with my craft foam and heat gun. I did think to get into casting once, but as I said I'm deterred by the price.

I don't know how big your child is, or how many pieces of armor you'd be making. My primary concern for packing it too tightly would be cracking the paint job. There are ways around that as well-- you can cover your foam armor in fabric instead, if you're careful and want to spend the extra dosh (and it doesn't have complex curves). And reshaping is luckily pretty easy and only requires a heat source and some patience.

 

[ValarDisneyus]

I looked up Worbla, that stuff looks pretty cool.

So....who wants to carve a wooden bust of my child I can use for casting, hm? Any takers?

....no?


LOL, seriously though, I have no idea how I'll build the shape I need for forming on. It's probably time to enlist my husband's help. He was hoping for an excuse to buy a heat gun!

 

[NotUrsula]

I looked up Worbla, that stuff looks pretty cool.

So....who wants to carve a wooden bust of my child I can use for casting, hm? Any takers?

....no?


LOL, seriously though, I have no idea how I'll build the shape I need for forming on. It's probably time to enlist my husband's help. He was hoping for an excuse to buy a heat gun!

How does he feel about cans of expanding foam?

Simplest way is to make a plaster torso cast (2 pc), then tape it together and shoot it full of expanding foam. When you remove the plaster, you've got a foam form of your shape. It won't stand up well to heat, but you could always coat it with another thin layer of plaster.

 

[ValarDisneyus]

How does he feel about cans of expanding foam?

Simplest way is to make a plaster torso cast (2 pc), then tape it together and shoot it full of expanding foam. When you remove the plaster, you've got a foam form of your shape. It won't stand up well to heat, but you could always coat it with another thin layer of plaster.

OMG-I wish we'd heard about this expanding foam business back when Matt was building his Bane mask! There's a concrete copy of my husband's head that weighs about 20 pounds hanging out in my garage! And bolting it to the spinning lazy-susan-esque wooden board was no picnic, either. I bet foam would have been CAKE!