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So Iām working on my KotFE/ET Lana cosplay and finally making some progress. Like writing, cosplay has been missing from my life for the past few years. Aside from the usual last-minute-procrastination cosplay mood, itās just kinda getting back into the game after an absence.
I am a Serious CosplayerĀ cosplay grandma with a 20-year history and a recent move into the organization side running contests now, but Iām still learning new things with every costume. Itās wild.
Anyway, I thought Iād share some of the progress while Iām procrastinating putting off leaving the house to get thread.
YO HEREāS OUR GIRL:
Picture-heavy under the cut.
Sewing is my strength and always has been, so onĀ āsoftā costume pieces I always feel like I have a lot more control. I use that as an opportunity to nitpick details when Iām not being a lazy asshole and taking shortcuts.
Today, that means the stupid hexagon on the sides of Lanaās tunic.
I decided to go with single-fold bias tape as applique because as I obsessively scrutinized looked at caps and in-game references, I noticed that there was a slight shadow that indicated aĀ āraisedā area against the base garment. Speaking of texture, that damn hexagon is rarely an actual hexagon because game textures donāt behave like real fabric AUGH. Other thoughts were paint, fabric applique & satin stitching.
TOOLS:
Bias tape
Pins
Hot af iron (I really need to invest in one of those baby irons for quilting but whatev)
Wonder clips (THEY REALLY ARE A WONDER)
Pattern (made in MS Word)
Assorted stuff like scissors, ruler, ironing board/table, probably a pencil
So the great thing about bias tape is that it holds a fold VERY well when ironed. And a nice crispy fold makes for a great miter. Whatās a miter you say? Itās that corner bit on a picture frame or window where an angle is formed. You want it to look tidy & consistent.
How? BEHOLD:
Clip a piece of bias tape to your pattern (make sure itās long enough to go around and then a little extra. You can always cut off more, but you canāt put it back. Okay, technically you CAN put it back but itās a pain in the ass and looks like shit. Measure-twice-cut-once and all that). Use what clips/pins you need to keep everything aligned.
Take another pin and use it to help you get a nice fold that lines up with that angle (at an angle that if you extended the line, it would bisect the hexagon). Folding this way ensures that the miter will be consistent at each ācornerā.
(sorry, kinda fuzzy.) Get your fingers outta the way and iron that motherfucker. Watch out for the pins and clips and stuff.
Now fold it BACK over so the original fold is as minimal as possible and line everything up with your pattern. MOAR IRONING. When you turn it over, you shouldnāt see anything aside from that one neat fold.
SO PRETTY. (Pin is just there to hold it for the photo.)
Put some more clips on to keep it out of your way and keep going.
Apparently even Word canāt make a damn equilateral hexagon, so I had to mark on the pattern which way I wanted up and down to be. That up and down will line up with the side seam later. OKAY keep going, all the way around.
I leave the final angle open for later,Ā ācause itās finicky and easier to work with once everything else is glued and sewn.
Right side up ooooo pretty.
So hereās the trick with getting it on the side of the tunic without destroying your patience. Normally we sew a top/shirt/whatever 1) front/back seams 2) shoulder seams 3) side seams 4) sleeves/facings (with slight variations). This pattern actually didnāt have any back seam, but I needed one in the back so I added it.
I needed the side seams to be REALLY flat, so going sides before back was necessary. All that to say THIS IS THE SIDE. Also pictured is the bustline dart on the front.
PS: IRON YOUR DAMN SEAMS or I will find you and iron them for you.
You need to measure down from the arm seam (where the sleeve will attach to the rest of the tunic) for placement. 1) this helps you be consistent with both sides. 2) Like... measure shit. Itās more professional. Donāt eyeball stuff, it never ends well.
You can scale pretty close measurements from your reference images (hereās a link to a website called MATH IS FUN to explain it. I know it sounds insane, but try it, itās not that bad). tl;dr Based on my reference images vs. my actual measurements (all 5ā²2ā³ of them), the top of the hex needs to be about 2.5 inches from the armhole (also how I got the dimensions of the hex itself despite Biowareās best efforts at thwarting me with inconsistent reference material.)
So line up the hex with your sleeve seam marking AND the side seam (which should line up with the middle/center line of the hex - use your pattern or your ruler, whatever works).
And then do this three more times.
Now, I know youāre going,Ā āBeverly, this is a lot of time-intensive bullshit,ā and Iām gonna tell you IT IS NOT. Having to futz around with eyeballing things and making mistakes and fixing said mistakes takes far longer than careful preparation and execution.
NEXT TIME ON BEVERLYāS COSPLAY BULLSHIT: How to get that shit to stay there so you can sew it down without pins and massive frustration (hint: weāll be making a visit to the quilting section I KNOW RIGHT?).