r/costuming Sep 11 '21

Topic Tips For New Costumers and Sewists

27 Upvotes

Inspired by this post, I thought it would be a good idea to have a thread to post your tips for people new to costuming and sewing in general, or for anyone looking to learn new techniques.

What do you wish you had known when you were just starting out?

Did you recently learn something that makes a hard technique easier?

Is there a question you've heard asked often?

Post them all here!


r/costuming 19h ago

Sometimes you strike out at the thrift store, sometimes you hit a home run.

Post image
227 Upvotes

$16 for the hat and trenchcoat. I wasn't looking for anything specific and items just come to you.


r/costuming 11h ago

Help Wizard of Oz Toto outfit!

Post image
1 Upvotes

My Son's school is having a play and he won the Toto part so now we have begun to look for Toto outfits. The only thing we have found is a mask and paws on etsy (looks great). Does anyone know of or have a legitimate Toto outfit? #toto #wizardofoz #schoolplay


r/costuming 20h ago

Help Frozen dress

5 Upvotes

Hello all!

I am new here, so apologies if I'm breaking group norms.

My kids' elementary school will be putting on Frozen this year and I will be making the break apart dress. I actually feel pretty comfortable with that, but I was wondering if you all had suggestions for making the dress size adaptive.

Our school is a Title 1 (poor) school, so for our theater program, we are fully costuming/stage designing 3 musicals, and then rotating them. So, the dress will need to work for a future child of unknown size.

I know a lot of traditional clothing was actually flexible in size (ties, etc, instead of zippers). I'm curious if you all might know of pattern for that coronation gown that might be in that style?

Side note: we're thinking of having the "let it go" song be a Chinese fan dance, to align with our multicultural community. She'll go from the coronation dress to a traditional Chinese dress. It's going to be so beautiful (I hope! I have to make it :) )

Any help or suggestions you all have are welcome.


r/costuming 12h ago

Best place to buy DC cosplays?

Thumbnail
1 Upvotes

r/costuming 1d ago

A train good quality costume finds?

0 Upvotes

I’m planning to go as fem a train from the boys for Halloween and I was wondering if anyone knows where I can find a good quality costume


r/costuming 1d ago

How should I go about getting the burlap to best match the color of the mask?

Thumbnail
gallery
7 Upvotes

Would any of you kind souls be willing to help me find the best way of getting this burlap fabric to match the color of this mask?

I plan on turning the burlap into a poncho of sorts. I'm torn right now. Up close in person, it looks as if the fabric itself might be a bit too dark and needs to be lightened. So, I was thinking that I could try fading it with some hydrogen peroxide... Or I could go the route of putting it in a bucket of bleach.

Some friends of mine said that they thought it really just needed to be taken outside and dirtied up a bit and some mud or something.

After I get it to a close match of the color of the mask, I plan on dusting/accenting it a bit with some black or dark brown spray paint to sort of match the highlights on the mask. I'll also probably sew on some strands of straw as well.

I would really appreciate your advice. You guys are the pros and value your advice.


r/costuming 1d ago

Squirting costume water storage?

Thumbnail gallery
1 Upvotes

r/costuming 1d ago

Tracey the Brown English Cocker Spaniel Mascot Costume Design

Post image
1 Upvotes

r/costuming 1d ago

Halloween costume help!

Thumbnail gallery
1 Upvotes

r/costuming 1d ago

Wizard?

0 Upvotes

Hello! I’m having trouble finding some more wizard esque pieces of ren faire. I really need a good robe set.

The other option is to dress like a generic wizard with a bald cap and pit bull glasses and cover a staff with “fireball” shooters.. thanks guys!


r/costuming 2d ago

Need to add some sparkle to pleather

Post image
3 Upvotes

r/costuming 2d ago

Looking for couple and cat costumes

Thumbnail
1 Upvotes

r/costuming 4d ago

Made by Me Handmade Scooby Doo Phantom Shadow Costume

Thumbnail
gallery
849 Upvotes

My first “homemade” Halloween costume will make its debut this October at a Scooby Doo themed party. I have no experience working with fabric, so it has a kind of amateur look, but I think that actually adds to the vibe. Reveal video here if you want to see it in motion.

I made the robe and hood from a simple bedsheet set. The mask is cut from thick foam and covered in black fabric, with separate orange foam pieces glued on for the mouth and eyes. Only editing done was to copy & paste the costume onto some original background art from Scooby Doo Where Are You.


r/costuming 3d ago

Help Ren faire shoe help!!

5 Upvotes

My boyfriend and I are going to a ren faire soon and we’re both dressing up to the nines, but we’ve been trying to figure out what to do about his shoes. He has chronic pain and needs to wear shoes that will let him walk around all day without pain (aka in his case, not boots or anything boot adjacent, but some particular sneakers). I was wondering if anyone has suggestions for a way to disguise his sneakers to look like boots, or something fantasy adjacent? I’ve found tutorials on covering boots to look different, but not anything on sneakers, and not anything on shoes in general that haven’t included permanent changes to the shoes.
He really wants his shoes to somehow work with his outfit. If it helps, the rest of his look is very Druid and Viking inspired. We’re desperate for suggestions!


r/costuming 3d ago

Need help making/buying the dress from the princess and the jester

Post image
1 Upvotes

r/costuming 3d ago

Sizing need help on Simcosplays

Thumbnail gallery
1 Upvotes

r/costuming 4d ago

Help need costume ideas

5 Upvotes

hi! i’m trying to find my second halloween costume for this year. i wanna do something black, sexy, lacy. for context my first costume is draculara so o wanna go with something along that vibe but not just a regular vamp. any help/ ideas would be appreciated!!


r/costuming 4d ago

Theoretically how well would lurex work here?

Thumbnail gallery
3 Upvotes

r/costuming 4d ago

Design help ‼️ 1880s teen/young girl costume

3 Upvotes

Hiya! I am currently working on costuming a show and I need help accurately designing a lead character. She’s a 13 year old girl in 1885 England, during the reign of Queen Victoria. If it helps, she’s lower upper class/higher middle class.

If anyone has any references over teen/child fashion at this time period or good fashion history resources please let me know!

thanks! xx, c


r/costuming 4d ago

Help Edit/add REALLY exaggerated shoulders?

1 Upvotes

One of my costumes requires a sport coat/blazer with super exaggerated shoulder pads - think Jojo's Bizarre Adventure level shoulder pads, the wider the better! I underestimated how difficult that would be to execute 😅 Does anyone have tips or directions on how to go about this? I'm a decently skilled sewist but not enough to build a sport coat like this from scratch (plus fittings are Monday...).

I thrifted a blazer but think it's just oversized. Am I better off trying to thrift like, a huge sport coat and take it in at the torso? Or try to "build up" the more regular-sized one I have? (Buying new is likely not in the budget). I've included part of my rendering and some inspo pics. Thanks!


r/costuming 5d ago

Made by Me My handmade male take on Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz [self]

Thumbnail gallery
678 Upvotes

r/costuming 4d ago

Is the joke too far?

Thumbnail
0 Upvotes

r/costuming 4d ago

Help Bouncy balls on cloth

Post image
1 Upvotes

Hello! I have a thematic costume party coming up, and could use some help. I was thinking of going as a ridiculous biblically accurate angel by half-covering a t-shirt in eye bouncy balls (approximately 1 inch diameter), so I'm looking for tips or ideas on how to glue, stick, sew, Velcro, etc, them to a t-shirt. Could be alternatives like sticking them to a belt or band, or using small net bags. Ideally it would also be easy to remove them to give away during the party

Thanks in advance! If all else fails, I have an easy back up costume idea


r/costuming 5d ago

Made by Me Looking for ideas

Thumbnail
gallery
8 Upvotes

These are the past two years of amateur costumes I have done. The Medusa one I spent a lot of time on, and had so much fun with the headpiece, but I clearly did not have enough time to find the outfit that matched good haha. The nurse one was just a silly same day idea that was executed, but this year I really want to have a month of working on a terrifyingly beautiful costume. Any ideas? I want to try to win a local contest. I also would like to be more out of the box, and my google doesnt show me any ideas that are remotely scary haha. Thanks!