Three Simple Sewing Machine Hints

I am constantly amazed by tiny things that make a huge difference. Here are 3 to decrease sewing machine frustration.

1. Change your needles often. I usually change with each project. Not only should you be using the correct needle for your fabric; you need a fresh needle. Bad needles cause countless problems, including snarls, sluggish sewing and damaged fabric. Small things affect your needles. Sewing polyester creates tiny burrs on the needle. Pushing through thick fabric or multiple layers can bend the needle. And let's not talk about what happens when you nick a pin.
2. Stop with the takeup lever in the highest position. This makes sure your needle & bobbin threads are in the correct orientation to be pulled out of the machine. If you can't see your takeup lever, the top of the path is when your needle is in the highest position. Easy, but so important for avoiding snarls and messing up your tension.
3. If it makes a funny noise, STOP! I've done it. Powered through that strange noise. It takes a lot of determination to break the habit, especially when you're in a hurry. The funny noise is telling you something's wrong. Ignoring it only causes trouble. You can damage fabric and seriously mess up your machine. Just STOP!

And on another note, Craftsy has a holiday gift for you. Starting today and running until December 24th, all classes are up to 50% off. Give yourself a gift or buy a class for a Crafty friend!

Look What I Found!

Great selection of all things crafty, and a super affiliate program. Check them out!

Craftsy Black Friday - All Classes $19.99 and Under!!!

I am a great fan of the Craftsy platform for learning about sewing, and I'm sure that the other classes - knitting and cake decorating and quilting and painting and you-name-it - are just as good. High production values, good customer service and lifetime access are other reasons to choose Craftsy. I haven't bought any of the yarn or fabric; but it's on sale,too.

Time to go shopping. And remember, Craftsy classes make great gifts for your like-minded friends and relatives.

Three Tricks to Make Your Hand-Sewing Easier

It takes a while to accumulate tricks of the trade. Here are three I've picked up over the past couple of years that have saved me considerable time and stress.

1. Struggling with threading that needle? Eyes bugging out trying to get the thread through the eye? I'll bet you're holding that needle up and poking the thread in the direction of the hole. You may even be licking the thread to smooth the ends in the hopes of making your task easier. That's the way my mama taught me to thread a needle. It wasn't until I acquired eyes of a certain age that I found this trick - Hold the thread still and move the eye of the needle over it. That's it! You may find it helpful to hold the thread so just a tiny bit peeks out between your thumb and forefinger. Go give that a try.

2. Tired of those little tags of thread hanging out of your finished stitching? I was always sure all my work would come undone if I didn't leave a long enough thread after my knot. Neaten up the back of your work by hiding your knots. Secure your thread the way you normally would - a figure-8 knot or a couple of backstitches. Now, don't clip the thread. Put the needle in right next to your knot and push through the seam allowance or into an inconspicuous area. Bring the needle out 1/4" to 1/2" away. Tug gently to shorten the thread you're going to leave behind and encourage the knot to sink into the fabric. Clip close to the fabric and smooth away the small pucker. Voila! No loose ends!

3. Tired hands from all that basting and thread tracing? (This is really for the couture geeks, but it does apply to the rest of you.) This trick requires some practice and determination, but the accuracy and relief for tired, cramped hands is well worth the effort. First - Lay the fabric on a solid surface, not your lap. This was a hard habit for me to develop. I've always been a lap person. Now for the crazy part. I'll bet you're holding the fabric still in your left hand and moving the needle up and down with your right as you push through the fabric. Reverse the process. Hold the needle still and control the fabric with your left hand, using the right only to push the needle through the accumulated stitches and pull up the thread. Your control and accuracy will improve dramatically. And your right hand will thank you.

Steampunk Jacket Update & Flash Sale at Craftsy

For today only, there's a huge sale at Craftsy. I'm putting up the banner that they say will update today. I don't know what's on sale; but they promise it will be terrific.

Meanwhile, the race to the Grand Opening continues. I'm picking up a huge mirror for the fitting area today, meeting with my event planner tomorrow and moving the last of the stuff essential for the party on Sunday. I continue to work on the Steampunk jacket.

Even though this is "only an unlined jacket," you know I can't resist those extra flourishes. Rather than go straight from moulage to pattern to fashion fabric, I opted to add a muslin of the jacket at my own expense. The customer was tough to fit and I wanted to make a few design tweaks that had to be done on her body. Muslin fitting went great! I made some minor changes to the angle of the princess seam in front, set up the collar the way I wanted it and placed the pocket.

I've drawn the sleeve and am ready to try it in the new armhole. Then cutting & basting the real fabric for a quick try before the final stitching. Right now, my camera doesn't talk directly to my computer, so I have to take several steps to get pictures published. There will be pictures! I promise!

Here's the Craftsy Sale:

Why I've Been Away So Long - Great News!

It's been quite a while since my last entry, mostly because I promised myself that this would not become only a place to put my Craftsy links. There will be a couple of irresistible ones down at the bottom of this post,though.

On to the great news. Historical Fashion by Barbara Anne is moving out of the basement and into the world of commerce. We've been working our tails off getting my new studio space ready for the public eye. It's been an adventure - from replacing outdated light fixtures to laying a (supposedly) easy wood laminate floor. Did that twice because the directions didn't include the helpful hint about how to get the boards to engage properly.

The walls are painted, the curtains are hung, the floor is finished, my incredible cutting table is in place and the tools and equipment are starting to migrate. There's even a beautiful sign on the door. Meanwhile, I'm trying to keep up a hellish schedule for Halloween and Ohayocon. And to top it off, I've been asked to judge a cosplay workmanship competition in a couple of weeks!

Nonetheless, the Grand Opening is scheduled and the first wave of invitations has gone out to my Facebook friends. Google contacts are next in line. Then flyers at local businesses and passed out by friends and associates. If you're reading this blog and you are within reasonable driving distance of North Olmsted, Ohio, I'd love to see you there!

Join us Saturday, November 9, between the hours of 11 AM and 8 PM for an Open House celebrating the opening of Historical Fashion by Barbara Anne's new location. There will be refreshments, studio tours, in-process and finished work to look at, a prize drawing and special offers. We invited current customers to attend in Historical Fashion clothing, so a fashion show is possible.

Special Guests include RTD Design Collective presenting their newest jewelry offerings and VCW Concepts, a videography, photography and digital transfer service. Historical Fashion shares space with VCW and will be offering courtesy discounts for the occasion.

We are located at 23792 Lorain Road in North Olmsted, Ohio with easy access from I-480 and I-90. If you are interested in attending, leave a comment and I will get back to you with better directions. Google Maps will not be descriptive enough.

I look forward to seeing you!

Craftsy links follow - FREE CLASSES and one I just have to take - Vintage Sewing Techniques!




Vintage Sewing: The Flirty Day Dress with Laura Nash

Craftsy 75% Off Sale Ends Today

Sorry for the short notice, but this is too good to pass up my crafty friends. I promise I will do more than sell stuff in the next entry!

I'm Approved!!

Are you ever stumped by a certain technique? Do you ever want to branch out from one craft to another or just improve your skills? I suggest trying Craftsy classes. I am impressed by the high quality streaming videos, the interaction with teachers and other students, the impressive course materials and the lifetime access to your classes. One fee and you have the class forever!

Historical Fashion just became a Craftsy Affiliate. I'm excited to be able to share with you everything Craftsy has to offer and give you a chance to enroll in fantastic classes. Look for my capsule reviews of specific classes from time to time along with links for you to join me in class.

Support Small Business. Click through the Craftsy links here to give Historical Fashion a commission at no cost to you!

So far, I've completed Shoot It, Jean-ious, and Plus-Size Pattern Fitting and Design. In-process - Pant Fitting Techniques. In addition to great classes, the customer service can't be beat. If you're not a member already, joining is easy and free. Plus, they offer free classes and promotions, all of which will be available here.

Got questions? Leave me a comment and I'll get an answer for you.

Happy Crafting!

The Lady in Red - Pictures at last!

It took a long time, but I finally have some photos of the red bridesmaids dress. The dash to the finish was sheer craziness. After 3 days in the hospital, my exhausted client came to pick up her dress and didn't have her "support system" with her. She had come straight from a long day of blood tests and forgotten the bra. She left without trying the dress on, hence we do have a few small tweaks to take care of.

Back - Sheer upper back with self-bound slit

It was late, and I was getting ready to put the fastener at the back neck opening. She wanted to go home. She said, just grab whatever you can get to the quickest. Now I had wanted to do a covered button and loop. Fastest was a hook and eye. That will be replaced as it kept popping open all evening.

The photo below shows the asymmetrical drape with its black satin rose. It added some accent color in addition to the shoulders. She and I came up with the flower at the same time. As you can see, I need to at least double the size to be in scale with the woman in the dress. She also discovered that we need to secure the drape a bit forward of the side seam so that it will be visible when her arms are at her sides.

Side view showing satin rose

Since the wedding, she has worn the dress twice more and loved it each time. However, the chiffon has done what fabric will do when there is bias involved. It stretched unevenly. Note the extra-long left side of the handkerchief hem. Now that the dress has hung out a bit, I'm going to correct the hem.

 

At the wedding

After the wedding, I got a message on my voice mail that started out with her saying she had something bad and something really, really good to tell me. Bad turned out to be the hook and eye that kept letting go and a tiny bit of seam that let go due to picking up and swinging a small child. Good was her going on and on about how much she loves the dress and that she wants at least 2 more in different colors. Best? One of the guests, a future bride, wanted to know where she got her dress. Now there are 3 bridesmaids, a matron of honor and maybe even a bridal gown to do by the beginning of February!

 

I am so excited to have the opportunity to work with 4 different body types. My objective is for each of the women to be as thrilled with her dress as my beautiful Lady in Red!

 

 

 

 

 

March Madness - The Red Bridesmaid's Dress

Remember way back in February when I posted the sketches of that bridesmaid's dress and promised updates? Between my lovely vacation and the huge crush to finish the dress on time, I haven't been able to touch anything other than sewing tools for the last month! (Not to mention being ill twice in the middle of all that.) The dress would not have required crunch time if it had stayed on the original schedule. My client told me the wedding was a week later than it actually was about 2 weeks ago. My April 11 deadline became the wedding date! And my nights and weekends vanished into a pile of red stretch satin, chiffon and tissue paper.

I ended up doing dress #1. The cationic chiffon, which was really beautiful fabric, was too black. Back to the shopping for fabric. We settled on a red stretch satin and chiffon from Sy Fabrics. I also got some black crepe-back satin for the trim. I did my math based on a lovely Goth skirt tutorial from Antimony and Lace. Figuring on 3 layers of chiffon for the skirt plus bodice & sleeves I came up with 10 yards of 45" chiffon. I placed the order, sat back and looked at my calculations once more. Then I called them & added another 10 yards of chiffon!

Starting with a moulange a la Kenneth King, I drafted a tight, princess seamed bodice to serve as the understructure for the dress. His "Birth of a Bustier" was my handbook for the pattern draft. My test garment became the inner layer of the bodice. The skirt was a simple A-line with a bit of ease added for comfort and drape. I wasn't going for a pencil dress.

A couple of fittings and many layers later, I had a workroom full of chiffon pieces and a basted-together satin dress to go underneath the chiffon. That brings me up to last night's final fitting. One little tweak over the bustline, one little tuck in the back and shortening the bone at center front will yield a strapless bodice with perfect fit. I tried the first layer of skirt and we adjusted the length a bit.

Then the fun began. I do love draping! We played around with the bodice chiffon until we got the perfect look, which turned out not to be the sketch. Rather than ending the drape at the waistline, we continued it down as a loose, scarf-like line on one side. We ditched the black sash in favor of the scarf and added a black satin rose at the waistline. We also changed the yoke at the neckline to black satin and added a line of black piping across the top of the bodice. The upper back is one layer of chiffon and the sleeves got re-designed to echo the handkerchief skirt.

The very best thing about last night? My client looked in the mirror and said, "Hey! I don't look like a tube of lipstick. I have a waist. I don't look frumpy. I've never had a dress I didn't look frumpy in!" And that is why I love making custom clothing. The bright smile when someone looks in the mirror and sees that they really are beautiful! More on that later. That thought inspires a whole post of it's own.

Dress gets delivered Monday. Look for pictures soon after!

Some Advice for Brides & Bridesmaids

This is short and sweet. If the shop you bought your dress from had to order your dress, do not sign that you picked it up until you try it on! I am encountering more brides and bridesmaids who need alterations because their dresses were sized incorrectly. Several people I know have signed the reciept, taken their gowns home, tried them on and found out that the gowns wouldn't zip up completely.

Once you sign that receipt, all alterations are at your expense. If you try the dress on before you sign and the dress is the wrong size, you can ask for a replacement. This does not include alterations to make a correctly sized dress fit your figure properly. This is for the cases where the dress is obviously the wrong size. You can't zip it up or you swim in it. And don't let them blame it on weight gain or wearing the wrong bra to stick you with the cost of alterations.

Chain-store bridal shops often make the bulk of their money through alterations. I think that's one of the reasons they can sell at such low prices.

Let the buyer beware. Try it on before you sign! Or just get a custom-made dress.

Vacation Challenge - Weeks 2 & 3 complete

The beautiful knit dress is finished. It hangs so softly and drapes so well. I'm proud that my first effort with this difficult fabric came out so well. Thank you, again, Sarah Veblen! I'm looking forward to wearing this on my soon-to-begin vacation, my first in 2 years. What I learned in the process of putting this dress together is that the fabric you make your test garment out of should have about the same stretch as your fashion fabric. My test fabric was not so stretchy, and I found that the dress grew a bit as I sewed it. My alterations in the back worked out well. Moving the two bodice pieces closer together got  me some more back coverage, which was exactly what I had in mind. And because I didn't add on to the outside edges what I took from the middle, it also succeeded in tightening up the dress, which really helped due to the "growth factor."
I am looking forward to sewing more with jersy single knits. Now that I know a bit more about their behavior, I'll be willing to feature them as choices for t-shirts and simple dresses for my sewing business.

Week 3 took a bit of doing.  After many hours of trying to coax my serger into making the decorative edge, I had to surrender. I will spend some time perfecting this technique after vacation. I broke down, went to the fabric store, and bought bias binding. The wrong size of bias binding! I ended up cutting my own from a lovely printed burn-out I had in the stash. It was so pretty I decided to do an exposed binding to show it off.

You can see the binding at the cuffs and bottom edge. It disappears where the lapel rolls. I couldn't quite figure out how to make a smooth transition at that point. There are a lot of fabric layers to deal with where the bottom edge of the collar turns back.

I found an issue with the pattern design when I rolled the cuffs back as the illustration shows. The seaming for the sleeve pleat shows and just looks tacky. I added rectangles of the binding fabric both to cover and to keep the sleeves turned up. There are buttons sewn on to keep the tabs in place.

My husband picked the front button out of my mom's old button box. It's probably older than I am, which makes it an antique button! The cuff buttons also came from that box and are miraculously color-coordinated.

I feel the need to digress about my mom's button box. This wonderful woman learned to sew on a treadle machine. She lived through the Great Depression and the rationing of World War II. The button box is a classic demonstration of that background. There are tons of men's shirt buttons, cut from my dad's shirts when they could no longer be repaired and went off to the rag man. Ditto for teeny-tiny buttons removed from baby clothes and doll clothes. At one point, she even tried to put them into matching sets by tying bunches together with thread. All the single buttons left over when the sewing project needed 3 buttons and the button card had sets of 2. Buttons cut from robes and coats. I think the big orange button was a robe button. Decorative buttons from sweaters and dresses went into the box. I am blessed to have this collection from my mom, but I don't hesitate to use the buttons. She would have!

Vacation Challenge - Week Three begins

I'm counting days until vacation now. "And the number of the counting shall be 10." Week Three is off to a great start. I found some off-white linen-look cotton poly fabric in the bottom of a pile. It was just enough to make the short version of L.J. Designs Versa Jacket. I've had this pattern for years. Got it before I had a serger, so that tells you how old it is.

It's only 3 pattern pieces and my roadblock is the "decorative serged edge." At this point, perhaps the bias binding would have been a better choice. Because of the way the jacket is constructed, the decorative edge requires changing serger settings and threads at least four times. I found a beautiful, shiny, heavy-weight thread in the same color family to use for the upper looper and fiddled around until I got the look I liked. Then I changed thread and settings for regular sewing. The second time I set up the decorative stitching, the identical settings did not produce the same results. That's where I quit for the evening. There will be more work tonight. That bias binding just might be in my future!

Vacation Challenge - Week Two

Week Two is complete and on schedule, now that I've shifted completion day to Monday. My usual photographer is out of town, so I don't have a finished picture yet, but I am amazed at how beautifully the fabric drapes. I will add the picture as soon as I have it.

I checked out the reviews from Pattern Review before starting the dress. There didn't appear to be too many that used the cap sleeve view, so I forged ahead. My one grumble is that the patten description should have mentioned that this view has forward shoulder seams. I caught that in the illustration long after my alterations had been completed. Marking the natural waist on the pattern would also have helped. C'mon, Simplicity! Get with the program!

What changes did I make? According to my moulange, I needed to lengthen the back and the front by 1 1/2 inches; and the front by another 2 inches! That should have alerted me to the forward shoulder seam in the design, but it didn't.

I decided to split the first set of adjustments (the 1 1/2 inches) between the bodice top and the midriff piece. I redrew the back shoulder slope to match my moulange, but I was hesitant with the front as it would have taken about 2 inches out of the armhole. I made a muslin of the bodice, tried it on and decided to split the difference on the front shoulder slope, changing the angle by 1 inch instead of 2.

I changed the location of the center back so I would get more overlap for a bit better coverage. I want to be able to wear a normal bra with this dress! When I tried on the muslin, I discovered I also had to take about 2 inches out of the back midriff piece. I transferred the alterations to my pattern and started the layout and cutting process.

I did some test seam finishes with both my regular machine and my serger and I tried out my Vilene stay tape on a bias edge to see how it would feel when finished. Once I was familiar with my fabric, I was ready to go. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to know how your fabric is going to behave under the needle and under the iron before you begin. You will save yourself a ton of frustration if you play with the fabric ahead of time. Also try out buttonholes, zipper installation, and any new techniques.

This was my first experience with a single knit jersey and you can color me impressed. What a beautiful drape! It all comes from buying quality fabric. On to construction - as Sarah Veblen said, it did take just as much time to grain the fabric as it did to sew. Her Slippery & Drapey Fabric class on Pattern Review was a lifesaver. I never would have thought of patting the fabric into place rather than scooting it!

I added a couple of tweaks during construction that you don't find in most commercial patterns. I stabilized the neckline edges with Vilene bias stay tape cut slightly shorter than the edge and I added a strip of clear elastic to the shouder seams, also cut a smidge shorter than the actual seam. I used my serger to apply the elastic strip. I think a tutorial on that process is in my future. Tricky, but really helpful! I'm also leaving the hem unfinished. I like the way the dress hangs without the added weight of a hem.

What would I do differently? In addition to the Vilene, I would add a piece of clear elastic to the neck edge to snug it up against my chest even more. I would not serge the shoulder seams. The tight gathering wants to creep away from the needle and I haven't mastered the technique for keeping it in place yet.

All in all, a great experience!

Vacation Challenge - Week One complete

It took until 11 PM Monday, but the top is finished - almost. I discovered when I tried it on that the ruffle is heavy and wants to pull the back neckline down. This makes the back opening gape. I'll be adding a second closure to the back to help that problem a bit. I also need to sew the waistline elastic. At the moment it's using the yo-yo dieter's best friend - the safety pin.

I don't have a lot of in-process photos of the top to share. I was too eager to get it finished on time. Before I started, I traced the size pattern I was using onto tissue. I knew I'd be making alterations and didn't want to ruin the original pattern. That way I can always go back to the drawing board.

I used Lynda Maynard's alteration technique. It was a bit confusing at first, but once I got the idea, the adjustments went well. One thing I did differently was laying my tissue pattern on top of my moulange. I think it's much easier than lifting up the plastic moulange to make changes. Careful measurement showed me I needed to lengthen the pattern above the waist by 1/2 inch and change the angle of the shoulders.Once I did that, I didn't need to move the darts at all. The  most common complaint about this pattern on Sewing Pattern Review is that the darts are too low. My length adjustment took care of that. The pattern has different front pieces for "B," "C" and "D" cups, so I didn't need to increase the bust at all.

With the adjustments made, I cut a trial top from similar fabric that had been in my stash forever, possibly inherited from my mom. Whipping it up quickly showed me I needed to narrow the shoulders by about 1/4 inch. They passed my shoulder point by enough that it might have looked like a cut on cap sleeve. I also discovered a case of the dreaded "butt Velcro." My top was hiking up in the back and would have settled itself somewhere around my waist eventually. I pinched out a tuck at center back, increasing the size until the back hung freely, and pinned that in.

To transfer the change to my pattern, I split the tissue horizontally just below the waist from center back to the sideseam, being careful not to cut through the seamline. Then I measured the size of the tuck and raised the center back by that much, making a triangle that tapered to the seamline. It throws the center back off grain below the waist, but that little bit of bias adds some extra swing.

Because I shortened the back, I added the length back at the hemline by measuring down the tucked distance and making a gentle arc that tapered to the sideseam.

I took a bit of time placing the pattern on the fabric. I wanted the pattern to line up horizontally at the hemline. Because it's an all over pattern and quite busy, I didn't worry about trying to match center back. The match across the hemline came out as I anticipated it. The diamonds are not drifting up or down in relation to the hem. If your fabric has a definite geometric aspect, keeping the pattern straight around the hem will be most visually appealing.

As far as sewing goes, I mostly followed the pattern directions. I was skeptical of the armhole finish, but I did it the way the pattern recommended. I won't repeat that. Their directions make for a very bulky finish. I tried to remedy it by topstitching twice, but the edges still want to curl outwards. I will change that finish the next time I  make this top. It's a simple, versatile pattern - a wardrobe basic.

The End Result

Rhonda's Creative Life: Look What Happened!!!

Fantastic news for one of my favorite bloggers!

Rhonda's Creative Life: Look What Happened!!!

Mad Men Contest Information

I've decided to compete in Julia Bobbin's Mad Men Dress Challenge and I'm offering my competition dress at a special price to the first taker. The dress will be made to your size, by hand, to Historical Fashion's exacting standards. Fabric is 60% wool, 40% polyester suiting in a plaid similar to the inspiration dress below. The bodice is fully lined; all seams are clean-finished. It features a fitted bodice with a flounce ruffle decoration and a pleated, full-circle skirt. It closes with a back zipper. The finished dress will be hand wash cold or dry clean.

 Disclaimers:

• Offer is good until March 8, 2013.
• Offer only for customers able to come to 2-3 fittings in the Greater Cleveland area before April.
• Custom clothing purchase is non-refundable.
• Delivery time is dependent on workload. Dress may not be delivered before end of contest in April.
• Customer agrees to pose for contest entry photo.
• Belt is not included in dress purchase. They may be ordered for an additional charge.

The limited time price for this one-of-a-kind dress is only $300. Where else will you get a personalized fit, hand-made dress at that price? Regular price would be over $500.

Contact me to purchase the dress. There can be only one!

Vacation Wardrobe Challenge

It's about time I sewed something for myself. And what better reason than my upcoming trip to Cancun to celebrate two years of being married to my soul mate. Actually, I've been sewing instead of exercizing and I can't really fit into any of the honeymoon clothes right now, so new gear is in order.

My objective - 4 pieces in the 4 weeks remaining before departure. Fabric must come from stash! Pieces must coordinate with some existing clothes in turquoise & purple. Must be lightweight, versatile and easy to pack because my goal is a week's worth of everything I need in a carry-on. I will not start my stay with my beach clothing still in Chicago this time!

This is what I have on hand:
 

Plum skort & ivory top

 

Add turquoise shirt



Top fabric with golf shorts

 

Maxi with Pashmina





Pashmina up close



Shorts with light tank & sarong

   

Dress fabric



 

Dress fabric up close

  

Top fabric up close



I need 2 tops, one a bit fancy and one camp shirt or similar style, a nice dress and a neutral shrug or light cover-up. So far, I have fabric (above) & patterns for the fancy top and the dress.





The dress, cap-sleeve short version

 

The dressy top - View on model



Sewing Pattern Review rated the patterns among the Best Patterns of the Year, the dress in 2008 and the top in 2010. I still need a camp shirt pattern. I may resize my Kwik Sew men's bowling shirt for that. Then there's the shrug.

So far, I've washed the dress & top fabrics and traced out the top pattern. Friday I redrew the pattern based on the moulange I created in Kenneth King's workshop and made a fitting muslin. If you ever have an opportunity to take one of his in-person classes, jump on it. Otherwise you can be content buying his CDs. My advice - start with The Moulange. I'm using Lynda Maynard's "Demysifying Fit" CD, which takes the moulange and uses it to adjust commercial patterns, to adjust my top.

So far I am very close to on schedule. Only the ruffle & the hem are missing from the top. Check back tomorrow for constructing the top, with a tutorial on drafting a one piece neck facing. Tonight I'll be correcting the dress pattern and doing a step-by-step at the same time. Look for a tutorial on using Lynda Maynard's method, probably after Cancun.



 





Helpful Hints from Ohayocon: A craftsmanship judge's view

This past weekend, I attended my first ever anime convention - Ohayocon in Columbus, Ohio. I certainly jumped into the deep end of the pool, volunteering and judging cosplay at the largest anime con in the state. The onslaught of costumed humanity was a bit overwhelming, but I adjusted and had fun just watching the people in the halls as I bustled back and forth.

My staff assignment was to watch over the cosplay gallery, a display of award-winning costumes or examples of superior craftsmanship. I also ran a repair service that became gradually more popular as the weekend progressed. Word got around and my glue gun was in great demand.

Judging craftsmanship was a daunting experience and I'd like to share my advice with you if you intend to compete in a cosplay competition.

1.  Read the rules. If reference pictures are required, bring them. At Ohayocon you instantly lose 1/3 of your points for showing up without references. (This does not apply to original design, although we like to see inspiration pictures & sketches.) Your chances of winning are almost non-existent without your references.
2.  On the subject of references, I prefer printed paper over a tablet and images on your cell phone are a pain. And stay away from fan art as references.
3.  Be prepared to talk about the construction of your costume - what kind of fabric, why did you choose that particular material, did you purchase anything ready made? The rule is 60% made by you, so it's no sin to admit you bought that perfect medallion online. It's worse to tell us you made it. Believe it or not, we can tell. If you had some help with your sewing, let us know rather than claiming you did it all yourself.
4.  Be prepared to be poked and prodded as we examine your costume closely. We will be feeling fabric, lifting hems, moving your wig to see the back of the costume.
5.  Trim all loose threads, clip your curves, press your seams open, make sure your zipper isn't puckered. Lack of attention in this area is another HUGE way to lose points. We do grade on a curve and have much higher expectations of Masters than we do of Novices.
6. Press your costume and make sure all "bits" are attached. Getting bunched up in the car is no excuse. Hotels have ironing boards and irons!
7. If you are struggling with props, it is better to buy them or leave them off than to come with a sloppy prop.
8. Pay attention to your wig/hair and makeup.
9. Wear appropriate undergarments. If your outfit needs a petticoat to have the right shape, wear it.
10. Get help with fitting your costume. Poor fit is another big reason for losing points. Make a trial run (muslin) to check and perfect fit.
11. Entering as a group reduces your chance of winning unless all costumes are at the same level of craftsmanship.
12. Never, never, never show up in a purchased costume! If you got it online or in a costume shop, chances are at least one of the judges will have seen that exact costume before. Claiming a bought costume as your own will get you an instant Zero!

The best moment of the contest was when we asked a Novice if she would move up to compete as a Journeyman and she agreed, shyly and a little reluctantly. The look on her face when she won Journeyman class was worth every moment of painful deliberation. Despite all the rough patches, I'm looking forward to next year.