Thy Nemesis Becomes You

One of my favorite comics is 9 Chickweed Lane.  There are many reasons I love it.  One being the strong female characters as well as the arts and family themes.  Here is a link to it:  http://www.gocomics.com/9chickweedlane  Something I have always loved about the story line was how the women in their family have alter egos.  They use their alter egos to overcome hardships and difficulties.  Whenever they feel threatened, challenged, or need that little bit of extra strength to undertake a task they switch into their alter ego.  I have been thinking of what my alter ego would be ever since I started reading 9 Chickweed Lane five years ago.

Most people understand that we all have hardships and things that we need to overcome.  Things we struggle with.  Our own personal demons.  They could be anything from board meetings, to paying bills, to overcoming procrastination.  We all have them.  Now take a minute and put all of those things aside.  Go out and have an outing with some good friends or family members and have them help you come up with an alter ego.  This is fine.  They are going to be your side kicks or partners in crime anyway.  You can not be a side kick in your own life.  It doesn't work that way, but you can be a side kick in their lives.  I don't have side kicks.  I have minions, but I do have other people that are on the same villainous league as I am.  We are there to listen and support each other when needed.

Take the time to picture it in your head.  Come up with a name for your alter ego.  Have a motive.  An attack plan.  Design your outfit.  Do it all.  Come up with the ins and outs of your alter ego.  It doesn't have to happen over night.  It took me five years to find mine.

Once you have worked all of that out do what you need to do to become your alter ego.  Wear a bed sheet around your shoulders, speak in a "funny" accent, wear your underwear over your pants and put a belt around the top of your head, strike a funny pose, it will be special to you.  It is your alter ego after all.  Now go back to that thing that was causing you issues before.  It is now your arch nemesis.  You are in an epic battle with it.  It is either you or it, and you shall never lose to your arch nemesis for you are a superhero/villain.

It is a lot easier, isn't it?

You're welcome.

Thy nemesis really does become you.

The power of cute compels you!  <----- My villainous catch phrase

Overcoming Fear and Self Doubt

I love this song.  Besides the sentiments of the song itself, and the fact that it is beautifully done.  The man who song, wrote, and produced this song became one of my favorite people when I learned that he believed that everyone can sing.  His name is Steve McDonald.  He told his student Hollie Smith (the female vocalist in the song) this, and that all anyone needs to do is find a type of music that fits their voice.  Kind of a proof of this point Hollie Smith was 16 years old when she sang this song and produced her own music album with the aid of Steve McDonald.

I'll let that sink in for a moment, and give you some time to ponder the implications.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The reason I like this analogy so much to explain my personal philosophies is that most of us don't think that we are any good at singing.  And, here is someone who does it professionally saying, "Well, actually you can, and I believe in you."

This really is how I view the world.  I think anyone can do anything that they want to do.  They just need to put their mind to it.  I've done so many things in my life that other people have told me that I couldn't do.  I've overcome obstacles, and physical limitations.  Studies have shown that everyone has the capabilities to learn anything.  The only question is how long it takes a person to learn something.

I've heard numerous people tell me that they don't want to do something, because the "can't do it," or they "aren't good enough."  We all have to start somewhere.  Even I struggle with these feelings from time to time.  The trick is to not give into them.

I don't believe in failure.  I also don't believe in perfection.  I work towards self mastery, and I believe that there is always something that I can improve on.  Things may not work out the way you expect them to on your first attempt, but that does not mean that if you give it a second (or fifteenth) try it won't work out for you.

I believe in you.

Stop Hating on People

There are two things that happened today that spawned this post.  The first is I have a friend who is the mother of a special needs boy.  He is in constant need of special medical attention.  During one of his doctor's appointment someone very rudely informed her that she needed to have plastic surgery done on her son's face, because he looked different.  The little boy isn't even two.  I've been watching her struggle with affording medical bills, and tests.  Watch her joy at little things that parents would normally take for granted (her son being able to roll over or play in the dog food for the first time).  And, then see someone pull a stunt like this is both infuriating and heart breaking.

The second thing that happened today was another friend of mine who just happens to have dark skin and cosplays a lighter skin toned character.  They are a pretty well known cosplayer throughout the mid west.  So, many of you will know who I am talking about.  Ever year to eighteen months goes by and there is a new batch of hate that seems to creep its way into the internet directed toward this person.  I am saddened that there are people out there that even do this to others.  Most if not all of this hatred is coming from people that don't even cosplay.

This is something I through together one nights just for kicks, and the Trigun Badlands Rumble promo their were doing.  FUNimation would make a wanted poster of you in the same style of Vash the Stampede's if you sent them a photo and your name.  I had a bit of fun with it, and combined a lot of stuff together.  Even the chain I have was just left over from another project.  :P

This reminds me of a time that I was at a little get together at a game store.  They were throwing a costume/cosplay party since it was their grand opening.  They even had a costume contest.  I've been sewing since I was 5 years old.  I started making my own clothing at the age of 13, and started making my own costumes around 19.  I've had a bit of practice at it.  Not everyone has that much practice.  I understand that.  There are a lot of people that are interested in making their own cosplays.  There was a young lady at this event that was making her very first cosplay, and wanted to show people the progress she had made.  She told people that she was learning to sew while she made it, and that the costume was incomplete.  Along came some random guy that I've never met that strikes up a conversation with me by completely bashing this poor girls cosplay.  Top to bottom, and he even started bashing her weight (she was a bit more heavy set).  I eventually looked at the guy and said, "She said she was learning, and that was the first things she has ever made.  She is even sewing it by hand."  They guy didn't get the hint that I was defending her, and continued that bashing.  I eventually had to walk away, because he was making me so mad.


Where did the idea come from that people who cosplay want to be told all the things that you find wrong with another person's cosplay?  I understand everyone has to start somewhere.  Even I am still learning.  I constantly learn new tricks and tips that make my garments look better.  Why all of the hate for those that look different?  There will be cosplayers that will make their own variation of a character.  I have another friend that does zombie Disney princesses.  OMG?  You mean that it doesn't have to be 100% accurate?  No, it doesn't.  But, if it isn't 100% accurate that means you support the "sexy cosplayer".  No, no it doesn't.  Why must it be one or the other?  What happened to people just having fun, and doing what they wanted to do?  Have fun, enjoy life, do the things you want to do.  We all have to start somewhere.  You will make mistakes.  And, chances are there will be that one costume that you make that years from now you will never want to show in public, but you won't get rid of because you learned so much while making it.  This happens to all artists in all disciplines.  It okay, and perfectly normal.  And, who's to say that one day you won't remake that costume that you are hiding in the closet.  I bet my chances that you will still keep the original though.  Each costume we make or wear becomes a part of us.

This is something I've been working on for a while.  I've been keeping it somewhat under wraps, but I've been having to do a lot of research and have been talking to a lot of people getting helpful tips and ideas.  This is a wig I will be using for part of it.  Or That is the plan anyway.  This is cosplay.  It doesn't always work out the way you plan it to in the beginning.

Putting on a costume and going out in public requires a lot of courage.  Even more so if you made it yourself.  If there is someone hating on you that isn't in costume keep in mind they don't have the courage to do what you are doing.  Cosplayers put their art on display, and in a way their body as well.  A lot of them use their body as a type of canvas, and their paint is the fabrics they use to make their costumes.  Taking a step outside your front door wearing your very first cosplay can be very difficult indeed.  Be kind to each other.


Just wanting it to be know that I support all types of cosplay, crossplay, skill levels, body types, races, religion, what have you.  It's about having fun.  Not someone ideal of a perfect person.  As I said to my friend with the little boy, look at the person that tells you these things, and say, "You are different too.  We are all different.  We should be spending our energy enjoying the things that make us different, and not on wishing we looked like someone else."

Cosplay Plans as of Today: Subject to Change at any Time

Alright I'm doing it.  I'm finally making an album of planned cosplay projects that people can actually see.  Well . . . at least of the characters and outfits that don't only exist in my head.  There are quite a large number of those sadly.  -_-'

Since cosplay is considered more of an anime thing I'll start there.  Future anime cosplays:

Abel Nightroad from Trinity Blood.  This was the first thing I ever wanted to cosplay.  It will happen one day.  Just working on getting my skills up to the task, and learning how to make armor.  I have plans to do both forms.  Krusnik form will most definitely come after his human form.

Ezra Scarlet from Fairy Tail, Heaven's Wheel Armor

Washu from Tenchi.  I know she has lots of outfits, but this is the one I am must partial too.  "Just call me Little Washu!"

Amelia from Trigun: Badlands Rumble.  If I did this it would be after a lot of other projects sadly, but it is still something I have thought of putting together.

  

Hel from Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok.  I like the character, but not the outfit so much.  There are reasons I want to cosplay Hel.  Some what undecided about this one.

  

Belldandy from Ah! My Goddess!  I have reasons I want to cosplay her and reasons I don't.  So, this one is kind of up in the air.

Next up I'll go with live action movie cosplays (and technically comic books):

Special Agent Eunice Bloom from Boondock Saints: All Saints Day.

Loki from Thor and The Avengers.  I'm putting this here since I really like this particular outfit.  But, I'm thinking of still doing Loki's female form, and making an outfit that combines aspect of both this and the female Loki from the comics.

Next up is video game cosplays:

Bayonetta from Bayonetta.

Caster from Fate Extra.  I have a different picture of her in a kimono. If I learn that is actual in game art and not fan art I may do that one as well.

Mad Moxxi from Borderlands.

On to other games:

One of the Sisters of Battle from Warhammer 40K.

And finally my plans for art appreciation in cosplay form:

Angel of Justice.  The only indicator I have of the creator is the their divaintART page http://pari0109.deviantart.com/

Rebirth of Elene by Soa Lee.

The new Severeielle, Queen of Shadows by Nene Thomas.

The Queen of Owls by Nene Thomas.

The original Severeielle, Queen of Shadows by Nene Thomas. Perhaps I should have given Nene her own category.  I just love the outfits and designs that she has.

Keep in mind this isn't including fursuits, steampunk, fan inspired outfits, or any original characters.  I also have plans to remake my Chocolate Misu cosplay.  I had a few design flaws in the top, and the arm band I made I found out I was allergic to (or at least it was really itchy).  If I don't loose a few inches off my waistline I won't be able to fit into it anyway.  Working on getting back into shape.  It will happen . . . just slower than I would like it to.  Working on strengthening my back and stomach muscles, and it has helped so much with my slipped disc.  Still working on it, and seeing slight improvements every day.  :D!!

If you happen to have any other coplay ideas for me feel free to make suggestions!  Any and all input is always welcome and encouraged.  >^.^<

Satin Brocade Tunic

I've been talking about it for a month or so, and I finally have everything completed.  I would have had this finished earlier, but I ordered the wrong size of cording to make the frog closures.  It took a week for it to come in, and by then I was working on commissions for people and they took a few week to complete.  That said here the satin brocade tunic.  >^.^<
 

This is the front of the tunic.

I received a gift card from Dustin's brother and his girlfriend for Christmas to a fabric/craft store.  (Awesome gift for any crafter or cosplayer!  I happen to be both.) The fabric for this is how I used the gift card.

I tried to make the tie in the back out of the same satin brocade fabric as the tunic, but turning the fabric right side out after sewing it together stretched and distorted it so much I opted to use the satin fabric I used to make the piping.  The satin fabric is almost the exact same color as the lighter embroidered thread in the brocade, so it still works well.

This was a combination of two different patterns.  One is Simplicity 9868, and the other is Simplicity New Look 6435.  I like both patterns, but unless I'm planning on wearing an undershirt all the time I wouldn't make the jacket from the New Look pattern.  You can tell from the picture on the pattern that the front tends to separate a bit, and there isn't an under flap for modesty built into the pattern.  If you ever plan on making it keep that in mind.  It would be easy to add while making it, but I opted with the more Oriental look of the 9868 pattern for the main body of this particular tunic.  The sleeves I took from the New Look pattern.  I liked the look of the slight flare around the wrists, especially since I was using a stiff satin brocade fabric.  The fabric really doesn't have that much give to it, and having a wider sleeve with make it easier and more comfortable to wear.  Giving more mobility and such.

A close up of the completed frog closures.  You can also get a good look at the piping around the collar and the front opening.

This is the first garment that I've made everything on.  Granted I didn't make the snap on this, but that was the only thing I didn't make myself.  Daunting as that may sound it really didn't take that much extra time to make the piping and the frog closures, and it was well worth it.  The colors look amazing together, and I have a great feeling of pride and accomplishment for having done so.  The New Look pattern calls for piping around the collar and bottom as well as the front.  I took that idea and applied it to this tunic.  I put piping around the collar, the visible flap in the front opening, around the bottom, and at the bottom of the sleeves.  I also lined the inside of the whole tunic with a light weight cotton fabric that I had in storage to help protect that brocade.  (Admit it we all sweat from time to time, and it can damage fabrics as well as the oils in our skin.  Moving on.)  For a closer look at the piping I made, and a tutorial on how to make it yourself take a look at my earlier post A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Making Piping.

The beginnings of a frog closure.  I still need to sew it together to secure the knot.

Both patterns call for four frog closures I opted for two due to the size of the ones that I made.  These aren't the normal ones that you will find in a store.  I wanted something that was unique that fit more with the pattern printed on the fabric.  Besides the only color I could find in a store was black or gold.  Neither fit the color scheme of the tunic well.  I did have to special order the cording online to get the color I wanted, but that is fairly common.

A super close up of the frog closures.  I was hoping to get a better picture of the cording I used to help show the colors in it, but it seems to look a bit like abstract art to me.  A rather fun photo.  :)

I found a frog closure I liked while looking through a friend's book.  I even found a tutorial online explaining how to make them, but I found it way to confusing.  However, I did find a really awesome tutorial on how to make a lovely trivet that I could easily modify to make a frog closure.  Here it is -------->  trivet.  One of these days I may pick up some rope to make the trivet.  I love the way it looks.  I still needed to make the knot or ball at the ends, but I found a simple easy to follow guide for that.  Check it out here --------->  frog closure tutorial.  Now I just need to find a reason to wear it.  >^.~<

Education, Aesthetics, and Mandalas! Say What?

I know this doesn't seem to pertain to crafting, cosplaying, and the rest of my blog. Yet, in all reality it very much does.  About a week ago a friend of mine posted an album on facebook of various mandalas that she had made.  She even has her own blog feel free to check it out here ---------> Adventrues of a Craftaholic.  The photo album also contained a link with a video that showed you how to make your own mandalas, and I tried it for myself.  I used to make patterns and designs in middle school using graph paper.  If I could find those I would post pictures of them as well, but alas, I have yet to find them.  Here is the video for the mandalas  -------> http://www.premaspace.com/mandalas/.

Something I've come to realize while I started making these is that I have a renewed sense of self and creativity.  I love learning new things, and I believe that education is a wonderful thing.  Even higher education.  That said there are some very fundamental things that are wrong with it.  Instead of trying to explain everything myself just watch this video made by the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.  It is an amazing video.  I think everyone should watch it.  ------*CLICKY*------->  Changing Education Paradigms.  Simply put our educational system smothers creative thinking.  We are taught that there is only one right answer to all things.  Which simply isn't true.  Yet for 12-13 years of our lives we are punished for thinking "out side the box".  Our educational systems teach us how to think.  We are afraid of thinking in a different way from fear of punishment.  Now that a lot of educational systems have gotten rid of their arts programs due to funding cuts I believe things will get worse.  Creative thinking is what you need for problem solving.  Having the ability to be in a situation and think your way out of is a critical life skill that many people are loosing.

Back when I was taking music education courses I had a professor sit us down for some rather thought provoking group discussions.  These ranged from "Define Art," "Define Music," to "Why is Art Important in Education."  These are rather important things to know and think about for any art or music educator.  Not that art education doesn't suffer the same problems as the rest of the educational system, but that it does support learning to think creatively on your own and learning to trust yourself.  A fascinating book is "The Perfect Wrong Note: Learning to Trust Your Musical Self" by William Westney.  I encourage everyone to read at least the first few chapters.  If you are a musician or the parent of a musical child I would encourage you to read the whole thing.  This is one of the few books I have two copies of.  One for me to always have on hand, and one to lend to people.  That is how much I love this book.  The main problem is that we are obsessed with notions of "perfection".  Our concepts of beauty and perfection are based on mathematics and symmetry (or something that is quantifiable and measurable).  There have been countless studies and papers written on this topic.

I've spent a large number of years living in an academic mind set.  23 year to be exact.  I love learning.  Working full time and going to college part time made my educational adventure take longer than I would have expected.  As a result of this.  I had lost my feeling of self, and my feeling of creativity.  These mandalas have helped my creativity come back.  Remember back in your high school days when you felt like you could do anything, be anything, take on the world?  I feel like that again.  I had lost myself, and now I have found myself again.  The trick is that no matter what you think at the beginning of your mandala keep going.  I've found that I don't really like what my mandalas look like after the first few steps, but I love what the finished product looks like.  There is quite a few great life lessons that come up while working on these for me.  Starting with "trust yourself," "there is no 'right' answer," and "we can't always see the whole picture from the small steps we make, but then in the end we will be left with something truly amazing."  Give it a try.  There is no harm in it, and there may be some marvelous life lessons in it for you as well.

Thanks for the tip Vicky, and happy mandalaing to everyone.  >^.~<

The Beginnings of a Second Double Knit Project

I was hoping to have more of this completed before my first post of it, but since I have two conflicting personal goals I had to pull this out sooner.  Conflicting goal #1 - updating my blog every Monday.  Conflicting goal #2 - never posting anything that was commissioned from me.  (I respect my costumers and their privacy, so unless explicitly asked I won't post anything I'm making for them.  Besides my blog isn't about bringing in business.  That isn't the tone I want for my blog.)  So, with only having this between a quarter and a fifth of the way complete here is the beginnings of my next double knit scarf.

To the untrained eye this may look much like my last double knit project, The One Ring Scarf, but this is in fact the inscription for The Elvish Love Ring.  Here is a like to one of the sites featuring it -------->  *clicky*  The Elvish Love Ring is inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and The One Ring.  It is said to be in the Elvish language that Tolkien created for his books.  The first time I ran into it was when I was in high school, and Peter Jackson's version of The Lord of the Ring was being produced.  I've been in love with it ever since.

I made this pattern myself.  I made it to the same dimensions as The One Ring Scarf I made, so they will be a matched set once this is complete.  If you are interested in a copy of the pattern or know someone that would like it let me know, and I will send it to you electronically.  No charge for it, completely free.  I found it interesting that there are multiple versions of this inscription.  Mostly the appearance of different things in the inscription, such as the "O" like characters in my scarf.  I learned that after I made my pattern, and started working on the scarf, but overall I'm pretty happy with the inscription I used.

A Nice Trick for Fraying Seams

This is a great trick I learned from my mother.  I originally was having issues with this skirt fraying at the seams after I made it.

Photo taken by IJ Dee-Vo at Archon 2011.

The material didn't start fraying immediately, but over time after regular wear and tear the seams started fraying.  I always do stay stitching on my seams.  I don't have a serger, but I will still do stay stitching using a zigzag stitch on my sewing machine.  I was originally planning on just lining the skirt to help protect the seams, and happened to mention this to my mother.  She told me about this trick that I'm about to share with you.  It is cheap, easy, and quick to do for any garment.

 

This is all you will need; extra wide double fold bias tape.

This is the satin brocade tunic that I have been working on.  As you can see the satin brocade frays quite a bit, so I did this while making the garment this time around instead of after it was already made.  This photo was taken after I did the zigzag stay stitching.  Yes, I know there are anti fray or seam guard sprays out on the market.  I haven't tried them, but I know this as a tried and true method of fixing the issue that will last.  I'm not so certain that a spray on chemical will last through the life of a garment.  This includes wear and tear as well as washing and drying.  People seem to forget about the heat and chemicals that come into play while washing and drying a garment.

This is what the bias tape will look like.

First you open up the folded edge of the bias tape.

You may need to trim off all of the frayed ends on the seam as I have here, and then place the seam into the fold of the bias tape.

Pin the tape so that it is on both sides of the seam, and sew it onto the seam.  When I do this I place the seam for the bias tape between the fabric seam and the edge of the fabric.  This way it doesn't alter my seam allowance.

This is what it will look like once you are done.  I used this on all of the seam on my satin brocade tunic.  (Pictures will come soon for that.)  I also used this technique on the horizontal weight bearing seams on my velvet coat.  Velvet doesn't really fray.  Yet, I used to own a tiered velvet skirt.  The upper tiers couldn't bear the weight of the fabric and would rip and tear at the seams.  I had to mend the seams every time I wore the skirt.  It got to the point that I just couldn't keep mending it, and I eventually had to get rid of the skirt.  I didn't want that to happen to my coat, so I used this trick to help bear some of the weight.

Why I Go to Cons

Song I'm listening too --------*clicky*-----------> "Broken Pieces" by Clannad

I'm in the middle of a personal healing process.  It is part of life and we all go through it.  Bad things happen we recover and move on.  The more craptastic the bad thing is the longer it takes to recover.  I'm in the middle of healing from some spectacularly craptastic things.  There is a point in time during every healing process I have that I tell myself, "Okay, alright enough of the emotional BS, time to pick up the pieces and fix this!"  Hence the song.  It seems to capture that feeling almost perfectly.

This is me with my friend Jeremy Swan at my very first convention.  Picture was taken at NatsuCon in 2010 by Jeff Swan.  My very first attempt at a cosplay-esque outfit.  Not perfect, but still fun.

So, how do conventions play into all of this?  I'm getting to that.  There will be a bit of a back story here.  Yes, I'm a nerd.  I grew up that way.  I love anime, video games, table top gaming, I used to collect Pokemon cards and Magic the Gathering cards, I read comic books and manga, love science and technology, and I've spent more of my life in a library than some people would think is healthy.  Yet, this is only part of why I go to cons.

 

This is my first actual character cosplay.  I'm dressed as Chocolate Misu from Sorcerer Hunters.  Picture taken at Naka Kon 2011 by Larry Knox.  (Oh, the horrors of that wig! LOL!)

I was married from 2003 until 2010.  Most people I associate with now don't know this fact about me.  I had given up everything for my marriage. 
My friends, my family, my dreams, my career goals, and my hopes for the future.  Just in an attempt to make my marriage work.  My advise to anyone out there.  Never give up that much for someone.  If a person truly loves you they won't ask you to do so.  It was subtle things.  If I had plans to go visit my family (I try to at least once a year) then something critical would come up, and I wouldn't be able to go even if I had made the plans well in advance.  Toward the end of my relationship I had decided that I at least wanted my family back.  I would call my mom and talk to her, or I would sit on the computer and IM my brother.  This aggravated my partner to no end.  Simply because he didn't know what we were talking about, and I wasn't spending time with him.  He couldn't control me, and he wanted to.  In the end he told me that he wanted a divorce.  There is a bit more to things than that, but I'll save you all the details.  In short what he was looking for was arm candy, a maid, and a mistress.  When he found out that I wanted a partner that treated me like an equal, and that I had my own thoughts, ideas, and emotions he didn't like it.  During the time frame around my divorce (about a year before, and a year after) I was so depressed I would have black outs.  I would be in the middle of doing something, and my brain would just shut down.  It was weird and completely uncontrollable.  It didn't matter where I was or what I was doing.  I would just be "gone" for five to ten minutes at a time.

Another picture of Chocolate Misu.  Still the same wig, but I have replaced it since with a much better one.  I still need to remake the arm band and top though.  >^.~<  Picture taken by IJ Dee-Vo at NatsuCon 2011.

It was the weekend that my ex was moving out, and neither of us really felt like cooking.  We opted to stop in somewhere and pick up something to eat.  Of all the places we could go to we picked Little Caesars Pizza.  We never ate at Little Caesars Pizza.  It was completely out of character for us.  While we were waiting for our order they guy behind the counter says, "Hey, you guys going to NatsuCon?"  That was the start of my con going.  I needed a place to go to find people who had similar interests to me, a place to feel wanted, a place to make friends, a place to help me find myself again.  I was completely on the opposite side of the country from my family, and I wasn't in contact with any of my old friends any more.  And needless to say I am now good friends with the guy that was behind the counter.  Some of my blog readers may even know who he is.  >^.^<

Me and Dustin.  This was my first time wearing my completed Steampunk outfit.  Dustin will barrow my Chocolate Misu hat occasionally when I'm not using it.  Picture taken at Archon 2011 by Larry Knox.

I've found all of the things I wanted to at conventions and more.  It has helped me heal.  I've found more friends and support than I could have ever dreamed of.  I've found a place I can go to be myself, and be free of judgement.  I've found a new hobby and passion that I can truly get into.  And, I've found a man that loves and supports me for who I am, and treats me with respect.  When I say that it means a lot to me to have a person in my life.  It is true.  It wasn't all that long ago that I didn't have anyone by my side.  I really do love each and every person that has chosen to make me a part of their life and to be a part of mine.  No matter how small that part is.  Thank you!

A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Making Piping

I'm working on a satin brocade tunic, and I wanted to put piping around the edges as a trim.  I thought it would make a nice accent to the overall looking of the garment.  Yet, I'm making it out of satin brocade.  Store bought piping only comes in cotton.  I needed satin piping to match the brocade.  While I searched the interweb for a tutorial I quickly learned that there were inconsistencies from one tutorial to the next, and it was over something fairly simple and straight forward.  So, I have created my own tutorial in hopes that it will clear out some of the confusion.

 

I've learned that not everyone seems to know what those arrows on patterns mean.  Fabric is normally either woven or knit, but either way there is a definite "grain" to the fabric.

The arrows on the patterns mean that is the direction of the grain of the fabric.  Seamstresses do not make lots of money.  In fact they make very little, so they keep as much fabric as possible.  I have yet to meet a seamstress that doesn't try to make the most out of their fabric as they can.  If a seamstress tells you to cut something at an odd angle on the fabric that takes up lots of space and seems to create a large amount of fabric that can't be used for anything else on that garment there is a reason why.  It has to do with the way the garment will lay when it is worn.  If something is cut with the grain that piece won't have very much give when stretched.  Where if something is cut diagonally across the grain the piece with have the maximum amount of give that fabric has.  This really is important if you want to do things like wear a comfortable garment, sit, bend over, walk, etc.  You can technically do all of those things with a garment that is made without fallowing the arrows, but you will notice that it is more snug than it should be.  And, it will cause more stress on the seams.  Which leads to more mending.  In short:  follow the arrows, and the advice of a good seamstress that you know and trust.

Now with that said, onward to making piping.

What you will need:

• Fabric
• Cording in desired thickness
• Sewing pins
• Shears or a really good pair of scissors
• Ruler
• Zipper foot for your sewing machine

 

To make piping cut strips of fabric diagonally across the grain of your fabric.  My strips are 1.5 inches.  Yours may not be.  The strip of fabric needs to have two seam allowances plus enough fabric to go around the cord that you will use.

Once the strips have been cut out pin the ends together like this.  The right sides are together, and when I open the seam up I will have a nice long straight line of fabric.  Notice I overlapped the edges a bit.  I did this so that when I sew my seams they will be edge to edge.

Like this.  This is a sewn seam that I have opened up, so you can see what it should look like once the strips have been sewn together.

This is the cording I picked.  I wanted a smaller diameter for this project, so I went with a 3mm cord.  The only reason I went with a satin cord was I could get lots of it for cheap on Amazon.com.  If you want to pick up some yourself click here.  I didn't want to go with a braided cord since the braid tends to show up in the fabric once it is stretch over the cord, and I didn't wan that look on my garment.  You might however.

Now you are going to stretch the fabric over your cord.  Line up the edges of the fabric before you pin it.  I pinned mine right at the edge of the cord to help stretch the fabric over it.

You need to use the zipper foot on your sewing machine to sew this seam.  Here is a picture of what mine looks like.

When sewing the same get as close to the cord as you can without sewing onto the cord.  This is why a zipper foot comes in handy for this seam.  It helps you get close to cord while keeping it in place.

When you are done you should have something that looks like this.  That's all there is to making piping.  I trim the edges on my diagonal seams as needed when I place it into my garment.  Yet, you can do that before hand if you wish to.  :)

Hopefully this was able to help you out.  If you have any questions please fill free to ask.  >^.^<