Steampunk

My first steampunk outfit I threw together. The skirt is the same one used in my Pikachu Loli-kimono costume. I made the bustle and apron shown here ~~~

The apron is done same way as the one in my pikachu cosplay but with a front pocket - so 2 layers sewn together then to the original 'D' shape to get the pocket to form. the pleats sewn around the edge were pinned on a stip of fabric large enough to cover the edge and then sewn between the front and back layers of the pocket. The waist band is a stretchy piece of fabric I had lying around and the bow is the same as described in the pikachu one. I stained the white front pocket fabric with tea and coffee to give it an old, worn look.

The bustle is just a panel of fabric pleated onto a waist band (here I used twill tape) so that it can be tied round the waist and then just pleat down the sides to give it a plump look and start pinching sections of fabric and pull them up and pin underneath. This picture above is after I finished pinning it so you can see the shiny pins where I pulled the fabric up. There is no bustle pad or netting behind it in this picture to show the plumpness you can achieve just by pinning and pleating.

Pikachu Loli-Kimono

This is the item in question :D 

It's very simple to make!

It's in 4 parts including the bow on the back and all together probably took around 2 days to make (baring in mind I was juggling school work at the time as well). 

YUKATA

To make the yukata (top part) I used this tutorial : Click here to go to the youtube link!

I added a safety pin at the hip to keep the cross over .. well, crossed over. 

The collar was the most difficult part.

BLACK TRIM 

I added the black trim to the sleeves by just taking a few inches off of the arm measurement (yellow bit) and then adding it back on with the black. I just measured the open arm hole and then doubled it - this is the amount you need to make the trim. Then sewed it in a loop so the two ends were together and slotted it into the sleeve, sewing the raw edges together - creating a nice, clean edge where the yellow and black meet.

SKIRT

This is actually a skirt from another cosplay uniform I own, but it's just a simple pleated circle skirt. The pleated are sewn in the waist band to keep them in the skirt at even sizes and widths and are then ironed down to make them more crisp.

APRON

The apron is just simply a D shaped  bit of fabric sewn on a tube that I made from left over black material used on the yukata. It is fastened at the back with a large button and then covered with a bow.

The little design I drew on was done with a black marker pen and is just Pikachu, Raichu and pichu with a pokeball and a few lightning bolts. 

THE BOW

You can't see it here but I'll most likely post up another tutorial on how to do them. It's done by cutting out a bit of fabric as wide and you want your bow to come out to and twice as long as you want the finished bow to be. Then sew the strip of fabric - ends together so that it is a tube or ring shape. Then where the seam is - gather the material so that you get the sort of pleats in the two sides (typical of cosplays and japanese uniforms). where you have pinched, pin and sew a straight line through it to keep it in place. Cover this line of sewing with a strip of fabric - sew this on as well.

If you want to make it attachable - add a small loop of elastic under this band around the gathered section.

The tails that come down from the bow are just two hemmed pieces of fabric sewn at the back. I have done this before be cutting a large strip of fabric, hemming it and then sewing it underneath the band holding the gathers at the center (by hand). Again I will show and explain all this a bit better in another post. 

This is what the bow looks like though, as do all the bows I make.

Let's get started!

I decided to start this to help people who don't have a terrible amount of experience in the cosplaying world. So, having qualifications in textiles and creating several costumes I'm rather proud of - hopefully I can encourage more people to get into the wonderful world of anime, gaming and conventions

I tend to make costumes of my own design, including a Lolita Pikachu kimono I made last year for a maid-cafe job I landed as well as a steampunk design including a bustle and fur gauntlets (again for the cafe). Recently, I've been very interested in the world of Papercraft and decided to put my fingers to the daunting task of making a custom designed Daedric armor from the popular game Skyrim. I also do special effects makeup, generally going for the bloodied up style rather than pretty stage make up though I have done some. Makeup for different cosplay characters I find is very important to get the polished look that all cosplayers SHOULD have, though many don't. I'm not a God sent, wonder maker but I wish to share my tips and hints with yall !

Hope this can all be of help and let me know if you'd like to see anything explained, tutorial-ed and revealed!