Remember those plushstaches from a while back? It turns out making your own mustaches is dangerous, because it’s hard to tell when to quit. At first it’s fine to have just a couple, but soon you find yourself asking “do I really have enough mustaches?” Today I will be the villain, but what if tomorrow I need to be a stoic cowboy? Black and brown are so droll, what about pink or teal? Or sparkles? It is truly a dangerous path.

Lucky for you, in the ongoing quest to fill-out my cache of ‘staches, I have created some new patterns! These are made the same as the previous ones, but in case you need help, here is my handy tutorial.

For your wearing pleasure, I introduce to you:

The dapper “Little Belgian Detective”

And the sure to impress “‘Boh ‘Stache”

You can get both patterns (it’s a two-in-one) right here:

Good luck and remember, a girl (or boy) can never have too many mustaches! Especially if they are horrendously trendy.

]]> https://jefita.com/2014/04/14/fashion-tips-for-supervillains-part-2/ Mon, 14 Apr 2014 15:18:10 +0000 http://jefita.com/blog/?p=873 Or further tips for the thrifty costumed caperer.

 Lord Baron Von Partyfoul and The League of Evil

I survived my weekend of villainy, only to be struck down by an unknown malady. Curses! Now that I seem to have made a recovery, I shall continue this tale.

Armed with my concepts I set about formulating the plan of attack. I typically break the down process down into three main categories:

What do I already own?

What can I make myself?

What do I have to buy?

After gleaning what I could from my rather considerable stash (who would have guessed it would be so useful for villainy?), I proceeded to the fabric store to for further resource acquisition. This is always the most dangerous part for me, both for my budget and the space in my apartment. With practice I have gotten better at navigating its pitfalls and emerging mostly unscathed. I try to keep these things in mind and usually end up alright:

•  Start at the remnant bin. Best way to get small pieces of expensive fabrics.
• (Almost) Always go for the cheaper option.  You are making costumes, not high fashion.
• Stay out of the “special occasion” fabrics. Again, costumes, not ball gowns. Unless you are some sort of diabolical debutante…
• Am I going to want to set my machine on fire attempting to sew this? Pleather and slinky knits can do wonderful things, but are tricky to sew. Just keep that in mind.

And as I learned this time, beware the trim aisle! This is where I got in trouble. That big fancy chain on Lord Baron? Twenty bucks a yard. Fortunately I only got one yard, and had a half-price coupon to mitigate the damage.

He knocks the cups out of the hands of society!

Materials acquired, I set to work. I made all the  lovely armour first. I have become quite adept at cereal box armour. It’s amazing what you can do with some beer boxes and some spray paint.

 Next I did all the sewing. Most of it was pretty simple and went smoothly. There were only minor altercations with the sewing machine. A plumbing leak and subsequent emergency rearrangement left my good sewing machine trapped behind my bed, so I had to make do with my mediocre machine. We had a few disagreements. It realllllly wanted to eat the fantastic silver fabric I bought for traffic safety. I realllllly wanted it not to do that. We somehow muddled through it without mutual destruction.

 All told I ended up making:

• 1 helmet
• 2 sets of shoulder armour
• 3 capes
• 2 pairs silver under/over pants
• 1 pair pleather spats
• 1 pair fancy arm guards
• 1 set epaulets
• 4 hench hoods
• 4 traffic safety sashes
• 1 faux fur wrap

And assorted costume assistance for my villainous compatriots. Inevitably I change my designs as I go along, and some elements get left by the wayside. I didn’t do a fancy collar, and I didn’t make boot thingies for my henchmen. I was also too cheap to shell out for red gloves for them. I spraypainted kitchen gloves instead (with mixed results). I did however make a nice fur wrap for myself to keep off the spring chill. I may be a cold-hearted villainess, but I hate being cold.

 The lovely Lady MacDeath and I

 The only things we ended up buying pre-made were some black leggings, a black shirt, rubber dish gloves, and the ridiculously awesome henchmen goggles.

The Lead Hench also got fancy epaulets…and a balloon.

 I ended up spending about $70 on fabric (without coupons it was over a hundred bucks). Goggles and extras probably brought the total for supplies up to around $100. That seems like a lot (and I did splurge a bit and ignore my own advice on a couple of items), but that was enough to make costumes for me, Mister, and four henchmen. Pretty good for budget villainry! I bet would could have afforded some more henchmen. Because you can never have too many henchmen.

I’m pretty sure they’re conspiring to get health benefits.

 (And many thanks to Henchman Frank, Miss Demeanor, and Lady MacDeath for some of the excellent pictures.)

Last year I started making these particular little lined drawstring bags. They aren’t anything new or amazing concept-wise, but they are pretty cute, easy to make, and don’t require much fabric. Perfect for using up those remnants and fat quarters.

I also think this is a good way to practice hand sewing, if you’re into that sort of thing. Despite the fact that I own three sewing machines, sometimes I just want a good hand sewing project. I find it pleasant and calming. And sometimes I get struck by unbearable envy of little Japanese women who hand sew everything, and it’s all disgustingly cute.

Anyway…

If you don’t like hand sewing you can whip these little bags up lickety-split with a sewing machine (less than half an hour if you are on good terms with your machine). Either way I think this is a good beginner sewing project.  They are cute, easy, fun, and also make nice little reusable gift bags.

Itty Pretty Drawstring Bags!

or

Justifying a Burgeoning Fabric Collection

Almost any sort of fabric will work for these little bags as long as it’s not super stiff or heavy (like thick denim). I usually use quilting cotton or other lightweight woven fabrics and that is probably the easiest to work with. The finished bags end up with a 3” (7.62 cm) square base, and uncinched stand about 4 ¼” (10.8 cm) tall.

Materials and Tools

• 2 pieces of at least 7” x 14” (approx 18 x 36 cm) fabric (a fat quarter or a remnant wider than 7” should be fine)
• Sewing thread (matching or contrasting)
• Hand sewing needle or a sewing machine
• 30″ (~76 cm) or so of cord (for the drawstrings, so not super thick)
• Scissors (and/or a rotary cutter)
• Pins
• Safety pin

Optional

• Embroidery floss or decorative thread (if you want to decorate the bag)
• Beads (to put on the drawstrings)
• Beeswax or a thread conditioner (Like Thread Heaven) if hand sewing

A couple of notes on hand sewing: I use a plain running stitch to make these bags, but if you wanted something a bit stronger you could also use a back stitch. Remember that the smaller you make your stitches, the less visible they will be. If you’re just starting out with hand sewing, don’t sweat it if your stitches aren’t very small or even. This will come with practice and probably nobody but you will ever notice they aren’t perfect.

The Making

1. Print out the pattern (Click to download pattern) or draft it out on paper or directly on the fabric. Here are the dimensions to draft it yourself (seam allowances included):

   
   Important: All seam allowances ¼” (.6 cm) 

2. Fold your fabric in half and then layout and cut your lining and shell pieces according to the diagram. Trace the pattern on the fabric first or pin it on and cut around it. If you need guidelines for your stitching, you can lightly mark the seam lines too. Pencil usually works fine if the fabric isn’t too dark.

   Note: It’s not super important for this project, but it’s good practice to pay attention to the grain of the fabric when laying out and cutting patterns. In this case the grain should line up with one of the straight edges of the pattern.

3. Take the shell fabric, still folded along the bottom edge with the right sides together, and straight stitch down the sides. Repeat with the lining piece, starting 1 ¼” (~3 cm) down from the top edge (where the stars are on the printed pattern). If you are using a machine, be sure to back tack at the beginnings and ends, especially on the lining.

    

   Optional: Press open the side seams after sewing. Be sure to fold the seam allowances in at the top bit of the lining too (where you didn’t sew). Even just finger pressing will make a difference.

4. Pull open one corner of the shell and flatten, matching the side seam with the center bottom (the fold line). Sew straight across the corner. (if you want to get technical, you are creating a gusset here) Repeat with the remaining corner of the shell, and one of the corners of the lining (leave the other side open). Press allowances towards the bottom, if desired. You should now have two square bottomed cylinder things (except for the lining which will have an opening at the bottom/side).

    

   That corner magically becomes a straight side!

5. Nest the shell fabric inside the lining so that right sides are touching. Match up the top edges and the side seams (pins are helpful here) and then sew all the way around the top edge.

    

6. Turn the bag right-side out now, through the opening that you left in the lining. After everything is right-side out, fold in the seam allowances of the opening in the lining and top-stitch very close to the edge to close. (Or you could be fancy and use a blind-stitch to close it.)

   

7. Flip the lining so that it nests neatly inside the shell fabric. There should be about a ½” fold of lining fabric that sticks up above the edge of the shell. Try to make sure that all the seam allowances of the top edge are turned down towards the bottom (It helps to use a knitting needle or other slender stick for this). Sew all the way around the top along the seam, just above the shell. This will make the tube or casing for the drawstrings.

    

   To keep the allowances tucked in at the tube openings, you can add a few stitches to tack them down.

   Optional: I like using contrasting or decorative thread for this part sometimes. If you don’t want it to show, choose a thread that matches the lining and “stitch-in-the-ditch” trying to sew as close in the seam line as you can.

8. Cut two pieces of cord at least 15″ (38 cm) long for the drawstrings. It’s better to go long here and then trim the length after. Attach a cord to the safety pin and use it to thread the drawstring through the tube at the top, starting at one of the side seam openings and going all the way around (not out the opposite side seam). Repeat with the second drawstring, but starting from the opposite seam opening.

    

9. Knot the cord ends together on each side and trim the ends to about ½”. If you want thread a big bead on each side before tying them off.

   

   If you cord frays a lot, either melt the ends (if it is synthetic) or put a bit of Fray Check or glue on them.

Bonus round: Do some decorative stitching around the bag (through both layers or just one) with some embroidery floss or other pretty thread. If you are ambitious you could use a plain fabric for the shell, and decorate it with lots of pretty embroidery before sewing the whole thing together. Little beads, buttons, or sequins could be pretty cute too. Go nuts.

Thanks to my sister for the lovely photos!

Tada! You are the proud owner of a cute little bag. Now go show it off and find some treasures to put in it.

If anything needs clarified in the instructions, please let me know!

To be the owner of a handsome mustache is quite a thing and seems rather popular these days.  However, life is very unfair leaving some of us genetically powerless to grow our own or forbidden to do so by the edicts of fashion or significant others. Long troubled by this problem, last year I finally created my own solution to this age old inequity without the need for razors, wax, or hormone treatment. It turns out it is quite simple (and inexpensive) to create your own facsimile of awe worthy facial hair. All you need is some felt, a needle and thread, and some sort of stuffing. Although perhaps not as satisfying as the real deal, a plush-stache is still very enjoyable. In fact, if you are already a mustache bearer, you can even increase your coolness without all the maintenance.

Plushstachery

or
How to Make Yourself an Awesome Mustache

This project has a very good satisfaction to effort ratio.  It takes very little work to make one of these mustaches, but they are very fun to wear around.  Even though this project does involve hand sewing, it is super simple and doesn’t take too long.  It doesn’t matter if your stitches are perfectly neat and there is no tricky business.  In fact I would say this is a very good beginner sewing or plush making project.

Materials/Tools

• Felt (one sheet is usually enough)
• Thread (preferably matching the felt)
• Stuffing (such as polyfill or felt scraps)
• Thin elastic cord (I recommend the clear stretchy kind for jewelry/beading)
• Paper (for pattern)
• Marker (I’m rather fond of fine-tip Sharpies) or white gel pen (something that will mark felt)
• Needle (a large embroidery sized one and a regular sized one)
• Scissors

Optional

• Pipecleaner or wire
• Embroidery Floss or other decorative thread

The Making

1. Print and cut out one of my mustache patterns (Plushstache_pattern1.pdf) or design your own.  I would recommend checking out the design on your face in a mirror after cutting it out.  It’s less trouble to redo the paper than the felt. Also, remember that the easy way to make your design symmetric is to draw half the mustache then fold at the middle and cut it out.
2. Trace two copies of your ‘stache onto the felt and then cut them out.
   
3. Place the two pieces together (put the marked side in if you don’t want it to show), pinning if desired.  Start sewing at the top middle, using a whip stitch, moving towards the tips.  When you are almost back to the middle on the bottom, stop and tie off, leaving a gap so you can stuff it later.  Now do the other half the same way, but wait to tie off until you have finished the next step.
   Optional:  If you want, you can put a pipecleaner or wire inside your ‘stach to help keep it’s shape better.  I like doing this so I can shape it to my face too.  Shape your wire beforehand, and then insert when you stuff on very straight designs or just after coming around the tips on complex designs.  Hopefully the diagram makes sense of what I said.
4. Start stuffing! Starting with small pieces gently push the stuffing into the tips first with a pencil or other pokey tool.  Continue stuffing just until desired amount of “bushiness” is achieved. Don’t add too much stuffing! My villainous pattern only has a tiny amount in the middle, under the nose area.  Sew closed the opening after you are finished stuffing.
   
5. Thread the embroidery (or other large eyed needle) with a long length of elastic cord. It’s better to err on the side of excess here. This is what is going to keep the mustache on your face so it needs to be long enough to loop behind your ears after attached to the mustache. Following the diagram, thread the elastic through the back of the mustache and then knot the loose ends together.  Now check to see how your mustache fits.  You should have a large loop on either side that fits over and behind your ears. It should be just tight enough to keep the ‘stache right under your nose, but not so tight it cuts into your face (otherwise it will look like you have cat whiskers). Adjust the position of the knot until the right fit is achieved then trim ends to 1/2″ or so.
   

   This is the type of cord I used along with a large embroidery needle

   

   The back should look something like this when you finish

6. Go awe the world with your newfound mustached glory!
   

If you create your own glorious mustache, I would love to see it!

And remember, don’t let hipsters dim your enjoyment of mustachery.  Frankly, proper mustaches have always been cool.

I have to say it’s pretty satisfying getting something that you designed yourself.  Also, I still have a childlike delight for getting things in the mail.  All in all I am very pleased with this purchase.  I ended up ordering my fishy pattern in three different color themes on quilting weight cotton.  The fabric feels good and the colors turned out perfect (I did make sure to use their recommended color palette).  So far it is working out great for my little koi.  Now I can finally get going on this project!

If you been unable to find that particular pattern you want or fancy yourself a budding textile designer, you might give it a try. For the Photoshop users out there, here is a handy tutorial for making a pattern tile-able.  I’ve also made a little diagram of how a pattern fits together.  I know it’s pretty obvious, but I find it easier if I have a visual reference.  I would also suggest that if you are making a tile-able pattern, start filling in the edges first.  Once all the edges match you can fill in the middle however you want.  And if you just enjoy making patterns, you can make your designs available to the public and you get a small commission for each sale.  Just remember folks:  if you are creating a pattern, respect intellectual property rights!  Don’t “borrow” copyrighted material even if it’s just for you.  There is so much license free material out there, so you have no excuse.

If all that is too scary, you can also browse through the tons of cool designs for sale that other people have contributed.  One of the other things I’ve seen on there that looks really fun is patterns for dolls, plushies, masks, and other goodies printed directly on the fabric.  You purchase the “project” and it’s sort of like getting a kit.  All you have to do is cut it out and sew it together.

Now that I’ve thoroughly geeked out about this, I do have to say it has some drawbacks.  It is a bit on the pricey end.  I spent a while lusting after all the pretties Spoonflower has to offer because I couldn’t quite justify spending that much on a whim.  If I hadn’t had this commission, it probably would have been a lot longer.  I don’t often use the types of fabric they offer.  It’s definitely a useful high-quality product, all the fabrics are organic natural fibers too, but unfortunately at this point in time it’s not something I see myself using very often.  Of course window shopping is free so I will continue to long even if I don’t need any of it.