COSPLAYERS VENT I NEED HELP

[Baker!-!]

ok so every time i want to cosplay it all get messed up i mean i cant sew so i work with what i have i want to learn to sew but my mom said ok and then forgets about it if i show her classes she says ok then forgets and omg she wont let me do anything she thinks ill make a mess then i get nervous when she watches me cut something also everyone is so unrelieable i asked my mom to pay someone for something and she waits til the person cant wait anylonger and says "forget it i wont make BLAH BLAH BLAH for you good bye." I wish i could take things into my own hands but i am not good at this stuff i want to learn and i love cosplay but its so hard and if one little thing messes up everything is a mess :-[ OH and why can't anyone support my hobby i mean no one listens when i explain to them cosplay they drownd (if thats a real word out) me out. ARGG my birthday always sucks because my cosplays look retarded all because i cant sew or trust anyone to pay for something (my mom and her stupid paypal she wont let me use)

ANYWAY i need advice is cosplaying really not something i should do or should i gather my money and take a bus to learn to sew and forget my mother or should i be boring and just buy costumes (which i really dont believe in) please no mean comments i have alot of other stress and a mean comment may make me explode

oh and uh happy birthday to me (May 22) yay :-\

[anime4me]

No one ever taught me to sew and I managed to pull it off this year.  Thing is, sewing your own costume is costly, so unless you have a job or some really good thrift stores in the area, good luck.  Anyway, you can teach yourself, but it takes patience.  I messed my costumes up multiple times and my boyfriend's costume I made him looks horrible but he's wearing it anyway.  The point is that you try, not that you succeed in doing everything perfectly.  Don't make your mom mad because you'll regret it as an adult, but teach yourself if you want to learn.  It's not that hard to buy a pattern, sew it, then alter it to meet your needs.

[Baker!-!]

No one ever taught me to sew and I managed to pull it off this year.  Thing is, sewing your own costume is costly, so unless you have a job or some really good thrift stores in the area, good luck.  Anyway, you can teach yourself, but it takes patience.  I messed my costumes up multiple times and my boyfriend's costume I made him looks horrible but he's wearing it anyway.  The point is that you try, not that you succeed in doing everything perfectly.  Don't make your mom mad because you'll regret it as an adult, but teach yourself if you want to learn.  It's not that hard to buy a pattern, sew it, then alter it to meet your needs.

how did you learn to sew tho like online or a book or ya oh did you hand sew or machine

[Sunara Ishi]

I recommend plain clothes cosplays if all other areas are closed off. Pick characters that wear things you may be able to find in a retail store, thrift store, etc. Some of my friends do this rather than making them and the cosplays look great.

If you're old enough, you could get a job and create a bank account to commission or enroll in classes on your own. I believe some fabric stores have classes. It sounds like either your mom is forgetful or is dodging you; so you'll either have to remind her/bug her or get independent from her. You could also borrow books from libraries, find a friend to help teach you, etc.

You may also want to start with simple cosplays and don't try for perfect at first; give yourself allowance for mistakes. You'll eventually get better and you can always re-make costumes or parts of it. Patterns can be helpful also if you get the right ones. Wait on trying for the perfect cosplay once you feel comfortable and know you can do it. Perhaps it may even turn out better without the stress?

You could also have one plain clothed costume in case something wrong happens with the one you are making. I once had some parts of a cosplay broke and I threw together a plain clothed cosplay with what I owned.

[Evangelion Xgouki]

Cosplay can be a costly hobby, especially when you are first starting and have limited experience (sewing and creative adaptions to defy anime physics).  Cheapest thing s really to buy pre-made clothing (i.e. Target, Macy's, thrift stores, etc) and modify them (Simon from Gurren Lagann where you can buy mostly everything and just need to mod the jacket with the logo) or cosplay someone that wears normal clothing (Akane Tendo from Ranma 1/2).  If you want to get a bit more advanced, prototype.  Buy some cheap fabric (on sale or muslin) and make the entire cosplay out of it.  This way you can try it on, check for areas what are too tight/loose, mark it up, etc without ruining the more expensive, final fabrics (though you need to take into account the final material might sit differently).

[Baker!-!]

thank you everyone next year i hope to be able to make a len kagamine cosplay but i am not sure if that will be easy the shorts and suspenders i can buy but the serafuku top EH i found a youtube video tho

[XpHoBiaX]

I would practice with sewing pillow cases or small projects if you have the money to buy patterns. (Or download them from somewhere) Practice on used/old clothing, cloths, bed sheets...etc, just so your can get used to sewing.

I am not that great with a machine, and I only hand sew if I have too, but practice makes perfect ya know?

[Rette]

I have the Reader's Digest Sewing Guide, which is actually really helpful, even for someone with experience.
It's more of a reference, but it gives pretty good instructions on how to do things, and you can use it to find alternate routes if something isn't going well.

[Rhornez]

well i bought my stuff at Sears and Kohls and a shoe shop for white vans and ebay for my wig
i cosplayed for the very first time in my life as Near basically you can find some interesting things at normal everyday stores and mix and match

[Sunara Ishi]

thank you everyone next year i hope to be able to make a len kagamine cosplay but i am not sure if that will be easy the shorts and suspenders i can buy but the serafuku top EH i found a youtube video tho

You could always get an appropriate v-neck t-shirt and add a collar; and use ribbons or fabric paint for details.

[anime4me]

No one ever taught me to sew and I managed to pull it off this year.  Thing is, sewing your own costume is costly, so unless you have a job or some really good thrift stores in the area, good luck.  Anyway, you can teach yourself, but it takes patience.  I messed my costumes up multiple times and my boyfriend's costume I made him looks horrible but he's wearing it anyway.  The point is that you try, not that you succeed in doing everything perfectly.  Don't make your mom mad because you'll regret it as an adult, but teach yourself if you want to learn.  It's not that hard to buy a pattern, sew it, then alter it to meet your needs.

how did you learn to sew tho like online or a book or ya oh did you hand sew or machine

I bought myself some patterns that were similar to what I wanted to make from Joann's (McCall's and Simplicity have some decent basic Japanese clothing patterns and costumes) and some very cheap practice fabric and thread.  I started off doing it by hand, but then moved to a sewing machine after discovering it's nearly impossible to sew through a few layers of fabric by hand.  They have starter sewing machines that are pretty simple to use once you figure out how to put the thread in and they don't cost too much compared to some (I spent around $70 at Target).  For the parts I had to come up with on my own, it was a lot of trial and error.  Gloves/sleeves still give me a hard time to this day and I broke plenty of needles and ruined multiple yards of fabric to get it right.  Biggest thing is to start easy.  My first costume was Sheena from Tales of Symphonia and it wasn't bad, but then I tried to made Zelos from that game and it was horrible.  But just be patient.  I'm working on my second set of costumes ever now:  shinigami uniforms for Bleach characters, and it gets easier and easier as you learn.  Just don't give up when it gets frustrating because it's so worth it in the end.  I was so proud to wear my costume to Fanime, even though it wasn't perfect, because I made it.

[SOawesomeness]

Just reiterating something- it's still pretty costly to make your own cosplay. Unless you have items around your house already or you can somehow manage to find things to work with, it can all add up.

I am currently making the cosplay Angela from Soul Eater from scratch. I already had some black foam craft so I used that for the hat, then bought about $20 in fabric. I already had about $15 worth in paint and brushes including glaze, and I bought $5 of clay. I even have $10 worth of sewing stuff like needles, and thread. Even though a lot of what I buy can be reused for other cosplays, the matter of the fact is that it's expensive when you're trying out new things with things you need to buy.

Try making a cosplay out of the old clothes you already have. On youtube, there are a lot of different sewing tutorials, so try looking at those. If anything, just experiment with different stitches.

Good luck, but it's all about trying over and over and over again. Making your own cosplay needs a lot of patience. o:

[Ayanami Rei First Child]

If you ARE going to get someone else to make you, but you can't use your own paypal account...you can always try getting someone else to help with it. Maybe get $$$ from your mom and then pay someone else to use their accounts. Just be warned that they'll sometimes make it a little tight, so you can always go for an extra inch or two.

[XpHoBiaX]

I get old drapes, table cloths, bed sheets and fabric at thrift stores. After thoroughly inspecting them of course. I got a lot of my misc fabric from a Goodwill or other thrift store.

Aparently, I am intimidated by my sewing machine. XD~!

[michiko nakano]

I bet five bucks one of your friends' moms knows how to use/has a sewing machine.  Just get the fabric, and a pattern if you can find one, and get aforementioned mom figure to help you.  That way you'll learn how to do it and you won't be intirely responsible for the construction, thus potentially less margin for disaster. 

[OniCourseMusha]

I'm surprised this thread has so many response where I believe should of been moved to cosplay section.