Kids Gi Pants

A martial arts uniform is not complete without the pants.  This is the pattern for boys and girls gi pants sizes.  I made these with tan fabric for the boys to go with the white tops on their Jedi uniforms.  So you may ask yourself, “Gi’s are easy to come by and cheap, why make one?”  Well, they are that is true, but you can’t necessarily get them in the color you want.  Also they tend to be hard to get in toddler sizes, but never fear, those are on the way.

Gratuitous picture of my son wearing pants.

This is my younger son playing Jedi on a spring horse.  He’s kind of awesomely enthusiastic about things.  When the full outfit was on, there were spats that covered their shoes and pants that stopped short of the knees.  This little one is in the toddler sizes.  It might take me a little bit to get those translated into a pdf file.  Hopefully soon!

Please enjoy this free martial arts gi pattern.  I enjoy your feedback, please let me know if you have any questions or comments!

Gi Pattern for Kids

This weeks free pattern offering is a Gi pattern for boys and girls.  This past Halloween both of my kids wanted to be Jedi.  If they want it, it must become so.  I’m a terrible sucker for making them costumes.

My seven year old paduwan!

One of the fundamentals of this costume is basically a Karate Gi.   Having spent years of my life wearing one, I decided this would be a very easy pattern to accomplish.  Today’s free pattern is a boys and girls GI sizes 7, 8, 10, 12, and 14.  Pants, and toddler sizes are on the way.

This does not include the “armor” pieces or the cloak.   I will include those later on and do a tutorial on how to put this costume together.  Both my kids were completely in love with it.  They wanted to sleep with them and wear them on errands.

Let me know if you have any questions!

 

Anime Basics Patterns Preview

Here is a preview of the patterns under immediate development at this time.  The schedule has one pattern a week under development for the year.  There are over two dozen designs coming out with Steampunk having about half of the upcoming development.  The Steampunk patterns are more complex, please have patience while those are on the drawing board and stay tuned.

Today some of the patterns should be ready for pick up at Office Max.  They have a new upload site where you can send the files and apparently the bugs have not been worked out of it yet.  Fortunately for them, their in store personnel is fantastic and provides great customer service.  I will be using the patterns to do the mock ups for some of the upcoming anime designs and one of the goth designs.  When I get the kinks worked out of the patterns, they will be available on cd.  I’m just starting up, later this spring, I will put this business on Kickstarter to hopefully raise the funds to sell these patterns on paper.

The first pattern I’m working on for mock ups is the basic sailor uniform seen in numerous series.

Preview of Women's Sailor Suit outfit

The final pattern cover may change slightly from this, I haven’t decided whether to puff the sleeves or if it will be a shirt to tuck in.   I’m not nearly as obsessed with Sailor Moon as I used to be.  (But did you know the manga is  about to be re-released with a more accurate translation? Also being released alongside a new edition of Sailor Venus?) I like the untucked look from that show, but few people have the midriff that merits showing off.  It might be the number of pictures taken where the photographer hasn’t waited for a good pose on the person wearing the outfit.  Supplies on hand dictate that the mockup will have a light blue plaid skirt with a dark blue collar.

When that is perfected, the next one on the list is the anime pin up.

Anime Pin Up for Women

This one is very exciting.  A backless sailor halter with a full circle skirt gives a skimpy option for ladies wanting to look sexy.  The other provides the v-shaped waist line found in some series like Sailor Moon after they transform and some other fun options with the peek a boo shoulders and wide cuffs at the wrist.  These two patterns combined should give costumers the starting off point to mix and match pieces to create the Japanese school girl look that they are going for.

Also coming is this one for the tough women out there that want to look hot and be bad:

Muscle and short shorts

I’ve been reading too much Tu-LOVE-Ru.  I’m all about tails recently since the main character is pretty cute in that Manga.  Lala is a really awesome character, and all the girls are really cute.  (Of course that has nothing to do with this pattern, but I’m a pretty hard core geek.)  I think the design on the right would work really well with the sleeves from the anime pinup design.  I’m not sure where the fit dress shirt and shorts idea was inspired from or the main idea for the design on the left, but I really like them.  All of these are drawn in with knee socks and you will see that as a them in my designs.  Ravelry has many patterns for knee socks available if you enough of a masochist to knit them.  Otherwise, I highly recommend Sock Dreams for you knee sock needs.  I have tons of their socks and they are awesome and hold up well.

Lastly, I need an outfit for an upcoming con so I skipped ahead to a goth pattern to mock up for myself.

Bustle Skirt and Corset

I love this bustle skirt.  I think it’s terribly awesome and cute.  Why is this under goth?  I really don’t have a better classification for it.  There are so many fantasy/sci-fi comics out there that have a dark and gothic theme to them.  I’ve created the goth category for those things that can be used across a pretty broad selection of other categories and have a gothic flare.  I have patterned the long sleeve shrug, but I’m not sure if I wouldn’t prefer to knit it.  There are quite a few patterns out there that could be altered to create this look, but I will be going for some fabric first.  10 years ago I made a goth wedding gown.  The bride wanted to be the image of a crow with Victorian influences.  This dress is very similar to the dress I designed for her without all the feathers.  She wore black wings with the corset and skirt and looked amazing.

This weekend I will be running Maggie Bruce Medieval and Fantasy Tailor (my costume sales) at the Calontir Crown Tournament in St Louis, MO.  I should have credit  card sales access up and going by then, I just signed up for Square.  I know my credit cards have been down for a while, but now they are back.

 

Body Shapers

Body Shapers are the best kept secret of Hollywood. Diets can make you crazy and generally don’t work. Stay healthy, be fit, but don’t kill yourself trying to be perfect. We are inundated every day with images of people who have personal trainers, live on lettuce, and can afford cosmetic surgery to get rid of flaws. Emotionally healthy people have other tools at their disposal to create the look they want to create. For hundreds of years, women and men have worn body shapers of different styles. When weight was gained, the weight would distribute according to the styles of the day and the restrictions they placed on the body. This can be seen now a days with the low rise jeans women wear. As they gain weight the weight distributes in the area of least resistance and they get “muffin top”. Fortunately, technology has advanced as well and we don’t have to apply daily shaping to get closer to what we want to do.

If you want a better looking costume, you can use this new generation of shapers to create a better image of what you want. One of the first keys of undergarments is creating a smooth surface that doesn’t detract from your clothing. A simple bra or panties can ruin an entire look. If you have on the wrong size bra you can create unflattering lines on your back, awkward cup action in the front and even spill over. The cup shape can drastically change the look of the outer garment. (We will address bra shapes in a future post however.) Panty lines can totally ruin a pair of pants. Shapers can address these problems however. A lightweight shorts type shaper can eradicate panty lines in an instant (but so can a thong). Shapers that cover the torso can control bra strap lines. If you have muffin top they make shapers that can cover and control the torso and smooth it towards the bottom. If you have no bottom, they make shapers with enhancements built in. The options are almost limitless.

It might seem like a radical step in your costuming, but a good body shaper is a worthwhile investment and will take you to the next level.

Here are some simple methods for purchasing the correct body shaper.

1. Have someone take pictures of you from a few different directions.

2. Look at the costume you are recreating, analyze how your body differs. Do you need lift, a little more padding, a little more shaping like more waist?
3. When you determine what you want to do decide which area of the body this is in. Different shaping garments are made for different distinct areas of the body. By determining which area of the body, you can narrow down your search dramatically.
4. How much of a difference do you want to make. Do you want to smooth, take off inches, or add inches? If you want to take inches off your waist, you need a piece with firm control. If you only need to smooth your waist, you will need light control.
5. Look for shapers that will not loose their shape over time. Better quality fabrics make for a better investment and longer wear.
6. Avoid shapers with visible seams. Visible seams can show through clothing, especially many of the lightweight fabrics chosen for cosplay.
7. Avoid shapers that are too tight. Firm control and tight are too different things. Discomfort, breathing difficulties and decreased circulation can hinder your ability to have fun and become the character of your costume.

So take some time, google “body shaper styles” and click on images, you will get a huge selection. Take your full figure and make it into something that will drive other women green with envy. You can do things with this technology that can’t be done with exercise and diet. Make your costume the best it can be and Good Luck!

Pajama Pants

I receive a lot of requests for drawstring or elastic waistband pants.  These are very functional and look fine under the Medieval Style Tunic posted a few days ago.  I’ve used this pattern for many different costumes, most recently Jedi outfits for my kids.  Today our free pattern offering is for generic Pants pattern.  The instructions are for pants with an elastic waistband, but putting a drawstring in is just as easy.

The only real change for women would be in the length.  This should help all those people out there tracing pants and being frustrated with fit.

If you would like a custom version of this made, I charge $25.  You can contact me at Jacquelyne@sew4cons.com with your request.  I will let you know what measurements I need.  I can send the file in pdf or on paper.

Women’s Medieval Style Tunic

We have a men’s style available, so here is the women’s version.  The main difference is the length of the dress and the sleeves.

womens medieval tunic

Medieval Style Tunic

Time for something on my bucket list…  a good starter SCA Pattern.  The SCA is a group of medieval enthusiast that have chapters all over the world.   Unlike Rendezvous or some other games, you have to be dressed in costume to go to an event held by the SCA.  When a new person comes they are often overwhelmed with what to make.  This is for all my friends who help people get into garb or for all those who would just like something medieval.

There are many shirts that have been unearthed over the years.  The “tunic” (which is just the French word for shirt) is a style worn throughout hundreds of years.  This particular pattern is a simplified version of one found in the Kraglund Bog in Denmark.  It’s carbon dated to c. 1040-1155.  For more information, Marc Carlson’s site Some Clothing of the Middle Ages is fantastic.   I’ve made literally hundreds of tunics so the technical writing on this may not be the level you are looking for.  I am always glad to answer any questions and even skype if we can find a mutual time to help you through the pattern.  Please refer to the diagram on the pattern as an assembly guide.

If you would like a nicer fitting tunic made out of linen, I sell those as well.  I base my pattern off the Herjolfsnes 33 and 34.  This is a super comfortable style with very good ease of movement.  I offer these tunics without decoration for $100+shipping and handling.  Pictures can be found on the Maggie Bruce facebook page listed below.

If you like this concept, please visit often and hit the like button on my posts.

And here is today’s offering:

Medieval Style Tunic

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

Men's Tunic of a slightly different style

Interest Poll

Sew4cons!

Welcome to  Sew4cons!

I’m Jacqui and I’m starting up a small scale pattern company specifically aimed at Convention goers and reenactors.  Two years ago I opened my own business selling costumes to history reenactors.  As I’ve networked into different areas of history, I’ve been terribly disappointed at the availability of patterns in the different genres.  With 20 years patterning experience, I think I can put a dent in that.  Hopefully, I can develop this new venture into a reliable source for your costume pattern needs.

Last year, my son started Kindergarten at a school with a strict dress code.  I dutifully ordered ties from the school uniform store and after a couple of months of school realized they were not working.  The kids ties were too long.  I remembered my great aunt making ties for my brother back in the seventies and her saying that they were easy to make.  So, I started making ties for my son that were scaled to his size.  After my first few, I realized I could take apart ties from the thrift store and recut them for him and  we were on our way.  He now has tons of adorable ties to wear and I get complements on them all the time.  To that end I will post my tie patterns.  They are in PDF format and will only cost a few dollars to get them printed at your local print shop on a wide format printer.  No scaling up from a small picture needed!

Supplies:

Interlining:  Housefabric.com

Tie Fabric:  Belraf Fabrics

I’m still working at these and editing them.  Let me know when you find the errors and enjoy!

neck tie child size

bow tie

men’s neck tie

Please credit these patterns if posting elsewhere.  I’m a stay at home mom making my living on sewing and need all the help I can get.