I should probably learn to sew.

[Kayoe]

Well I’ve been considering my cosplay options for the con, and while I haven’t decided on anything for sure yet, I figure it would be great to at least to consider a costume that I would make myself, as opposed to collecting the pieces from a thrift store (not that there is anything wrong with that, there are just some things you won’t find there).  However as a male who was not as open minded as he should have been when he was younger, I never learned how to sew.  I was wondering if any of you know any good online guides/books that would be helpful in my learning the skill.  Even if I’m not good enough to make something by the con, it will still be a useful skill to have and there’s always next year.

Also any general tips would be appreciated!

[Nekochi]

I'd recommend taking a class. It may be a little intemidating at first being one of the only guys but, hey, think about it. You'll be the only guy among a bunch of women. And you can impress them with your sewing skills. I took a sewing class last summer. It was pretty good. I took it at a place called A Common Thread. I don't know exactly where it is (more like I have a terrible sense of directions) but you could probably find it in a phone book. Then you could call and ask about classes.

I personally think classes are better than most any book or website because 1) these things are hard to diagram and 2) if you need help there won't be someone to answer your questions or figure out how to get your machine unjammed via the internet.

[pinkrandomattack]

i wasent personally able to make heads or tails of written instructions till i have been sewing for about sew years,  but im a verry visual learner i really needed to be shown.

i think if youre naturally spacial and have a good hand alot can be learned from just going at it.  but beyond that maybe take some of the beginer classes at jo-annes  i remember i took a class there when i was like 14 and alot of what i learned in like a day took be a long way.

i dont know how old you are/how much monies or time you have.  but out at pcc they have a really great costuming class which is essentialy a begining sewing class.  margret (the teacher last i checked) has a ton to offer.  and i would recommend auditing it or something if you had the time.

[Vondan]

No need to feel unmanly VonDan sews (in a half @$$ed way) and is any one on the forum more macho than VonDan.

When I was a kid, my mom sewed, she must have sewed a lot because she had a twenty gallon ice chest full of sewing stuff I had never seen her use.  She never taught me anything and was a stupid lady with no imagination so any costumes I had were either found items I modified or I made myself and they were crap.  In fact after I was about 12 if I wanted a button sewed on or a hole in a sock fixed she would tell me I can fix it my own damn self.

A formal class would be a good thing for any one, especially if you are the only guy and you are surrounded by the chicklets who will be glad to help you.  My high school did not have sewing classes and when I was in college I was more into theater stage work than costumes.   I took all the cosplay classes at the last forum but found I knew about %80 of it already and wished they had equipment and supplies to demo the things I did not know that they referenced.

A few years ago a friend of mine who sews brought her sewing machine to my apartment to work away from her dog and later set up in a corner of my shop.   When she was not looking I would use her machine and made a costume to go to an event (Ware the Alpha Aunt was supposed to be but her niece was sick) I thought it was ok

http://s61.photobucket.com/albums/h51/Vondan/Dan/?action=view&current=musketeer_02.jpg

but my friend laughed and said I did not know what a French seam was and then she punched me in the stomache for looking at a girl under 40.

And now I have 11 sewing machines around here

[Runa]

The important thing to keep in mind when you're a beginner is to pick a SIMPLE costume. Don't jump into something that requires lots of fitting, elaborate trimings, tons of seams or fancy expensive fabric. Pick something simple that consists of only a few straight seams and works fine with basic, inexpensive fabric that you can get for very little money.

Look at all the characters you've seen in your favorite anime shows and pick one whose clothing has the simplest lines. If the character is wearing just a t-tunic type outfit, that's easy. If the character has this fitted to the body fancy bodice with hundreds of colors - wait until you've learned more about sewing. There's nothing worse that attempting to tackle a project beyond your ability to frustrate you enough to quit before you've started.

For Japanese style clothing, this could be a happi coat (it's just a bunch of rectangles) or a kimono top. Or, you could just start with sewing accessories for something you've already purchased.

Simplicity has online sewing training: http:// http://www.simplicity.com/index.cfm?page=simplicityClassroom.html, and the American Sewing Guild has a great list of links to all kinds of sewing info: http://www.asg.org/html/links.html. Also The Home Sewing Association http://www.sewing.org has excellent sewing basics.

In addition, don't forget to attend all the cosplay panels at Kumoricon! Andk, if you attend KumoriCon meetings, find some cosplayers and ask them about sewing.  

[Vondan]

Simplicity has online sewing training: http:// http://www.simplicity.com/index.cfm?page=simplicityClassroom.html, and the American Sewing Guild has a great list of links to all kinds of sewing info: http://www.asg.org/html/links.html. Also The Home Sewing Association http://www.sewing.org has excellent sewing basics.

and I have found sewing manuals from simplicity at thrift stores in the craft section of the book area for $1 each.  I got 5 more yestery day from singer

[superjaz]

do you have a machine?

[Runa]

If not, there's still time to hand sew a costume.  :?

Of course, if you personally don't have a machine, your best bet is to get your hands on one in the best way you can.     Naturally, the best choice is to purchase your own. If you can't afford one, then see about recieving one as a birthday present (birthdays are very handy for this!). If you can't arrange the b-day gift factor, then see about borrowing one. This may require you to frequently visit a sewing machine owning friend's house, but if you offer things in exchange for sewing machine use (lawn mowing, dishes washing, dinner cooking, etc), then the friend probably won't mind too much.