We are finally at the last tutorial that is specifically for sewing/the main body of Jinx! This makes me super happy as I love writing and explaining my builds, I just want to move onto my next build! Today, we'll be talking about, well, the belt, shirt, and jacket. These were actually some of the easier parts for me as I've made a million shirts and jackets, and the belt was just made out of foam.
BELT: So, I started off with a long strip of 2mm black craft foam, and being that I didn't have enough length, I had to cut a second piece and attach it with contact cement. Measure your waist, but give it about an inch, so that if you bend over, you don't rip the foam. Once I had the length I needed, I cut out several pieces of about 1"x1.25" foam so that it was smaller than the base and would stick out if I was standing straight. These were also attached with contact cement. This whole build was perfect for playing around with contact cement and getting used to the workings and finding out all the secrets. It's a little messier than hot glue, but you won't burn your fingertips off.
I then took the hardware from an old belt I bought at Goodwill and figured out the placement. Make sure to cut a long hole that the stopper piece can stick through in order to secure your belt. I gave the belt a 2 inch anchor on the back side to give it a finished look, and before the glue fully cured, added the belt loop so that I wouldn't have a belt flying everywhere. I tried on the belt to see where I should put the belt hole and then mod podged over it to seal it all in.
I did the same for the gun belt, but made sure to mirror two pieces, since none of my foam sheets were big enough. I folded to the front at the top of the loop, and would later add in magnets for Zapper. I did add in another strip for a little extra support at so that the pistol wouldn't rip at that seam. Contact cement saved me about 20-30 minutes of work.
(Use the arrows on the picture to see further progress shots!)
SHIRT: So, I'm all about saving time, especially when it comes to my own cosplays. But I also have to be extra. I bought the purple knit off of Amazon, since all the JoAnn's around me didn't have the shade I needed. I wanted to make this a tank top, since we aren't even sure her shirt has sleeves, but wanted to also make sure I wouldn't overheat. I measured my bust and waist, and then from shoulders to right at my pants line. Her shirt does show a little of her stomach, but that wasn't super important to me. I cut out a rectangle basically for her base shirt. And I made sure to cut out divots where my arms were going to go, then cut my neck hole. Originally, I was just going to let this shirt fall how it may, but when I tried it on the first time, I really looked frumpy, so I sewed a little closer in on the sides. I finished the seams as normal, then went to the next step.
What I wanted to try out for this shirt is screen printing! I had seen tutorials and videos on it, and I knew that I would have less of a chance of screwing this up if I had a predefined line telling me where the paint could go. So I took an embroidery hoop that was bigger than the design I needed, and I drew the design for the skull heart out in sharpie on a stretched out mesh (I took an old fine mesh wig cap I couldn't wear), then mod podge over the areas I didn't want paint getting on. This is extremely important to remember to get the outside of the design, since you don't want the shirt to get paint outside of that heart. Honestly, for my first try, I think I did pretty well. Make sure to put a piece of cardboard or something between your shirt layers because you don't want the design to go through to the back or stick the two together. Then you lay down a thick layer of paint at the top of the hoop, and taking a piece of cardboard, swipe it down the design, making sure to swipe down several times to get all the paint on it. I let it sit for about 2 minutes, the gently pulled it off and let it dry.
JACKET: This was my favorite part of the cosplay, sewing-wise. I love the combination of navy and grey, and the fact that I get to put it with my bae makes it all the more better. I patterned this out very basically, but you can use a jacket pattern and modify it how you see fit. I took my measurements, then took the iron to the stripes that needed to be sewn down. I also cut out double of everything to make sure I had a lining. For the hood specifically, I made it big enough to look like a believable hood, but not big enough to use it.
Heck, the jacket is really hard to explain. Anyway, you'll top stitch on most of stripes for the sleeves, leaving enough to top stitch up onto the shoulders. I didn't sew the sleeves together or the sides of the jacket until I made sure the stripes were on correctly, then sewed the sides, added in the cuffs, the collar pieces, and the hood. I then sewed in the lining, making sure to fold under seams so that it could look as pretty as I could possibly make it.
I know this part was really confusing, so please reach out if you need help and I will gladly help you.
Hopefully the photos give you a better idea, but I am always free to answer questions!
Next article for Jinx will be Zapper! I'm super excited, because this actually turned out pretty amazing for my first try for a pistol! I really hope you guys are as excited as I am about showing you the props! If you enjoy what I'm doing, let me know! And you can always buy me a ko-fi! They're only $3 and let me know that I'm doing a pretty good job. :) www.ko-fi.com/seifernoir
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