Materials - is totally confused.

By musasgal. 19/06/13, 01:54 pm

Hey guys.

I'm planning to do a Rich Egyptian Girl Cosplay for one of the Armageddon Expo (hoping for this year - don't care if I'm fat or not, I'm pretty sure that there was some fat Ancient Egyptians too back in the day)....but sadly I'm on a budget so I can't go to Spotlight or other Material stores to get the more expensive cloths for making it possible.

Is it even possible to use bedsheets and net curtains from The Warehouse to make the main outfit of the Cosplay? If not, what are the best way to get materials on a budget?

I want to get this started asap so I be able to aim for the goal.

Thanks SO much.

By Pura. 19/06/13, 03:04 pm

Of course you can use sheets! It's been done by heaps of people Razz

. Especially Egyptian stuff because it's so flowly and all that that sheets would work quite well, imo xD (obviously you'd need to give it shape too, but sheets would have enough fabric to make that kind of thing).

Sheets are pretty much just fabric anyway Razz

By musasgal. 19/06/13, 03:55 pm

sweet! I was kinda worried if it was on the "not to use list"

Probably have the neck thing too done with the sheets too - since i don't have the skill to make one by hand....

Thanks heaps :grin:

By Rolly. 20/06/13, 09:23 am

Don't forget you can visit your local Opshop and places like Salvation Army/Hospice/Red Cross stores to hunt for 2nd hand bedsheets and maybe even some odd pieces of fabric/curtains to maim for the SCIENCE!!! I mean, cosplay!!.

I think it would be a good idea to visit fabric shops just to get an idea of what sorts of fabrics are available, as it helps in general understanding. :) Plus you can have a look on the clearance table for cheap fabric that might work, and the remnants bin.
Good luck!

By musasgal. 20/06/13, 03:32 pm

I never thought of the Family Store!!! And it's about a 15min walk to the nearest one! Thanks for that suggestion!!

By Highlander. 21/06/13, 07:18 am

If you want to make this an historical Egyptian costume, (as opposed to someone with a sheet wrapped around them like a frat party), then do some research. I assume you probably were anyway. Try your local library, they probably have some historical costume picture/history books. But don't rely on these or the first site you find on the Internet. Stay away from sites that say I was going to a party so I whipped this up, here's how I did it. There are millions of historical reenactors, and millions of historians, and sites that have one or both of these contributing to them. And this will also give you many thousands of years of costume to choose from, from different social statuses. And knowledge of how to make zip-less skirts/dresses or whatever. (We forget they had no zips, or pockets, or ...). And the accessories that go with them. I can point you to some of these if you have trouble finding resources. (I have even made a nag hammi, which is a 4th century Egyptian book. Only took an hour and a half.)

As for the Material, it is well outside my area of expertise. But it is probably Linen, (or something like it). Try second hand Linen (old tablecloths or rarely bedsheets?), or end of roll/end of season specials in the fabric stores. If that fails then choose cotton (in one of it's many forms. eg. broadcloth, poplin, homespun, drill, etc.). Spotlight and Lincraft, and other fabric stores often have specials or even reasonable normal prices on some materials. Spotlight has $7 a meter broadcloth. It's probably lighter than what you really want. And it's cotton. But it's closeish. Drill is often $10-15/m. And on special even cheaper. It's heavy, it's cotton, and looks drillish. But it's closeish, especially from a few feet. Spotlight had a Linen/Cotton blend. If your local store has any left it would be worth checking. Poplin can be cheap. But check it's not a horrible blend. If you have a costume that can be done with not much more than 1m of 150cm wide material than at those prices you may have money left over to buy thread, drawstrings for the pouches and gold clay for to make jewellery to go with it, or something else. Remember that it can be worth it to buy 150cm wide material for slightly more $ than 112cm wide material, as you can get away with buying less meters. You may or may not want to include a woollen material, such as a clock. And wool will be more costly. But then an old blanket may do the trick.

Do not choose something with artificial fibres, like polyester, viscose, etc. You may sometimes get away with blends, but sometimes you can tell a little bit, even at as little as 5% artificial fibre. But for your budget and purpose you may not see a problem with higher 10, 15%? Just look what it looks like, and how it hangs. You may even apply like a rule, like a three foot rule. If it looks fine from three feet it will be O.K. for photos hopefully? I would personally not choose something with 30% artificial fibre, but you need to judge that for yourself. (I have done for quick items I didn't care about much at the time. Which I am going to redo later.) Other people often don't notice small differences, but they will notice someone in shiny 100% polyester.

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