Sewing help, anyone...?

Question

Alright, I'm a huge anime fan, and I've been going to Otakon (an anime convention) for the last three years now, and I've finally decided to cosplay (dress up as an anime character), but I want to make the costume myself, because one, costumes are really expensive, and two, I think I'd like cosplaying a lot more if I did it myself, instead of cheating and buying some cheap one online for fifty dollars over what it's worth.

I have needles, thread, and fabric to practice on by hand (starting out small; I'm making a pillow case xD), and even a sewing machine, but here's the tricky part: I have no idea how to sew. My mother has no patience or time to guide me through it, but at the same time, I've got a whole year to come up with what I'm going to dress up as, and how to make it, so all I'm really asking for is maybe a technique, video, book, advice, etc. on how to go about this. Money isn't really a problem, for the most part.

And if you're wondering, these are my potential cosplay characters;

Naruto Uzumaki;

Young version; http://www.austinchronicle.com/binary/11f3/screens_feature-39426.jpeg

Older version;

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8e/NarutoUzumaki_Shippuden.jpg

Sasuke Uchiha;

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc218/solana500/Anime/sasuke.jpg

Itachi Uchiha;

http://inose.unblog.fr/files/2007/03/itachi.jpg

L;

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb261/Gaheri/Death%20Note/leatscake.jpg

---

L is, by far, the easiest, but I'd rather put effort into my cosplay, rather than jump into a pair of baggy jeans and a long sleeved shirt.

Answer 1

You might be interested in learning how to sew the traditional Japanese way, by hand first!  Look into using a kit I use to get my students an introduction into sewing.  It teaches twelve functional stitches, and you end up doing a small quilt using the sashiko technique.  After you've mastered the needle and thread, move on to using the machine.  No matter how you face it, at some point in time, hand-sewing will come up.  Besides, working with your hands initially will improve your hand-eye coordination and enable you to construct clothing better.    

Answer 2

Even the simplest costume is going to be a challenge if you have never sewn anything before.  But you are starting right at the beginning, and there's lots of help about.

There are several accessory type things in those pix that you can make by hand while you practice with the sewing machine and get the skills needed to make the major parts of the outfits.

There are a number of sites that will help you with the basic sewing skills, but mostly what you need is to learn how to use that sewing machine, how to read patterns, and what to do to alter a basic pattern to give you the details you need to turn a general clothing pattern into a pattern for the costume of your choice.

You could start by looking in The Learning Zone on my web site, and explore the pages on reading patterns, sewing basic seams, sewing equipment...  Have fun exploring!  :)  http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk/K...

These patterns from Kwick Sew might help you, as they are teaching patterns, with extra detailed instructions: http://www.kwiksew.com/Catalog/cat_thumb...

Don't worry about them being 'Misses' patterns: the ones for PJ trousers and shorts are unisex and will do nicely for the bottom halves of some of those costumes.  Tops might be a bit more intricate, but there are lots of patterns about that can be adapted.

A good general sewing manual will probably help you a great deal.  I like Sewing for Dummies (horrid title, but the book itself is good), the Readers Digest Complete Book of Sewing, and this one looks like fun: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/08968...

You might also like to look round for a sewing class.  Many sewing shops and adult studies centers can offer excellent classes for beginners.

Answer 3

Alot of these costumes look very easy to make.  For instance, the first two, you can get a track suit and some orange felt or fabric(felt is easier to work with as it doesn't fray). Cut the orange felt in where needed and either run a straight stitch or hot glue the pieces to the track suit. The third costume can be made from gray shorts. The top can be a cowl necked shirt with the sleeves cut down.  The cape can be purchased at a Halloween shop and you just have to put the designs on it.  Again, this can be done with felt or fabric. And the last costume is pretty obvious as you stated. Hand stitching can be tedious and time consuming.  Can you borrow a sewing machine?  It's really not too hard running a straight stitch.  Try going to thrift stores to find some of these pieces.