ACParadise Forums

Hi, I am new to cosplaying and have been doing a whole bunch of research on cosplay.com and AC paradise (Not to mention google) But I just cant seem to find pattern tutorials out there. My problem is addressing curves like the hips and breasts. Do you have any suggestions? Also, how do I draft loose fitting clothing? Sometimes I wish I could just make a tube and slip in it Q.Q

The methods I have tried so far is painters tape and plastic wrap (for form fitting clothing)

Pattern drafting is an art form all of it's own and while not difficult to learn is very involved. So involved in fact that people get paid lots of money in the fashion industry to be a Pattern Drafter. My roommate and I run a small company that pattern drafts for small clothing companies and for individual projects as well as just pattern drafting for ourselves for cosplay.

One of the most invaluable tools I have is a book called Pattern Making for Fashion Design. It's a bit of steep buy because it is in fact, a textbook but, it is very good and covers a lot of the basics and then some. Most importantly it's not a book that is about making specific articles of clothing but, teaching you how to make your own set of blocks (which are the card stock version of your most bodice, skirt, pants, and sleeves that are exactly to your measurements and body proportions) and manipulating them to create WHATEVER you want...really. Since it is a text book it's goal is to make you understand why things works the way they do so that you can apply the principles of pattern making to create shapes of clothing that they never even taught you.

If you have a very specific question on how to do something I would be happy to attempt to explain it to you but, the current questions you pose are extremely broad and the answer depending on the type of fabric you are using and are specific to whether it's a knit or woven and could still take me ages to type out.

What you might be able to do is look for some other fantasy/Disney princess dress patterns. I know they're out there (I've seen them in thrift stores, lol).

If the pattern you buy looks similar enough, a few tweaks might be enough to make it look the same. If you're scared about it not fitting right, you can buy some really cheap fabric to practice sewing with, and test out your pattern on that, and then after you've altered it to fit, use it as a basis for your final dress.