You have decided to enter the wonderful world of cosplay. You want to make cosplays yourself and you are wondering how to get patterns for your cosplay. What can you do? Actually, you have many possibilities and here I will show you some of them.
I have given many talks and workshops about cosplay in many conventions. One of the things people wonder about is how to make those crazy patterns for your cosplay and where to start. The other question is where to find the fabric to make them but I have already explained that in another post. Here you have a few ideas to get patterns for your cosplay. From the easiest methods to the most difficult
Don’t make patterns
Let’s start with the easiest method. Do you really need a pattern for your cosplay? Or can you get away with something that resembles your cosplay and is close enough. You have some options here.
Buy clothes that already resemble your cosplay. Sometimes you can buy garments that already look like the ones your characters are wearing. Potentially, this option is very cheap but probably you won’t get an exact match. The only problem is that this option is very limited and you can spend a lot of time looking for the perfect thing. It may not work with all your characters and very often you will have to modify the garment.
Pattern over your body or mannequin. This technique is also called moulage. It consists of placing fabric over a body or mannequin and adjust it. You can use pins or loose stitches. However, it can be tricky and potentially you can get it wrong and waste a lot of fabric. Remember that it is easier to make a piece smaller than bigger.
Copy patterns from clothes
Maybe you have the perfect piece for your cosplay but it is just the wrong colour or the wrong material. Consider copying it.
Use the pieces of old clothes. You can disassemble an old shirt or coat and trace the pieces on paper. From there you can make other garments and modify the pattern as much as you want. You will know that it fits beforehand. Unfortunately, you won’t always have the right garments and you will have to destroy your original piece of clothing if you use this method.
Copy your clothes on trace paper. This can be done using pins to trace your patterns over a paper, you just need to follow the marks you made. Again, you may not have the right garment and you will need to modify your patterns. It can be tricky and it is easy to get it wrong but you get to keep your original garment.
Buy premade patterns
Yes, there is actually companies out there that sell patterns. Lots of them, you just need to go to the right place to find them.
Get patterns from magazines. There are lots of magazines like Burda Style, Simply Sewing or Patrones in Spain that specialise on patterns. They come with several patterns and instructions on how to make them. Unfortunately, they may not have the pattern you are looking for and you may still need to modify it. Plus, multipattern sheets are tricky, those lines are a mess!
Buy professional patterns. There are some companies like McCall or Simplicity that have specific patterns for sale. Their rang is huge. Unfortunately, they are usually expensive and sometimes they can be a bit difficult to understand. Also, you will need to go to specialised shops to get them or buy them online, which takes time.
Download indie patterns. Some people will upload patterns to their pages, if you are lucky you may even get some free ones. Etsy is a good place to get a few resources at reasonable prices. Actually, I do make cosplay patterns that I upload to my Etsy store. The advantage is that very often you will get to download the patterns instantly. You can modify them easily as you will always have the original file. Also, you are helping a fellow crafter as opposed to a big company.
Draft your own patterns
As they say, if you want something done right, do it yourself. For those who want perfection. This may be the best option.
Join fashion school. Actually, some places will have beginner lessons, you don’t need to study a career. They will give you patterns and teach you how to make them from scratch. Also, your teacher can solve any doubts and correct your mistakes. It is the fastest way to learn but it can be expensive.
Teach yourself. You can actually learn how to draft patterns from scratch following tutorials. I wrote an entry on how to make a female base pattern as well as other sewing tutorials but you can use magazines and books to help you. It may take a bit of time and lots of practice but all the information is out there. The sky is the limit.
There are many ways to get patterns for your cosplay. It doesn’t matter how you get these patterns. I have used every method above and they all worked for different projects. When I first started in cosplay, I used old t-shirts and rags. For a long time I used the pieces of an old jacket as a pattern to make my clothes. I have bought patterns, books and magazines and now I make my own designs. It takes time to make it look perfect but you will get there. Just keep trying.
Which pattern would you like to make? What is the craziest project you have ever seen and wondered how it was done? Let me know in the comments!
