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Post by Theyrenotdolls (Den Dragonson) on Jan 6, 2005 20:29:26 GMT -5
so i know that people use gabardine and wool. what other fabrics do you all use for your jedi robe? what are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
what about silk or cotton or linen or flannel?
Den
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Post by Ani-Chay Pinn on Jan 6, 2005 22:29:11 GMT -5
I used 4 yards of a blend -- 50% wool/ 50% polyester -- for my robe. It turned out just right. I wanted to be absolutely sure that it could take the terrors of my washing machine and dryer without starting to look like felt, which can happen to wool. It looks and feels quite natural with a rough, slightly scratchy weave. You might consider getting a blend if it has a natural feel to it. They're generallly cheaper, easier to wash and don't wrinkle.
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Post by Nova Darklighter on Jan 6, 2005 23:32:33 GMT -5
Some of the rayon acrylic wools look & feel pretty natural, and are not as bad as 100%poly wool for being to hot & not breathing. I have used a heavywt cotton and like that for being cooler, but have a mid wt wool & a lt wt wool that I'm about to do, 1 creamy & 1 brown. More later, time to go bowling. The trick w/ washing wool is cool water, mild detergent, to let it hang dry or lay it flat to keep from mis-shaping or felting
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Post by TheMadSeamstress on Jan 14, 2005 15:01:02 GMT -5
The absolute BEST stuff is called "Melton Wool." It is 80% wool with 20% acrylic fiber for stabilizing the weave. I've used this for several years now and the robes are totally kick@$$. Wish I could find more! It is pricy, but looks like the stuff in the films with a kind of fuzzy finish. Suiting wool, with a smooth finish like a business suit just doesn't look right. It's also thin and really too light in weight to "hang" well. Most of this stuff comes with pinstripes, too! Ew! Blanket wool like they used in the movies is REALLY THICK. The costumers had special machines to handle it. You may not be able to push it under your sewing machine needle and end up having to hand sew the whole robe. You can use old army blankets if you don't mind being an Army green Jedi. Dying wool to brown or black should be done professionally. Wool and hot water are NOT a good mix--the wool will fall apart! (Or shrink horribly, or go all stiff and scratchy. Trust me--I've made every mistake there is before figuring it all out! Absolutely never, ever use flannel, felt or robe fleece. It looks sooooo cheesy and after the 1st washing it's only good to use as a pet bedding. Down side: Wool is hot, itchy, must be dry-cleaned and stored with moth-proofing which can smell funny. A lower cost, washable alternative can be a good 10 oz cotton twill, the sort of stuff they use to make dress jeans. Best-- [glow=red,2,300]The Mad Seamstress http://www.mystikmerchant.com[/glow]
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Post by Nova Darklighter on Jan 15, 2005 1:03:49 GMT -5
Well, that's a little opinionated, isn't it? I've seen several quite nice robes made of good quality heavy weight flannels and a few of fleece as well, I'd agree with not using felt. As to not washing wool, depends on how you do it. I think a good cut & drape can make a robe look good as well as using a decent fabric. I have a couple, all in different fabrics, none have been called cheese-y yet.
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Mon-Jas Charan
Message Board Member
"Poena Vigoratus. Pullus cavo vix. Palma , est eternus"
Posts: 2,630
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Post by Mon-Jas Charan on Jan 15, 2005 1:23:58 GMT -5
Felt is great for little kids robes, at the age my boys are they grow out of 2 to 3 a year. Felt is cheep and makes a quick robe.
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Post by TheMadSeamstress on Jan 15, 2005 2:54:46 GMT -5
Heh--yeah, I'm opinionated and if anyone accuses me of being a "costume cop" then I cheerfully yell out "guilty, m'lud!" ;D I absolutely do cut slack for those who just want a fun outfit for occasional wear, but for those who are very serious about duplicating the look of the film costumes, then that's my favorite thing. I love seeing a robe done well and worn with pride. I never use the fleece/flannel types as they pill badly after washing, collect lint, pet fur, dry grass, you name it, and curling and bunching can be a problem because of the stretchiness of the material, especially if the tension on one's sewing machine needle is out of kilter. Some sewers can deal with this stuff, but those with little or no experience might find it frustrating stuff to work with. Static cling and shock is also annoying, interfering with what should be a graceful and sweeping drape and hang. I've seen exasperated Jedi trying to separate their fleece & flannel robes from sticking to their legs and rest of the outfit like Velcro. For just a couple more bucks per yard they could have gotten a heavier woven fabric with some cotton content to it and avoided the problem. (Unless they remembered to put StaticGuard in their kit! Not a lot of us do.) I'm gonna be harsh on the cheesy fabrics, but I'm not going to do any slamming on individuals. Promise! My main aim is to help out those who are new to sewing. Many neos just haven't any fabric experience, and I've been at this since the early 70's and learned a lot. (Making every mistake in the book along the way, too, argh.) So if we can assist the up and comers in getting a kickin' outfit together using quality fabrics, then I'd say we all win! Here's one of my past mistakes: I was still in high school and wanted something slinky and sexy for Halloween. I was going for a clingy Morticia Addams look, predating the Goths by a couple of decades! With the dress I had in mind I would knock the socks off the cute guy I had a crush on that year. Well, I found some thick black double knit polyester. (NOT kidding here!) What I really needed was some kind of soft knit, or light silky stuff, but I just didn't know enough to know that. This was the right color, so I got my yardage and started cutting, using a pattern that worked well for me before. The result? Indescribably awful. The dang thing stood up all by itself. It didn't need me wearing it at all. In fact it looked like IT was wearing ME! I'm sure at some point it was plotting to take over the world. It made derisive "woof-woof" noises as I walked, startling dogs and frightening infants. But--I'd invested time and money in the thing, so I wore it to the Halloween party at school. It was gawdawful, but thankfully hardly anyone noticed just how bad it was. Instead, they were all wholly distracted by my black nail polish. It's common now, but back then people were freaking over it. My classmates were lining up to gape at my nails. In this part of the Bible Belt that black polish was considered positively eeeevullll. I musta been "one o them thar deevul people! " The guy I had my big crush on joked about my "undead zombie" fingers. So much for snagging his interest with my sex appeal and creativity. I don't remember what I did with that dress, but I never wore it again. I rather think it made a Count of Monti Cristo-style escape from the bottom of my closet one night, slipped out the window and woof-woofed its way to freedom. I just hope to heaven it didn't meet up with a polyester leisure suit and bred more of its kind.
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Post by Ani-Chay Pinn on Jan 15, 2005 11:30:58 GMT -5
OK, I cannot resist adding in my own Worst Fabric Mistake Ever.
Years ago, when I was so much younger, the lady running the hospitality suite at OryCon wanted to present the author guest of honor, Fritz Leiber, with a character from one of his short stories. She'd picked the albino cropier from "Gonna Roll the Bones". The part naturally fell to me. But I needed a skimpy, unearthly dress because in the story, the cropier was topless, which we weren't going to do for a family-friendly hospitality suite. So, I made a simple, halter-top evening dress out of this slinky, pearly white material that I'd gotten at a garage sale. Everything went fine. Fritz Lieber was very happy with being presented with this sweet, young thing. He was somewhat elderly and didn't move very fast, so it was all harmless fun. But by the middle of the evening, the dress had seriously begun to itch. I couldn't figure out what the problem was; I'd finished all the edges and I didn't have particularly sensitive skin. That was the only time I wore it; I just dumped it in the trash as soon as I got out of it later.
Guess what I'd made the dress out of? Curtains. Y'know what they sometimes use in curtain material? Fiberglass. And a lot of other other synthetic things that aren't meant to be worn. Curtains might work for Scarlett O'Hara, but only in the movies and only in historicals where they haven't invented futuristic fibers yet.
The moral of the story for youngling costumers......never, ever, EVER even cast your eyes toward curtains or uphostery, no matter how close it might be to what you want for a costume. They aren't made to lie anywhere near human skin -- they're meant to hang in windows -- in sunlight -- and fade as little as possible. That's just not natural. The only possible exception might be for dressing your robot, or for stage props .... like if you need curtains!
Personally, I also shun the "Unidentified Fiber Content", $1-a-yard material that I see at Wal-Mart. The only things I've used this for are flags and banners where I need lots of cheap yardage. But I'm a little disturbed by this development --- what is in this stuff? Now, I'll still get things at garage sales, but you can ask the person what it is then. But buying something new that explicitly says it's an unknown? Even if it doesn't have anything bad in it, how do you know what will happen the first time it gets washed, or even if it can be washed?
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Post by TheMadSeamstress on Jan 15, 2005 13:05:04 GMT -5
LOL--lordy, the things we go through when a learning experience overtakes us like an avalanche! One *can* sometimes use upolstery, but always LINE it. It's tough enough to have to fight Sith lords without having to deal with an itchy outfit at the same time! With a little experience one can tell by the texture of the fabric what it is, and there's a chunk of instinct involved. If I like how it feels I'll go with it! Natural fibers are high on my "this is good" list. You were lucky with the fiberglass & handled it well. Most wise to throw it out! In WW2, the "dirty tricks" department for spies would throw in handfuls of powdered glass into the washing machines for large factories. The poor factory workers had this nasty, cutting, itchy stuff in their uniforms, slowing down production. From the Bad Ideas Dept.: I was once in a costume contest with an idiot who, while trying to duplicate some alien skin texture, smeared herself head to toe with green colored peanut butter mixed with oatmeal. The contest ran hours late, the "food" reacted with her skin, going rancid, and began to smell. A lot. As it warmed up, it began to slough off, getting all over the hotel floor, making walking backstage a slippery hazard. She also did NOT endear herself to anyone she brushed up against, spreading her stinky green goo like radiation poisoning. Since it was food coloring, it left permanent stains on some outfits. After that, costume contests put in rules against using food as a medium. I am NOT kidding here! It's right up there with "no sharp weapons, real guns, and flame throwers." (Yes, I've SEEN all of them! There are few things scarier than seeing some kid in a 7-foot tall KISS costume rehearsing his fire-blowing technique on a hotel balcony. Fortunately a con staffer removed him before the fire alarms & sprinkler system went off in the dealers room.) But let's put my fond memory in the "Don't ever DO that" file & thankfully change the subject! One of my buds in the fabric wholesale business gave me a basic test for fiber content. He snipped off a very *tiny* wisp of fabric & burned it with his Bic lighter. If the wisp has black smoke and melts fast, bet on it being all-polyester. (If the texture itself didn't tip you off from the start. Personally I'm not into wearing woven Tupperware. ;D) If it's black smoke, there is artificial fiber in it. If it's white smoke & smells like burning wood or paper, then it's cotton or has a high cotton content. If it melts a bit before going out and smells like burning hair, it's wool. If the fire leaps from your hand and blows out of control sweeping greedily onto bolts of fabric because you were careless enough to stand next to them instead of doing this test over a sink in the restroom--run like heck and yell a lot to warn others. Expect to hear from the fire marshal and cops if the store cameras survive the inferno and happen to have been focused on you at the time.
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Post by Jedimom/Cor-Al Gelkar on Jan 15, 2005 13:49:15 GMT -5
OMG! Someone used food?! Obviously someone did not think too far ahead in planning.
And I love the fabric test! Good idea... but like you said, do it over a sink LOL
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Post by Ani-Chay Pinn on Jan 15, 2005 18:48:42 GMT -5
Well, yeah, I must admit (grudgingly) that you can use uphostery if it's lined, but I really think of it as advanced work and just warn newbies away from the potential trouble. And I also must admit that my Yoda-muppet wears a Curtain from Dagobah for his swamp-wear. I made a nicer robe and pantsuit for him from the prequels.
Was THAT the costume that started the infamous "No Peanut-Butter Costumes" line in Rotsler's Rules of Order? Or was there another person dumb enough to try it? Years ago, I heard the story 3rd hand that it was some guy dressed as "The Turd" from an underground comic book for an LACon masquerade. And it was just as revolting as you say, plus there were some fairly expensive costumes there that REALLY didn't like this entry.
The rule was expanded to "No Peanut-Butter and Jellly" costumes after some group tried raspberry jelly for ailen blood, I think. Then to cover every contingency, the last version I saw was:
===================== 8. Parts of your costume should not be edible or smell. Parts of your costume should not tend to fall off, brush off, or snag on other contestants, or be left lying on the stage. (Also known as the No Peanut Butter and Jelly rule.) Fran Evans Corollary: Thou shall have more than a nodding acquaintance with soap, water and deodorant. =====================
And thanks for the expansion of the match test. I only knew the simple version.
If it melts ---> synthetic. If it turns to ash ---> natural.
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Post by TheMadSeamstress on Jan 15, 2005 20:14:57 GMT -5
Heh-heh-- The green peanut butter & oatmeal "costume" that I *personally* witnessed was inflicted on the public in Houston in 1975 or 6. After that I tried to avoid "foodies" of all types. Why couldn't she have just made some nice cookies with all that goop? I had ample opportunity to see it close up, being one of the contestants. The girl, admiring my outfit, came over for a closer look, and showed off the stuff she had smeared all over her arms--bits of it already melting off. I kept backing away and she kept coming forward. DOH! I had my own concerns--my footwear. I'd crammed my size-8 feet into size-6 boots with 4 inch heels and was in agony. Don't ever do that to yourself, you'll wind up with leg cramps for hours afterwards. The only way I could block the pain was to keep promising myself I'd be able to ace the contest, then hobble off to a side hall and remove the instruments of torture. Remember the Bugs Bunny cartoon where he peels off his steaming combat boots, a look of beatific joy and relief on his face?--that image was in my head. So of COURSE the contest was delayed by two hours while the con com took all the media guests out for large plates of Tex-Mex and triple margaritas. Ow-ow-ow! I've never understood WHY conventions do that, since meals out with the guests always run long. And, oh by the way, the poor con attendees are ALSO freakin hungry! They don't dare chance losing their seat to get a quick snack, since they don't know when the guests will return. Sometime in 1996 in Oklahoma, one guest--a rather minor tech geek who worked on a sci-fi show running at the time--got no sympathy from the fractious crowd. Her "We had to eat" was countered by a "We haven't eaten at all; we've been waiting for you guys to get back!" Poor thing went beet red and hurried off to the judge's table to earn her keep. She knew she'd been out gunned and out-stomach-growled.
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Post by Leda EmBorr on Jan 15, 2005 23:45:44 GMT -5
Green peanut butter... and oatmeal? Kinda like an alein Aveno bath! Heheh... Well I have to say that I have made two wool robes, each of a different type of wool, and both were horribly hot, and the last one had a wonderful drape, but it constantly slid off my shoulders and took my tunic with it! Niether of the wools were too thick, but neither worked for me. I advanced to a nice lightweight cotton flannel and it looks and feels great, and washes and wears nice too. It has a nice texture, very soft... better than the flannel that you see on shirts that does not wash well. You just have to use a dryer sheet/fabric softener (or liquid fabric softener in the wash if you don't use the dryer) to avoid static cling. I also have a fleece robe that I made to wear as a bathrobe at home (my Jedi bathrobe! lol!) and that has held up nicely, although I have not washed it yet. I think you just have to go and touch the fabric... pick it up and hold it on your arm to feel the weight. I just bought some yardage of a wool/cotton blend... very lightweight, so we'll see how that turns out.
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Post by Nova Darklighter on Jan 19, 2005 1:07:06 GMT -5
Well, let's see, what I have used for robes fabric wise. Heavy cotton, very comfortable and if cut properly, it flows very well. Silk Noile, really pre shrink 1st in the wash, but this might be my personal fave, nice texture, comfort and drapes like a dream, buttery soft after washing a better with age, once pre washed and dried, throw in washer & dryer. Wool & silk blend, yummy but pricy, got lucky on a going out of busniess sale once, hope springs eternal in future hunts Wool flannel, nice & lightweight very drapey. Heavy cotton flannel, like Leda said, makes great robe, looks fab. Working on an alternate style in this now. Acylic wool, I've seen some that would take an expert to spot, washable and unlike poly, they breathe ok, and drape well to, cost alot less than wool.
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Post by Theyrenotdolls (Den Dragonson) on Feb 11, 2005 16:21:01 GMT -5
i've been calling all of my local fabric stores looking for wool. (the lady at joann's laughed at me when i asked for wool and said that joann's doesnt sell wool in louisiana...lol...i dont really understand this...but anyway....)
I called hobby lobby and the lady there told me that they had some dark brown wool cashmere for about 4 bucks or so. I am wondering if this would be suitable for a jedi robe. All in all, this didnt sound right to me, because i know that a cashmere scarf costs like 4 million dollars...plus the lady was asking the customers for info...she didnt seem to know herself. any adivce for me?
THanks, TND
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