The short story is that I finished the Ranma outfit just a few days before the con. It wasn't perfect, I need to go back and redo part of the top but it was passable enough. I ran out of time to document the rest of it. Perhaps, when I go back to fix the top, I'll get that up here since I won't bust it out for a con until April 2026 for my local con. Essentially, trying to mash together the closure for the dress as a shirt failed since it assumed a neat zipper closure on the side. It was not neat and I will go back and remove it from the side and I will go ahead and do ties instead. I don't have an issue putting the top on, but it gets really weird pulling it off.
For the pants, I took a pattern I used for a totally different cosplay as a detective and made them capri-ish. By that point, I'd run out of white scrap fabric to line them. I rushed out to Ikea, bought a white flat sheet and sacrificed it to the cosplay gods. I would have preferred to have found a second hand sheet but I had less than a week to finish it up around this point. I flatlined the print with the sheet fabric together and quickly made the pants. Since I'd done the pattern before everything was easy.
I also didn't take many pics of it either since I was too busy enjoying the con.
But here it is in one of the few photos of the complete outfit. This was one of the most comfortable cosplays I've ever made. Plus - pockets were essential with the pants!
I was going to originally wear the shoes without socks but the convention center was FREEZING and I was not going to have cold feet. I should have worn my green shoes for Maomao again since they are fleece lined and really warm and comfy.
I've got a busy fall schedule - I likely won't get around to fixing the top until November.
Sooooo, I decided to take it easy in the first half of 2025; I repeated old cosplays at my local con busting out Mao Mao for the Saturday and damn, that wig is holding up nicely.
I did purchase my wig far in advance as well as a wig head to style it at the advice of my normal hair stylist who does drag. My intention was to do that first, but I still need to get a steamer before if do that. Thankfully, Ranma doesn't have a complicated hairstyle and I may work on it going forward.
The previous two patterns in my original post I ended up skipping over and instead went with this one here from Folklore Patterns.
I settled on this one since it seemed to have very detailed instructions, had been written with western sizing and has a lot of vintage reproduction patterns. It also has instructions for if you choose to have a bias binding edge or a hidden seam. I by no means am a giant person of European descent, but I find with some East Asian clothing, they fit be odd in a few places when it comes to tops; I'm glad I picked a pattern that sorted that out for me and I didn't have to mock up the armpit area.
The first thing I did was go to my local fabric store and hit up the sale quilt fabric for something with a repeating pattern so see how it would work out. I traced the original pattern pieces with tissue paper as usual and made a rough estimate where to have the hem land around my hips with wiggle room.
In an afternoon I was able to bang out this mock up to check the fit as well as the length. Overall, it was pretty straightforward though I noted I'd need to make the collar a bit taller since with the XS pattern it was very small for me. As opposed to using the Hanfu book I'd previously patterned from, the armpits were 100% fine for fitting non-Asian arms a relief for sure.
Feeling like I was making good progress, I sat down and decided on the yellow flower outfit and drew my own version of the flower pattern, keeping in mind that the flowers were fairly large in the original artwork.
The fabric design was uploaded to Spoonflower and then sent to print 3 yards. I anticipated that it would be delivered when I returned from vacation and I could move forward on the project. Unfortunately, UPS sent my package to Kansas City where it was then listed as out for delivery every day by 7pm updating to the next day. I do not live remotely near KC and it became clear my fabric was apparently in search of KC BBQ and wasn't going to make it to me. I contacted Spoonflower and they reprinted the fabric for me and it finally arrived. With the clock now ticking, I washed the fabric and ironed it ASAP.
I cut out all the top pattern pieces and modified the collar to be taller as well. The front piece also has a nice inside bit that is a front lining as well, indicating that this pattern a good one.
I also went ahead and lined this fabric with some white cotton I had in my stash. The printed fabric is lovely but I went with a lightweight fabric and wasn't sure how thin/sheer it would be. It turned out to be pretty thin so I was glad I'd thought ahead to cover this part of things and also give it a little more structure as well. There are some darts in the pattern so I had to remember to sew the lining to the front panel piece with the darts facing each other.
Here are more progress pictures as I began to prep the various pieces of the top. A dart on the front panel. The collar with interfacing, and the black bias along the edges.
Here is a closeup on the end of the sleeve. I went ahead and put the black bias tape on before I will side the armpit together.
With the cotton lining this is how the main part of the top looks so far.
The trickiest part is going to be putting the collar on. I find that to be the most tedious as you have to very slowly sew the collar right sides together with the inside still not sewn open. After attaching it, I can then go in and whip stitch it down but I do not like hand sewing - it is not something I find enjoyable.
The only part which will be a little tricky is adding the zipper in on the left side. You completely sew up the right side and even half of the front panel the the center of the shoulder/chest piece. I will do an invisible zipper, but I need to check if I have the right size for this and I likely won't have time to figure out the frog clips and instead stick with the basic snaps that are a part of the pattern.
For the pants, I'll be pulling out an older pants pattern that I used for a regular cosplay that called for pants and making sure that they are shorter for the capri length of the ones that Ranma wears. Overall, pants aren't as intimidating as they once were for me so I'll see how it goes in the next few weeks here.
Ready for some anything goes martial arts cosplay? Yeah, I'm gonna do a Ranma 1/2 project.
Not getting too nostalgic but it is time to do a cosplay from the first manga I ever bought with my money. That's right, I randomly picked up a copy of Ranma 1/2 at the bookstore, paying that $15.95 (corrected for inflation, $28.97) for the original first edition left-to-right formatted copies. A whole new generation of anime fans are being introduced to the Rumiko Takahashi manga now with the remake by Studio Mappa. Just like another 90s cosplay I did in 2023 I too can have some fun with this one as well.
I could be very basic and go for the classic Ranma outfit. The red top with black pants and call it a day. But why would I make my life easy? This is a cosplay project it has to have to be a challenge to sew! The manga has such a diverse amount of outfits that are featured in it as well!
I'm currently between two different outfits from the manga:
Color artwork from the third edition cover with Ranma in yellow with a red floral pattern. OR
The Cat Cafe outfit he wore when he was working as a waitress.
Which is so stinking cute with the light yellow apron and the ruffle headband!
Interestingly, there is anime artwork with this with a different pattern here:
A quick breakdown for both of these outfits.
1.) Top - yellow short sleeve, red three-quarter length sleeve but same bias binding.
2.) Pants - length is the same, just past the knee.
3.) Apron - very much typical maid style with ruffles and fitted around the waist and chest with an A-line flare out
4.) Headband with ruffle
Fabric - Since the outfits have drawn in details, there is no way I'm going to find a fabric that will match these, let alone be a close dupe. I am leaning towards drawing out the pattern and then printing it via Spoonflower so I can get my preferred fabric and match the pattern exactly.
Thankfully both sets of clothing have the black bias tape binding.
Pattern -
This time, instead of drafting the pattern myself, I think I will try an established pattern for the top and the pants are gonna be very simple with a tie waist.
I will go ahead and modify one of these two patterns to make the top so it falls around my hips.
A Shampoo inspired pattern from Cut/Sew
B-baka! This traditional pattern is inspired by Chinese dresses popular in the early 20th century, and never out of style in anime. It feat
Or this one from Porcupine Patterns
Free Ladies Qipao / Cheongsam pattern. This was the free Qipao pattern originally made available on my blog. For instructions as well as adj
I can already tell that the Cut/Sew pattern has some modifications/shortcuts with a zipper on the back instead of on the side seam under the armpit. It additionally puts the darts in for the bust horizontally while the Porcupine Patterns has vertical darts. However, I have worked with a Cut/Sew pattern previously and they give a very liberal range of sizes and maybe I don't always feel like tweaking it the way the other one will require. I can already see myself smooshing the patterns together since I'd prefer to use the vertical darts to make the shape.
This will definitely require a mock up to make sure I get the fit of the top correct before dropping serious cash on the Spoonflower fabric. I'm leaning towards the Organic Cotton or Organic Cotton Sateen since it will have a slight sheen. I do want it to be breathable and not a sweaty mess. Even though they have a Satin, it is poly so that is a hard no.
I think the first step will be getting a pattern or two and moving onto that mock up stage!
I wore my Mao Mao cosplay this past weekend. All in all, I'd like to report it went alright. The wig stayed in place due to using the drag queen hack of spraying Gorilla Glue on the back bun at the advice of my hair stylist. It worked well. I kept the bangs glue free so that they'd hang normally.
I still can't figure out how to make the under shirt not get sucked under the collar of the top layer. Maybe I need a fabric with a little more give? Or make the aoqun have a less stiff collar? Or a combination of both?
It turned out decently! Though I'm tempted to give it another go at making the top in linen instead. . . .
I had procrastinated on making an undershirt for my Mao mao outfit. Finally got around to knocking this out in an afternoon. I'd say this took me about four hours with some grocery shopping in between.
In the anime, she does not have a long sleeve shirt underneath her aoqun so my goal was to make something long enough to cover my armpits. I am a sweaty person. I went back to my old pattern from my WKX cosplay, and cut it much shorter.
This is scrap fabric which I had left over from making my WKX outfit and I was getting down to some odd shapes. I had to cut it out as two back panels and front panels.
To keep it crisp, I pressed all the seams and the top stitched it down for more security. For the sleeves, I just made them long enough cover my shoulder and armpits. The neck placket was reinforced with fuseable interfacing.
I'm not going to bother with adding in ties since it is not going to be seen and also tucked into the high waisted circle skirt.
This isn't the best shot but I'll need to fuss around with it a bit more. I also wonder if since I'm using cotton which is sort of stiff, it keeps getting stuck in a weird angle. I still have no idea how all those cdramas have perfect layers but it will do the job of keeping my skin from touching the fabric which is the point.
I may got back and add one more tie on the side to keep it a bit neater. But she's ready to go with 2 weeks to spare before my local con.
After getting the main panels of the garment together, I went to my local fabric store to get some different pieces for the collar and cuffs. I bought 1/3 of a yard of each, even if I didn't need that much but asking the staff to cut anything smaller is silly. Plus, I never quite know what the size of the bolt will be selvage to selvage.
I washed all the fabric and ironed it out. I started with the cuffs, the circumference of the cuffs was 12" so I made a rectangle that was 13" long, folded and pressed the edges, sewed it down to remove all the raw edges. Right sides to right sides, I sewed the length of the cuff to the actual sleeve cuff, pressed it down and then tucked the rough edges after the seam into the sleeve. I removed the flat part of my machine to have the free arm and then top stitched all the way around to attach the inside of the cuff to the inside of the sleeve.
For the collar/placket I started with the long dark green strip. It was to be 52" long so added extra on each end, pressed down all the edges, sewed them down securely and then did the exact same thing as with the cuffs. Do right side to right side on the garment for the outside seam, fold over add in interfacing if you want, press and then sew down underneath. For the lighter strip, I made a tube sewn right sides together, used a safety pin to pull it out, pressed with my iron and then sewed it on top. I debated sewing both before attaching them but I wanted the ratio to look decent.
If you want to see what I did, look back at my WKX posts where I do the collars for each layer.
This time, I put a lot of effort into figuring out where exactly to put the ties, I'd estimated I futzed around with the ties for about 2 hours, sewing them in, using the seam ripper, putting the ties back in etc.
Here are a few more pictures of what the aoqun looks like in more natural light.
Here is it laid out.
All that I need to do is hem the skirt and I will pretty much be done. I'm still debating it I want to make a tank top for the white undershirt. We know that Maomao doesn't have another long sleeve shirt under her aoqun and I also need to have some white fabric for her arm.
Next up, I need to pattern her aoqun top. I always like to do a quick sketch to get an idea of all the pieces that I'll need. The main body of the garment only consists of two pieces that criss-cross in the front to tie on the sides and a center seam in the back.
There is the neck placket that makes the contrasting collar, sleeves with slight puff between the elbows and wrist and then the yellow-green cuffs.
I've already patterned something similar to this - so I'm taking my previous 3rd layer which will be more loose fitting and making it shorter and giving it a touch more flare out than close fitting to be snug with the waist.
I added 7 inches to the main pattern piece and did a mock up. Here is the result.
It is pretty close but I decided to take a bit of the flare out of the sides and added another inch to it.
Here is the modified pattern piece.
I then laid out the pattern pieces, marked them, cut the fabric out and then zigzag stitched all around the edges to prevent fraying. This time I used light green and light blue thread so it won't show up when I press the fabric this time.
I went ahead and sewed the sleeve onto the shoulder and then pressed it open here. I am much happier with the thread color for the zigzag stitching as well.
After sewing both sleeves onto the half of the bodice the next step is to sew the side seams. Before that, this is what one of the sides looks like with the sleeve on before I pinned it along the sleeve and side seams.
After sewing both sleeves onto the half of the bodice the next step is to sew the side seams. You start at the sleeve cuff and work your way along the bottom of the sleeve, to the armpit and then back down around the side. To get around the armpit, increase your stitch length to handle the curve.
I was able to get the left side sewn as shown here. I pinned the right so tomorrow I can sew up that side as well. I then pressed the sleeve and armpit area with my iron. I also used the corner-pokey thing. I totally forget that it is called but it is the point on what looks like a knife that you use to press open a seam.
I am going to have to make a trip to the fabric store soon to find material for the cuffs and the two-toned neck placket. Whoo. But really, the fabric store is 1 minute from work. I'll keep you posted on the progress but really trying to avoid con crunching myself here.
Since I have decided to torture myself and do a cosplay in just over a month, I figured I would start with the easier part - the skirt.
In my intro post, I mentioned that her skirt isn't Ming accurate being vaguely mamian-like but not really. For this I played with two main ideas, using one of my other skirt patterns that has pleats and would be mamian-like or go for the circle skirt.
The fabric I selected was around 2 1/3 yards - less than I'd like but it was the entire remaining bolt and the color was perfect - don't trust my indoor lighting here. With the limited amount of fabric I had to do a little tetris to decide what pattern pieces to use. I washed and dried the fabric before ironing it.
My first and preferred pattern was this one:
Simplicity #2710 - 1949
I have already made this skirt, it has thick pleats and falls nicely. I figured it might be a good selection and I'd get that extra Ming style with lazy pleating.
Circle skirt
Less complicated since all I had to do was determine my waist, put it as the circumference and make a 1/4 circle pattern with my pre-marked cutting board. The bolt was 46" from selvage to selvage meaning if I kept one strip I had more than enough for a waistband. I am currently assuming a 4" wide waistband and went with 42" for the skirt length.
Unfortunately for my original plan, the vintage Simplicity pattern was too wide with the pleating. I'd need 3 1/2 yards of fabric and my current pattern pieces were set for a length of around 36" as well to the hem.
Circle it is!
Made my pattern pieces, two so that I could see how to fit them. The fabric has a decent thickness and I didn't want to fold it over and cut, opting to instead chalk out each piece individually on the fabric.
And yes, that is wrapping paper as usual with the square grids on the backside. I love this type of wrapping paper so handy! I cut out my fabric and took it to the sewing machine.
Next, I went ahead and did a zigzag stitch along all the edges except for the selvage. This fabric was showing how it would fray immediately. I washed it in the machine and this is what the edges looked like after drying.
Somehow, I messed up on the waist portion of the skirt panels and I had to take them down by 2". Not sure how I messed that up since I had the radius calculated. I tested this by holding them up to my body and realizing it was off.
Recall, that I have a very limited amount of this fabric, fearing something odd, I went ahead and sewed the front pieces together selvage to selvage and then the back ones. When I held them up to my waist they were still slightly off. I put in the right side seam and made sure all my seams were pressed. Something about my top of the panel pattern is off by a smidge and I need to put in about 3" of a spacer. I decided to put it down for the day and I'll figure out how to put that piece in, since the hips are okay?
It will also allow for me to decide if I want to be lazy and put in a side zipper. I'll go back and put a pocket in the right seam for sure.
The next day -
I went ahead and made a triangle to wedge into the gap area before putting in the zipper. I held the skirt up to my waist and measured it with my measuring tape. I zigzag stitched it and put it in the spot.
I also pressed the seam well. Then I decided to put in an invisible zipper in the spot for a side zip. I had to unpick the seam a bit to fit the zipper in further and get it up around my hips. Whoops.
Due to adding in the wedge the zipper is at a bit of an angle as shown here. I estimated the zipper coming up higher on the waistband so, I but in a hook and eye on the top to pull it together.
It turned out fine, I'm so limited by the fabric I have to work with. I still have enough to put in pockets on the right side. However, with the skirt cranked out in less than 24 hours, I have it now hanging to even out the hem. It hangs the right way so I'll take it.
Always remember to let your garment hang before hemming. I'm likely going to put some bias tape on the bottom, since this fabric is very prone to fray and then fold that up as opposed to a double folded hem. It is in place and will hang out in the closet for a day or two!
That's all for now!
I'll start working on the aoqun this week as a modified pattern from my previous ones.
So yeah, SQQ sewing project - um got relegated to the back burner last year for reasons. And will likely never happen unless I really feel like challenging myself more . . .
But I already have the fabric on hand and I was feeling like I'd be stuck not using it until I saw her.
That's right! I have a con in just over a month and I'm gonna do Mao Mao from the Apothecary Diaries. I love me a pragmatic plant nerd.
I'll use my green fabric I already bought for the SQQ project, I found burgundy cotton/linen mix at my local fabric store getting the last of the bolt, and figure out the few accent pieces.
I'll try to post my process as I draft the pattern pieces and then sew it together! This will be much easier than my previous one since she wears what appears to be a simple wrap circle skirt.
Even though the series is set in a pseudo-Ming dynasty setting (it has to be after 1492 since chocolate is a luxury good), she is not wearing a Ming style outfit completely.
We can break down her outfit to:
Aoqun - green top layer which falls around her hips. Narrow sleeves and a simple style. The neck placket has a dark green strip that goes to the end while a spring green strip on top for part of it.
The white underlayer is a mystery - we can see the collar but nothing else. The design is pretty simple and we never see a white sleeve underneath, the light green are cuffs on the sleeve of the aoqun.
Circle/wrap skirt - burgundy skirt that is either a circle or wrap skirt. Not the historically accurate mamian skirt (with all the pleats). This could be due to the fact that animating it might be more annoying or to keep the Ming time period vague.
She also does not wear anything under the skirt in the anime or nothing that doesn't move as a part of the skirt, so I'm gonna skip trying to put something under the skirt.
Things to do:
1.) Draft aoqun pattern. I will use one of my old patterns from WKX but cut off the long skirt part.
2.) Draft skirt pattern. I am going to be a bit lazy on this one and either will do a full circle skirt or pull out a regular skirt pattern (4 panel) and use that.
3.) Determine placket pattern. Just rectangles, but what is the right size of rectangles on rectangles?
4.) Figure out white underlayer? Make a full top like my last one with short sleeves to hide under the aoqun?
Yes, I indeed am alive and I kicked this sewing project waaay down the line. I moved, then it took 2 months for my stuff to arrive, in between that I broke my wrist and I had tons of physical therapy which went on well into November of 2022.
But now, I have a con approaching and it is time to get my Shen Qingqiu sewing project started. Before I could even do much of anything, I needed to pull out my fabric which I finally organized into one tupperware bin and iron everything - again.
I hate ironing 4 yards of silk fabric - not fun at all. I have 3 yards of cream bamboo fiber for the zhong yi underlayer which needs a new sleeve pattern drafted for it. I will likely start with the main piece since I already drafted that for my WKX one, using the red layer for sizing. I might reduce the sleeves a bit so the top layer can use the wide pattern I already have.
Right now this is all I’ve gotten done. I pulled out the teal silk which got a good sniff inspection and ironed all of it on both sides. I tried to refold it not along any of the creases that still remained after the ironing.
My assistant always has to check things out.
I also got all of the cream bamboo jersey done as well.
This one also looks like I won’t need to overlock the raw edge of the fabric as it rolls up on itself making it hard to tell the selvedge edge from the cut end. Nice! May you be a friendly fabric to work with.
My next update will likely be cutting out the silk and getting the main piece sewn together with any notes, tips, or tricks.
Sorry, I don’t have any more information, but I’ll start to get going on this. I need to balance it with another cosplay which has no sewing involved as all the clothing is normal, but that I need to make some rather large props which will be interesting. Never thought it would be difficult to replicate a mini-church with a cardboard box, but here I am.
I've been wanting to make a one for so long. Then I saw this fabric in an outlet that sells faulty fabrics discarded from factories, where you can find some unusual stuff that you can't find in regular shops.
This fabric is supposed to have this print all over, but got only printed at the bottom. If you squint you can see faded print marks on the middle section too. The moment I saw this I immediately thought of a mamianqun because a lot of mamianqun come with bottom print 😍.
However do not copy me in this, because I only thought of the pattern and not the fact that the fabric is too bulky and heavy especially for dress with humongous volume. It does not make for for the nicest, crispiest pleats as you can see in the pictures below. Also this is gonna be such a pain to wash and dry.
But I will give myself a pat on the back because this is my first attempt, and for someone who has never taken a formal sewing class nor is able to properly follow any instructional guide because I'm scatterbrained like that, I think I did a pretty swell job! ☺
Even though it took me a whole damn day and numerous frustrating unpicking and redoing over and over again, lol.
Though I am not able to provide you a guide (because like I said, I myself am incapable of following any), I used the following four sources to get an idea about what I am trying to do to begin with. I studied these four, then attempted it myself and figured it out gradually as I went, through trial and error.
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1. This helped me understand the overall geometry of the garment.
Hanfu making series topic 2: this section includes Aoqun (袄裙): Duan Ao (短袄), Da Ao (大袄), Mamian Qun (马面裙).
2. This gave me clear visual aid about what the end product should look like.
Hello!
I just wanted to highlight the differences between a maminaqun and baidiequn because they can look similar at first glance. Both appe
3. This doll-size mamianqun video was simple and gave a very good and non-complex demo of the process.
4. This helped me with understanding how to attach the waistband.
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The modifications I added myself are:
Making the waistband a button-up. As the skirt was already so heavy, I thought a long strip of a tie would make it even more difficult to handle. But at the same time it is not easy to secure something like this so it wouldn't accidentally fall apart. So I used two sturdy buttons from the front, and another button in the back, from inside (you can't see it)
Adding pockets! In the 3rd source I posted above, at the 0:41 mark you see that there's this one huge pleat that gets folded inwards, right?
And I thought, two simple vertical and horizontal stitches from inside can turn them to pockets, so why not!
The final product! Yayyy!
(Don't look at the imperfections, they are shy ok!)
Can you please post on how to make a girl child high-waist hanfu
Hello there,
As usual, I'm super slow on replies b/c I just can't not do too many things at once and work is super busy at the moment.
Unfortunately, the purpose of this blog was more of a way for me to share my personal experience with sewing hanfu style/cdrama based cosplay for those looking for English language resources that are 'close enough for government work'. I do not draft patterns for other people and I definitely do not know much about patterning for children's clothing (other than that I would downsize things from the Hanfu Patterning Book). You'd likely be better off looking for pattern drafting guides specifically for girls clothing (even if it is for western style dress) and then taking their key measurements and applying them to hanfu patterns.
There are likely lots of resources that are online (but not in English) which might be worth it to get the measurements in metric and then compare them back to the adult drafting guides.
Sorry I can't help you out more - good luck!
Hello! I am looking to cosplay wei wuxian and/or xie lian(from the donghua) can you please describe the layers of their clothes, I have zero experience in sewing clothes or pattern making and I have no idea where to even begin. Thank you very much!
Hello there,
Sorry for the slow reply, I've been distracted by real life and my continued PT for my wrist. But I can type much more normally at least now.
As far as Wei Wuxian, I haven't really looked at his outfits seeing that he's got so many different versions in the live action CQL/The Untamed and in the MDZS donghua and manhua as well. I'm not a huge fan of MDZS, so, I can admit I haven't paid much attention to it. I think like most MXTX characters, he relies on a heavy black/red color palette and is pretty open to interpretation. I think focusing on the donghua would be your best bet since when you have to animate someone you would simplify their outfit, but the drama might have more realistic clothing to draw from since and actor wore it.
Xie Lian is considerably easier since he wears many layers of white.
I think the main thing to realize with all these outfits is that you have a foundation layer and then multiple layers over top with great variations.
The foundation layer (zhong yi) is usually the skin layer in white (cotton/linen) that it is breathable and washable. It seems for a more dramatic effect a character like WWX will have this as black. This is a top and pants combo, but I was lazy and skipped out on pants for my Wen Kexing b/c it was very warm already.
I don't use Taobao sites (no Chinese skillz here) but it might be worth your while to look at some of the hanfu retailers to see how they construct their tidy little package outfits.
Like Hanfu Story which has a very good website and plenty of english language descriptions.
Even though the colors aren't plain white, this one has a very close match to what XL wears. It has the skirt with the slight pleating like XL and simple sleeves and cut.
It is interesting to note that many of these outfits only sell the top layers, not that base layer.
When it comes to determining the exact layers just look at the neckline, that pretty much lets you know what else is on top of that base layer.
If this is your first time sewing and drafting a pattern, I would enlist the help of a friend who may have more sewing experience. Also, since many of these outfits don't reveal the full aspect of all of their layers, you have to guess what you think is underneath - that is what I did after lots of screen shots from as many angles as possible - or hoping for a zhong yi late night confession scene (as in Word of Honor) which allowed me to nail the sleeve shape for all the layers.
I'll do and example with XL since his outfit is much easier.
As we can see here, he's only got two layers.
The inner layer is more form fitting in the torso, with wide-ish sleeves. The skirt portion appears to be pleated, which is why we get a ripple effect in the front.
It appears the outer layer is a simple straight hem robe with wider sleeves that he wears very loosely since it flares back. You can't tell from this picture but the left side should also have a slit that runs along the left side of his body to allow for easy movement - it isn't a full rap around robe structure.
He has a narrow belt that is tied off with the cyan colored cord and his bandages and basic hat. I haven't watched the donghua for awhile so I can't remember if he also has pants on underneath the pleated skirt. I'd go back and refer to the scene where San Lang notices the shackle on his ankle to see what he's wearing then.
When it comes to picking a layer to draft first for the pattern, it really doesn't matter. You will need to make a mock up and adjust. If you want it to be the inner layer it will need to be the same length but less wide than the outer layer. I just made a pattern and tested it out - it was terrible but hey, I knew where to go from after that.
Good luck and hope this helps!
Is there a full picture from the pattern book to see and what pattern book are you using?
I have been using the first edition of this pattern drafting book (in English units); Hanfu Pattern Making by TT Duong. I have not been posting full info from the book since 1.) I paid for the book 2.) I'd like others to pay for the book (at least ebook).
There is also a paperback version as well, and apparently a second edition now. Here is the metric version.
I would highly recommend the ebook since there are varying quality issues with the paperback versions. This book assumes a lot of things, so it helps to have a base level of sewing knowledge. You have to read between the lines and make some calls yourself to have things fit better. Hence, I blogged a lot of my changes as I went here.
This group based in Toronto has a free guide, but as stated previously, I suspect this was written by an engineer without prior sewing knowledge.
https://torguqin.wordpress.com/hanfu/hanfu-tutorial-list/
Youtube has some more resources as well:
Claire Yuxian Zhang hardcore historical sewing techniques!
Avenue X (though not at detailed as CYZ, her focus is on cdrama land)
And even though his are Korean, a lot of the techniques are similar like sewing the sleeves and whatnot. Plus, fashion is never in a vacuum and different countries and styles influence each other all the time. I'd suggest checking out;
Cheon-Shik Yang 천식 양
Keep in mind a lot of the xianxia/wuxia outfits are very whimsical and not historically accurate so looking at a lot of resources that are different would help. The pattern making book is most helpful when it comes to estimating the yardage.
hello! Id like to ask if you can describe what are the layers Luo Binghe (thai version) from SVSSS are wearing? Im having troubles the one with the collar im on a budget and I wanna cosplay him thanks a bunch!
Hello,
Happy to hear you are looking to cosplay LBH! Ah, the very pretty but complicated Thai cover artwork. . . this one makes me groan at how intricate it is. I screen shot this from the SVSSS carrd.
There is a lot of layer action going on. Kityone, an amazing soul, did great work to remove text from more official artwork for the Thai editions.
This is the only full length shot of Binghe’s outfit I could find.
kityone, did a spectacular job; when you click on the image you can zoom in!
Layers
1.) Zhong yi layer 1- innermost layer - black. I’d pick a cotton or linen fabric for this. You are looking at one that is very slim fitting. The Hanfu Story sells them as well to give you an idea for cut; see
here
2.) Zhiju layer 2 - straight hem robe - black with narrow sleeves. It has what I think is an ‘artistic/anachronistic’ high Mandarin-ish style collar. The Erha manhua/artwork does this all the time. It seems to be a thing for xianxia attire. It is hard to find info on this in English, so, I could totally be wrong. I can only find that type of collar on vintage patterns - think cheongsam/qipao or maybe Qing historical garments. I’d personally copy the cheongsam/qipao collar as a base pattern and then modify it to match the hanfu style. I know this is a huge shortcut but it makes sense in my mind. Do a mock up with scrap fabric.
3.) Zhuji layer 3 - straight hem robe with red neck placket and red sleeve cuffs. I think this has shorter sleeves that fall just past the elbow (3/4 length?) and are super wide. [cries in sheer yardage] The sleeve looks like it almost reaches mid-calf or lower. I think it is supposed to be imperial/royal level - like the looooong sleeves you see in Nirvana in Fire worn by the princes when they attend court. The neckline is a deeper V and I think a good reference for the cut is from the cdrama My Heroic Husband with the MC, Ning Yi. His outfits frequently have this style which makes a clear X across the chest. The blue/teal one in the middle is the best match and seems to fall in the right spot on the chest.
4.) Belt with long fabric strip/accent. I have no idea what the large silver belt buckle is supposed to look like - we don’t have good enough detail and resolution. However, we can see that there is a long strip of red fabric that falls from the waist down the front to the feet almost. On top of the red fabric is a fancier accent piece in black with silver trim and tassels. I think it is a mix of these accessories from LBH and SQQ in the Korean cover here. With the shape of SQQ’s being a slightly better match - minus the tasseled pendant.
5.) Banbi jacket/coat - white with red trim and “artistic” choice collar. The jacket is a short sleeve one with a red cuff/trim that is clearly an under layer but I would attach it to the white jacket to make my life easier and less sweaty. The popped collar baffles me - is it sort of like a jacket with a lapel-ish collar? It gives me vibes of the jackets that Sakamoto and Takasugi wear in Gintama and shogunate officials which are also anachronistic by design in a series like Gintama. Or maybe a better comparison is the donghua for Thousand Autumns and Yan Wushi’s open collar layer?
It looks like the neck placket itself is thick in the middle and normal on the outside. I’ve attempted to make a quick example of what I think this looks like here.
I think this is what I would do to sew it onto the jacket and make sure to add interfacing and iron it well.
I would do these five layers if I wanted to cosplay this LBH outfit. The zhong yi layer is really important since that is where you are gonna sweat the most, I found it worked well with my 13 hours of WKX with a wig in LA having to stand outside in lines in the summer temps.
Good luck!
TL;DR - getting back to SQQ project likely by mid-September
You may be wondering why I posted after AX and then radio silence. Several things have happened that have made it difficult to be 100%. I’ll be checking things weekly to respond to comments but it will be here and there.
1.) I broke my right wrist - bad enough it warranted surgery a week after the brake. I now have a 2mm titanium plate and a bunch of screws in it to put everything back into place to heal properly. I am 3 weeks post-surgery and have a splint that I have to wear all the time (but I can finally get it wet in the shower and the sutures were removed earlier this week). Physical therapy starts next week. I’m left-handed, but I’m noticing all the things I do with my right hand. Scissors - on man, I’m old enough that my formative years in kindergarten and primary school where still in the times of right handed scissors. All I can say is it is very very difficult cutting with my left hand!
2.) The movers finally delivered my stuff! Note, I arrived at my current location on June 13th. All of my fabric, sewing machine, patterns, tools, thread etc were in boxes. Boxes which were chilling in a warehouse somewhere in LA from ~June 10th to ~August 6th. It finally made it here and unpacking has been slower than usual, you know, with only one functional hand. The orthopedic surgeon told me nothing more than a full coffee cup/can of pop to lift with my right hand. Yep, I slept on an Ikea mattress on the floor for almost two months and over three weeks with my broken/healing wrist.
3.) Typing with one hand is slow. That’s right, with the splint, I can’t type with my right hand at the moment. I think once PT starts and I lose the splint, I’ll be able to type again. My fingers are good, I just can’t turn my hand the right away. Maybe 4 more weeks on the splint?
4.) New sewing room set-up to come. As I heal, I’ll have time to work on a proper sewing/bike/guest room. I have been fangirling/jealous of all those sewing youtubers with their sewing rooms. Having a proper cutting table/workbench with storage under it is just - sighs - so logical.
If you make mockups, what material do you normally use for them?
Hello,
Thanks for the question!
When it comes to mock ups I use two things.
1 - cheap cotton muslin. If I need a lot of fabric, say the 3-4 yards for hanfu sleeves and the skirt section. Color doesn't matter just cheap. When I did my original ones for fit, I kept the top and bottom separate.
2. - leftover from my stash - these were for less yardage, like the bust which is pretty form fitting. Most of my stash is 100% cotton. Several years ago I cosplayed Ogata from GK and he's got a military issue cloak for sniping. In that case I bought sheets from the college/uni section of my local Target. They were a more flowy and drapey material which gives a different feel and texture. Plus, you get 2 sheets in each pack which gives you 2 huge pieces of fabric. If you don't want to buy new cheap dorm room sheets, thrift them.
I know my use of cotton for mock ups won't translate in the silk blends I used for my WKX project, but it really helped with the armscye design, neck line and sleeve shape.
I eventually used some of the mock up cotton to line some parts that didn't need interfacing but a bit more structure. Once you figure out your most form fitting layer (in this case the zhong yi) you won't need to do another mock up for the layers on top.
Good luck and I hope this helps!
