[Q] How does one do this? (Vincent's Cape) FFVll

I'm pretty sure a cheese grater will give you the same effect.

 

I know you can approximate that effect with jersey, as I have a Dollheart outfit that has a similarly ragged hem on the shirt. Damned if I know how it's done, though. ^_^;
As for a cheese grater, we used that on a musical set by running the edge of a file or sandpaper over a table edge to make unfinished hems rough, rather than just unfinished. At least, I think that's what the previous poster meant.

 

Burn it.

Seriously.

Have a bowl of water nearby and a cigarette or lighter and catch it on fire in one spot along the edge, then dunk it in the water to put it out. You do this rather quickly. Don't let it go up in flames or get out of control. Let it dry and repeat until you have the desired look.

It won't be exactly the same and will have a singed edge, but its a neat effect and would work well enough.

Oh, and this works best with natural fibers (namely cotton). Synthetics tend to just melt.

 

BURN THAT SUCKER! Be careful though!

 

Knit fabric and 5 minutes with a 12-week-old kitten. ^_~

 

I would go with burning it too. What you can do is wet the parts that you don't want to catch on fire so that you can control it, and you also don't have to wait for the fabric to dry before continuing. You should practice by cutting the fabric into stripes and seeing how it behaves when burned. You might also get the same effect by simply cutting the fabric with scissors in the required shape, rough the edges up with sand paper or a rough wire brush, then burn the edges some. Make sure that you pick a fabric that doesn't fray or you can use a glue that they sell in the sewing department so that it doesnt fray. Your best bet is definetly cotton as far as fabric is concerned. However,the fabric is going to look pretty limp and dead when you are done with burning. If you want to make it look like its billowing , you can afix some jewelry wire to the edges and shape it out like in the picture. You can find it in any craft store and can get it in any color you want. Its thin enough to achieve this effect without it being really noticed, also, its really cheap. I'm working on a costume now that will require this technique and this is what i worked out for mine, but havent put it into practice, so let us know how it works out.


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Lati M is Home

 

Burning works well on some fabrics. I wonder if you could use a soldering iron for really controlled burning? If you don't want to burn it, you can seal the edge with a little diluted white glue. Test a scrap of fabric first to make sure it doesn't discolor. You get the best results if you put the glue on the fabric before you cut the ragged edge. Then you can cut the edge right up to the glue line. I do this to seal seams on tiny silk pieces, which will fray to nothing if you handle them too roughly or try to put them through a serger.

 

First I would design the tatters. Make a triangle for the cloak, and stiffen the fabric. Draw lines from the center top to the bottom, like you were drawing perspective. Draw the major tatters along these lines to keep the look balanced.
Stiffen the fabric. Use tiny scissors, like decoupage, and move the fabric, not the scissors. Fraycheck the edges, and that's that!

 

On vincent, you'd think the frayed effect would work. On a vincent cape I made I used a BBGun and shot the sucker. I left the fray on though.. You can always fray and then use a fray stop product to keep it from fraying further ^-^;

 

My first thought was burning it as well, I'd test how it works on a small piece of whatever you're using first, but I think it could have a cool effect.

 

BB gun, that's a neat idea.

 

An alternative to burning - a thick double knit type fabric and scissors Double knit is scary true- but it has it's uses- it is stable and does not need hemming if it is nice and thick. I mean thick like your Ggma wore in the 70's. You might find some in her closet or in a thrift store- look with the linens for fabric scraps.
If it's a display only thin foam would work. I dont know how flowy you may want it though
QZ

 

Yes, you can use a soldering iron. I tattered a ringwraith costume with one. It was made with inexpensive satin fabric, you may kill some brain cells while doing it, so do it in a well ventilated area. The soldering iron never worked properly afterwards though...

 

Well, one of my sister's friends cosplays the best Vincent you could ever possibly see.. *isn't biased!* And she used pure silk, cut and ripped the tears, then allowed it to drag on the ground to get natural wear and tear. For doll clothes, maybe run it across a rough surface like brick or concrete...

 

Sir Alex Guiness wore his robes for Obi Wan and rolled around in the dirt to get them dusty. My aunt once left a dresser in the sun for a while to get the 'sun beaten' look for shabby chic. And when repairing an old teddy bear, Mom put the fabric in a pillowcase and had Dad run it over with a car to try and match the well-loved matted look of the fur. So dragged Vincent's cape along the ground for a while should work wonderfully!

I always imagined him just wearing that 'ratty old thing' until someone broke down and bought him a new one, then wearing that one until it died.

 

Cut it first (perhaps by scrunching up the bottom and cutting the end right off) for the desired effect and then burn the edges.

 

Keep in mind that burning is going to blacken a lot of fabrics. I agree, since you want it tattered but not fraying, that a knit is going to be your best choice in fabrics. I've tattered T-shirts like that pretty effectively with just a pair of scisors, and since Vincent's cape doesn't look really burned but rather torn, I think that might get more the desired effect. First, I just hang it from my hand, then jab at it with the scisors, opening and closing them erratically, and pulling down to get more of a rip and less of a cut. I think a razor blade would probably be even better to that end, actually, but I haven't distressed a costume in a while... Just be sure someone with pretty good hand-eye coordination is doing this, I've nicked myself a time or two whilst distressing.

 

If you would like to use a thin light fabric, I would recommend Silk Essence. It comes in many colors and is excellent for singeing with a candle flame without much discoloration (especially on black). I use this type of fabric all the time for my fairies and along with poly-chiffon it is one of my most often used fabrics.

Note: Only singe things outside with good ventilation. The fumes can be toxic!

Hope this helps,
~Sarah B. Seiter~

Examples:

Two doll dresses I created-
(the white is Silk Essence)

(the olive green skirt just under the bodice is Silk Essence)


A dress I designed and sewed for a competition (yep, that's me wearing it )-
(The brighter blue petals in the skirt are Silk Essence and the wings are the same cloth only spray painted)

 

I wouldn't burn it since you can't really control the shapes. I would just straight-up cut the shapes of the tatters out and either use a sort of vinyl which wouldn't fray at all, like a red shower curtain or that stuff those plastic red bows are made of that people put on their cars, but if you want to use fabric, just dab a little fray-check or white glue all along the edges. You can grind the edges into the dirt if you want to make it look more weathered, or you can always just consider using some paint to weather it also. I used paint to weather the Aragon coat I made.

 

I agree with the person who said to use a heavy knit. I made a 1/6th scale Vincent, and I didn't have to do anything after cutting out the shapes.



Still hasn't frayed yet!

 

Mmm, I reccomend cutting random angles at the cape's base, going at it with a hole puncher, and then only searing the edges as oposed to all-out burning them.

I've had the worst luck with fabrics esploding. With a 'S.'
XD

 

If you use any type of fabric, you can get a clean edge 'ripped' look like that if you take the fabric and bunch it up with one hand, then cut it with a regular pair of scissors. I did this once on a zombie costume and on the fabric I was wrapping on a sword handle for another costume and it came out pretty great (although I'd practice on some crappy fabric beforehand so you make sure you like the effect). If you are really worried about fraying (especially with a lighter fabric) there's a special liquid you can use on the fabric, or you use an alternative, like clear nailpolish, on the edges to keep them together.

 

I found a magical substance called "Fray-stop". It is a mild fabric glue that will keep the fabric from fraying, but still allow it to be flexible. It worked wonders for my fairy costume I made for myself. If you have a Jo-Anns near you check with them.

 

can't you just draw the pattern out...and cut it? WIth a sharp pair of scissors you shouoldn't have any problems.