Recommendations for custom costume work

[Jonitus]

I had so much fun on Halloween in my costume that I have decided to invest in a professionally made jobbie. I am running into problems regarding who to buy from and who to avoid. There are pros and cons all over the internet about different places. I have consistently noticed two places in my searches, Twin Roses and Speedy Stitches.

I am not fond of the photography of the costumes on Speedy Stitches, but that is not necessarily representative of the quality of the costumes. I like the look of stuff from Twin Roses, but I just don't know anything about them or their stuff.

I know some people here have invested in professional costumes, so could you give me some advice on who is good and who to avoid?

DISCLAIMER:

I am NOT buying from costumebase or any of the eBay "discount costumers".

[Treadingwolf]

I purchsed a hooded robe (Jedi) from speedy stiches not long ago. To me it was good craftsmanship, all the seems look to be very sturdy, i just wish it was made from a different material. Its not wool, but a heavy kind of linen? Its gonna take a very long time and lots of wearing for it to get the "relaxed" look i was wanting. In short i coulda said its was made very well but also was very stiff.

[Jedi-Loreen]

I have 2 recommendations of who to stay away from, based on what I've read from other message boards I'm on:


Star Fortress Productions -- If you get your order at all, it will likely be too small and of poor quality. Customer service is lacking. Exchanges or Refunds are nearly impossible to get.

Shadow Dale Creations -- They do good quality work, but they have been getting very back logged on their orders and not communicating with customers. There are many upset people over on the RPF boards who have been waiting for over 6 months for their orders with little to no contact, only to find out that their orders promised months before haven't even been started yet. Echanges of Refunds take a very long time to get.

I either make things myself, or have local seamstresses I know personally make things for me.

[Jonitus]

Thanks for the advice so far. I wish I could use a local seamstress, but living in "the middle of nowhere Iowa", that is not an option. HARUMPF!

[defyitall]

I've been buying from Andrea at Twin Roses for about 4 years now. She's never missed a deadline, never not kept me updated, never not replied to an email, and everything she's done for me was superb quality.

[TheCheeker]

i bought a jedi cloak from speedy stitches in august and i have to say its the best quality costume piece i have which i guess isn't saying a whole lot considering my jedi costume is my only costume but it IS made of wool (speedystitches offers a wool version and something else for a bit cheaper). i haven't seen any of their other work but what i have is great.

[Hasid Lafre]

Jonitus you live in iowa? Where abouts?

As far as where to look for. theres a place on ebay that my brother got his robe from and I think it turned out pritty nice. very comfey and deffinatly breatable but not to much so that you feel like your outside without a shirt on.

If I had access to my pc i would have a whole list for ya but I cant really racall anything at the moment.

[LAN-ED-TUL]

[size=16]I have 2 recommendations of who to stay away from, based on what I've read from other message boards I'm on:


Star Fortress Productions -- If you get your order at all, it will likely be too small and of poor quality. Customer service is lacking. Exchanges or Refunds are nearly impossible to get.



not to mention that guys wanted by the law for child ***** and flees the country.

[Ghostbat]

I am NOT buying from costumebase or any of the eBay "discount costumers".

I was looking at a few things costumebase made and seemed to fit my needs. I looked through their feedback and what negative there is seems to boil down to slow shipping and cheaply made. However at the prices cheaply made is what I would expect and sometimes I need something cheap and basic so I can beat the hell out of it without feeling bad about destroying something I spent a lot on.

SO other than those considerations has anyone dealt with these guys and had problems?

[SilentBob501]

Ive used costumebase and never really had a problem, in fact I got my order faster than i had expected. The Belt I got is pretty good, I have no complaints on it. The other stuff I bought was cheaply constructed, however with a bit of modification I made it really nice. So all in all costumebase is a good starting point, but i wouldnt want to wear one of their full costumes stock without modifications.

[defyitall]

I think that's the point most people are trying to make about costumebase. I own some of his Han Solo stuff. I had to heavily alter it to get it to look right and fit me since I am below his "Medium" size.

The amount of time, effort, and money spent altering the stuff made me wonder if it wouldn't have been better to just get them custom made.

If you can alter things on your own then costumebase is a nice starting point. Depends how far you want to go with the costume I guess. If you want a casual costume for use every now and again, sure.

But if you'd like something more accurate, made of better materials, and custom fit I recommend going the custom route, definitely.

It's always a "to each his own" situation with this type of stuff. But I always say do it right the first time. If that mean spending money then save up and spend the money and be happy with the results.

[Barmic Rin]

I got my Belt done by a Saddler.
True I had to change the buckle as he didn't have the one I wanted instore, but for £30, it was great.
There must be a tack store or similar in Iowa, & they'd probably be cheaper if you bulk ordered, or could guarantee them your orders.

Corellian Imports is good with their craftmanship, but when he saw my belt, he thought it was one of his £95 ones!

My boots were done custom fit for me, so they were expensive (£160)

Soft goods wise, I can't help. Mine was from CostumeBay, back when his stuff was of semi-decent quality.

[Jedi-Loreen]

When I saw the Corellian Imports booth at C4, I thought their stuff was over priced. Making Jedi belts is not that hard and only takes a few tools.

[Barmic Rin]

J-Lo, if i had the materials, I would have done my belt myself.
Also, I didn't want to hurt Imports feelings. :wink:

[Ghostbat]

Thanks for the answers, it sounds like if I need something that I can essentially set on fire, run over with a truck, lace back together with bootstrings and use as "distressed" it's an option :)

[Jonitus]

I think I am going to go with Twin Roses designs, provided she is willing to add the shoulder tuck to the tunic, add velcro or snaps to the tabbards to keep them in place, modify the tabbards with a curve so they drape and hang correctly, and can get me an "authentic" looking costume that I can launder in my home machine.

Looks like I am placing the measuring tape firmly in my fiancee's hand tonight and giving her the measurement sheet.

[Hasid Lafre]

When you get mesured make sure you add a touch extra for shrinkage or that thanksgiving dinner hasent gone away.

Good luck and remember lots of pics.

[defyitall]

I think I am going to go with Twin Roses designs, provided she is willing to add the shoulder tuck to the tunic, add velcro or snaps to the tabbards to keep them in place, modify the tabbards with a curve so they drape and hang correctly, and can get me an "authentic" looking costume that I can launder in my home machine.

If you ask for it, she'll do it. Don't worry about that.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

Speaking of the shoulder tuck on the tunic...

Can anyone tell me how to do this correctly? I tried it when I made my tunic, but it didn't look right.

Edit to add:
I just realized that I shouldn't jack someone else's thread. If you have an answer to my question, post it in the thread I started about my own costume.

Thanks.