Ulala from space channel 5, her classic white crop top and skirt outfit? I’m new to sewing and idk how I should do it
Hello there!
This is a very timely ask because I’ve been off and on considering remaking my own Ulala cosplay (RIP to the one that I wore so much the fabric disintegrated) and might finally do it.
My first piece of advice is: this costume is somewhat advanced just because of the materials involved, but if you don’t mind using different materials, it’s not TOO bad.
I’ll start with the shapes and types of patterns you should look for, because thankfully the shapes of this are easy. The top should have princess seams, likely armhole princess seams. This will get you that tightly fitted look over the bust, and you can take in the side seams and the princess seams just under the bust for a tighter underbust fit. The collar is probably a quarter or half circle – mess with shapes on paper scale mockups until you get one that looks right.
The skirt looks like a half circle to me, but again, play around with paper patterns to get the right shape. Use a circle skirt calculator to get the measurements you need for the skirt and for your collar. (Be sure to use the waist measurement where the skirt sits, not your true waist!) These are used by taking a string or measuring tape and drawing a circle using the radius it tells you – the waist radius is the inside of the donut and the full radius is the full length.
I’d recommend getting a pattern for gloves that have finger gussets, and basting the gussets in by hand before machine sewing. Since you’re doing the white version, you can probably purchase boots rather than making bootcovers, and use a paint like Angelus leather paint for the platform.
The 5 logo can be painted on with fabric paint or ironed on with HTV. If you don’t have an HTV cutter, you can do it by hand or find a friend with a die cutting machine (Cricut, etc.) to do it. If you choose to stencil, I’d recommend the freezer paper method.
Fabric is the hard part.
The way the costume is drawn makes it look like shiny PVC vinyl type fabric. This fabric is what makes it a bit advanced – vinyl type fabrics (I’m including shiny, smooth stretch pleathers here that have the same look even if they’re PU or a material other than vinyl) require some different techniques – but switching the fabric to something less perfect for the look but easier to sew would greatly help. A shiny spandex would work if you added structure to the skirt, but you may find it difficult to sew.
I’d go with a slightly shiny but still structured woven material for a beginner sewist. A bottomweight cotton sateen would work quite well. If you don’t mind something a bit more slippery but that is shinier, I’d go with a peu de soie (a type of heavy satin).
If you choose PVC, I’d personally go with something more structured than a thin stretch one, but not TOO thick because of the gloves. Order swatches when ordering online. The official costumes from the promo events when the game came out seem to be made of a similar material. (Look at those for reference!) If you go with PVC, you need to use a teflon foot or a walking foot for your sewing machine, otherwise the fabric will stick, and you need to be VERY careful about sewing and pinning because needle and pin holes will not close back up like with most fabric. I’d invest in some cheap sewing clips.
Regardless, the skirt and collar will need some added structure – I’m looking at using fusible foam (like Pellon Flex Foam) for mine, as I just did a cosplay with fusible foam in the skirt and the shape was great. Just make sure you test it ahead of time to be sure it plays nicely with your chosen fabric.
I hope that helps! Good luck :]
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