How to distress fabric

[efarley]

Hey guys,

I just finished my first costume and now I want to distress the fabric before the con on saturday but I don't really know how. I've done some research and it seems the main ways are to wash the outfit a few times, use some sand paper to rough it up in certain spots and to add some stains where appropriate. I am okay on the sand paper and stains, what I'm a bit worried about is washing the costume.

I didn't prewash the fabric since I didn't realize I should with this being my first costume, and it's a lot of blacks so ink running is absolutely an issue. Since there is a mix of hand sewn bits, and lights colors sew into the darks I can't just go about washing it like I would my normal cloths. Any tips on ways I can distress this would be awesome!

 

[Grimwood]

Tea or coffee stains depending on the color you are trying to distress (age/weather) Fraying specific areas might give a nice effect.

Always pre-wash. Also, if you lay out how you want the fabric to look beforehand (sketches, etc) you can decide if you want to soak it in a strong tea or coffee to weather it. You could also leave it outside for a few months to get a truly realistic "weathered" look.. but I wouldn't recommend that. I did that with a set of zombie clothes that I wanted to look fresh from the grave. I left them in the ground for 2 months. Dug them up and they looked great, but fell apart as soon as I put them on.
Blood spatters can give a nice effect as well.

 

[Mark LFV]

You can also use shoe polish for the distressing. Another option is using an airbrush with paint/liquid shoe polish. Tea/coffee stains are also good as suggested by Grimwood (depending upon the shade you require). There are also "dirt kits" available in the market for weathering/distressing but it generally contains nuts and can be hazardous to those with nut allergy. anyways trying your hands on shoe polish first on a rough clothing is a good way to start...

 

[division 6]

I did a bit of air brushing on my nieces Rey costume to give it that dirty sweat stained look.
I think I just used some umber Model Master paint that happened to be one the table.

Also misted fabric with a spray bottle full of coffee or black tea.
My desert trooper has a mix of instant coffee and dirt caked up all over it.

For other costumes I've just spritzed with rattle can paint then threw it in the shower and went over it with a scotch brite pad.
Water based sculpting clay smeared on for dirtying up my Moria Orc.

 

[Mike J.]

For a warm-colored 'dust / dirt,' I purchased a bag of Fullers Earth from Amazon. It's a fine, clay-like powder. In my case, that particular product was intended for some cosmetic use, I think. I applied it liberally all over the costume (while wearing it), and lightly brushed it off. I later reapplied it, for a stronger, dustier look. That, combined with a little fine sand paper / steel wool on the knees (while wearing the pants) is about all I have attempted.

I think light passes is the key. It's easy to add a little more wear & tear & dirt, but it will be hard to take it back if you go too far.

 

[Fearsome Rabbit]

A quick tip with dark fabrics. It's a good idea to soak new fabric / clothing in the sink with a solution of vinegar. for a sink full of water, use half a cup of vinegar. This will set the dye so that it wont fade as easily when its washed. Then it will stay nice and dark a lot longer.