Wow, its been a month since I last posted. I really need to be better about this blog.
1 - Princess Leia: Fully lined. Figured out how to do the hem but haven't done it yet. When I went to do the collar however, I realized that I messed up the neckline. I plan to add a piece so that the neckline fits correctly even though it will destroy my chances of using this costume to join the Rebel Legion, but I'm okay with that - I only planned to join because I figured why not just go ahead and join if the dress met their specs. So to finish I need to - fix the neckline, do the collar and hem the dress.
2 - Still need to do a hat for my Harley Quinn costume.
3 - Started my Halloween costume. I'm layering a sheer sparkle organza in a light green over a darker green satin. It looks beautiful but the layering process is a little annoying -- I cut two of each pattern piece - one satin, one organza. Then they're basted together along the edges to be used as one piece of fabric. Not a complicated process, just a bit time consuming. I have part of the skirt done, just need to do the bustle part of it and hem the front apron. Then I still have the blouse and the underbust corset (white pleather lined with muslin and boned) to finish. Hopefully neither will take too long. I promise to take and post some pictures so everyone can see the pretty pretty fabrics I'm using.
A bientot!
Miss Leah J Wilde
Showing posts with label Princess Leia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Princess Leia. Show all posts
Monday, October 4, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
ANH Princess Leia progress
When I went to the store for more fabric, they only had a little over a yard. At first I was going to go to another store and purchase the three and a half yards I needed but I decided to get what they had and piece the lining. I realized that the fabrics were actually slightly different (even though I bought the same fabric as before) but figure that doesn't matter too much as the new fabric will only be used as lining.
I sewed the new fabric to the old along both raw edges, giving me enough fabric at the waist seam to insert elastic. The elastic waist is recommended by a lot of costumers because the dress is too heavy to stay bloused by the belt alone. And the actual dress worn by Carrie Fisher had an elasticized waist.
Once I had the two pieces sewn together, they were folded and the pattern cut out. Then the side seams were sew just like on the first dress. The next step was to put the dresses together inside out and sew at the neck and wrists.
Big mistake.
I was unable to turn the dress. So all the stitching had to be ripped out. Originally I left one sleeve alone but then noticed that the lining was about an inch and a half longer than the outer dress. So that stitching came out as well. Both lining sleeves were trimmed.
Now for the tricky part - sewing the outer dress and the lining together without having any visible seams. I sewed one sleeve with the right sides of both dresses together. Then I turn it right side out and pinned the other sleeve where it needed to be stitched together. Next I pulled the sleeve between the two layers of the dress through the neckhole, pinned and stitched them together. I pulled it back out and thankfully it looked just like I wanted. *sigh of relief* I started on the slits next, working on them mainly from the bottom. One turned out fine, the other I somehow sewed wrong, so that had to be torn out.
My next steps are to (1) do the second slit correctly (2) do the keyhole from the bottom (3) add elastic to the waist and (4) hem it. My plan for the hem is to stitch the two layers together then treat it as one piece of fabric and hemmed it just like I would anything else. Well not quite because after turning the hem up twice I'll hand stitch it to the lining fabric, making sure not to catch any of the outer dress. This method is backed by other Leia costumers and by photos of the exhibit dress. Oh and I need to stitch the two together at the neck, then add the hood which is already hemmed and gathered, ready for attachment. The final step with be the collar and a couple hooks and eyes and the dress itself will be done. Then comes finding the boots, making the belt and figuring out how to do the hair.
A beintot!
Miss Leah J Wilde
I sewed the new fabric to the old along both raw edges, giving me enough fabric at the waist seam to insert elastic. The elastic waist is recommended by a lot of costumers because the dress is too heavy to stay bloused by the belt alone. And the actual dress worn by Carrie Fisher had an elasticized waist.
Once I had the two pieces sewn together, they were folded and the pattern cut out. Then the side seams were sew just like on the first dress. The next step was to put the dresses together inside out and sew at the neck and wrists.
Big mistake.
I was unable to turn the dress. So all the stitching had to be ripped out. Originally I left one sleeve alone but then noticed that the lining was about an inch and a half longer than the outer dress. So that stitching came out as well. Both lining sleeves were trimmed.
Now for the tricky part - sewing the outer dress and the lining together without having any visible seams. I sewed one sleeve with the right sides of both dresses together. Then I turn it right side out and pinned the other sleeve where it needed to be stitched together. Next I pulled the sleeve between the two layers of the dress through the neckhole, pinned and stitched them together. I pulled it back out and thankfully it looked just like I wanted. *sigh of relief* I started on the slits next, working on them mainly from the bottom. One turned out fine, the other I somehow sewed wrong, so that had to be torn out.
My next steps are to (1) do the second slit correctly (2) do the keyhole from the bottom (3) add elastic to the waist and (4) hem it. My plan for the hem is to stitch the two layers together then treat it as one piece of fabric and hemmed it just like I would anything else. Well not quite because after turning the hem up twice I'll hand stitch it to the lining fabric, making sure not to catch any of the outer dress. This method is backed by other Leia costumers and by photos of the exhibit dress. Oh and I need to stitch the two together at the neck, then add the hood which is already hemmed and gathered, ready for attachment. The final step with be the collar and a couple hooks and eyes and the dress itself will be done. Then comes finding the boots, making the belt and figuring out how to do the hair.
A beintot!
Miss Leah J Wilde
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Wow....I'm WAY behind
My dearest readers,
I do apologize for the immense amount of time that has passed since we last spoke. I've been so consumed with projects that I have not had a minute to spare.
Since giving details on anything at this point would be rather cumbersome, I'll just share a quick summary with you --
(1) I finished my Butterick 'walk away dress'. I think it turned out rather splendid, but the fit is a bit odd. The underskirt rides up terribly. If I ever use the pattern again, I plan to widen the underskirt section so it wraps around my hips all the way instead of leaving a gap in the back. I may even alter my current incarnation if I have the time and the fabric.
(2) I also finished costumes for Dragon*Con for Misses Dashwood and Van Eycke. There were a few fitting issues that resulted in making an entirely new skirt for Miss Dashwood, and the blouses will probably be redone at some point -- A note my dear readers: brocade does not gather well when making an off the shoulder blouse -- but overall the costumes (skirt, blouse and vest) turned out well. And I learned something new during the process - how to use a grommet setter.
(3) I also put together a quick costume for Miss Dashwood who will be portraying the goddess Durga during the convention. We purchased two yards of a beautiful sari-esque fabric. I simply cut it done the fold line, leaving two pieces of fabric roughly two yards long and 30 inches wide. I sewed an elastic casing along the raw edge of one piece, threaded elastic through the casing, fitted it to the adorable Miss Dashwood, and then sewed the side seam. I left the skirt unhemmed because the selvage had a nice little bit of fringe that went well with the border print. The second piece of fabric was just hemmed on all three raw edges to be used as a drape.
(4) I hemmed two pairs of pants for a friend and mended something for my beau.
Last night I tidied up my sewing area - stashed away bits and pieces, threw out some trash, etc. and started a new project of my own.
(5) Personal current project: A New Hope Princess Leia. I'm pretty much following what the tutorial posted by a fabulous costumer named Pam - http://chucrew.com/Leia/Leia.html She goes through everything from making the pattern to the hair style. Luckily, she's about the same size as me, so I was able to use her measurements to make my own pattern. So far the dress is turning out well. Last night I made the pattern, cut out one dress (you basically make two dresses and then use one to line the other), and stitched both side seams, leaving a slit at the bottom. Unfortunately, I ran short on fabric so I'm going to have to pick up some more today. Since I ran short on fabric, I went ahead and made the hood pattern and cut that out. I also pinned the two sides that need hemmed. Its in my sewing bag right this moment because the hems need to be hand stitched.
(6) Progress on Pretty Peggy Pepper - I acquired a red shirt that I'm going to attempt to modify to use as the top. And I purchased a blue fabric remnant for the skirt. I think I'm going to forgo using a pattern and just make a quick skirt like the one I made for Miss Dashwood (see above).
(7) Imperial Officer's Uniform - I found a pattern that I think is pretty much perfect to make an imperial officer's uniform from Star Wars: http://www.patronsdecouture.com/burda-7458.htm It has not been purchased yet, but likely will be.
(8) I've also been thinking about several other costumes that I would like to do in the next year or so: Steampunk Confederates for my beau and I for Marcon 2011; a steampunk (maybe dieselpunk) Army uniform using my grandfather's uniform jacket (no I will not be altering the jacket itself so don't worry); a sexy Leia using left over fabric from the ANH dress
(9) And I've been thinking about Christmas presents. So far I'm making my parents aprons (fabric has already been purchased) and my brother and sister in law pajama pants. His will be black, hers purple plaid as long as I can find some.
(10) Things I need to finish - Alter a dress for Miss Dashwood. My steampunk stewardess costume by Mid Ohio Con (November) - it needs some accessories and I need to decide if I want to wear the pettidress I made to go underneath or if I want to wear leggings and a cami for a sexier look. My Harley Quinn costume for Mid Ohio Con - I still need a hat.
(11) I need to start a vest my cousin asked me to make for her son. This will probably be my next project after the Leia dress. It would be nice if I could finish it by the weekend so I can take it to her when I go home for a visit.
(12) And I have a commission for one of my beau's friends coming up that he wants for Halloween. I should probably talk to him about that.
Well, dear readers, I hope this update of past, current and near future projects made up for the month of no communication.
A bientot!
Miss Leah J Wilde
I do apologize for the immense amount of time that has passed since we last spoke. I've been so consumed with projects that I have not had a minute to spare.
Since giving details on anything at this point would be rather cumbersome, I'll just share a quick summary with you --
(1) I finished my Butterick 'walk away dress'. I think it turned out rather splendid, but the fit is a bit odd. The underskirt rides up terribly. If I ever use the pattern again, I plan to widen the underskirt section so it wraps around my hips all the way instead of leaving a gap in the back. I may even alter my current incarnation if I have the time and the fabric.
(2) I also finished costumes for Dragon*Con for Misses Dashwood and Van Eycke. There were a few fitting issues that resulted in making an entirely new skirt for Miss Dashwood, and the blouses will probably be redone at some point -- A note my dear readers: brocade does not gather well when making an off the shoulder blouse -- but overall the costumes (skirt, blouse and vest) turned out well. And I learned something new during the process - how to use a grommet setter.
(3) I also put together a quick costume for Miss Dashwood who will be portraying the goddess Durga during the convention. We purchased two yards of a beautiful sari-esque fabric. I simply cut it done the fold line, leaving two pieces of fabric roughly two yards long and 30 inches wide. I sewed an elastic casing along the raw edge of one piece, threaded elastic through the casing, fitted it to the adorable Miss Dashwood, and then sewed the side seam. I left the skirt unhemmed because the selvage had a nice little bit of fringe that went well with the border print. The second piece of fabric was just hemmed on all three raw edges to be used as a drape.
(4) I hemmed two pairs of pants for a friend and mended something for my beau.
Last night I tidied up my sewing area - stashed away bits and pieces, threw out some trash, etc. and started a new project of my own.
(5) Personal current project: A New Hope Princess Leia. I'm pretty much following what the tutorial posted by a fabulous costumer named Pam - http://chucrew.com/Leia/Leia.html She goes through everything from making the pattern to the hair style. Luckily, she's about the same size as me, so I was able to use her measurements to make my own pattern. So far the dress is turning out well. Last night I made the pattern, cut out one dress (you basically make two dresses and then use one to line the other), and stitched both side seams, leaving a slit at the bottom. Unfortunately, I ran short on fabric so I'm going to have to pick up some more today. Since I ran short on fabric, I went ahead and made the hood pattern and cut that out. I also pinned the two sides that need hemmed. Its in my sewing bag right this moment because the hems need to be hand stitched.
(6) Progress on Pretty Peggy Pepper - I acquired a red shirt that I'm going to attempt to modify to use as the top. And I purchased a blue fabric remnant for the skirt. I think I'm going to forgo using a pattern and just make a quick skirt like the one I made for Miss Dashwood (see above).
(7) Imperial Officer's Uniform - I found a pattern that I think is pretty much perfect to make an imperial officer's uniform from Star Wars: http://www.patronsdecouture.com/burda-7458.htm It has not been purchased yet, but likely will be.
(8) I've also been thinking about several other costumes that I would like to do in the next year or so: Steampunk Confederates for my beau and I for Marcon 2011; a steampunk (maybe dieselpunk) Army uniform using my grandfather's uniform jacket (no I will not be altering the jacket itself so don't worry); a sexy Leia using left over fabric from the ANH dress
(9) And I've been thinking about Christmas presents. So far I'm making my parents aprons (fabric has already been purchased) and my brother and sister in law pajama pants. His will be black, hers purple plaid as long as I can find some.
(10) Things I need to finish - Alter a dress for Miss Dashwood. My steampunk stewardess costume by Mid Ohio Con (November) - it needs some accessories and I need to decide if I want to wear the pettidress I made to go underneath or if I want to wear leggings and a cami for a sexier look. My Harley Quinn costume for Mid Ohio Con - I still need a hat.
(11) I need to start a vest my cousin asked me to make for her son. This will probably be my next project after the Leia dress. It would be nice if I could finish it by the weekend so I can take it to her when I go home for a visit.
(12) And I have a commission for one of my beau's friends coming up that he wants for Halloween. I should probably talk to him about that.
Well, dear readers, I hope this update of past, current and near future projects made up for the month of no communication.
A bientot!
Miss Leah J Wilde
Monday, March 29, 2010
Time Traveler Entry #17 and an updated to do list
Hello dearests,
I hemmed ruffle #2 and sewed on the lace. I left the top unhemmed because I'm planning to gather it to match a ribbon and then sew the ribbon onto the skirt. I started hand stitching the green ribbon over the lace on ruffle #2. It is a little time consuming but not horribly so. It'll just be my carry with me project for a while.
Bustle - I cut out the petticoat netting and pinned it to the lining of the bustle.
Next up
1. finish sewing on green ribbon
2. make ruffles for the bustle
3. attach ruffles to bustle
4. sew lining to outer bustle
5. sew ring tape onto the underside of the bustle
6. attach bustle waistband, add hooks
7. attach waistband to underskirt, add eyes
8. sew hooks and eyes onto the apron where it fastens over the bustle pillow
9. attach ruffles to underskirt
10. finish sleeves of jacket
My time traveler is getting there! At least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, however faint that light might be! THEN I get to worry about my prop. Because the costume will not be complete without it. And I had another idea for a simpler prop that I'd like to add.
Notes on my latest to do list:
Miss Dashwood's costume - I found brown and white striped fabric. Hopefully I have enough for the bloomers. I'll be starting on her costume once mine is finished.
Harley Quinn - I don't expect the hat to give me issues. The only obstacle I might encounter is when I attempt to attach blond pigtails to the hat. I should also acquire some goggles.
ANH Princess Leia - I need to get the boots from my parents' home. And then make the belt. I checked and the costume specifications allow for a vinyl belt which will be cheaper and likely easier than leather. I should also split the sides of the dress to about my knee.
The above are the things that I absolutely MUST finish by Marcon. I have about two months to do it all. If possible I'd like to make Miss Dashwood and I matching pajamas, since we are sharing accommodations and all. If I finish all of the above and have the time before Marcon, I might attempt to make myself an imperial officer's uniform from Star Wars. More than likely, that - along with a similar costume for my beau - will have to wait until after Marcon. Yet another project to add to my list.
A bientot!
Miss Leah J. Wilde.
EDIT photo added
One of the ruffles with the white lace attached and the green ribbon in the process of being sewn on.
I hemmed ruffle #2 and sewed on the lace. I left the top unhemmed because I'm planning to gather it to match a ribbon and then sew the ribbon onto the skirt. I started hand stitching the green ribbon over the lace on ruffle #2. It is a little time consuming but not horribly so. It'll just be my carry with me project for a while.
Bustle - I cut out the petticoat netting and pinned it to the lining of the bustle.
Next up
1. finish sewing on green ribbon
2. make ruffles for the bustle
3. attach ruffles to bustle
4. sew lining to outer bustle
5. sew ring tape onto the underside of the bustle
6. attach bustle waistband, add hooks
7. attach waistband to underskirt, add eyes
8. sew hooks and eyes onto the apron where it fastens over the bustle pillow
9. attach ruffles to underskirt
10. finish sleeves of jacket
My time traveler is getting there! At least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, however faint that light might be! THEN I get to worry about my prop. Because the costume will not be complete without it. And I had another idea for a simpler prop that I'd like to add.
Notes on my latest to do list:
Miss Dashwood's costume - I found brown and white striped fabric. Hopefully I have enough for the bloomers. I'll be starting on her costume once mine is finished.
Harley Quinn - I don't expect the hat to give me issues. The only obstacle I might encounter is when I attempt to attach blond pigtails to the hat. I should also acquire some goggles.
ANH Princess Leia - I need to get the boots from my parents' home. And then make the belt. I checked and the costume specifications allow for a vinyl belt which will be cheaper and likely easier than leather. I should also split the sides of the dress to about my knee.
The above are the things that I absolutely MUST finish by Marcon. I have about two months to do it all. If possible I'd like to make Miss Dashwood and I matching pajamas, since we are sharing accommodations and all. If I finish all of the above and have the time before Marcon, I might attempt to make myself an imperial officer's uniform from Star Wars. More than likely, that - along with a similar costume for my beau - will have to wait until after Marcon. Yet another project to add to my list.
A bientot!
Miss Leah J. Wilde.
EDIT photo added
One of the ruffles with the white lace attached and the green ribbon in the process of being sewn on.
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