Costumes and Artwork

[Classic] Battlestar Galactica Cylon Undersuit

2011-07-15T22:00:00.006-04:00

I finally finished my latest commission, a Battlestar Galactica Cylon undersuit. I will never sew another one of these!! I know my friend will really appreciate it, so I'm glad that I was able to sew it for him.

Here's an image, I think from the show, depicting two complete Cylons (helmet, armor, and all) to give you an idea of what this is!

Here's my version:

[Classic] Battlestar Galactica Dress Uniform Finished

2011-05-16T10:28:00.003-04:00

I got my dress uniform finished in time for Motor City Comic Con! All three BSG actors loved it! I still need to add detail paint to my laser, but everything else is finished. I even had a dozen cubits in a little cloth bag similar to Starbuck's in "The Long Patrol".

[Classic] Battlestar Galactica Dress Uniform

2011-04-29T22:30:00.006-04:00

Okay, I know I'm crazy and I should be working on my commission list, but once in a while, I have to stop to work on something for me (keeps me sane). Motor City Comic Con this year is having [classic] Battlestar Galactica guests and on top of working on a set of drawings to have signed, I'm also working on making my BSG Viper pilot uniform tunic & pants into a dress uniform, as well as my husband's blue uniform.

Here's my tans:

I had wanted to get my battle jacket done in time, but I knew I wouldn't even come close, so I decided a dress cape would be quicker. This also meant a dress belt and dress necklace. The belt isn't so hard, we got some leather from Tandy Leather Factory and buckles from the Parade Store.

Here are the buckles, they'll need the pointed edges ground down:

I just ordered our cape fabric from Sy Fabrics. Probably the toughest part is the dress necklace. I found some similar necklaces online, but the place wanted a minimum order of 50 and each necklace was $10 each. There are cast replicas made, but they seem too clunky (not to mention overpriced) so I decided to try my hand at making my own, I took a jewelry-making class in college as part of my BFA after all.

Here is a picture of my progress so far. (I ran out of brass metal, so I'm using copper as a stand-in until I can get more brass.)

For reference, here's a picture of a warrior's dress uniform (the one on the right worn by Starbuck) which is what I'm making for myself:

This is an example of the blue (usually bridge and/or command) dress uniform that I'm making for my husband:

Updated Logo

2011-04-29T15:19:00.003-04:00

I had created a logo for my "studios" quite a while ago and decided it was time to refresh it a bit, here's my Angel Monkey "ChuChi" in my logo:

[Classic] Battlestar Galactica Artwork

2011-04-14T15:09:00.006-04:00

I've started a personal art project, I'm aiming to finish by May 13th. I'm working on classic Battlestar Galactica colored pencil drawings. One drawing will feature Apollo and Starbuck and another will feature Boomer.

I am creating them because I will be going to Motor City Comic Con again this year with the Rebel Legion and 501st Legion. I saw that two of the guests were going to be Richard Hatch (Apollo) and Dirk Benedict (Starbuck), so I started a drawing of Apollo and Starbuck to hopefully have them sign. I recently discovered that Herbert Jefferson Jr. (Boomer) will also be there, so I've started sketching out the line drawing for what will be a colored pencil drawing of Boomer to hopefully have him sign.

Here is my progress so far:

Lt. Boomer

Captain Apollo and Lt. Starbuck

Honorable Mention

2011-03-29T11:48:00.004-04:00

Well, I just got a call that my artwork didn't win the Danish Festival poster contest but they are giving me "honorable mention" and want to use my art for the back of their booklet (the winner is used on the cover). So, now I can post my entries:

The color version, colored pencil on paper:

The black and white simplified version, colored pencil & art marker on paper:

Both entries side by side:

If you live in or near Greenville, Michigan you can see my artwork on display with the other entries for about a month starting April 1st, 2011 at the Huntington Bank downtown.

Art Teaser

2011-03-07T17:29:00.003-05:00

I just submitted an entry into a poster contest. The rules state that the submission should never have been published before, so I won't post the entire image until after the contest has finished. But, here are a couple of glimpses of my two submissions. I did a colored pencil drawing and then a simplified pen & colored pencil version in black and white. The picture of my colored pencil drawing ended up a little blurry, which I'm not happy about because if I win, the poster becomes their property...I am, of course, hoping that I win! :)

Halloween Pictures

2011-01-24T22:55:00.004-05:00

I realized I hadn't posted pictures of us wearing the Halloween costumes I made.

The 5 of us:

My husband and I:

The kids:

[Classic] Battlestar Galactica Colonial Warrior

2010-10-21T13:07:00.007-04:00

I have begun working (or should say "picked back up working") on a men's Battlestar Galactica Colonial Warrior/Viper Pilot tunic and pants set. I started the mock up for this in early 2009 but just recently got the mock up back! ;) So, now I'm working on it again.

I've been struggling with migraines all week, so my progress has been slow. Yesterday I was able to get the tunic cut out (minus the collar) and got a start to cutting out the pants.

Here is the tunic being cut out of the butter suede tan fabric. (I like to call this "Frankenpattern" because it's been changed so much with different pieces of paper that have been taped and pinned to it and other parts cut off!)

I do have the tunic (minus collar) fully cut out, but I didn't get a picture of that yet.

Aladdin Halloween Costumes

2010-10-11T17:25:00.005-04:00

Halloween last year was sort of "lost" a bit for our family since we had recently moved to a new house in a new town (we moved the 7th of September, 2009). I had wanted to make an Abu costume from Disney's "Aladdin" for our youngest (a son), but I knew I didn't have the time to devote to it. This year, I figured it would be my last chance to get the Abu costume done for him while he was so little.

I love to have all of our family match, so that meant I would also want to create costumes for the rest of the family to match the "Aladdin" theme our youngest would have. I decided since my youngest is going to be Abu, my husband should be Aladdin, which meant that I would be Jasmine. I chose Genie for our oldest (a son).

I knew our daughter wouldn't want to be anything other than the Princess, so I made a Jasmine costume for her as well, but I made a different outfit (the one Jasmine wears at the very end of the movie).

I'm not 100% finished, I have to make some "shoes", but other than that, I'm pretty much ready for Halloween!

Here is the fabric, laid out by costume, cut out and ready to be sewn:

My oldest son wanted his picture taken when I was test fitting the [incomplete] Genie on him:

The finished Jasmine for my daughter, and Abu for my youngest son:

The Genie costume for my oldest son:

The Aladdin costume for my husband and my Jasmine costume:

I'll be sure to post pictures of us wearing them on Halloween.

Shaak Ti

2010-10-11T17:18:00.003-04:00

I also recently finished a commission for the soft parts of the Shaak Ti costume. I created: the skirt, shirt, tabbards, and outer cloak.

Here is a promotional image of Shaak Ti, she can be seen in Episode 2: Attack of the Clones and Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith.

Here is my version:

Generic Jedi

2010-10-11T17:09:00.006-04:00

I recently finished work on an outer cloak with saber blade pockets, a set of tabbards, and an obi for a friend. Here are the finished pictures:

ANH Leia Senatorial Gown

2010-10-11T13:24:00.036-04:00

Princess Leia, as seen in "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope":

Here is my tutorial for making the "Star Wars: A New Hope" Princess Leia senatorial gown with a waist seam. The movie accurate way (as far as we can all tell) is to make the gown in a basic "T" shape, with the sleeves stretching from seam allowance to seam allowance and the length of the fabric folded at the shoulders. However, many of us ladies have longer arms than the 60" wide fabric would allow for. I decided to make mine with a waist seam so I could use the fabric differently and get a bit longer sleeves. Here is my tutorial, also including how I made my belt and hair buns.

I highly recommend also viewing Pam's tutorial for the gown sewn in the classic way.

The Dress:

For the dress, I created 3 pattern pieces

The top
The skirt
The collar

I based my patterns off of the basic "T" shape that is the accurate way to make the white Leia gown but then I cut it in half at the waist and added a seam allowance. My collar pattern ended up being too tall, so I had to alter it in the end.

The top and skirt pattern pieces.

I began by cutting out the top pieces. You will need two of everything because this gown is self-lined.

The collar pieces cut out.

The top and skirt pieces cut out.

Start by sewing the under arm seams of both top sections.

If you have a dress form, place the lining layer of your top on the form with the seams facing out. Then, place the outer layer of your top on the form with the seams facing in. This should result in both layers with their seams facing each other.

Fold under the edges of the sleeves toward the inside and pin them in a few places, like this:

Then, take the top pieces off the dress form and turn them so you have the seams facing out on both layers. You will need to re-pin the sleeves so that the pins are on the side you're working on. It should end up looking like this:

Sew the seams of both sleeve ends and turn the top pieces right side out. It should look like this:

Sew both sections of the skirt at the side seams, making sure you leave a slit on both sides that comes to about knee height. Then, place the skirt lining and outer layers right sides together. Pin both layers together at the slit and hem. Sew. (*Note: The original gown has a rolled hem, sewn by hand. If you prefer your gown to be as accurate as possible, do not sew the hem of the gown at this time, wait until you have your gown complete, then roll the hem and stitch by hand.)

The collar can be sewn at any time.

You will need to sew a keyhole opening in the top of your gown. You will need to cut a small neck opening with a slit down the back. Start out small and try it on. If it doesn't fit, don't force it (or you will make the knit fabric snag and run). If needed, trim a little more off the neck opening and try again. You should be able to put your head through the neck opening with the slit. After you have the neck opening and slit big enough (keep in mind the seam allowance will make the hole and slit a bit larger), turn the top wrong side out, so the seams are facing you. Pin the raw edges of the slit you just cut together like this:

Sew the slit edges together.

When you turn the top right side out, your key hole slit should look like this:

Now for the tricky part. You need to sew the top sections to the skirt sections. Choose which layer you want to start with and pin them together, much the same way you did the sleeve ends. (You will need to pull everything through the neck opening.) Once you've pinned and sewn one layer, you will need to sew the second layer so that the lining sections are sewn together and the outer sections are sewn together.

Your gown will look something like this now:

Now, you need to sew through both layers to create a channel for elastic. Make sure you leave an opening to insert the elastic. Once the channel is sewn, insert elastic and pin. Try the gown on and adjust the elastic if necessary. Sew the elastic together and finish the channel, to enclose the elastic inside the gown. Now your gown should look something like this:

Next, is the hood. Your hood should be roughly trapezoidal in shape. The longer edge is the front edge. You will need to hand sew a rolled hem on both long edges of the hood. Then, gather both shorter ends of the hood and pin them to either side of the key hole slit. The front of the hood should be pinned where a shoulder seam would be if there was one. The back hem of the hood should be pinned at the keyhole opening. Repeat this for the other end/side of the hood.

Sew the hood to the neck of the gown. Now, your gown should look something like this:

You will need to test fit the length of the collar to the opening that you cut. If necessary, adjust the neck opening and/or the collar.

Once you have the neck opening and collar adjusted to the proper size, sew one layer of the collar to the neck opening. Trim the seam, and turn the collar up, pressing the seam allowance inside the collar. Turn the seam allowance of the second layer of the collar to the inside and hand-sew the inside edge closed. Sew two hooks and eyes on the edges of the collar to keep it closed.

Belt:

For my belt, I chose to make it out of white, non-shiny, vinyl "pleather". Here is how I made mine:

Cut two belt sections out of the vinyl, making sure you put a curve in it so that it will lay properly once it is curled around your waist. Also make sure that the belt is proportional to your size.

Using tin snips, cut the belt plates from a sheet of aluminum, making sure that the belt plates are proportional to your size and to your belt as well.

Sew white Velcro to the ends of the belt, making sure that the two ends will meet when you have the belt sewn together and the ends overlapping.

Sew the two layers of belt right sides together, making sure to leave an opening to turn the belt. It is easiest to leave the opening somewhere near the middle of the belt, at the bottom. Clip curves, turn right side out. Then, top stitch about 1/8" from the edge, making sure you flatten the belt as you go.

Prepare the metal plates by filing and sanding the edges smooth. Also, drill holes large enough for your button blanks' shanks to fit through them.

Place the plates on the belt and adjust the spacing. Mark the centers of each plate hole and remove the plates. Beginning at the center, use an awl to punch a hole in the vinyl belt at the center hole. Put the plate on the belt, and push the button blank shank through the center hole in the plate and the belt. (You can either work on one plate/button blank at a time, or you can punch all the holes and pin them in place through the button blank shanks at the back of the belt.)

Using a curved needle and thick thread, catch the button blank shank on the back side of the belt.

Thread a small white button onto the needle...

...and sew in place.

Trim the ends of the thread. I recommend putting some glue on the thread knots to be sure they don't work themselves loose over time.

Repeat steps for all plates/button blanks until all plates/button blanks are sewn in place .

Try on your belt and bend the metal plates slightly so that they match the curve of your hips. Remove the belt and apply glue to the backs of the plates, securing them to the vinyl belt. It may be necessary to clip the belt and plates together while the glue cures.

Your belt should look like this:

Hair buns:

I created little buckram bowls and placed hair extensions on them so that I had permanent buns. This way, I don't have to worry about getting the bun to look perfect every time, I just need to pin them over my own hair and I'm finished. In this tutorial, I've also included the pictures of my ESB End Scene Gown hair bun as well (it is the larger "bowl").

Determine how large you want your bowl and trace the circle onto buckram. (I chose a Corelle "dessert" bowl as my ANH bun base and a larger "soup?" bowl as my ESB bun base.) Cut out two circles for ANH buns, one circle for an ESB bun.

ANH:

ESB:

Wet the buckram and place it over the bowl, pressing it down and creasing the buckram where needed.

Cover the first bowl and the wet buckram with a second bowl of the same size.

Once dry, remove the top bowl and carefully pry the buckram bowl off of the bottom bowl.

Trim the edges so the buckram bowl is a smooth round circle.

Sew bias tape on the edges of the buckram bowl(s).

Next, take your hair extension and un-braid it.

Open the extension up and find the middle. Sew the middle together and then sew it to the center of your buckram bowl.

Following images of Leia, curl the hair into a bun and glue with clear glue. You may need to use clips to keep the hair in place while the glue cures.

This is one of my finished ANH buns:

You will probably want to sew in a hair comb to help the bun(s) stay in your own hair.

Here is my finished ANH Leia outfit with the gown, belt, and buns together:

If you happen to have access to a R2-D2 you can even re-create the famous ANH scene with Leia and R2!

Have fun with it, now you're Leia: everyone's favorite galactic Princess!

You can also use this gown for the End Scene in "The Empire Strikes Back":

AOTC Cut Scene Padme Senate Gown

2010-09-15T14:59:00.005-04:00

This will probably be my last update for a while, since now I've gotten back to my commissions and am working on other people's projects at the moment.

I was able to finish the sleeves (I still need to attach the 20 buttons) and I got most of the skirt attached to the bodice.

Here is the collar progress:

Sleeve progress:

The sleeves, back & sides of the skirt attached to the bodice:

All that remains for the velvet outer dress is to finish attaching the skirt to the bodice, work on the lapels, attach them to the collar, pipe & attach them to the bodice & skirt, embellesh them with the "Naboo symbol" and attach 10 buttons to each lower sleeve. Then I need to finish my beading so I can finish the under bodice/skirt.

I'm unsure when I'll be able to pick this back up because I have a mile long list of commissions! :)

AOTC Senator Amidala Cut Scene Gown

2010-09-08T21:41:00.013-04:00

At long last, I've picked up work on this gown again! I started it over two years ago, but set it aside to work on Halloween costumes and that turned into working on Episode 3 [pregnant] Padmé costumes to go with my pregnant belly. Now that I'm back to "normal" I decided I should pick it back up. I've made some great progress.

I am still working with Simplicity 4156 but I've also picked up Simplicity 3782 which is an Elizabethan costume pattern. I'm using 4156 for the collar, under bodice, sleeves and parts of the outer bodice. I'm using 3782 for the skirt and underskirt. Obviously, everything gets some sort of alteration to make it work for the Padmé gown.

To read (or re-read) my original posts:
First Post
Second Post
Third Post

Here are some of my fabrics. Top left is the drape fabric, then the outer bodice/skirt/upper sleeve velvet, and then the lower sleeve/piping fabric.

My rough sketch of the drape "clasp" beading. I can't really determine what the rest of the design is based on the pictures I have, but here is what I could make out:

Sketch of the hair and head jewelry:

My original sketch of the bodice beading. I later came across the "touch wall" picture thanks to Kathy's FIDM pictures. The picture shows similar beading appliques without all the extra stuff, so it makes it much easier to see what's going on.

My sketches of the collar beading and the navette rhinestone "flower" details:

(Ignore the strange fabric) This is my mock-up for the bodice, sleeve, collar, and [shortened for mock-up purposes] lapel:

My silk velvet before cutting into it:

Lower sleeve construction. I made the lower sleeves two pieces, one longer than it needed to be to create the folds that the original has. I gathered the edges of the longer portion and sewed it to the other portion. Then I lightly pressed the folds to get them to lay the way I wanted them to:

Bodice progress. I basted the velvet to a blue broadcloth to give it strength and stability:

Bodice pieces after being sewn together:

Pinning some of the piping:

Sewing some of the piping:

Upper sleeve progress:

Upper sleeve after having all the sections piped and attached:

Here is my velvet "skirt" laying on the couch. It is a LOT of fabric, and pretty weighty too! (This picture shows the front and fronts of the sides, the back and backs of the sides are underneath...there's that much fabric!) It will look gorgeous once I have it pleated and sewn onto the bodice. But first, I need to pipe the edge of the bodice, because the waist seam gets piping too:

Now, I need to sew some more piping. I roughly calculated I will need about 16 yards of piping for this gown!

Snow Speeder Pilot Soft Helmet

2010-07-17T00:11:00.002-04:00

I tackled and accomplished the snow speeder pilot soft helmet for my snow speeder pilot costume (for CV) today.

Here is one of the screen-used soft helmets, seen on Hobbie.

Here is mine (it fits my head a bit snugger than the mannequin head, so it actually looks a little better on me, I think.)

Updated Hoth Hat Tutorial

2010-05-27T23:56:00.003-04:00

I just completed some updates to a Hoth Hat tutorial I had created last year. Some Rebel Legion members were able to handle, try on, and take pictures of a screen used Hoth hat and they shared their pictures with the rest of us. In light of these pictures, I wanted to update the tutorial to reflect the details that were recently revealed.

You can see the tutorial here.

[Classic] Battlestar Galactica Women's Uniform Tutorial

2010-04-19T14:29:00.033-04:00

This is a tutorial based off of the pattern that I have created. If you are creating your own pattern, it will be slightly different. My method was developed after careful study of a friend's (Mark Bradley) screen-used tunic (though it does not have the original collar or trim). There were some of the construction details that I found odd, but to be true to the screen-used uniforms, I followed the construction of the original as closely as possible. The following is a tutorial showing the construction of a tan Warrior's tunic, but it can also be used for the blue command version as well.

Tunic Tutorial-

Materials Needed:

Buttersuede or Alova Suede material in tan for Warrior or blue for Bridge/Command (yardage will vary depending on your pattern size)
Cream, white, or off-white cotton/poly lightweight material (yardage will vary depending on your pattern size)
Scrap (approx. ½ yard) heavyweight material
Velcro (at least 1 yard), tan for Warrior, black for Bridge/Command
Hooks & eyes
Thin batting
Fusible interfacing
Piping
Trim, gold & black checked and solid gold for Warrior, silver & black checked and solid silver for Bridge/Command
Embroidered patch
Thread to match suede fabric and trim
Dressmaker's pencil (water soluble)
Ruler
Optional bias tape (any color)

Cut out pieces following pattern instructions. The majority of pieces will need butter/alova suede and lining. The front and back stabilizer pieces get cut out of your scrap of heavyweight material. Once everything is cut out, zig zag or surge each suede piece, along outside edges, to it's corresponding lining piece. For the front and back pieces, be sure to include the front & back stabilizer. For front quilted section, be sure to sandwich the batting between the suede and lining fabrics before zig zagging.

Mark darts in front and back pieces, pin, stitch suede and lining together along center of dart (to prevent shifting).

Pin darts, sew, press toward center.

Turn bottom of quilted front section under ½" and hand baste with a contrasting thread. Starting at the bottom, mark horizontal lines approximately 1" apart (slightly more than 1", but the pencil line makes up for the difference well enough). After marking a line, top stitch along the mark. Mark another line approx. 1" away from your stitches, top stitch.

Continue up the front piece until you have quilted the entire piece. At this point, I recommend hand washing the quilted section with mild laundry detergent in luke-warm water to remove the dress maker pencil marks. (While the quilted section is drying, you can proceed with the sleeves.)

Pin front and front side to back at shoulders, stitch.

Sew embroidered patch to right sleeve. Turn up hems, and top stitch in place. ½" from bottom edge of sleeve, pin gold & black checked (or silver & black checked) trim across sleeves. Stitch in place on both edges. Pin solid gold (or silver) trim just above checked trim making sure not to allow gaps that show the fabric underneath. Stitch in place. Pin gold & black checked (or silver & black checked) trim above solid gold (silver) trim. Stitch in place.

For both sleeves, approximately 3½" from bottom edge of sleeve, mark and leave open. Stitch remainder of sleeve together. For portion of the sleeve that will be facing up after it is sewn to the tunic, fold back sleeve openings 5/8" and hand sew hooks to inside at edge. For remaining sleeve openings hand sew eyes so that when hooked to hooks makes the edges meet, without causing too much overlap. Set aside for now.

Turn right shoulder of front quilted section under 5/8" and pin to tunic front. Along right side of quilted front section, turn under ½" and pin to tunic front. Pin bottom of quilted front section to tunic front & remove hand basting. Machine stitch bottom of quilted section to tunic front. Hand stitch using a hidden slip stitch right shoulder and side of quilted section to tunic front.

Pin front to back at sides. Sew.

Turn up hem (this should be approximately ½", but you should double check), pin, top stitch approximately 1/4" away from bottom edge.

Place fuzzy side of Velcro along left side of tunic front, face up. Pin. Stitch. Turn toward inside, pin, and hand stitch (I'm sorry, somehow I managed not to get a picture of that step).

Pin sleeves to the tunic, matching under arm seams, making sure the right sleeve with patch is on the right side of the tunic. Stitch. Clip seam allowance close to seam and zig zag or surge edges again.

Place the scratchy side of the Velcro on the tunic front side piece. This should be about 1½" in from the edge, but you should try on the tunic to be sure how it fits before attaching the Velcro (I placed mine too far to the edge [as seen in this image] and had to pick it out after I tried the tunic on and realized it wasn't tight enough.)

*Side note* You may wish to place some spare fuzzy side Velcro over the scratchy Velcro that you sewed to your tunic as you work on it, so that it isn't constantly sticking to your suede fabric.

Optional step: sew bias tape (color doesn't really matter but I would recommend sticking with brown/tan for the Warrior or blue/black for Bridge/Command) to the neck edge of your tunic.

Iron interfacing to collar pieces. Pin. Stitch collar pieces together, making sure to leave open at the left shoulder between piece C and D. Press.

Sew collar facing pieces together in the opposite way that the collar is sewn together. Press. (*Note that the facing in this picture is sewn exactly like the collar, which was my mistake...sleep deprived Mom and making it up as I go along sometimes don't mix very well...)

Create your own piping using bias cut suede fabric folded over the store bought piping (often, this can be found in the upholstery/home decor section). Pin well. Sew the fabric as close to the piping as you can using a zipper foot.

Attach the piping to the bottom edge of the collar (do not cut the piping yet). Stitch. Cut off excess piping.

Turn seam allowance up, toward collar. Pin gold & black checked (or silver & black checked) trim just above piping. Stitch in place along bottom edge, then top edge. Optional step: Pin solid gold (or silver) trim just above checked trim. Stitch in place.

Pin collar and collar facing together. Stitch along top edge.

Be sure to turn up 5/8" of loose edge on ends. Stitch.

Clip corners and curves, turn toward inside.

Pin gold & black checked (or silver & black checked) trim at top edge of collar. Stitch in place along top and then bottom of trim.

(Another missing picture, sorry about that!) Pin the collar to the tunic, being sure to match the right shoulder seam with the seam of C & D on the right side of the collar. Match the center of piece A with the center front of the tunic. Match center of piece E with center back of tunic. Match collar opening with tunic opening (edge of front flap should match edge of piece C and back flap edge should line up with edge of piece D. Stitch the collar to the tunic along the piping, using a thread that will blend with the checked trim (I recommend black).

*Note: To recreate the look of an ancient Egyptian collar/necklace like the show costumes did, try to keep the edge of the collar as round as possible. It is true that some screen-used tunics have a slight "V" to the front of the collar, but this is a tailoring flaw. Ancient Egyptian collars are round, that is what the costume designer was going for: round collars.

Pin fuzzy Velcro to the front opening edge of the collar, much like with the tunic front. Stitch. Turn toward inside, pin, hand stitch. Pin scratchy side of Velcro to shoulder. Machine stitch in place. Optional step: Sew a hook and eye at the top of the collar to help keep the Velcro closed. Hand stitch collar facing to inside of tunic.

Your tunic is done!

Pants Tutorial-

Materials needed:

Buttersuede or Alova suede fabric in tan for Warrior or blue for Bridge/Command (yardage will vary depending on your pattern size)
Cream, white, or off-white poly/cotton blend lightweight material (yardage will vary depending on your pattern size)
7" metal zipper to match color of suede material
½" to 1" elastic (about 1 yard)
Hook & eye (the kind intended for pants, see image in tutorial)
Matching thread

You will need to cut out two pants fronts, two pants backs, and two waistbands from your butter/alova suede fabric as well as your lining material. You will also need two belt loop rectangles of the butter/alova suede fabric only.

After all the pieces are cut out, zig zag or serge each suede piece, around the outside edges, to it's corresponding lining piece.

Mark the darts in the two pants back sections, and sew the lining & suede together through the middle of the dart (to prevent shifting).

Pin the darts, sew. Press the darts toward the center back.

Sew front sections together at center front, and back sections together at center back.

Sew the left side seam only, leaving open above notch. Then, using a basting stitch sew the seam together above the notch, clipping the stitches about every 2".

On the inside, with the top (waist) of the pants toward you, extend the right seam allowance. Open the zipper and place face down on the seam with the coil next to seam. Pin in place and sew with zipper foot. Make sure that the bottom of the zipper it at the notch and the top of the zipper is at the top (waist) of the pants.

Close the zipper. On outside, topstitch zipper (1/4" away from seam). Remove the basting stitches.

Pin & sew right side seam. Pin & sew inseam.

Pin & sew the two waistband pieces together at sides and un-notched edge. Clip corners, turn, press.

Pin waistband to pants, matching notches on one of the notched edges, keeping the other notched edge free. Stitch.

Clip seam where there are curves. Turn waistband to inside, turn edge under 5/8" inch and pin.

Hand slipstitch.

Sew the belt loop rectangles together along long edges, leaving ends open. Turn, press.

Cut into seven 2½" long pieces.

Place one belt loop at center back, with one on each side of it, approximately 2" away. Place one belt loop on the right side seam, one belt loop on the left side seam at the edge of the waistband, and two belt loops approximately 4" away from center front -one to the left and one to the right. Turn under edges about 1/4" (less if you can manage it) and stitch close to folded edge at the top of belt loop and the bottom of belt loop.

Try on pants, mark hem. Remove pants. Turn up hem, pin, stitch. Sew elastic to hem to create a stirrup.

Sew hook and eye to waistband at left side opening above zipper.

Your uniform pants are done. Happy Costuming!!

Senate Guard Progress!

2010-04-10T22:07:00.003-04:00

I started sewing my husband's Senate Guard robes today (he wasn't feeling well, so I thought this might help cheer him up). I got the velvet and lining for the robe cut out and the velvet outer portion of the robe sewn together. Here are a couple of pictures, I would have taken more, but the process was so quick, I didn't even think about it.

Using the velvet of the robe as a "pattern" for the lining of the robe:

My husband modeling the velvet portion of the robe after I had it sewn together:

Senate Guard Helmet

2010-04-08T14:17:00.007-04:00

After more than two years of wanting this costume, we finally took some of the tax return money and purchased a Senate Guard helmet for my husband. It came a couple days ago. It will require some work, we got a "raw" helmet because it was about $100 cheaper. This way too, we can choose the color of paint to match the robes more closely. The "spine" is rather crooked, so we'll have to fix it, or create something new. The "lens" is just wrong, it should be black and a more rigid plastic, like sunglasses lenses.

The Helmet:

Front

3/4 Front

Left Side

Back

Right Side

Top

Inside

Spine side

Spine Back

Spine Front

"Lens"

Classic Battlestar Galactica Jacket Swatch

2010-04-02T22:55:00.003-04:00

I got my Alova Suede swatch today from Sy Fabrics and it is the closest match to the screen used jacket material that I have seen! In person, it is actually a closer match than the pictures show.

Flash off:

Flash on:

Blue Senate Guard: It can begin!

2010-04-02T22:51:00.003-04:00

My husband's Senate Guard fabric came from Sy Fabrics today!

Left to right (all in Royal Blue) : cotton/poly for the under suit, taffeta lining for the robe lining, plush velvet for the robe:

Hoth Snow Speeder Swatch

2010-04-02T22:47:00.007-04:00

I ordered a swatch of orange lining taffeta from Sy Fabrics to see if it might possibly work for the Hoth Rebel Snow Speeder jacket. Unfortunately, it was too thin, and too pale...

Here it is on top of my flight suit:

Here it is on top of the quilted nylon I found for Jason's & my jackets (I think that fabric is pretty much perfect color, thickness, sheen, and texture-wise except for the quilting stitches I have to pick out):

Update on Battlestar Galactica Warrior Uniform

2010-03-31T22:49:00.002-04:00

I'm 99.9% finished with my Colonial Warrior uniform (I just have a bit of hand sewing on the inside to finish), so I thought I'd post a progress picture:

More Senate Guard Observations

2010-03-22T16:55:00.006-04:00

When I first started researching this costume to make it for my husband (over two years ago now!) I just assumed that the Senate Guards wore an inner cloak like the Royal Guards did.

This behind the scenes image shows a Royal Guard (on the right) without his red velvet robe, you can clearly see the burgundy colored robe with sleeves:

However, one time while watching "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" I noticed a scene where the Senate Guards were on Naboo with Chancellor Palpatine. The wind was blowing the outer robes while the Guards were walking and it was very clear to me that they were wearing some sort of blue pants! I couldn't find any picture evidence of this, and I lack the programs that would allow me to do screen captures from the DVD, so I put the movie in my DVD player and took a digital picture. The images are pretty rough, but you can see what I saw: the Senate guards do not have an inner robe, they wear pants! It appears that the "shirt" and "pants" are all one piece like a coverall. The coverall does not appear to have a waist, there is no kind of belt, and no pockets. I did notice that one Senate Guard is wearing his pants tucked into the top of his boots while another is wearing the pants untucked.
(Click on an image to see it larger)
In this image, the Senate Guard on the right of the image is taking rather large strides. The wind is blowing his robe away from his legs. Pants can clearly be seen (untucked):

The Senate Guard on the left just behind Palpatine is another good example of clear evidence that he is wearing pants. If you watch the movie, the robe blows enough to show his waist...I believe there is no waistband, which leads me to believe this is a one-piece coverall sort of thing. His pantlegs are tucked into his boots:

The other Senate Guards in the background are also good evidence that they are wearing pants (tucked or untucked).

Another noteworthy thing that I noticed in several pictures, and should be replicated by anyone making/wearing this costume is that the sleeves of the under-"coverall" are worn OVER the gloves. (This can also be seen in the screen captures of mine above.)

*Update*

I learned something new that was pointed out to me. Senate Guards also used Force Pikes! See this image from "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones"

Battlestar Galactica Colonial Warrior: Progress!

2010-03-12T17:24:00.005-05:00

At long last I'm finally able to start work on my classic BSG uniform! Here is my progress so far:

Now, I will be working on the collar. I still have quite a bit of hand sewing to do to the front quilted panel and the Velcro. Thanks to Mark Bradley, I've been able to look at a screen used tunic, which has helped me figure out how the original uniforms were constructed.

When I finish, I plan to post up a detailed tutorial. :)

X-wing mini-tutorial

2010-03-12T15:42:00.012-05:00

How to sew your own X-wing flight suit (if you got your pattern from me).

You will need:

(Depending on the size you are making) 6-7 yards of orange trigger fabric in "seville orange" or similar bright orange color.
About 3 spools of matching orange thread
Black thread
Approx. 36" black zipper
Black 1" Velcro
Optional white or orange Velcro for Comm pad.
Interfacing

If you have the Kwik Sew coverall pattern, you can follow the basic guidelines for sewing the coverall together. Otherwise, it's pretty common sense. If you need a specific instruction, feel free to email me.

First, you need to prep the pockets. Zig zag or surge the raw edges, turn them under 1/2" (unless otherwise noted) and press. Double top-stitch the tops/hand openings of all the pockets. Attach the Velcro to one half of the pocket flaps and then sew the pocket flaps together, trim, turn, press, and double top stitch the sides and bottom edges (leave the top of the flap for now).

You will also need to attach the Velcro for the sleeve cuffs & collar, then sew the two pieces together. You will need to take into account that you will be taking up a seam allowance, as well as the top stitching, so be sure to inset the Velcro far enough to be free of those things. Also, be sure to use interfacing on the collar. Once the pockets, flaps, cuffs, and collar are prepped and ready, you can move on to the suit.

You can begin by sewing the pockets to each sleeve. If desired, now is the time to sew Velcro in the center of the comm pad pocket window (on the sleeve, not the pocket) to hold your comm pad.

Next, sew the lower two pieces of each front "shirt" section together, then sew on the yoke. [*Be sure to zig zag or surge all seams, press, and top stitch (where applicable) after every step.] Once you have the fronts sewn, you can add the scoop pockets.

Next, sew the front pants sections together, following the Kwik Sew guidelines. Sew the waist band sections to the pants sections (the waist band only gets a single top-stitch). Then, attach the leg pockets and pocket flaps. You will need to sew the scoop pockets in place first, then the first set of cargo pocket flaps. Then, use the placement of the Velcro on the flap to determine where the Velcro needs to be placed on the pocket. Sew the Velcro to the pocket, then attach the pocket to the pant legs. Repeat for the second set of pockets.

After the pants pockets are attached, you can sew the shirt front to the pants front at the waistband. Attach zipper according to Kwik Sew directions. Note that you will not be putting a snap at the neck, your zipper should be long enough to reach all the way to the collar.

Sew the shirt back and front sections together at the shoulder. Be sure to carefully fold the extra fabric to create the proper tuck in the shirt back.

Sew the sleeves in place. (I thought I had gotten a picture of it, but it must have gotten lost/deleted from the camera...) Be sure to sew the raw edge of the tuck to the sleeve, keeping the folded edge free. This is a tricky step, and can bunch, so be prepared to pick out your stitches and redo this until you get it right.

Sew the pants back sections together, then attach the waistband. Attach the pants back to the shirt back at the waistband.

Sew together at underarm, sides, and crotch seams. Be sure to leave an opening at the end of the sleeve seam, where marked, at the wrist. Turn under the hem at the wrist opening twice and top stitch. Also, be sure to leave an opening at the waist band on each side seam to insert elastic into the casing in the waistband at the back of the suit. Insert elastic, pin in place, and stitch the rest of the seam.

Attach the sleeve cuffs and collar. Clip, turn, and press cuffs and collar, double top stitch. Attach the corresponding Velcro on the opposite ends of the cuffs and collar.

Hem the pant legs.

That's it, you're done!

Pockets!

2010-01-21T21:55:00.005-05:00

I haven't had much time to download pictures, but I thought I'd share this one. I'm working on 3 X-wing flight suits at once. One is a commission, one is for my husband, and one is for me (at long last, I'm finally working on ours!). I'm doing all the "steps" in the process of the three suits all at the same time. I've just completed what I call "prep-work".

Before I can sew the suits together I need to measure, mark, fold under, pin, & press all the edges of the pockets, and also double top-stitch the tops of all the pockets. 5 of the pockets have flaps, so I also need to measure and mark for the Velcro and sew the Velcro in place, then sew the two pieces of the flap together, turn, press, and double top-stitch. One of the pockets called a "comm pad pocket" has a rectangular window that also needs to be top-stitched.

Along with the pockets, I also have some prep-work that needed doing for the collars and sleeve cuffs, which require Velcro as well. So, I had to mark placement, sew on Velcro, and then sew the two pieces of each of those elements as well.

For 3 flight suits, that's 33 pockets, 15 flaps, 6 sleeve cuffs, and 3 collars! NOW I can actually begin to sew the flight suits!

Here are the finished pockets, ready to be sewn to the flight suits (I've marked each person's pieces with a different color safety pin, since they're all custom made to the wearer, I don't want to miss-match pieces!)

Hoth Rebel Snow Speeder Pilot Jacket Studies

2010-01-21T13:50:00.010-05:00

A little over a year ago, I started collecting all the information I could about the jackets worn by the Rebel Snow speeder pilots in "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back". I was intending to use them for my own use, but there are several people who are also highly interested in this jacket so I decided I would compile the images I've collected into a blog post to share. I cannot remember where I have gleaned all of these images. I do remember that the majority of the detail shots and screen shots of the actual jackets as seen in "Empire" have come from Darth Lars, who has a wonderful jacket tutorial up in the Pilots forum of the Rebel Legion.

Here are images of Luke and various Rebel pilots wearing the jacket in the movie:

Posed shots:

Behind the scenes shot:

Here is the original Ceremonial jacket from "Star Wars: A New Hope" which is similar, but different:

I cannot remember where I found these online, or even which show/movie these images are taken from [*Edit: I believe they are from the TV show "Space: 1999"], but it was noted that these are the same or similar jackets as what was used in "Empire" :

Obviously, if they are the same jacket, the "Empire" versions have been altered. I do believe the base of the Hoth Snow speeder jacket was some sort of "off the shelf" jacket from the late 1970's that had been altered slightly, which was quite common for the first 3 Star Wars movies.

Attack of the Clones Anakin

2010-01-07T13:35:00.004-05:00

My latest [finished] commission is an Attack of the Clones Anakin Skywalker. I've actually had it finished for a while, but haven't posted pictures.

This is the movie version:

This is my version (Note that I did not make the leather tabbards, only the fabric ones.):

Artwork

2009-11-24T14:15:00.005-05:00

These are older drawings of mine that I had posted on Geocities. However, Geocities is no longer so I wanted to post them here so I had them up somewhere. These are all colored pencil drawings on paper.

A commission from a fellow R2-D2 Builder:

This was a trade for some very awesome wooden legs and feet for my R2-D2:

This mother/daughter collage was done in anticipation of "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" coming to theatres:

Another "TPM Anticipation" mother/daughter collage:

"TPM Anticipation" mother/daughter collage (this Queen Amidala outfit is my absolute favorite Star Wars costume) :

Self-portrait as Rose from "Titanic" in my favorite "Titanic" costume:

The most heart-wrenching commission I've ever done. Little baby Megan was still-born and her mom wanted me to draw her so she appeared like she was clothed & merely sleeping:

A commission by a proud grandma, before her son took his family to the mission field:

A wedding portrait, my husband & I (at our wedding reception):

Battle Damaged Clone Wars Anakin

2009-11-24T11:58:00.004-05:00

I've been so busy, I forgot to post this commission. The same person who commissioned me to make a Clone Wars Anakin tunic and surcoat commissioned me to make a battle-damaged version of the surcoat.

The surcoat was to be battle-damaged, similar to this image from "Star Wars: The Clone Wars".

Here is the finished surcoat with "battle damage":

Another "The Phantom Menace" Battle Padme

2009-10-02T14:40:00.008-04:00

A friend of mine, whom I consider my "sister in Padme-&-Leia-costume-freak-ness" asked me to sew a "The Phantom Menace" battle Padme costume for her. She is a great costume-maker herself, so I considered it an honor that she'd ask me. She provided the materials and I created the costume.

The original costume, as seen in the movie:

Becca wearing the completed costume I made:

The completed costume on my dress form:

Closeups showing the trim, this was the same trim that Lucasfilm used:

To see the previous TPM Battle Padme commission click HERE

Battlestar Galactica Art

2009-09-29T15:02:00.003-04:00

I was one of a handful of people to help start up a classic Battlestar Galactica costuming group, Blackstar Squadron. On the BSS forum, I had an avatar of my anime character, but I thought I should draw a Battlestar Galactica avatar. So, I drew and colored a quick rendering of me as my BSG character. Here is my character Rhea (pronounced REE-ah):

Owen & Beru Lars and Luke Skywalker

2009-08-10T16:43:00.004-04:00

Here are pictures of the completed Episode 3 Owen & Beru Lars with Baby Luke pictures:

Original Screen-Used Battlestar Galactica Tunic

2009-06-23T17:11:00.009-04:00

A friend of mine graciously let me borrow an original screen-used Battlestar Galactica uniform tunic from his personal collection.

*Please note: the collar and trim are NOT original to the uniform. The original collar and trim were removed for use in the TV show "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century". I've miss-placed the information regarding whom did the restoration, but I will post that when I have it.

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

Battlestar Galactica Uniform Fabric Study

2009-06-23T16:29:00.006-04:00

A friend of mine graciously let me borrow an original screen-used Battlestar Galactica uniform tunic from his personal collection. Here, I am comparing fabric I purchased to re-create the Battlestar Galactica uniforms with the original fabric.

*Please note: the collar and trim are NOT original to the uniform. The original collar and trim were removed for use in the TV show "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century". I've miss-placed the information regarding whom did the restoration, but I will post that when I have it.

On to the pictures:

Lining fabric with flash

Lining fabric without flash.

My tunic fabric with original tunic. Flash on.

My fabric, original tunic, no flash.

Tunic fabric (mine on left, original on right) closeup with flash.

Tunic fabric with flash (Mine/Original).

Tunic fabric without flash (Mine/Original).

Jacket fabric closeup, with flash (Mine/Original).

Jacket fabric, no flash (Original on top/Mine on bottom).

Jacket fabric with flash (Original top/Mine bottom).

My tunic and jacket fabric, with flash.

Original tunic and jacket fabric, no flash.

Original tunic and jacket fabric, with flash.

My tunic & jacket fabric next to the original tunic and jacket fabric with flash.

My tunic and jacket fabric next to original tunic and jacket fabric, no flash.

Beru Lars & Baby Luke

2009-06-18T20:48:00.006-04:00

In 2004/2005 while I was expecting our first child, a son, we were also preparing to attend Star Wars Celebration: III when our son would be about 2 months old. I thought it would be cute to create Owen Lars & Beru Whitesun Episode 2: Attack of the Clones costumes (the young Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru) and a little Luke costume for our son.

Now, in 2009 I am expecting our third child, also a son, and preparing to attend a Rebel Legion/501st charity event. I thought it would be fitting to create Owen & Beru Lars costumes from Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith since we will be bringing our baby with us to the event.

All that was needed to change my Episode 2 costume into an Episode 3 costume was a different jacket. I finished the jacket today, so my Beru Lars costume is ready to go. I had also previously finished a blanket which will be our son's first Star Wars "costume".

Here are images of the costumes as seen in the movie:

Here are my versions:

Blue Sentate Guard Fabric Studies

2009-06-17T14:38:00.008-04:00

I have been struggling to find a blue velvet that satisfies my "mind's eye" for the Blue Senate Guard costume for my husband. As a result, I have collected a few swatches and thought it might be good to do a fabric study with all of them in one image under the same lighting. I chose to lay the swatches on top of my "Dressing A Galaxy" book on the pages that feature the Blue Guards, as a reference since I figure if people obsess about this costume like I do they will have this book as well and can use it as a color guide because all computer screen displays are slightly different.

(Click on an image to see it larger)

The top left swatch (the largest one) is from an eBay vendor. It is the closest I've seen to the actual color of the robes which is a more dusty blue than royal blue. However, most people think of this costume as royal blue because that's how it most often photographs.

The bottom left is from JoAnn's in a royal blue, but I think it is too dark.

The top right is from SyFabrics in Royal Blue triple plush velvet.

The bottom right is the Navy blue triple plush velvet from SyFabrics which is definitely too dark.

I think I might go with the Royal Blue from SyFabrics, even though it seems a bit too purple, just because it's fairly inexpensive, and readily available -which means that more people can purchase it and we can all match and look uniform. Sy also carries a lining fabric and poly/cotton fabric in Royal Blue that can be used to line the robe and create the inner garment, respectively.

Here are the swatches without flash.

Swatches with flash, different angle.

Star Wars: A New Hope Captain Antilles

2009-06-13T00:14:00.006-04:00

My latest commission finished was for a Captain Antilles-style Rebel Commander as seen in Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode 4). I created the jacket and pants and modified the shirt. The shirt originated as two dark brown shirts, but I cut up the second shirt to create the bib-front style that the Rebel Commanders wore in the movie. The jacket and pants are 100% from scratch.

Few who have seen the movie could forget this poor man, even if they didn't know his name was Captain Antilles. (The costume as seen in the movie.)

One of the screen-used Rebel Commander jackets in an auction photo. It was from this photo I realized that the pockets were gusseted.

Here are pictures of my version, finished:

Leia Bikini Artwork

2009-06-01T22:07:00.003-04:00

I thought I'd share this drawing I did a few years ago and colored in Photoshop. It goes along with the ROTJ Leia bikini post. The subject is an anime-inspired character of my own design, Rae. I don't think I ever fully completed the coloring/shading process, but here it is:

My drawing is loosely based off of this image:

Hoth Finished

2009-06-01T17:33:00.004-04:00

My Hoth commission for jacket, tan vest, and hat is now complete! My client is going to re-make a Tauntaun that she had previously made...this thing is impressive! She wears stilts that are the Tauntaun's legs, with the body of the Tauntaun around her hips. She has faux human legs that are "sitting" in the saddle so it appears she is riding a full-size Tauntaun, much like this:

Here are images of the jacket, vest, and hat that I made:

Smaller Hoth Hat Tutorial

2009-05-22T21:10:00.021-04:00

Tutorial for creating a smaller sized Hoth hat.
(Updated 5-27-10)

Finished Hat (shown on the left is the "winter" version which is fully batted, on the right is the "con" version, created with batting only in the quilted neck piece.) :

Tutorial:

If you would like the pattern for the smaller sized Hoth hat, contact me via email (it can be found in my profile under "Contact"). You will need 1 yard of off-white cotton material. I used a quilter's cotton from JoAnn's (be sure to pre-wash your fabric). You will also need ½ yard of fusible interfacing, some heavyweight stabilizer, a piece of plastic such as polystyrene, a package of double fold bias tape in "Oyster" and one in "Taupe", thin polyester batting, a scrap of tan fabric, and thread to match your fabrics.

"Con" version: Every piece except the lower front brim and neck piece get interfaced. The upper front brim will also need a piece of heavy weight stabilizer in addition to the interfacing. The lower front brim needs a piece of polystyrene (see the template that comes with the pattern for a guide). The neck piece needs batting.

"Winter" version: Every piece except the lower front brim and upper front brim need batting. The lower front brim needs a piece of polystyrene (see the template that comes with the pattern for a guide). The upper front brim will need a piece of heavy weight stabilizer and fusible interfacing.

The remainder of the tutorial shows the "con" version.

Lay out the quilting lines on one part of the neck piece using a dressmaker's pencil or tailor's chalk. After the quilting lines are marked, layer the two fabric neck pieces with the batting in the middle and zig zag or surge the edges to keep it from shifting.

Then, pin generously with quilter's pins and sew along the lines, removing pins as you sew. I like to sew all the lines in one direction first, starting in the center and moving out toward the edges. Then, I turn the piece and sew the lines in the opposite direction, again starting with the line in the center and moving toward the edges.

At this point, I hand wash the neck piece to remove the lines from the dressmaker's pencil. Hang to dry. When it is dry, lightly iron it.

Next, you will need to open up the Taupe bias tape and pin the shorter edge to the back brim. Sew. (*Note, be sure you pin and stitch the shorter edge of bias to all the pieces that will require bias tape in this way)

Pin a section of the Taupe bias tape (still folded) to the upper front brim, being sure there is enough of the brim below the tape for a seam allowance.

You need to top stitch only the top edge of this piece of bias tape, leaving the lower edge free. Then, unfold a new section of the Taupe bias tape and pin it to the curved edge of the upper front brim. Sew.

Unfold the Taupe bias tape and pin to ONLY ONE section of the lower front brim. Sew.

Next, you need to make sure both lower front brim pieces line up as you pin the other edge of the bias tape to the second piece of lower front brim. Sew.

Turn right side out and press, making sure that the seams on the inside are lying flat, facing forward toward the fold of the bias tape.

Insert the plastic lower front brim into the fabric lower front brim. Adjust the size of the plastic brim if needed.

Unfold the Oyster bias tape and pin to the neck piece. Sew. (*Note: be sure that the bias tape folds to the BACK of the neck piece.)

*The next few steps detail a sort of "stitch-in-the-ditch" type of stitching that the original Hoth hats utilized to sew the back side of the bias tape.*

After you have sewed one edge of the bias tape down, fold the rest of the bias tape over the raw edge toward the back.

Pin from the front, just along the edge of the bias tape, being sure the pin catches the bias tape in the back (see first picture). Sew on the top, along the edge of the bias tape, removing pins as you sew.

This is what the stitching will look like from the front.

This is what the stitching will look like from the back.

*All pieces that require bias tape will be sewn this way with the exception of the lower front brim.

Sew the sides of the hat together at center front and center back. Sew to top of hat. Be sure to zig zag or surge the edges to prevent fraying.

Top stitch around the rim of the hat about 1/8" away from the seam, making sure that the seam allowance is facing toward the rim of the hat and not the top.

There are 5 "tabs" for the goggle strap on the quilted neck piece. Two are larger and three are smaller. Create the tabs out of your scrap of tan fabric. The smaller tabs are 1" wide by 2½" long. The two larger tabs are 2½" wide by 3" long (be sure to allow extra for seam allowance).

Sew the small tabs like a tube, leaving both ends open. Turn & press. Zig zag or surge open ends. Sew the bottom and sides of the larger tabs, being sure to round the corners a bit. Turn & press. Zig zag or surge open tops.

Cut 1" white Velcro the width of each tab. Fold one zig zagged end of each tab under and sew the fuzzy portion of the Velcro over the folded edge.

Fold the neck piece in half to find the center back. Center one small tab over the center back and pin in place. Arrange the remaining tabs evenly on either side of the center tab, with the two larger tabs on each outer end.

Fold under the tops of the large tabs and place just a little below ½" under the top edge of the quilted neck piece. Pin in place. Fold under the tops of the remaining 3 smaller tabs and place them so that the bottom edge is in line with the bottom edge of the larger tabs. Pin in place.

Top stitch all tabs to the quilted neck piece, being sure to match your thread to the tabs.

Match the scratchy side of the Velcro to the fuzzy side of the Velcro. Pin the scratchy side to the quilted neck piece. Pin the tabs out of your way, and stitch the Velcro to the quilted neck piece. Remove pins, and close tabs.

Pin the back brim, upper front brim, and lower front brim to the hat. Sew.

Pin the neck piece to the hat. Sew.

For a more finished look, unfold the Oyster bias tape and sew to the raw seam, fold over and sew closed.

Sew a 1" tube of scrap off-white fabric. Sew a square of Velcro to the closed end of the tube. Sew the opposite end of the Velcro to the left side of the neck piece. Zig zag or surge the end of the fabric tube, fold to the back, and sew to the right side of the neck piece.

This is what the chin strap should look like when closed.

You will also want to hand stitch the bias tape where the upper and lower front brims meet.

There you have a smaller sized Hoth hat. To see my previous tutorial on the original sized Hoth hat, click HERE.

Return of the Jedi "Slave Leia" bikini

2009-05-20T16:36:00.006-04:00

Princess Leia as Jabba's prisoner, wearing the famous gold bikini...it is one of the most infamous bikinis in the world, and very popular with male Star Wars fans. I feel it is too revealing to wear in public. However, the costume freak in me wanted to try making one for the challenge of it, and also for my husband to enjoy seeing me in it (even though he's not as big a Star Wars fan as I am, I don't think he minds when I wear this for him!). So, about 2 years ago, I created my own. I gleaned a lot of information from Padawan's Guide, Slave Bikini Builders Club, and Leia's Metal Bikini.

The original costume as worn by Carrie Fisher in Return of the Jedi.

My finished costume.

I used copper wire to create a framework for the bra based off of my measurements (Carrie Fisher is/was smaller than me, so I had to adjust the proportions to look okay on my frame). I then covered the wire framework with Sculpey clay and baked it in the oven.

After the bra was baked and cooled, I used watered down Elmer's white glue to glue kitchen string to the bra for the details. I also added prebaked "dots" to simulate the dotted texture of the original costume.

For the bracelet, I didn't want to make it entirely of Sculpey clay because it wouldn't flex enough to get over my wrist. I decided to use a plastic Old Orchard orange juice container.

Here is the orange juice container after I cut it down and glued string & pre-baked Sculpey details to it; prior to painting.

My front and back skirt plates were made using mostly cardboard. I used images of Carrie in the bikini to judge where the plates should fall on my body (once again adjusting the size to match my frame). After I created a suitable pattern, I cut out pieces of cardboard in graduating sizes.

Once I was satisfied with the shape of the plate sections, I glued them together. This is the front plate glued together. It isn't easy to tell from the picture, but as I glued the cardboard layers together, I curved them to match the curve of my body and used clothespins to keep the cardboard layers in that shape until it dried. Once the glue dried, I removed the clothespins and the plates stayed in the curved form.

Here are the plates prior to painting. The back plate is on the left and the front plate is on the right. After the cardboard layers were dry, I put crinkled aluminum foil over them to create the texture of the original costume. Then, I glued on smooth cardboard, string, and pre-baked Sculpey details where necessary.

I found a "formula" for the size of the front and back skirts on the Slave Bikini Builders website in the files section. It uses the width of your shoulders and your height to calculate how much width and length your skirts should have. It is possible to make the skirts without this formula, just go with "what looks good". I created a "waistband" for each section of skirt, sewed snaps to the skirt sections, and glued the other half of the snap to the inside of the skirt plates. This way, I can remove the skirts to wash them when needed. When I made the skirts, I also made a little pantie of the same material and sewed it directly into the waistbands. (*PLEASE NOTE* If a woman wants to wear the bikini in public, I wouldn't recommend attaching the pantie directly to the costume. If the costume were to malfunction, so would the pantie. If you wear this in public, it is recommended that your pantie be a separate piece. That way, if you lose the skirt, you don't lose ALL of your dignity.) The fabric I used was Sunline lining fabric in "Wine" from JoAnn's.

The side "links" that hold the front and back plates together at the hip are also made of Sculpey with string details. I glued the links to the back plates using black elastic and attached the elastic to the front plates using snaps.

My hair decorations are made from cardboard with string details. The end of the braid decoration is made from craft foam with string and pre-baked Sculpey details. My collar is a wire framework covered in Sculpey clay with string and pre-baked Sculpey details. In the center back of the collar is a hinge for easy on/off (the original also has a hinge). The snake armlet is a wire framework with Sculpey clay over it. As stated above, the bracelet is a plastic orange juice concentrate container with string and pre-baked Sculpey details.

Padme Mustafar Update

2009-05-13T22:08:00.012-04:00

I have my Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith (ROTS) Padme "Mustafar" costume completed now and it has Rebel Legion approval (as formal/canon). Here are some "in progress" pictures and some completed costume pictures:

The finished sleevelets.
These were much easier for me to do since I had already done the sleevelets for my aqua georgette gown and spent a LONG time getting the size just right for my arms when I made them. This time, I was able to use my aqua georgette sleevelets as a template!

Left sleevelet embroidery detail.
This is Padme's signature "Naboo Symbol" seen (in some form or other) on most of her gowns throughout the prequel trilogy. I drew the symbol onto the back of the faux suede and hand-embroidered it using DMC thread.

The "buckle" and broach made from white Primo clay
(after baking, prior to painting).
I used exhibit photos gathered from the Internet (most likely from Padawan's Guide or Kay_Dee's excellent FIDM exhibit gallery) as my template. I printed the image to a size that seemed to be the proper scale (body:buckle ratio)(body:broach ratio), cut them out, placed the cutouts on top of the prepared clay and used a pin to punch through the paper and transfer the design onto the clay (incidentally, this is also how Michelangelo and his assistants transferred the designs onto the Sistine Chapel ceiling...). After I had the basic shape cut out, I began to sculpt it to resemble the actual pieces. I added flowers and stems that I sculpted separately. I also sculpted the triangular details separately and added them to the buckle/broach, along with the flowers & stems, before baking.

Here are the buckle and broach after I painted and "weathered" them.

The harness front, with buckle in place.

The harness back after sewing Velcro on to keep it closed and allow for easy removal.

The entire finished costume (minus sleevelets).

Front

3/4 Front

Left side

Back

Right side

I'm not entirely happy with the wig. It looks too fake in the front at the part line. I'm contemplating adding a braid extension to my own hair now that I found a place that sells extensions that match my hair color.

To see my previous update click here.

Hoth Hat Tutorial

2009-05-12T19:14:00.010-04:00

Here is a tutorial on how I made the Hoth hat, as the pattern is. If you wish to make your own hat, you will need to acquire the pattern from Phyllis Schulte or myself. After you have the pattern, you will need:

Approximately 1 yard of off-white material. I suggest something like Kona cotton from JoAnn's, it has a good texture without being too bulky. You will also need a package of double fold bias tape in "Oyster" and one in "Taupe", batting to line the neck piece (more if you plan to bat the entire hat), about ½ a yard of fusible interfacing, a scrap of tan fabric, some 1" poly strapping in tan, a piece of plastic such as polystyrene, and a piece of heavy weight stabilizer.

Once you have all the hat pieces cut out, you can begin the construction process. Every piece should be interfaced with the exception of the neck piece and lower front brim. The upper front brim also needs a piece of heavy weight stabilizer. The lower front brim will need a piece of plastic inside it.

This is the batting that I used. It is a good quality batting that isn't too bulky. It gives the quilting a nice "poof" without being too fat.

You will need to mark the quilting lines on one piece of your neck piece. I used dressmaker's pencil that washes out with warm water and mild soap.

Once you have the lines marked, zigzag or surge the edges of both neck pieces with the batting in the center.

Pin the "sandwich" generously with quilter's pins and then sew the lines you marked. I prefer to stitch all the lines in one direction, removing the pins as I go. Then, I turn the piece and stitch the remaining lines in the opposite direction.

This is what your neck piece should resemble once you have all the quilting stitches in.

Next, you need to take the brim pieces and pin the taupe bias tape to the edges, sew the bias tape along the fold, turn, pin, and stitch the bias tape closed.

For the top front of the brim, you will need to stitch a piece of bias along the top FOLDED edge, leaving the bottom edge free. You will be sewing the lower front brim to the top front brim under the bias tape, so it is important you leave enough for a seam allowance free under the stitching.

Pin, sew, fold, pin, and sew the oyster bias tape to the quilted neck piece. (*Note: the pattern has the bottom chin edges finish off squarely, but I rounded them to resemble the screen used hats more closely.)

Close-up of the second stitching on the bias tape. It is a sort of "stitch-in-the-ditch" type of stitching where the top stitching is sewn along the edge of the bias tape, yet catches the bias tape on the other side, closing it.

Next, you need to sew the sides of the hat to the top.

Here is what the sides look like sewn to the top of the hat.

You will need to sew "tabs" for the neck piece out of the scraps of tan fabric. Mine were roughly 2½ X 3½ (don't forget to add for seam allowance). You will also need to cut 5 pieces of poly webbing (slightly melt the ends to avoid fraying). Baste the tabs and webbing strips to the top edge of the hat and sew the bottom edges using matching thread.

Then, comes the tricky parts. You need to pin the top front brim, lower front brim, and back brim to the sides of the hat.

Once you get the brims pinned in place, sew them onto the hat, being sure to remove the pins as you sew.

Pin the quilted neck piece to the hat and sew.

Cover the raw edges with the oyster bias tape.

Using a scrap of fabric left over from the hat, sew a 1" tube for the chin strap. The length will depend on how long you would like it to be. Sew one end to the right side of the neck piece. Sew Velcro to the left side of the neck piece and the loose end of the chin strap.

This is what your chin strap should look like when closed.

There you have the Hoth Rebel hat!

To see pictures of the finished hat, click here: Hoth Hat

Hoth Hat, updated pics

2009-05-11T16:53:00.004-04:00

Here are updated pictures of my first Hoth hat. The hat is unlined (for comfort in wearing indoors at cons & troops) except for the quilted portion that wraps the ears and neck. The brim has a plastic insert (H.I.P.S.-polystyrene) for stability. The hat can be hand washed in cool water and line dried. Do NOT dry in the machine due to the plastic in the brim.

Hoth Hat

2009-04-29T18:23:00.003-04:00

Hoth hat #1. I'm not 100% happy with the pattern as it is, and may make some alterations of my own. It will be up to my client if she wants to keep this hat, or have me remake the pattern a bit (so it's smaller, this hat is HUGE!) and make a different hat.

Royal Guard Layout

2009-04-29T15:15:00.005-04:00

I had someone ask me about how I did the robe for the Royal Guard. Here is my quick diagram of the pattern layout I created when making the Royal Guard for a client.

The Return of the Jedi version of the Royal Guard robe opens on the right shoulder. You will basically need 3 pieces to the robe: a Back, a Front, and an Overlap. The Overlap is sewn to the right shoulder of the Back and the Front is sewn at the left shoulder. The front is essentially as full as the back, but it does not get sewn to the right shoulder.

Here is what the 3 pieces should look like sewn together. In the drawing, I've shaded the Overlap with pencil lines to help distinguish it from the other pieces.

The front gets two pleats put in at the neckline, and the right side is anchored to the right shoulder with hooks. I used flat trouser hooks & eyes.

The lining to the robe is done in the same way, except that it is made shorter so that the outer part of the robe sort of "turns under" at the hem. I sewed the robe and lining together at the hem, along the front and overlap, turning it at the neck edge and top-stitching the neck edge closed.

For the inner robe, I used Simplicity 4942 View A.

To see my original post, with pictures, on the making of this robe click HERE.

Hoth Rebel Snowspeeder Pilot

2009-04-24T20:38:00.007-04:00

I have had in my mind for a long time that I want to make my husband & I X-wing pilot costumes. I already have the material for the flight suit (I'll be making ours from scratch) as well as the flak vests (which are actually already cut out). I have the movie canon belt buckles for both of our costumes as well as the movie canon adjustment buckles for the flak vests. Soon, I'll be ordering polypropylene strapping for the ejection harnesses and belts.

It is widely rumored that Star Wars: Celebration V will be held in the spring of 2010 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of "The Empire Strikes Back" (I'm still hoping they have it in Indianapolis again, or somewhere within easy enough driving distance). Going with that assumption, and also the goal of making X-wing pilot costumes, I've decided that it would be fitting to also make Hoth Snowspeeder pilot costumes. There are only a few changes/additions to the X-wing pilot costume that make it a Hoth Snowspeeder pilot costume.

The changes/additions include:

Gaiter-type boots instead of black German Jack boots.
Grey gauntlet gloves instead of black gauntlet gloves.
Flak vest is worn reversed from the way it is seen in "A New Hope"
Addition of an orange nylon jacket with puffy collar and pleated sleeves.
Addition of a "soft helmet" under the hard helmet.

Here is Luke from "A New Hope" as a X-wing pilot.

Here is Luke from "The Empire Strikes Back" wearing his Hoth Snowspeeder jacket. The bottom image also shows the Snowspeeder gloves.

I have been keeping my eye out for nylon that would work for the jackets but haven't had much luck. My local JoAnn's stores carry two kinds of orange nylon but neither will work. They carry sport nylon in orange, but sport nyon has too rough of a weave and is too stiff to be a jacket. They also carry ripstop nylon in orange which has the right texture and sheen, but has the distinctive visible squares that most ripstop nylon has.

The other day while browsing at my local Field's fabric (I don't get there as often) I noticed an orange quilted nylon in their clearance section. The nylon itself looked like it would work perfectly, however it was quilted onto a poly batting. The more I looked at it, the more I wanted to purchase it and pick out the quliting stitches. The crazy costume obsessed woman in me reared her head and won the battle. I purchased all that they had left and decided that over the course of time (I have about a year to complete these) I will pick out the quilting and use the nylon for our Hoth Snowspeeder jackets. On top of it, I'll have several yards of batting in the end that I can use for other projects! :) The nylon/batting combo only cost just under $4 a yard too.

Here's the quilted orange nylon I purchased.

Crinkled a bit to show some of the "sheen".

Close-up showing the quilting.
(Thankfully, the quilting isn't close together and difficult to pick out. If it was quilted in tiny squares, I'm not sure I'd want to pick it out!)

Comparing the cotton flight suit fabric [left] to the nylon jacket fabric [right]. Flash on.

Comparing the cotton flight suit fabric [left] to the nylon jacket fabric [right]. Flash off.

I am a long way to actually starting on these jackets, but I wanted to post my fabric finding.

Padme Mustafar Update

2009-04-22T17:51:00.002-04:00

I've made some more progress on my Padme Mustafar costume.

The original costume has leather straps that criss-cross the bust area. I didn't want to take the money for real leather, so I used some pleather I had left over from a previous project. The pleather I had wasn't long enough to span all the way across my chest and to my back, so I had to piece it. I chose to piece it directly in the middle where the "buckle" will go, so that the buckle will help hide the seam.

To conceal the edges of the pleather, I folded it to the backside and hot glued the edges down. This way, I didn't have to worry about stitches showing since the pleather is too stiff and narrow to sew in a tube and turn right side out. The hot glue is still flexible enough to bend with the straps around my body.

Here are some progress pictures:

Hot gluing the straps.

Closer view of hot gluing.

The straps on the outfit, after gluing. (I haven't sewn the straps together in the back yet, they are just pinned in place.)

After gluing.

I have sewn the pants, but they turned out too baggy, so I need to re-work them. I am waiting until I am a little further along in my pregnancy before finalizing the size, so I don't make them too tight. Next, I will be working on the broach and buckle. I will be making them out of Sculpey clay.

To see my previous update click Here.

Hoth Tan Vest

2009-04-22T16:17:00.017-04:00

Here is my tutorial on how I made the tan Hoth vest similar to what Luke wore in "The Empire Strikes Back".

The tan vest as seen on Luke in "The Empire Strikes Back"

You will need a vest pattern to use as your base, medium weight tan fabric (I used Trigger in khaki from JoAnn's), a somewhat lightweight lining fabric (I used a quilter's cotton in cream/light tan), batting, matching thread, matching bias tape, tan 1" Velcro, a ruler, tailor's pencil, and quilter's pins.

After you cut out the basic form of your vest, you need to cut out pocket flaps. Cut 2 from the tan fabric and 2 from the lining. The pocket flaps aren't a rectangle, but have a slight slant to them. The narrow edge is sewn into the front edge of the vest and the wider edge is close to the side seam. The narrow edge is approx. 4 inches and the wider edge is approx 6 inches. (*Note: In the interest of cutting down on bulk, I omitted the working pockets and just made the flaps for cosmetics only.) Sew the pocket flaps on all but the short end, turn and press. Top stitch the bottom edge of the pocket flap approx. 1/8 inch from edge and then again approx 1/4 inch from first stitching.

Sandwich the batting, outer fabric, and lining of the back as seen in the picture. Sew along the bottom hem.

Turn and press.

On the 2 front pieces, layer the batting and tan fabric, with the tan fabric right side up. Pin the pockets in the correct position, making sure that the short edge of the pocket meets up with the front edge. Pin the lining to the batting & fabric sandwich. Sew along bottom hem and center fronts, making sure to catch short edge of pocket in seam.

Turn and press.

(*Note: On the pattern I used, the vest had a yoke. It wasn't until I had it cut out that I realized the original vests didn't actually have a yoke, but a faux yoke. It is up to you if you want your vest to have an actual or faux yoke. In this tutorial, I'll be covering the actual yoke.) Open the yokes and the lower front sections with the tan fabric & batting on one side and the lining on the other side.

Line up the yoke and front sections, pin, and sew together.

Once you have the linings sewn to the tan fabric and batting, zig zag (or surge) around the edges to baste the layers together.

Using your tailor's pencil and ruler, mark diagonal lines 3½ inches apart. Then, draw diagonal lines in the opposite direction again 3½ inches apart creating squares/diamonds on a diagonal. Once all the lines are marked, pin generously with quilter's pins. Note that the front pieces are not quilted below the pocket area or in the yoke area (yoke is approx. 8" from shoulder to quilting). Also note, it will be necessary for you to move the pocket flap out of the way while you mark, pin, and stitch the quilting.

Once you have the lines pinned, stitch along the lines you marked until every line is sewn, removing pins as you go.

Sew pocket flap to front along top and wide edges approx. 1/8 inch from edge and then again 1/4 inch from first stitching.

You will need to create a rounded, puffed, collar and line it with about 3 layers of batting. After you have your collar cut, sew it together along top edge, pin one open end with batting to the neck edge of the vest, being sure to leave one edge free. Clip curves.

Turn the free end of the collar to the right side.

Turn under the seam allowance on the free edge of the collar and pin it to the seam allowance on the neck edge of the vest. Slip stitch by hand to sew the collar closed. (*Note, This is not shown in my pictures, I did this step later, and did not get pictures of it.)

Sew velcro to the center fronts of the vest.

Sew bias tape to the armholes.

Turn the bias tape over the raw edge of the armhole, then turn toward the inside of the vest, making sure the bias tape does not show on the outside of the vest.

Sew the bias tape closed, making sure to keep the stitches approx. ½ inch from edge.

Cut two "window" pocket sections and pin them together on the sides and bottom. (*Note: I based the size of the pocket on the greeblie that my client already owns. The dimensions of her greeblie were 3½ inches by 2 3/8 inches. I based the center "window" on this dimension and added 1 1/4 inches on each side, allowing for a 1/4 inch seam. If your greeblie is a different size, you will need to adjust the pocket to fit those dimensions.)

Sew the window pocket sections together along the sides and bottom edges only. Turn, press. Tuck the center "flaps" in toward the middle of the pocket, press, and topstitch approx. 1/8 inch from edge. Zig zag/surge the top edge, fold under 1/4 inch, and topstitch approx 1/4 inch from top edge. Sew pocket to left vest front just under yoke along sides and bottom approx 1/4 inch from edge. If desired, sew a patch of 2" Velcro to the vest in the center of the "window" to apply the appropriate greeblie to the vest (you will need to glue the other side of the Velcro to the greeblie's back side).

One step that is not pictured is to top stitch the bottom edge of the vest ½ inch from the edge.

(*Note: I am not entirely convinced that the quilting on the back of the vest goes all the way to the collar. I think it might also have a faux yoke similar to the front of the vest that does not get quilted. Since I was not entirely sure, I went ahead and quilted the entire back of the vest. The choice is yours if you want to include the faux (or actual) yoke or quilt the entire back.)

*********

There you have a tan Hoth Hanger Trooper and Tech vest.

Front

Front, right side open.

Front, right and left sides open.

Back.

Many thanks go out to Phyllis Schulte for the tutorial and images that helped me create my own tutorial. If you would like more information on Hoth Rebel costumes, or to see Phyllis' original tutorial, visit the Yahoo group: Ice Station Echo

Happy Pilot Costumers

2009-04-21T15:01:00.007-04:00

I've been too busy to post updates on my recent projects, the pictures are still sitting in my camera...but I realized that I had a few pictures of some of my costume clients after they received their costume element from me. Here are three pilots, two with flak vests from me and one with a flight suit from me:

Gil's flight suit:

(Updated 4-29-09 with some completed costume shots of Gil:)

Russ' flak vest:
(photos by Martin Miller)

Lauren's flak vest:

Padme Aqua Georgette Update

2009-03-22T16:46:00.003-04:00

I am so very close to being finished with my Padme aqua georgette gown that I was able to wear it for the first time last night (3-21-09) at an event! My city's hockey team has a Star Wars night every year, and we (the Midwest Base of the Rebel Legion & Great Lakes Garrisson of the 501st Legion) help raise money for the Grand Rapids Griffin's youth foundation. So, my aqua georgette gown made it's debut at the Grand Rapids Griffin's Star Wars night.

I had some pictures taken in front of the photo booth green screen when there was a lull in activity:

I still have a bit of embroidery to do on the front, near the hem of the gown, as well as the back drape.

To see my previous update click HERE

Padme Mustafar Update

2009-03-11T22:13:00.005-04:00

I decided to go ahead and start working on my Mustafar outfit even though I am not 100% finished with my aqua georgette gown yet. The work I need to do on the aqua georgette is evening, sitting on the couch, after the kids are in bed work and the things I can do on the Mustafar outfit can be done while the kids are up.

So, last week I began laying out the pattern for the top and creating a mock-up to test for fit. After a bit of altering, I finally had the pattern ready. I have the top 100% complete now with the exception of sewing snaps onto the neckline and collar to attach the collar. The movie-used costume has an invisible zipper up the back and a removable collar held in place with magnets (of all things!). I didn't want to spend the money on magnets, so I'll be using large snaps.

Here are some progress pictures:

Front, no collar.

Back, no collar.

Front, with collar.

3/4 front with collar.

Close up of front.

Front seam detail.

Back seam detail.

Closeup of front with collar.

To see my previous posting on this costume, click Here.

Padme Aqua Georgette Gown Update

2009-03-11T21:50:00.006-04:00

Here's another update on my Padme Aqua Georgette Gown. I haven't done any more embroidery on the gown itself, though I did attach hooks & eyes to the back of the gown and the drape so that the back drape could be worn on the gown (regardless of the fact I haven't embroidered anything on the drape yet). I have been focusing most of my attention on the sleeves (gauntlets). I also have the headband finished!

Below are several progress pictures.

After the embroidery was finished on the sleeves, I started adding the shells and beads.

Closeup of the embroidery on the sleeves.

Adding the shells and beads to the top of the sleeves. (Flash off)

Adding shells and beads to the tops of the sleeves. (Flash on)

Sleeve detail showing the "V" shaped inset. I included an opening, since I believe the original may have had some sort of opening here to allow for easier dressing.

Sleeve detail showing "V" inset.

Headband after painting.

Headband complete.

Gown front, with drape attached.

Gown side, with drape attached.

Gown side, drape attached.

To see my previous update click Here

Padme Taupe Sleevless Mustafar Outfit

2009-02-28T22:07:00.008-05:00

I know, I'm costume obsessed, but I can't help wanting to do another pregnant Padme costume now that I am pregnant again myself. I've been wanting to do the sleeveless "action" outfit seen on Mustafar in "Star Wars: Episode 3" for quite some time.

Image of the actual costume as worn by Natalie Portman.
Image thanks to Padawan's Guide

Recently, I was browsing through JoAnn Fabric's selection in the Red Tag section during a 50% off clearance sale and noticed fabric that would work for the tunic and the pants for this costume. I had recently gotten paid for a commission, and there were no obviously pressing needs for the money, so my husband allowed me to purchase the fabric.

Since then, I have taken the money I got for my birthday from my parents and father-in-law and purchased a nice cosplay wig from an eBay store.

Wig side view, after I styled it.

Wig back view, after I styled it.

Here's a screen capture of the movie showing the back view of the costume, as reference. Notice how long the braid is! There was no way my own hair would pass, so I needed a wig.
Image thanks to Fit For a Queen.

I plan to make the broach and "buckle" out of Sculpey and the leather straps out of some pleather I already have. I got a couple maternity patterns on sale to use as a base for constructing my own pattern. As soon as I finish my Padme aqua georgette gown, I'll start on this one. I admit, I'm getting anxious to start on it! :)

My Steel Blue Nightgown

2009-02-22T18:03:00.003-05:00

Today my family and I were part of a small Star Wars 501st/Rebel Legion event (a child's birthday party) here in town. I have been needing updated photos of me in my Padme steel blue nightgown from Episode 3 since I repainted the broach. So, I had my husband take a few new pictures of me since that was what I wore today. [I'm nearly 5 months pregnant, though the gown has a good way of hiding it!]

To see details on the construction of this gown, click HERE.

Padme Aqua Georgette Update

2009-02-16T17:26:00.008-05:00

Here is another update on my progress for my Episode 3 Padme aqua georgette gown. My new goal for completion is March 21st, because I have an event that we are planning on "trooping". I already know the embroidery won't be 100% finished by then, but I want to have as much completed as possible. I've gotten to a suitable "stopping" point for now on the gown embroidery so I am focusing the remainder of my time between now and March 21st on the sleeve/gauntlet embroidery.

Here are some progress images:

Front

Back

*I still haven't washed and ironed the gown, so bear with me!

I have also made good progress on my headband. I have a friend who does resin molding and I asked him to make a mold and pour resin copies of the headband "jewelry" so that all my headband pieces would be uniform. I've recently spent my time cleaning the raw pulls and filling air holes. I have the pieces mounted on the headband form, ready for warm enough weather to spray paint everything.

Here is my original Sculpey mold (seen here with an image of the movie version).

Here are the raw resin pulls before cleaning.

After cleaning, filling, and mounting on the headband form.

Another angle.

To see my previous update, click HERE.

BSG Update #2

2009-02-06T19:55:00.006-05:00

Another update on my Battlestar Galactica uniform commission.

Though it has taken me longer than I would have liked to get to this point, I finally have the mock-up of the tunic finished. My pattern will need a few minor adjustments, but I think it's ok to send to my client to have him try it for size and fit. I have taken notes as I constructed it to keep track of the changes that need to be made, but nothing too major.

Here are some pictures of the mock-up. You can't see details very well and the fabric is hideous, I know, (the price was right at 25 cents a yard!) and it is on a small female dress form (I really need to invest in a male form!) but this gives a general idea of how it will look.

Tunic mock-up front view.

Tunic mock-up front view, collar detail.

Now, I need to work on the mock-up of the pants, which will be less exciting, but needed none-the-less. After I finish the pants mock-up, if they go together well, I will send both tunic & pants mock-ups to my commissioner for a fitting. He will help me determine if any changes in the style as well as the fit need to be made.

To see Update #1 click HERE

The Clone Wars Anakin Skywalker

2009-02-02T16:46:00.006-05:00

A costume commission I completed just before Christmas, The Clone Wars Anakin Skywalker, has been 100% completed now by the man who commissioned me to sew the soft parts of the costume for him. Here are his completed costume pictures:

Front

Side

Back

It looks much better on him than it looked on my dress form, and I think it looks really sharp with the rest of the costume elements that he has put together.

To see my original post on this costume, go Here.

[Classic] Battlestar Galactica uniform update

2009-01-30T14:58:00.007-05:00

I'm finally to the point where I can begin on the Battlestar Galactica (BSG) commission. I will be documenting my progress here on my blog. Here is my "Research and Development" installment.

First, I had to dig out all of my research material that I had gleaned or had given to me over the past year or so. Then, I decided to add to it, because the more I dig into the "how" of the uniform construction, the more questions I end up having! I've been able to find images of original uniforms in private collectors' possessions as well as images from the show itself, showing how the uniforms were worn, how they fit each person, how the uniforms adjust to fit differences in size, gender, etc. A good example of the difference in uniform for differing sizes and genders is this picture I found while searching the web:

Here are some of my research materials, gathered over the course of a year or so. On the far right is some of the butter suede fabric I will be using to make my uniform when I get the chance. (I was originally planning on working on the commission [a male uniform] and mine [a female uniform] at the same time, but I won't get an accurate measure of myself as I am currently 18½ weeks pregnant!...I don't recall seeing any pregnant Colonial Warriors, so I'll wait until after the baby comes to work on mine.)

Here is a picture of some of the patterns I had on hand that I used and looked at to help in the pattern making process. Some of them I merely glanced at, while some were used as a base/starting point. Thanks to my Mom, I have a vintage 1970s pants and jacket pattern, so I was able to use the "style of the era" to help influence my pattern making process. Unfortunately, the pattern is only one size, which was 2 sizes smaller than I needed, but it was still very helpful. Also pictured is a sheet of my pattern notes, to be sure I got everything the way it needs to be as I made the pattern as well as the actual construction process.

Here is an image of the patterns for the tunic (left) and pants (right) that I have worked up so far. My next step will be making a mock-up to see how the pattern comes together. I'll work from the mock-up to see if I need to make any changes to my patterns. Hopefully, I have it pretty close and won't need to make any drastic changes.

Padme Aqua Georgette Update

2009-01-20T12:10:00.006-05:00

After Halloween, I put my Padme aqua georgette gown aside for a while because I needed some time away from it. The beginning of the year, I decided to pick it back up again. Here are pictures of my progress so far:

Gown Front.

The bodice and gown are sewn together now and I am working on the embroidery down the front of the gown where the georgette parts to reveal the satin beneath it. It was necessary for me to sew the gown together before I could embroider it so I could try it on and hem it. It needed to be hemmed to know where to place the embroidery.

Gown Back.

It was necessary to add a bit of width to the bodice, which won't be seen that well once the drape is in place. I began this gown before I became pregnant, now that I am pregnant certain areas of me have become larger, so I needed to accomodate for that on the gown.

Gown Back with Drape (pinned in place).

The drape will also have a bit of embroidery added to it, though I'm leaving that as my very last step, because the gown could be worn without it...it's not a detail that is very easy to see in the movie.

Gown Side with Drape (pinned in place).

Beads and shells. Headband pieces.

A friend of mine cast a Sculpey master sculpt of mine in resin for me so that each piece of the headband jewelry would be identical. I still need to trim, fill, sand, and clean up the resin peices as well as paint them and add the rinestones.

The beads and shells will be used for the arm gauntlets/sleeves. The shells in the movie version of the costume have a "mother of pearl" sheen to them, so I purchased some acrylic pearlizing medium to paint a shimmer on my plain white shells.

*Note, my gown hasn't been ironed yet, it will look much better once I am finished with the embroidery and have had a chance to iron it.

To see my previous update: click HERE.

The Clone Wars Anakin

2008-12-23T15:34:00.013-05:00

My latest commission project that I was able to complete is a Clone Wars [animated] Anakin costume. This one didn't take me long at all, which was perfect because I wanted to finish well before Christmas and I was able to do just that.

The costume has an under tunic in maroon and a surcoat in medium/dark grey. The Maroon is a cotton/poly blend and the grey is a flannel, both of which my client picked out and purchased himself. I think the flannel looks perfect for the surcoat, the sheen of it matches with the computer generated "fabric" really well.

This is what the costume is based off of:

Image property of Lucasfilm Ltd.

Here are some finished pictures of the costume:
*Note: The pictures were taken in front of a window with a lot of snow as a backdrop. As a result, the fabric color got a bit "washed out"

Front view

Front [3/4] view

Side view
(My client requested that I add fuzzy Velcro to the sleeves for the shoulder bells [part of the armor of the costume] to attach to later.)

Back view

Front view with belt
(I put my own Jedi belt on the dress form to help give the costume some shape. This costume definitely needs the belt to make it look just right)

Back view with belt

X-wing Flight Suit

2008-12-22T23:22:00.006-05:00

One of my latest finished commissions is a X-wing flight suit. I did my best to research the actual screen-used costumes so that I could reproduce a faithful replica. This is a XXXL, custom fit to the client. Here are pictures of the finished suit:

Front View

Side view, right sleeve

Back view

Side view, left sleeve

Closeup of right sleeve pocket

Closeup of left sleeve pockets

Closeup of sleeve cuff, closed

Closeup of sleeve cuff, open (the original costumes used black Velcro, so I was sure to recreate that)

Closeup of front, upper torso

Closeup of front, lower torso

Closeup of front, upper torso, zipper partially open

Merry Christmas

2008-12-18T13:42:00.004-05:00

Here is a quick drawing I did for our Christmas cards this year. I wanted a picture of a newborn that wasn't crying, suckling, or sleeping...which, it turns out, is hard to come by! I finally found one in a magazine (I didn't want to use an image of one of my own kids, that just seems weird to me). This is what I came up with:

Here's wishing everyone a safe and joyous Christmas holiday & may the new year be even better than the last! God bless!