Costuming~

Since we have a place to discuss other artistic endeavors, why not have a thread for costuming?

So far, I have completed an X-Wing Pilot, although I would like to add in the helmet sometime soon. I'll post pics later, since I'm just too lazy to go dig up all the files at the moment. Although there is one pic on my RL profile: Jaina Solo

Edit: Found a pic on the Alpine Garrison site (please note that I spend unusual amounts of time trying to hide from cameras, so I tend to have a really dumb look on my face when I do get caught on film):
http://alpinegarrison.com/albums/image-cac...098_disp640.jpg




In Progress:
1. Jaina Solo NEGTC
2. Juno Eclipse (Rogue Shadow version)
3. Sia Fel (IK armor) - will begin the process of lifecasting soon, then on to armor sculpting.

To-do list:
1. Jaina Solo- Black Jumpsuit, DJ Dress, Green Flight Suit, Invasion Comics green outfit, possibly the outfit on the Reunion cover
2. Padme- Red Invasion, Celebration
3. Leia- Hoth, Bespin, Senatorial, Ceremonial
4. Mirta Gev's Mando Armor (saffron version, most likely will be a Mandalorian Mercs costume)

The husband has planned:
1. Starkiller- Tie Factory/Training Gear
2. Jagged Fel - Flightsuit, maybe dress uniform
3. Antares Draco
4. Grand Admiral Thrawn


What can I say, I love it! Thanks to those of you (you know who you are) who got me started on this.

This post has been edited by EmpressJainaSoloFel on Apr 5 2010, 06:52 PM

Are you kidding? You look fantastic... and so do your costumes! You have gone to great lengths with the detail so the uni looks very realistic!!

Well done!!!

Thanks! Since that shot I've colored my hair to be more Jaina-brown, makes it much easier, lol. Sadly, I've put on a few pounds that I'm going to work on shedding. I'll update with more pics as I go. RL has been a ton of fun, nothing like seeing a 5-year-old just light up when they see Star Wars characters. And I always have a good laugh at the 40-50 year old guys who turn into 10-year-olds the instant they see Darth Vader.

Great costume!

Costuming is on my list of things I'd love to do but haven't had the time (or quite the sewing skill level for).

You also have an impressive list of future costumes. Can't wait to see them!

Thanks! I'm a novice sewer myself, so I elected to start with something really easy. The biggest factor in my decision to start with the pilot was that I could buy or easily stitch what I needed. It took me five months to put everything together, but it was very worth it. With the soft parts, I'm going to start easy and work my way up. I also have a good friend who studied costume design, and she's a huge help. The armor, well, that's just going to be one big adventure, lol.

Wow, that costume is really cool, EJSF!

I have absolutely zero talent for anything like that.

Can't wait to see the IK costumes. That's one of the EU costumes I think would be just fantastic to have.

Thanks, Lex! For your enjoyment:

Ganner Krieg

This is Thomas Spanos, who has been used as a model for Ganner. He's still planning a few adjustments to the costume, but it's the best one out there right now.

Thomas was a GREAT choice for Ganner!

And what a costume. From an artistic POV, I'm fascinated by these costumes, although I've never tried to make one. The closest I've come is put aside a pile of gorgeous, rich fabrics that immediately made me think of Padme's costumes. I can sew well enough to make something, but I'm def not the Padme type...more Mon Mothma on lots of chocolate. Suppose I could make a Padme outfit for someone else -- it's a shame to see the fabric go to waste.

Scrubs, it's a blast! The great thing about Star Wars is that there's a costume that's perfect for everyone. I'll warn you, it's expensive as Hades. I'm currently about $500 into my X-wing pilot, and I've got about another 100 that I want to put into it. I was really doubting whether it was worth that kind of money until the first kid's face lit up when they saw me. In that instant, it's worth every single penny. It's also addictive. I told myself I'd start with one costume, and then I'd be good. Sad thing is, you just keep seeing more costumes that you just HAVE to do. Right now I'm also really liking Visas Marr. I say look around, find costumes that interest you, and go for it! Start hanging out on the RL forums or 501st detachment forums, because they have a lot of great knowledge. Costumers are an incredibly helpful community, and they're more than willing to share the knowledge they have and help you avoid the same mistakes they made. A fun perk of being a RL member: I got into Star Wars in Concert (fabulous seats too!) by attending in costume when they asked for members to show up.

Really, Really Cool!!

I have a bunch of kids, so I've made lots of cloaks, hoods and various Jedi apparel and attachments so they can carry their lightsabers. I've done Leia and Han.......but on purpose, because they're so easy. When my kids have asked for harder things, like Queen Amidala or Fett, I just say, "Guys, Mom's not that good." And slink away......Amazing!!!!!! I'm totally inspired by you!

This weekend, my daughter is having the Handmaiden's Birthday Party (maybe you've all seen the party book). It spells out all we have to do. This week, I'm sewing hoods onto XL men's T-shirts and cutting out the waist-ties. They're going to have a SW Dance, Amidala Bingo, Amidala (as Queen) face-paint, and sleep-over in their handmaiden pj's. Crossing my fingers it all goes okay, because all this craftiness is more my daughter's. I'm not so good and have to really, really work at it...........Anyway, you inspired me to keep on at it. You looked FANTASTIC!!!!!

Wow great job

I have no doubt that's true and your enthusiasm is infectious!

If there's something artistic about a project, I'll try it sooner or later. I can sew (I used to quilt and make fabric wall hangings). I have beautiful fabric. Hmm. What's missing? Time, and for the next 4-6 weeks, one hand.

I should take a photo of the fabrics I have--you'd see what I mean about them reminding me of Padme's fabulous outfits. It all started when I ran into a piece of stretch velvet that reminded me of the hood on Padme's travelling clothes when she and Anakin left in cognito for the hideaway where they eventually married.

Honestly, though, I'm too shy to wear them in public. Unless it's something with a mask, so no one would recognize me.

My new project: Jawas. The kids have been begging for Jawa costumes for a little while now. I just got a new sewing machine and serger, so I figured what better project to test them out on than a pair of Jawas. We have found the little bags (a buck a piece at a thrift store, cheap and pre-weathered ) and the fabric. Sadly, the fabric was only available in white, so it'll need to be dyed. I'm consulting with a friend who has a ton of experience dyeing fabrics to make sure I don't screw this up. I hope to have the dye ordered in the next week. I'll be posting pics as I go.

I can't wait to see the pictures!

As promised, here is the fabric that I--for some strange reason--have collected with Padmé in mind. I'm thinking an Asian theme, perhaps an ankle-length skirt with broad vertical panels of interesting fabric for the dress, with a large kimono style cloak on top (that's what the Kivou silk is for--it is gorgeous). They look heavy in my mind (as do all of Padmé's outfits) and a lot of these fabrics are weighty.

• A - Gold stretch velvet
• B - Dark bronze raw silk
• C - Pale green textured satin (real color is soft green, not turquoise)
• D - Ripple Kivou silk in a green-gold color
• E - Embroidered Paune in dark green with hand-sewn sequins

The colors are really rich but that doesn't come across in the photo (particularly the dark bronze silk (B)--the picture does it no justice at all.

I also have a collection of Chinese silk brocades. Here are a few of those (the bronze is my favorite):







Think I should do something with this stuff...


EDIT:Oh, yeah. I forgot that I started to make a lightsaber (hilt) after C4. It's still in my crafts cupboard. I would like to finish that... last time I had that project out, I remember finding a light source that fit inside.

This post has been edited by oldjedinurse on Apr 11 2010, 10:01 AM

Those fabrics are gorgeous! The color of E really reminds me of those super-pretty Parade handmaiden gowns. I was watching a thread a bit ago where someone was dyeing fabric like crazy to get the right color for it, and you totally have it. And D is just plain wonderful! You have wonderful taste in fabric. (heehee, can you tell fabric gets me all excited?)

I know all about Fabric Disease. You catch it quickly when you become a quilter!

I got rid of all my quilting cottons a long time ago, but my best fabrics--like these--I kept, just in case the urge to sew strikes me.

That Kivou silk (D) is amazing. I was wandering through the fabric store, mainly because they had a giant sale on, not because I needed anything in particular. I saw that bolt from two rows away and went straight for it. I LOVED it, but even on sale it was horribly expensive. So I wandered around some more, went back to look at it three times. Finally I gave up and bought two meters at $40.00 a meter!!! That's the most I've ever paid for a piece of fabric. So I have to use it.

That's funny about everyone trying to dye that green color (E). Maybe I was drawn to that by a subconscious handmaiden memory. I've got two meters of it as well (it was a steal at $7.00 a meter). It's not thick but it weighs a lot and drapes so beautifully. The "embroidery" is very simple: green-on-green stitching in parallel stripes about 1 inch apart, with sequins on every other stripe, also spaced one inch apart. Sort of like this:

---------------------------------------------------------------------

----o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o

---------------------------------------------------------------------

----o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o

---------------------------------------------------------------------


I thought it would make a beautiful long skirt (because of the draping), or a fabulous cloak.

**Re-reads posts**

I'm beginning to think I'm already a Costumer -- in my head!

It looks amazing! It was all I could do to NOT spend a huge amount of money last night while going through the fabric store, lol.

I've done Jawas in the past. I found burlap-type fabric and left the edges unhemmed. Then we frayed the hems even more. We did dye the fabric, which was brownish to begin with, with red Rit from the grocery store. Then we washed and dried the heck out of it. It turned out great! The costumes looked rusty reddish brown, so it worked out. It sounds like you've got a great start with the bags. Don't worry if your first dying starts out looking stark. Just keep adding colors and eventually, you'll end up with a Jawa brown bag. I hope you post photos, would love to see how it all comes together!

This post has been edited by JFEl13 on Apr 12 2010, 01:53 AM

It took me a while, but I finally looked up the Handmaiden Parade gowns, EJSF.

I see what you mean about the fabric. I already have every fabric needed for this costume. All I need is some gold trim... wait, no... I have that too!

Oh, shavit.

This morning I also looked up the local RL garrison, as well as the 501st. There is a part of me that thinks this would be so much fun.

But then there's the rest of me.

I admit it's tempting. The good thing about this costume is that it covers you up. The bad news is: it would be HOT. If -- HUGE 'IF' -- I made this and took it to C5, I'd have to change inside the convention center. No way I'm going even the short distance from my hotel inside that much fabric.

What am I saying?

Get hold of yourself, Scrubs. You aren't a costumer. Everyone believes that, right?

Maybe I'll just finish that lightsaber...

Lol, Scrubs. I told myself I was going to do an X-wing pilot. Then I would be done forever. A good friend told me that once I started, I couldn't stop. I laughed at her, good and hard, then realized she was right. My husband thought I was crazy when I tried explaining that. He was sure it would be Starkiller, and then done. Now the list has expanded to Thrawn, Ep 1 Senate Guard, Carnor Jax, Yuuzhan Vong (way down the line), Clone Emperor...

It's fun, but very addicting. I told myself before I got into this that I wasn't nerdy enough to costume, but I was hooked after my first event with the 501st. There's a real bit of magic there, and as much money as I've spent on just my pilot, every penny was worth it when the first kid's face lit up. The 40-year-old men who all of a sudden revert to shrieking 8-year-olds when they see a stormtrooper are the icing on the cake, lol.

The handmaiden would be really hot. Changing in the convention center would be a must. One thing that might help: Several of our jawas/ewoks out here strap ice packs to their chest/back to stay cool. There's a specific type of pack, and I can't remember the name, it's got the ice in neoprene, but it works wonders.

Edit: Scrubs, the costume standards are being raised. I'll check and see if they've updated the handmaiden ones yet, and let you know what changes will be made (as soon as I can get that info).

Also, this is too awesome not to share: http://alpinegarrison.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9063 A member of our garrison made an ewok for his nephew. I've seen it in person, and it looks even better than the pics!

This post has been edited by EmpressJainaSoloFel on Jun 16 2010, 10:33 PM