padmeltbluetat

Version 1: I made this for a Holly Hobby doll I made a few years ago. The doll is about 21" head to toe and boy, did this turn out to be an undertaking! It would have been much easier I think to make this full sized. I used insights made on the Jedi Council Costuming and Props board to figure out the layers of the top itself, based the cape shape on the Padme White Battle costume cape and used the hood pattern from Naboo_Girl's excellant tutorial. I did lengthen one end of the hood slightly so it would go all the way around to the back when sewn together with the top. Below is the doll.

I used Simplicity 5065 for the skirt, view B. I taped the two skirt panels together to double the panels and cut out 6 of those. Four for the back and front/sides and two for the drape -- the seam is covered nicely in the folds.

The first muslin went together quickly, but I didn't like the front drape. Wasn't nearly full enough with one piece and the construction was awkward. The folds didn't want to cooperate. I also wasn't happy with how the bottom of the right and left panels curved up. So I ripped out the drape panel and decided to use what I had instead of cutting more fabric. Why cut more if I can make what I'd already cut work, right?

I sewed the front part together differently the second time. I went ahead and used a lining to help figure how long a real lining should be and sewed the left and right front panels to that lining down the front. Then, I hand scrunched the fabric to draw it up into the wrinkles along the sides and sewed that down in place. After that came adding the center section, sewn to cover the left and right panel front seams. I worked the center piece by folding and stitching across, then going down an inch and repeating. Guessed at how far to take that down the panel. Then I folded over the top part and tacked it.

For the actual skirt, I'll need to add several inches to the length to get it closer to the floor.

Disc beads used were these: Czech pressed glass beads, crystal AB, coin, 7mm from Fire Mountain Gems.

The Top

I used Simplicity@ Home #5877 as the basis for the top. A progress picture on the right. I've got the right and left sections together, mostly sewn. The folds all need tweaked a little bit more. I used the same basic 'layers' as I did for the doll above, except I had a 'well duh' moment on the bottom and just made a full underlayer in the fabric and folded it. Much simpler. Don't know why I didn't see it to begin with.

The Outer Cape and Brooch

I used solid silver panne I found on clearance and McCall's 4378 for the pattern. I have never really been happy with how it turned out and have since scrapped the cape.

The brooch is made from Premo Sculpey and beads and seems a lot more durable than my previous attempts at Sculpey. The entire brooch took all of about five hours total.

While I'm happy with how this attempt turned out over all, I'd eventually like to re-do this one. Why? Several reasons. I'd like to make the right side of the hood fuller, the skirt the proper length, the angle of the scrunches on the top a bit different and the designs smaller. The headpiece was made from Sculpey and has since shattered into a million tiny pieces.

Version 3 and 4:

June 2008: The fabric for 3 is a white on white stripe I've had sitting in the stash forever. I really like the end result, which clinched my decision to cut into the fabric I'd been saving.

That fabric was found at WalMart on their $1 stack a couple years ago. The color is that light blue that photographs nearly white and it drapes beautifully. I bought the entire bolt -- over 20 yards.

Since I am blessed with hips (or cursed depending on my mood for the day) and am still carrying a little baby weight in my stomach despite my baby being 13 this year, I refuse to bare my stomach and midriff in general in public. I've been thinking about the SW: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit that my mom and I are going to see next week on vacation and suddenly had an absolute need to make this costume in some way, shape, or form.

I decided to take New Look 6571 and see if I could come up with something that would cover my stomach and still get the look of the costume. The pattern has a nice wrap and is sized for knits only.

Top section

Layer 1: The underdress. I took the two front pieces, pinned them together and cut it as one piece, extending the bottom to the floor. The 'V' needed to be re-cut higher, as the 'V' on the pattern is quite low on the chest. The back was also cut longer and I kept it two pieces.

Layer 2: The middle piece. View D is a tunic length, so keeping the pieces pinned, I cut one front piece, also altering the neckline.

Layer 3: Top wrap pieces. Unpinned the two front pieces and cut 2 of the shorter piece, cutting ties to extend behind the back and tie.

The sleeve was lengthened by several inches to wrist length.

The cape was the pattern I finalized with V2 (I like my cape a little longer) and I used the shape Naboo Girl has up for the hood.

With these pieces cut, I assembled them according to Naboo Girl's instructions.

Skirt section

Still following Naboo Girl's instructions, I cut out the hip drape, thought for sure it'd never fit without adding seam allowance, but as I'd already cut it and was running out of fabric, I didn't change it, thinking I could always compensate with the center drape design. The long edges of the drape were hemmed and the short edges gathered. I departed from her instructions, as I had no skirt piece to join it to. I added a couple inches to the length of the center drape and sewed the hip drape to the front drape, about 2" down from the top and 1.5" from the side edges, right sides together. Then, I gathered the front drape, folded down the top and tacked it. It was also tacked at the bottom side. It was a good thing I didn't add seam allowances, as it fits just right as it is.

The drape is removable.

I have not added the symbols to the cape, nor have I added the beads. Since this white version was another "see if I can" version, I may leave it fairly plain.