Jedi / Light Side Jocasta Nu - making progress!

I finally finished the stitching for my tabbards. I
Just have to finish the belt and the rest should be a breeze compared to all this stitching! (My husband is working on "the tools")

I don't no why the stitching looks so distorted. You actually have to click enlarge to see it properly.



[image=http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l154/SingerSewer/Jocasta%20Nu/Pict0363.jpg]

 

wow fantastic detail

 

Looks good. I'm working on a stitched replacement for the one I made in 2002. Machine or hand? And what stitch did you use?

 

Looks awesome! Can't wait to see the finished costume.

 

I do not have access to an embroidery machine. Perhaps that wouldn't have helped. The way I went about it was crazy! I printed different sections of her tabbards and sash from photos in b&w. (after downloading and cropping) Then I enlarged them in a copy machine to the size I thought was right after holding sections up to me and comparing. I then traced on tracing paper and used transfer pencil on the oposite side (to make it right for when ironing on fabric) I used buttonhole thread only on the top of my machine(reg in bobbin) and stitched all the single lines. Then went back and did the double lines. Buttonhole thread was the thickest I could use without it clogging in the bobbin.
I thought I could use a double needle but couldn't make the turns well. Stitching each line separately makes it look primitive like hers. The tedious part was pulling all the threads to the back side! Someone might know an easier way but I couldn't find anything on it. (Although I did follow your suggestions on transfering) When there were places missing I drew what I thought would connect the designs like top of shoulder or around the sash. (Like connecting the missing DNA for dinosaurs on Jurastic Park!)

Hi Greencat!

 

Thanks for your reply. Don't quite follow that. What's the difference between single and double lines? I've been using regular thread and stitching each line with satin stitch to make it wider. Takes forever Buttonhole thread sounds like an idea. Yours looks neater than mine. An "inside source" from a friend had said it was embroidered before I even saw it and that same source said it was machine stitched with the width varied every few stitches. That lead me to think it was satin stitched and I have been varying the width.

 

hmmm, I guess. I tried the button hole thread but it jammed my Viking Huskavarna. I'm back to satin stitch. I can imagine that it took months. I was working on another project for Harry Potter Lumos and didn't start this until I got back the 1st of August. I thought I might get it done in time for Dragon*Con. Now I think differently! But I'll keep plugging away at it and have it done at some point.

 

I've been thinking of doing a future Jocasta Nu project because:

1.) it's an outfit a middle-aged woman could wear well;
2.) I actually *like* the character; and
3.) From time to time I do literacy work and showing up at my local library dressed as Jocasta Nu to read to kids would be a total blast for me and probably for the kids too.

However, I don't have access to an embroidery machine nor do I have the patience to embroider by hand. Is it totally bad, wrong and nasty to use fabric paint instead?

 

My first 2 versions of this costume were done with fabric marker. My tutorial:
http://public.fotki.com/Kait/star_wars/tutorials/jocasta_nu/

So, yes, you could do it that way. Even some star wars fans won't know who you are as she had only a few minutes screen time. So they won't realize that the markings were actually embroidered. From the photos available to me in 2002, when I made the first version, I couldn't even tell it was embroidery.

That said, I don't have an embroidery machine. I am using the ordinary satin stitch on my ordinary Viking sewing machine. Zig zag would work, too. It will just take forwever. Though not as forever as doing it by hand.

I've finished my contribution to benaequeen's Star Wars costumers' quilt. Here is my quilt square, done in the same way I'm doing the costume pieces:
http://public.fotki.com/Kait/star_wars/host/photo#quiltsquaresm

 

I just recently finished my Jocasta Nu costume, although posting the link here doesn't seemm to want to work

Here's the gallery of all of them: http://tinyurl.com/pqdh2

I'm also working on a walk through on how I did it.

Doing the stitching was tedious, but it was worth it in the end for the final product. Here's two pictures copied to a different location for posting:

[image=http://www.misty.org/images/jn1.jpg]

[image=http://www.misty.org/images/jn2.jpg]


It's not on all the way right (I'm a little lopsided, I'd just finished it ) but you get the idea. I'll have better pictures of it this week when I put everything on prior to packing for D*C

 

I've got a Viking, and that's what I used - and I did use the Zig Zag stitch. If you look at the pictues that I posted, you'll see it's almost dead on to the stitch that's used on the costume itself. And yes, it took forever - about 2 hours per sash, about 14 hours total.

 

How did you get your design? Did you draw it freehand?
On your stitching, did you stop and cut your threads at every "crossroad" where lines end?
Did you sew each parralell line separately?

A lot of questions I know!

 

I'm more than happy to answer any questions!

I got my design in probably the most backwards way possible. I took the largest photo of her dress I had (out of Dressing a Galaxy) and measured it. I took stickes, and divided it into 8ths (putting the stickies next to each 'section' where it started and ended.)

Then, I took the fabric that I'd already measured to be the right length, and split that up into the same sections, although much larger - so for example 1 inch of book length might be 6 inches of sash length.

Then I freehanded with a fabric marker one thin line, about in the middle of where the two lines would go.

When I stitched it, I did stop and cut at each crossroads (except long lines that continued further in the sash, those I just pulled thread and kept going) and then trimmed the entire piece at the end of each one. Each parallel line was sewn separately, yes.

Let me know if you have more questions!

 

Thanks so much!! That is almost exactly how I did mine!! That's funny!
The only thing is I didn't try to do the zigzag stitch and I probably could have.
I think the most I will wear this is to our local Comicon and such. Unless I make it to CIV next year (still thinking)
But I'm going to be happy with my single stitching using buttonhole thread because I have a few more costumes waiting to be made for people

Now. My husband is making my "tools". She has 3 hanging from her belt on the Dressing a Galaxy exhibit pictures. One has a bulb shaped thing. In my book she has just 2 thin ones. He is duplicating these just great! It would help to know what they are though! Some are getting her lightsaber pictures from the video games and it looks completely diff. from the DaG exhibit.

Any thoughts? I didn't know whether to start a new thread on this.

 

Sally, great job! It's nice to see so many women making this costume now. As far as I could tell at the time, I was the first in 2002.

OK, this photo really helps.. http://gallery.misty.org/main.php?g2_itemId=7175&g2_GALLERYSID=0787edc2f4274ac0412e419fb381bb14 that's exactly how mine looks. From your blog, you've been working on this for a year? !

So, you did your skirt black? That's been THE great debate. In both the Vis. Dic and Dressing the Galaxy photos it looks black to me. Everyone reporting from FIDM said it's brown. I saw it at FIDM and still thought it looked black. However, I have one photo, that in the lighting in the gallery, it does look brown.
http://public.fotki.com/Kait/star_wars/fidm_-_dressing_a/8jocastanu8.html

I have my old set of drawn on designs with a black shirt and black skirt. Now that I know from the photos and seeing the costume that she wears 2 skirts, I've made a pair in dark brown raw silk. Very full, 4 gore skirts. However, in this photo, it still looks black to me!
http://public.fotki.com/Kait/star_wars/fidm_-_dressing_a/8jocastanu6.html

How did you do the piping on the edges? I've been thinking of making my own, but that would be equally time consuming.

 

My husband is making my "tools". She has 3 hanging from her belt on the Dressing a Galaxy exhibit pictures. One has a bulb shaped thing. In my book she has just 2 thin ones. He is duplicating these just great! It would help to know what they are though! Some are getting her lightsaber pictures from the video games and it looks completely diff. from the DaG exhibit.

Any thoughts? I didn't know whether to start a new thread on this.

 

MomMaster: I've no idea what they are. I've wandered 2 hardware stores trying to find something similar. How is he making them?

I think we can continue to discuss this here.

 

OK, I'm actually thinking the "tools" hanging off Jocasta's belt have something to do with the archive's computer system. You know that little probe thing on R2D2 that is used to interface with ship computers? Maybe those tools are used for establishing computer communication in adverse conditions. Like after a crash. Heh, reminds me of the way if one works with computers a lot, a good item to have on hand is a straightened-out paperclip. Maybe those are the SW galaxy equivalent of the straightened out paperclip.

One odd thing: where's her sabre? Maybe she has a small one, about the same size as Palpatine's, that she keeps in her big pouch? I haven't played the AOTC or ROTS games so I haven't seen what hers looks like there.

These are all things I need to consider when putting together my JN costume.

Oh yeah...in doing some research on this, I can't believe some of the nasty comments people make about her. They use the B-word a lot. Some suggest it was she who did the alterations on the galactic map to get rid of Kamino. Sorry, that doesn't sound like her to me. I've had teachers like her: strict but fair. Not one to suffer fools gladly. The more I investigate, the more I like her. And the more I think I'm going to enjoy cosplaying her.

 

I could never attempt this, it'd be too confusing.

 

Hardware...jedi ... I agree. The tools probably have something to do with the archive. What I meant is that I have no idea what the objects really are so I could go to a hardware store and buy them. I will probably go to a local store that also has older and antique tools to see whether I can find anything similar. http://www.ehardwicks.com/

In the movie she is portrayed as rather rigid. I didn't find her particularly appealing but I definitely liked the clothes!

I don't play any SW games, so I haven't seen her there. In which game does she appear? I've heard she dies in the defense of the Temple. Anyone have screen caps of her appearance(s)?

 

I think she's definitely in a cutscene (movie sequence where you stop playing and watch) of the "Revenge of the Sith" game. However, it's quite odd that no-one can quite agree what color her lightsabre blade is. In researching this on the Web I've seen people say it's blue, green, and someone even said it's yellow.

Those tools *do* have the look of being obscure "real" tools repurposed for the costume. I wish I knew what they really are, but I don't know.

 

I just watched the cutscene from the ROTS PS2 game, her lightsaber appears to be blue, same an Akakins when he kills her. Her robe is very golden looking and her skirt is a deep green.

 

Yes, the tunics, tabbard and obi are gold. But green for the skirt? No way, not the real costume I saw at FIDM.