Padme Amidala Amidala's Gowns (part 2)

I told you Princess1! (Sigh)

I didn't notice the braid until the 5th time .

But we're getting off-topic here. I all honesty I've been a lazy bum, and haven't given much thought to working on your hairstyle. It looks pretty tricky, but defenitely not as hard as some in Episode I. If worst comes to worst, you could always do the herring-bone french braid and tuck it under, then add the headband. But she's got a lot of hair up in that thing. I don't even think I have that much hair, and I have a lot.

I defenitely cannot describe a herring-bone on-line. You'd have to get a braid book, because you need the pictures. But I'll keep thinking of more ideas.

Does it ever bother anyone else that Padme's battle hair in Episode I keeps going up and down on her head during the course of the battle? One minute it's up high, the next is down by her neck. It annoys me so bad!

 

LOL!! I've never noticed that about Padmé's hair! I'll have to look next time I watch...

Also, yes, she looks like she has a *ton* of hair, but you've seen Natalie's real hair right? It's not thick at all! Hairpieces!! I guarantee that there's a lot of additions to her hair. Yes, her real hair is visible, but Hollywood hairstylists know how to do wonders. (don't ask me how, though, I'm still trying to figure it out, too.)

kreleia ^.^

 

MiraxTHorn:

I found pics of the picnic dress at padmeskywalker.net
It's a great site!

[image=file:///D:/Episode%20II/nat01_mtv_moviehouse.jpg]

 

Sache8: Next time I go to the libary I'll just check out a book on braids. I don't know if I have quite enough hair, but almost, maybe I'll figure out some way to cheat! You've seen LOTR FIVE times! Wow! I've only seen it twice! Would you belive it, one of my friends didn't even think Legolas was cute! She thought the hair made him look like a girl!

Its kinda funny, but on starwars.com theres a funny thread in the message boards. Everyone is fighting over whoose hoter, Anakin or Legolas. Ok, sorry so I'm waaaaay off topic here! I think I've found a pattern for my costume, but I'm still looking for the fabric.

 

[off topic] Anakin or Legolas? That's easy: Aragorn! (And if you get a chance, pay attention to Boromir's clothing--lots of lovely details, and adds a lot to his character.) [/off topic]

 

Who is Aragorn?

Who is Boromir?

Ok, now I'm finnaly back on topic!
I've been planing to make the rainbow dress, and I think I've found a pattern that will help, but I'm having a problem with finding fabric! Does anyone have any idea what kind of fabric its made out of?

 

I'm going to say chiffon. I have no idea if that's correct, but that certainly is what it looks like. As for finding chiffon dyed that way... ; Good luck. I've been looking during my searches for other fabrics, and I've seen similar stuff (all in blues and purples, though), but never the right kind. It may actually end up being a custom dye job.

kreleia ^.^

 

Thank you, Obi-Dawn! It seems from your icon that you like that dress, too. I have been monitoring the PadmeSkywaklker.net site for a while. You have to be careful of potential spoilers, though. Last time I checked there were no new pics. I'm going to check it right now, though : )

Regards,
M.

 

You're very welcome Mirax! I would absolutely love to make that dress too! I can't wait for a good picture of her in it standing up. The pics at padmeskywalker.net show the bodice pretty good and it looks corseted to me. ? And in the one pic of her holding her arm up there seems to be some unique thing going on with three strips of fabric or something. If you have any insights I'd love to hear them!

 

Kreleia: Yea, your right it does look like chiffon. I really really don't think I'll find the fabric that color, and if I did it would cost a fortune! I'll end up dyeing it my self, or probably use the layering to get the effect. I just hope I can get it done in time for celebration2! With school and everything, I'm buried in stuff to do!

 

Has anyone here ever tried to dye chiffon?
Chiffon is very synthetic and not very pourous. I don't know how it would hold a dye.

The rainbow dress was also on my future projects list, but it is pending finding the right fabric. I have looked everywhere for something like that. I haven't found anything even close yet.

A more pourous fabric would probably take a dye better, but it wouldn't have the translucent quality of the chiffon. I have been seeing some beautiful opalescent chiffons lately and I have been trying to figure out how layering would work on that gown.

I have started the gold/maroon dress today.
I got the shirt (80%) done for this costume. It is completely sewn together and I need to wait until tomorrow morning now to try the finished piece on Quincy. All that will be seen of this part is the sleeves and cuffs. I still need to make the design on the cuffs. That is the 20% that is not done. I will need to put that pattern/design all over the dress too. I will wait until I have the dress done, and maybe some more parts before I get into the painting project. Hopefully the official site will release a better picture of the design/pattern on the dress, or else I will have to improvise.
The head pieces for this costume will keep me busy for a while.

 

Hey, Nostradamus and others wanting to make the chiffon gondola dress, don't give up hope yet!

While the standard poly chiffon most readily available at fabric stores is an absolutely futile option as far as taking dye, silk chiffon takes dye beautifully. You may have to go to a specialty fabric store to find it, or special order it (and be willing to spend a bit more), but it's definitely something to consider.

-sg

 

It *is* possible to dye polyester - believe it or not, I've looked into it. BUT you have to do it at very high constant temperatures. A heavy-duty double-boiler or pressure cooker is almost necessary. My conclusion was that it wasn't worth the time nor effort.

Silk chiffon? I'd never heard of it! Thanks surlygirlie!! (edit: not that I'm doing this dress, but that the option for dyeable chiffon is out there)

kreleia ^.^

 

Obi-Dawn - Have you looked at thenextamidala.com? Lots more pics even than ps.net. I haven't decided if it's corseted or maybe boned in the bodice of the under layer. I noticed those three strips you mentioned on the sleeves.

I love the embroidery on this dress, but it's going to mean a lot of hand sewing. I'm ready to go out and start buying little pink rosebuds so I can at least say I'm starting on it. We really don't have enough info to even pick out a pattern yet. : ( Like you said, a good shot of her standing up is very much anticipated! I can't even imagine the kind of shoes that would go with this dress.

What are your thoughts on the netting hairpiece? I haven't figured out how to make that yet. Since I want to enter this dress in the contest at Celebration, I'm also considering a wig. I've been growing my hair out for over a year now, but it's just not long enough to affect the right look.

Here's hoping for more pics soon.
Regards,
M.

 

I got a lot done today.

I tried the blouse/shirt/top thing I made last night on Quincy this morning and discovered it was way too big and the top "puffy" part of the sleeves were way too long for the desired look.
I decided to think about how to re-do it while I sewed together the dress/jumper part of the costume.
I got that done & lined to the point where I now need to put/paint the design on the fabric.
Then I can finish the hem-line and attach the fasteners to the straps at the top.
Meanwhile I figured out how to make the blouse fit her better and how to make the sleeves look a lot cleaner. I used a material called "magic". It is almost see-through. I didn't like the way that it looked by itself (Way too see-through) on her arms. A little too sexy-looking for the rest of the costume.
I decided to make a lining for the upper sleeve and that way, it would keep the long cuffs in place too. It really cleaned-up the look of the sleeve and cuff, sine I could see not only Quincy's skin, but also the sewn edges of the cuff and inner sleeve and it did not look pretty like what a Senator would be wearing.
I completely took apart the sleeves where they attached to the bodice and added the lining and re-did the sleeves about 2" shorter. I also took about 3" fron the back center of the bodice and re-did the key-hole closure. I tried the shirt and dress on her and it is starting to look like what it is supposed to.
It looked really, really good! It looked really good.
Then I made the little shoulder-cape thing this afternoon and did everything except hem it. I need to put designs on that fabric too. I tested my paints on the the fabric this morning, to see how it would take the paint. I am confident it will work.
Now I need to make the design.
Then I made a quick trip to the craft store to get big raglan-sleeve shoulder pads and some cording to finish those hems after the fabric is painted.
Now I am at the stage where I have to come up with a design.
I am thinking about it and I have some ideas for that.
Then I got home and started on the cloak. I have it nearly done, but now I have run into a big problem. The lining and the fabric are not lining up and the fabric is puckered and looks like heck! I ran into this problem when I was re-doing a friend's Vader cape last year. The puckering was very slight on that. I decided I could live with it, but this Amidala/Padme piece is now a mess! It was looking so great! Until I screwed it up.
I am using a satin lining and (trying) to sew a knit frabric to it.
Has this happend to anyone? How did you solve it?
I had to stop sewing for the night and decided to look on the computer for inspiration.
PLus I may be able to work out a solution if I am away from it for a while.

Silk chiffon. Hmm. That might be what the actual costume is made of too.

 

Problem solved.

Solution: Be more careful!

I spent 3 days this week seam-ripping and picking out thousands of threads------but I saved it!

Today my 5,250 Indian designs finally arrived, so tomorrow I will be designing patterns and experimenting with paint (I hope)

 

Mirax, thanks for the link! I hadn't seen that site before. This dress looks pretty involved, but a good picture of it will probably clear so many questions up! As for the hair pieces, I was probably going to cheat and give that part of the project over to my mom . I'm thinking she could crochet some pretty good replicas!
I did see some fabric in the curtain/upholstery section of a fabric store last week that looked a lot like the sleeve fabric. The only problem is that it is white. But the pink flowers are there and it's really sheer and everything. I'm toying with the idea of dying it, but I don't really know the first thing about dying and the pink flowers would get dyed too....hmmmmmmm. It might be easier to just hand sew little pink flowers on to a solid fabric.

Geez! I love this dress so much! It's so romantic and pretty.

I know what you mean about growing out your hair, but I have the opposite problem! I want to cut mine, but I'm going to try to wait until after the Celebration.

 

Obi-Dawn--Don't cut your hair!! You will regret it! It takes too long to grow back!

I am developing a new appreciation for pattern. This is very difficult!
I am looking over all of the patterns trying to discern what would work visually. I found a lot that are possibilities.
Maybe it does take a doctorate to work photoshop properly......I thought it might be easier to scan in the designs and then cut, overlap, flip and enlarge or decrease size to make them work for this pattern......but no! AArrrrrgh. I can see how it should be done in my mind, but doing it with the computer is taking so long. I think I am going to draw this out by hand. It will end up being much faster.....I want to get this done before Celebration II.

Ooooh! The next Amidala.com has some pictures I have not seen!

 

Of course, I had to take a glance at thenextamidala.com. Man, was it *hard* not to read the spoilers!! (I'm still unspoiled!) But I *loved* the costume pics - that "picnic" dress is gorgeous! Yeah, it does look like it's boned through the bodice. Don't think it's a corset - although that black-leather one certainly is.

ANYWAY, do you remember me talking about doing an original Amidala dress? Well, the IVY fan-art gallery has some *beautiful* water-color original dresses that might be fun. Here are the links to them (I found them at thenextamidala.com, but they're permanently on Aldera.net):

White Leia-esque gown (but far prettier than anything Leia wore)

Gorgeous blue gown (reminiscent of the Red Throne Room Gown)

Wonderful pale-yellow gown

Cool Egyptian-looking gown

You can see more of Ivy's excellent fan-art here.

Whadd'ya think?
kreleia ^.^

 

Hi Obi-Dawn (and Everyone else, too!)

I'm glad you found thenextamidala.com helpful! I've been pouring over those pictures and am just aching for a full body shot! I'm itching to get started on this, but I want it to be perfect, so I'll have to be patient. At least I can go to the fabric store and look at all the pattern books which I did yesterday.

There are tons that could work. It looks like prom styles this year are strapless, fitted bodices with full skirts. I just need to know what kind of waist the dress has and how full the skirt is so I can choose the best one. Then, my plan is to use a second pattern for the sleeves, also lots of possibilities for that. The trick will be to gel the two patterns together. Any insights you all have on the best approach to that would be invaluable since this is my most ambitious sewing project to date.

Also, the color of this dress is going to be tricky to get right at this point. I'm starting to think that the sheer over-layer is the same pale green as the headband, but that the underneath layer is maybe, cream?, which sort of changes it bodice more toward yellow-green than the headband. Thoughts on this? Ideas for finding the right fabric? Anything you all can contribute would be fantastic.

Regards,
M.

 

I totally agree about the (few) pictures there are of that picnic dress---what a tease!!!!
I want to see more too! (btw-don't cut your hair.)

Oh my aching hands and arms!
I am developing a totally new appreciation for pattern.
This morning I am going up to the hobby store to find a stencil burner.
I am going to paint the pattern(s) on this Senator Amidala gown.
The concept is simple: Design the pattern, cut the stencils, paint it on.
Sounds simple enough, right?
Argh!
There are two colors to the patterns, so I will need to make two stencils.
There are three basic designs. A large design on the shoulder cape & sleeve cuffs, a smaller variation of this design in a line down the front and sides (and I assume the back) and the 3rd design is the smaller over-all pattern that covers the rest of the body of the dress.
I spent the day yesterday trying to come up with the best design I could. I was working on the computer for a while and it was so painfully slow. I could totally envision what I wanted the shapes to do in my mind, but my computer skills are not as fast as I can do it in my head. So I said "screw this" and went back to paper and pens and pencils.
I have a great start on the design that I hope will work well, but there are so many little shapes. Arrgh! Last night I got only 8 shapes cut out of the stencil material in about an hour using an exacto knife. There are 52 shapes to cut out on that sheet alone!

I better pick up some more blank stencil sheets too while I am at the hobby store.

This concept does sound simple right?

I figured that if this worked out well, I would do the same thing for (an other costume project that is still secret at this time), just cut out a pattern for the designs and then paint them onto the material.
I am definitely going to need a stencil burner.
I would really like to have this costume done before CII.
Two words...stencil burner.

 

Good luck with the stenciling Nostradamus . I'm sure it will turn out beautiful like everything else you've done! Btw, I probably won't cut my hair before C2.

I am so close to finishing the blue Tatooine dress! It will be such a relief to have this thing done because then I can start on something new . (I find it difficult to finish things but extremely easy to start them! Bad, huh?) I will put up a pic of it very soon.

I'm really considering making this dress next:

[image=http://www.multimania.com/padmeskywalker/Pic_Silver1.jpg]

The only thing is the hairstyle and headdress. That will be a project. I'll be asking for advice on it if I decide to do it.

 

Please kill me now.........O.M.G.! This is soooo unbelievably difficult!
I have been cutting all day and I am only on the third plate. Aargh! My arms ache. There is a serious dent in my index finger and I can bearily type. This is making a root canal seem like a day at the beach!
This better work!
I did do a test piece on the first plate I had finally got cut out.
It did work and I think it looks acceptable. I am working on a two-part design right now.
This better be worth all of the pain and suffering.


I like that blue and silver dress a lot. The main thing that makes that whole look is the hair-do. Quincy is way too much of a spazz to keep her hair in that complicated of a hairdoo for very long.
That is why I am working on the gold and maroon ensemble.

I had very long hair when I was younger. I foolishly decided to cut it. I went through several different hair styles but decided that long hair is really the easiest to take care of. So then I suffered through years of going it out. Quincy's hair is so thick and wavey, unlike mine which is thin and straight. I wish mine was thick and wavey. Hair like that is so beautiful---and everyone notices it. Without her butt-length hair, Quincy would look like every other little kid. I won't let Quincy even think of getting her hair cut, although she did clip a little of it in the front and mow she has this really nasty bang that hangs in her mouth.....bangs are the worst to grow out. It takes so long for the hair to finally make it into the pony tail with out falling out.

Plus, you can do all of the intricate hair-styles with long hair. If you cut it, you are going to have to wear wigs and exentions to do the Queen/Senator/Padme/Amidala hair-doos.

Enough about hair!

I am going to continue with my stencil cutting. I am not going to complain about stencils being 'over-priced' ever again!

 

I got a prototype two piece sample stenciled out late last night. I just have to be really careful with how much paint I am putting on. I am going to take the pieces of the dress that need to be stenciled to work today so I can cut out sheets of blotter paper for the insides. Then I will grid out the dress and shoulder cape thing so I can get the stencils lined up. The paint doesn't seem take too long to dry. If I work as much as I can at a time, I may have the whole thing stenciled by the weekend. I hope.

My arms hurt!