corduroy fabric

Has anyone used corduroy fabric for the robe? I was wondering how it might work.

Dakota

 

I assume you mean Jedi robe? No, I wouldn't even consider it....here's why:

1. It's not even close to screen accurate, if that is of concern for you.

2. It has a nap, so will require lots of extra fabric. All the pattern pieces must lay in the same direction of the fabric nap. So no flipping pieces to fit next to each other. If you do that, then the pieces will look like they are different shades and the garment is ruined. Many patterns will include different yardage requirements "with nap". That's what you'd have to buy to use corduroy.

3. corduroy is usually more expensive than a heavy cotton "bottom-weight" fabric which would be my second choice after wool, especially if you want something that looks more accurate.

4. It's constantly shedding lint unless you finish the seams (as with a serger).

5. Unless a really lightweight fabric was used, I think it would be too heavy and stiff to have the correct drape of a Jedi robe.

On the plus side, it is cotton, durable and warm.

My first choice would be one of the brown wool/nylon blends at $8.98/yd =20&Previous_Stack[2]=&Previous_Stack_Depth=2]here
--can't figure out why the stupid markup codes aren't working.

 

The only time I would see using corduroy for a canon costume would be for the trim for Luke's ANH poncho, which my brother did.

 

Thanks for the information. Corduroy would definitely be a bad choice. I've been looking at the wool/nylon blend fabric from that same site you mentioned. That's not a bad price for it, as far as the sale price goes. I think I'm going to go with something like that, the wool/nylon blend or 100% wool if I can find it at a good price and in the right color.

 

Good. 100% wool flannel at a good price in the right color is very hard to find. That blend is the closest I've seen to what I really want, at the price I want, in 6 years of looking!

 

Wool flannel is what I used for my Luke ROTJ cloak and vest. It flows GREAT when you walk!

 

Isn't wool what the robes are made from in the prequels? I thought I read that somewhere.

Just cuz I like chiming in, I made my Plo Koon robe from a suedecloth. I think it looks pretty good. It drapes nicely and the color is good. The only thing is that the wrong side of the fabric is very different. It looks like spandex or something on the inside. So you can see it on the inside of the sleeves sometimes. Which is kind of a bummer. But this was back before I started trying to sew myself, so my mom made it. So I'm grateful she did that for me. I had to start sewing on my own because after that robe and another robe for a Luminara Unduli costume AND a skirt for another costume, she said she would never sew again.

 

My new Sarissa Jeng robe is made of a formerly greyish twill herringbone (think college professor) wool suiting. I boiled it all in a dark brown dye for about a half an hour. It felted very slighty, which was ok, since I have plenty (I bought it at a thrift store a few years ago, hoping I'd someday have the courage to try dyeing it). So I did recently, and it turned out beautifully! The boiling softened it a lot and fluffed it up a little so it's far more beautiful than I had anticipated. You can still see a little of the stripe that was in it, but it's mostly solid colored. I can't wait to wear it for the first time. It really has such a beautiful drape!

 

Yes, VillieGee, wool is what the prequel Jedi robes are made of. The story I heard is that the Ep I robes are made of WWII surplus British Army blankets. I would guess they were dyed.