Padme Amidala Episode 1 Kimono Pre-Senate Dress

DO you have anyprictures of the gown and yours Qs?

I think I might've found the right shade of mauve fabric for the under dress. It has a very subtle mauve/blue shift.

Now for the second dress, is that a pale blue? (I have to compensate for my monitor's color) I read through the thread and couldn't get a defiante color. It appears emboridered but might be just plain crinkled.

I'm taking the tip on lining the Kimono. Did you line it with the SAME fabric?

 

Yes-the kimono is lined with the same fabric. It should look like if you turned it inside out-that it would look exactly the same.

The underdress is sort of a pale periwinkle gray color-like gray with the smallest sheerest hint of lavendar-blue that you could possibly imagine. The real fabric looks to me like it is a crinkly/textured fabric that also has embroidery and some sort of rouching to give it even more texture.

I do not have any online photos of mine that are clear...I would take some but my digital camera is currently out of commission...*puppy sitting accident*

 

QS: heheh Puppy sitting accident> LOL Queen, are you the one who makes little costumes for her daughter?

Yeah I saw that lilac/lavedar at the sleeves too. Pretty. SO I'd think the entire gown's body is the taffita lining, and the sleeves themselves are the lavedar/lilac lining. They seem stiff, you think there's some form of interfacing or cavas material to help them keep that shape?


Yeah someone told me the greyish blue under dress had some form of channel stiching so it'll ruck up. Or is that all emboridered too?

Headdress: I can't tell if the hair is folded around back or it's merely like a 'broom' up there. Anyone have a VERY high resolution sideways picture of it?
Please forgive all the dumb questons. I hope to learn from those who have or are making this. Maybe I can avoid making msitakes that can be costly.

 

There are a lot of women here who make costumes for their daughters, neices, etc. Nostradamus is probably the most notorious around here for it...I have made Cinderella for my daughter, Dorothy and a Lollipop Guild Munchkin from Wizard of Oz for my daughter and son, and Wednesday and Pugsley Addams for them as well to name a few.

The hair at the top is has cut "broom-like" edges in a fan shape-not folded over. There is also her long hair that shows going down the back of the gow in a braid as well.

The entire kimono-sleeves and all-is of the same fabric and completely lined in both. The undersleeves/neck underfabric/underskirt is all the same fabric as well. Then the Under-underskirt and undermos necklining is all the same fabric. So-three main fabrics composing the costume-and a fourth for the belt/sash.

Also-for the gown to have the correct lines-if you are "busty" at all-you will want to bind your chest-1.e. "flatten" it or the gown/sash will not lie correctly. Amidala was supposedly very young in this movie-and she did not have those "endowments" as of yet-and the gown accentuates that.

 

Thanks for the heads up on the headdress.

 

Ok I think I've found a fabric sight that has fabrics that might match her under dress and Kimono.

Can you guys tell me if I'm close colorwise? I do know monitor colors will make it appear differant.

Underdress- Color is berry.

[image=http://us.st6.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/phoenixtextiles_1829_28889280/image.gif]

Kimono=Color- Azure.pink irridescant. Too much blue?

[image=http://us.st6.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/phoenixtextiles_1829_29527358/image.gif]


Or Saphire mist.

[image=http://us.st6.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/phoenixtextiles_1829_31778999/image.gif]

Burgandy wine

[image=http://us.st6.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/phoenixtextiles_1829_32430354/image.gif]

Silk duponi,Lavendar/blue

[image=http://us.st6.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/phoenixtextiles_1827_23249023/image.gif]

I hadn't locaited the veletish fabric for her 2nd under dress yet.

So what's everyone's opinion on these colors? How close are they to what's seen on screen? Or do I need to snag swatches?
Please feel free to post pictures of fabric colors you guys think fits best.

 

I think that you probably should get swatches-pictures on the computer can vary quite a bit.

The thing that you may want to be concerned with is what KIND of fabric you are going to use for the mauve/berry underdress-as well as the color.

The berry color you posted on the screen will work-but you will need to sew a sheer fabric over it-with a blueish hue to it-the real fabric is berry...but sort of changes color in the light with blueish and purple tones in the light. (Did that make sense?) You will need to choose a fabric/fabrics that are thin enough that you can "crinkle" them like a broomstick skirt-so satins and other medium to heavy weight fabrics will not really hold the crinkling.

 

I bought some mauve thai silk (90% silk, 10% velvet) from this ebay seller. In person it looks really close to the crinkled underskirt of this costume. Not sure if I have the deep mauve or the mauve. My fabric looks a bit darker than this stuff:


click here

But it might be an option. You also might want to ask them if they have the deep mauve in stock. Or just look and see what else they have up. The stuff I used is what they call "artisan" - 90% silk, 10% cotton.

I do know this stuff crinkles well, as I used it in blue for my Padme Tatooine underdress. Just a word of caution, if you crinkle it, don't use boiling water - the dye will get splotchy. It will crinkle just fine in cold water. I also used their thai silk in chili pepper for my Arwen Mourning gown sash.

 

QS<
It makes sense.
The fabric for the mauve is a silk tafeta. The greys are also taffitas. All have the irridescant appearance(Or seem to on screen.)

I hadn't layered fabric before, espically one that's so slippery. You must use a TON of pins to keep the bugger still. Anytips on what I can do?
The blueish fabric is on the mauve's 'back'. so when it's folded and crinkled I'm seeing the front and back colors.(Sorryif it's not clear. I wanted to make sure I got it, and I think I do. )

So I guess it's swatch snagging time.:-D

Thanks for the broomstick tips Maggie.
Those are fun skirts I used to have several. Easiest things to take care of too. Now I can kick myself for getting rid of them when I had one the right color. Erghh

I saw the Mauve and the deep mauve, somehow they don't look dark enough, Maybe is her camera flash.
I'll keep looking. I DID find some crinkled berry mauve at Wal-mart it has a blueish shimmer color shift. I'l try to photograph it in the sunlight without camera flash. Hopefully the color shift can be seen.:-D

 

When I need to layer fabrics-I cut the pieces out in one fabric, then cut them out again in the second fabric. (almost like I am making two skirts instead of one.)
Then I place the pieces on top of each other the way they need to be-skirt front on top of skirt front, etc. and I baste the pieces together around the edges-making them one piece. I do that with all the pieces-then I sew the garment as if it was all a single layer of fabric.

 

Ok Thanks.
I was going to use that technquice but wanted to make sure.

 

What color of blue did you use? Any type?

 

For the mauve underdress second layer?

I got lucky and found a mauve fabric that was extremely close in color, thickness, and texture-but that was well over 3 years ago.

Whatever you use-you want it to be very sheer-so that the dark mauve shows through as the main color. You want the blue fabric to just kind of "play" a little in there...so the best way is to get your mauve fabric-get a little extra so you can cut a swatch from it-and take the swatch shopping with you to shop at fabric stores-and lay the swatch under fabrics to see if any give you the right effect.

 

Alright. One fo those things that noone cna truly pin down.
Now the blue/mauve is ONLY for the crinkle 'skirt' portion. I didn't see that at her neck.

 

From what I remember seeing the pre-senate kimono in the archives...whatever fabrics are on the top at the neck-are the same that are shown in the underskirt.

The views (lighting) of her actually in the movie tend to lighten everything up-as far as the textures, colors, etc. in the underskirts...blah, blah. They are much deeper and richer colored in person. The mauve looks much lighter in the movie than it does in real life-and the blue undertones are not as apparent.

The grey-periwinkle sleeves and underskirt do not look as richly textured in the movie as they do in real life either. So much detail was lost on camera for some reason.

 

What a shame.
Well, still on the prowl for the grey/periwinkle fabric. I wonder if that was alredy embroidrered ot the seamstresses did that.

Does that appear to be a velvet or is the grey/periwinkle dress a taffitia as well?

 

I am not 100%...but the middle layer (the greyish textured one) did not look to my eyes to be either a velvet or a taffeta. I don't know how to describe it.

It is not so much the actual fabric that is textured...it is what they did to it. It looked like it had same color embroidery on it...and than was ruched or smocked or some similar technique to make it "crinkly/bubbly/poufy" textured.

The only way I can think of it in terms that I can explain-is to think about chrocheting. You take plain, untextured yarn...and certain stitches make it bumpy~lumpy~textured when you run your hands over it.

I am totally running on...does ANY of what I said make sense?? *laughing*

 

Yeah. It does to me. And you'er not rambling. Sometimes the solution comes while you do that. ;-)

My deep mauve is VERY VERY deep berry. Very pretty. it has a slight blueish shift but I think it'll look grand with the blue layer. Now to go scare up some.
I bet that grey kimono uses a LOT of fabric. I've a regular kimono pattern from simplicityand wonder if this'll work? I shoudl be able to modify the sleeves easily enough.

 

I have finally FINALLY made a breakthrough with the belt/obi fabric on this dress!!! It's taken me literally hundreds of hours of searching, but I know what it is, who made it, and where it's from (but not where Trisha bought it, unfortunately - although it was probably Britex).

Picture of the fabric from one of the publicity photos:
[image=http://www.kreleia.com/images/obi_fabric.jpg]

Notice how the diamonds "alternate" - the centers are either gold or white/cream, and they alternate from row to row.

This fabric is produced by Boggio Casero in Italy (there are two manufacturer's with this name, although I'm pretty certain it's Luigi Boggio Casero, since Oreste Boggio Casero goes by "OBC"). It's either produced in a 100% wool version, or a wool blend. (yikes! Italian wool = pricey!)

Currently, there are two versions of this fabric on sale at Manhattan Fabrics.com. Unfortunately, neither one of them are the right colors. Still, you can see they're dead on matches for the diamond pattern:

100% Wool
[image=http://www.kreleia.com/images/p1689.jpg]


Wool Blend
[image=http://www.kreleia.com/images/p183.jpg]

Links:
100% Wool
Wool Blend

Just before posting this here, I e-mailed Manhattan Fabrics to see if they might possibly have any of the white/gold fabric, or if the manufacturer still makes it. Hopefully I'll have an answer soon.

Oh, and yes, I'm currently working on this costume. I'd love to say "updating," but the first one I did... jeez, 6 years ago now... was so horrifically bad that this is an entirely new project. The old kimono will be my test dummy.

 

Oh, P.S. - I found a really lovely "grey" silk dupioni over at Denver Fabrics.com. It's actually a light blue and super-light pink woven together that ends up looking grey, but with that neat blue-ish shimmer to it. I ordered a swatch of it, just out of curiosity, and it's by far prettier than the silver or pewter colors.

Here's the page

(wow, I feel like I've accomplished stuff tonight)

Also, would this work for the crinkled under-skirt???
iridescent georgette

 

WOOHOO!! I just found my super-high-resolution pic of this costume!! It's the promotional picture - the same that's being used on the cover of "Dressing A Galaxy" - but the total picture size is 457K. The size is 1536 x 2048 pixels (huge!). Details of the costume are incredible in this pic - you can even tell the direction of the fabric grain in the kimono.

I'm not going to post the link to it here (due to bandwidth), but if you're interested, PM me and I'll give it to you!

 

I think I'm the only person interested in this thread anymore, but since I'm working on this costume, I figured I'd at least pass along what information I've gathered and found.

I was studying the sample picture of this dress from the "Dressing A Galaxy" preview snapshots, and I finally managed to piece together a few words describing the different fabrics. Apparently, the second blue/yellow quilted layer in this dress was made from "crinkle chiffon cloqué." This probably isn't news to very experienced seamstresses, but it seems like everytime I look at the promo pics of this dress, I learn something new.

Anyhow, cloqué is a technique where either two layers are stitched together, and then shrunk to cause puckering, or else two different fibers (usually one natural, one man-made) are woven together, and then chemically treated, causing the natural fibers in the cloth to pucker.

I searched - cloqué fabric is EXTREMELY difficult to find right now, but I found two (probably pricey - I didn't really look) sources:
Reyen Design Studios - and
Obeeliks.com - (a European art supply site, but the pics are great examples)

The modern sibling of cloqué fabric is matelassé. So far, most of the matelassé fabrics that I've seen are specifically patterned with flowers, dots, checks, etc. Although, I'm sure with enough time and hunting, a good close match could be found.

So, it looks like this particular fabric was one of those fabulous antique finds, and surlygirlie's cloqué (made by stitching unstretched fabric to a stretched underlayer) was the closest match to the actual costume fabric.

But I always keep looking.

 

Very interesting! I added the info to the Making of page for that costume on my site!

 

YAY!

 

Thanks for finding out the neat info!