Padme Amidala Padmé's "Sleepless Knights" gown

For the colour, I'm going with the colour that is in the Behind The Helmet picture, since it's an offical picture from Star Wars. I figure that colour is most accurate because it comes directly from starwars.com. Any silver/grey/blues all seem to just be reflections in the light.

 

Well it doesn't mean that it is the right color just because it's from the Official site....You can see on that same pic that it is a "blue set", so the blue can reflect on that gown big time.

I keep my final thoughts on the color until I see the gown in motion on May 19th.

Damn CGI....I remember reading somewhere that in "Titanic" Rose's suicide Attempt beaded gown was actually a mix of green, blue and red beads, but after the special effects were done, the color of the gown had changed drastically...so they probably re-did the gown for the Exhibits.

I'm thinking the gown is actually grey-ish lavender ( probably a debate that will never end) but I think that in this very shot, the color is the real one...But then, Again, it can depends on your monitor's lightness

 

Whether or not an image comes from the Official Site has no real bearing on color accuracy. "Official" images can come from all over - magazines, books, various web sites that are able to get their hands on promo images. And many times the colors in these different images are well, different from one image to the next. This can be because of the lighting in that particular photo, whether it is a behind the scenes image that might not have gradients or other film techniques used to change the color of the movie. Movie stills might have different coloring all together. This was the case in the Lord of the Rings movies - there were often color gradients used on the film - so the color of the costumes changed from the screen to exhibits.

Also - web browsers tend to show images lighter than they appear in Photoshop - so that can affect the color, as can your monitor brightness, the quality of your monitor, etc.

Costumes in exhibits may look different than they do on screen - not only because of the color tricks used in films - but also the lighting of the room, the quality of the camera, whether its digital or film, etc.

Ok, this is getting really long. The bottom line is that it is often *very* difficult to tell what color a costume really is. Those who get to see these costumes at exhibit often bring paint samples with them so they can try and match the colors to a definitive color that will be the same for everyone who can get that paint sample.

As a costumer, you often have to decide if you want your costume to look the color of the one on the screen, or the color of what you see in the exhibit. In the case of many LotR costumes, this is often two totally different things.

Woo! Sorry that was so long!


Edit:

Oh, and as for the Titanic Jump dress, the original quote was "The owners report that there are many different types of beads used. The bodice is made up primarily of red Austrian crystal beads (silver lined to reflect light) and black seed beads. There are also some rhinestones set into the red and black beaded pattern. What is really fascinating is that the silver-looking "button" embellishments seen on the shoulders, bodice front and overskirt front are not silver at all -- they are very pale blue Austrian crystal beads. The light used during filming gave them a silvery glow."

from
http://www.sensibility.com/titanic/realphotos.htm

 

After my 2nd viewing of ROTS yesterday, I realized that in the close-up scene of Anakin looking at Padme's jappor snippet, you can clearly see those "trimmings" on the dress. I was half blind the past 2 screenings (contact lenses are not toric kind so my vision was blurish tho' it was the correct degree) so can't say exactly how it is like.

I also agree that it's not actual trimmings sew onto the cloth but rather some sort of decorative stitching joining the 2 sides of the cloths together. I thot I spy "holes" in between the stitches.

 

I think I can verify that you can see skin through the stitched up seams. I received some new images today - of the brooch, the barrette, the stitching and the pearls.

I've got them on the updated making of page here

You can see the fagotting really clearly - It's like the gown has panels that are joined together by the light blue stitching. And you can clearly see skin through the stitching! She doesn't appear to have anything on underneath the gown. There are 5 seams starting at the brooch and going down the front of the nightgown. Presumably the seams widen and the outer ones end up closer to the sides of the gown.

Also, the pearls to me look like silver tinted pearls, rather than metallic. I would use something similar to the ones labeled "silver potato" on this page. They are $5/strand here, though you might be able to find a better price elsewhere. I don't know if that's good or not. But I'd look for light silver.

I've got a nice shot of the brooch and barrette as well...

Maggie

 

Ooooo!!! That is great, Maggie!

Heehee...I wonder if I should still do this outfit but include in a nightrobe too since that 4m odd cloth is still asking me to turn it into a costume. Shouldn't be a problem if I skip the Fitted Lining Dress part. Okay, after the ROTS Craziness.

 

*sighs* I have no idea how to do that fancy seamwork.. Do you guys think that just putting an edging on it would work alright for someone who is still somewhat of a beginner?

 

Hmmm...those shots are GREAT !! sigh, Maggie don't you have the FULL pic ?? I'm 100% sure these shots are from a High Res. Promor shot... look at the Barette shot, the back is the usual grey background for the Promo shots....

 

Does anyone have any advice on how to make the brooch? I'm pretty clueless on making accessories like that.

 

Use Sculpy, one layer is the flat base over a wire mesh and the other the wire design?

A cheapo way is to use 3D Paint on a colored aluminium sheet or harden craft foam or cardboard, like what Julia did for some of her stuffs.
Fabric Paint Embroidery Instructions

 

Hmmm that fabric paint thing isn't a bad idea for the faggotting stitch until I learn how to do it...


Any hints on getting the sculpy GLUED on the pin and such?? Everything keeps falling off when I glue it and I've tried epoxy, hot glue gun etc


Sarah

 

In a rush to finish before the midnight show, I just put some trim down the front. It ended up looking pretty good, I am especially proud of my cape. For the pin I found an old belt buckle that kinda resembled Padme's and I finished it with some sculpy and silver leaf (the coolest stuff ever!)

I also had a problem with finding anything to attach sculpy with, in the end I used tape, but that also just fell off at the theatre. I think the only thing I didn't try was super glue.

I'll get pics up of my costume as soon as I can. Does anyone have any new pics to share?

 

Looking at the close-up pictures, I'm not sure fagotting is the stitch used. It would be very hard to get an embroidery stitch like that to overcast on such a slippery fabric and stay small; and there's no evidence of a deeper hem that would stabilize the stitches. I think it's more of an embroidery thing. I can't name what it is, although I'm furiously searching; but when I worked at a chapel it's what was used to edge all of the Catholic linens we bought. It involves picking three or four woof threads out of the pattern and then using embroidery to re-enforce the remaining warp threads into a ladder pattern. That way you're not trying to roll a hem at the same time, just re-enforcing what's already there. I'll keep trying to find a reference to what the stitch is, although it may not be until next week when I get home to my books.

 

I am lucky in that my sewing machine will do a fagoting stitch.
But basically, you take two edges of the fabric, fold them under, place tissue paper or stabilizer beneath the gap between the two pieces and then sew the stitch between the two pieces.

You might be able to get a zigzag stitch to do it if you don't have a fagoting stitch on your machine. You would just have to measure out the distance between the zig and the zag.

And when watching the movie, I noticed that the thread of the stitch is a little darker blue than the fabric (at least in the set lighting).

Anyways, my two cents.

 

Hey everyone,

I started making this a while ago for the premiere of Sith, but it still isn't done lol. I've finished with the underdress that I made like Ferd suggested. My satin is in a lavender/pink/gray color, which I really like. I chose it because it was posted somewhere that the actual fabric is a lavender satin even though most of the pics I saw looked blue or gray. The store I bought it from also had a blue color that looks quite similar to the color that I see on my computer but then I was like no it's lavender.
ANYWAYS lol the first pic is just the front laid out. I think from far away it looks like the little holes that are in her dress, and I'm going to add two more rows to the front.

http://img270.echo.cx/my.php?image=lavender24qz.png


The second pic is a close up of what I did. I just made little X's with a matching purple ribbon, which I think does it's job.

I'll post more pics if I ever get it done, I lost my scupley thing that I made that goes on front lol and I hope that those pics work in the meantime.

http://img270.echo.cx/my.php?image=lavender14ft.png

 

Hey everyone! I just got back from AnimeNorth, where I wore my Sleepless Knight dress in the masquerade. I didn't win anything for it, but it still has a lot of work to be done. Fabricland ran out of the material I was using, so I have to wait for more to come in.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/umbrellaofdoom/AnimeNorth%202005/S2010030.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/umbrellaofdoom/AnimeNorth%202005/S2010029.jpg

 

Great pics everyone Everyone's done a fabulous job. This dress is way up there as one of my favorites of Padme's.

I had a few more ideas pop up about the trim on the front of this gown. I was entertaining the idea of the faggoting on the gown being actual faggoting heirloom trim, and not perhaps hand done faggoting. I did a little test piece with some trim I found that is sort of similar to the film version (although I'm sure if I went to an heirloom trim carrying store, I could find something more accurate). Anyways, I found the trim in ecru, and dyed it blue, and then sewed it into a scrap of the fabric I used for the gown.

In the typical heirloom sewing fashion trim such as this is stitched in place with a tiny zig zag stitch on both sides. Then the fabric underneath is cut away using kindergarden type scissors with a rounded blunt tip so as to not cut through the trim. This is a tedious task, but can be done with patience.

*** You can see my example on Maggie's Site

Now being that we know the trim is an open design, where what appears to be her skin showing through--for accuracy a built in underdress perhaps may not be perfectly accurate. However, IMHO I would recommend creating the underdress with fitted bodice for support and decent coverage most especially when wearing such a costume to a Con where you will be exposed and walking around strangers. I would recommend using a flesh colored lining or material for your underdress, therefore it appears to be your skin showing through, but is in fact just an illusion created with the flesh toned material. This is also a great way to disquise whatever material you used to create your pregnancy pad, and have it appear to be a true pregnant flesh toned belly underneath the gown.

Again, all of this is just my opinion.

~Ferd

 

I was considering the flesh colored material to do the top. I don't like to wear anything that is strapless and I thought that I would use the material to do the top of the dress and make it long sleeved or something to that effect. I think that using the flesh material underneath to give the illusion of skin would also be a good idea.

 

Do you mean you don't like to wear anything sleeveless? Because this gown certainly has straps.

I think that rather than flesh-colored material, which might look a little strange, it might be nice to add some off-the-shoulder sleeves that attach at the pearls, kind of like the ones on her Purple Diamonds dress from Clone Wars (see BenaeQuee's reproduction for an example of what I mean).

I still wish I could find a pic of the girl from C3 who did this dress as a prom dress with a fitted bodice. It was *so* awesome-looking!

 

Yeah I meant sleeveless. I don't wear anything like that at all. I don't think that the flesh material will be too bad. I have seen it done in several costumes for rythmic gymnastics and the like. It seems to be okay. I may not make it full sleeve, but it will be something that covers a bit more.

 

Well, if I do get to do this gown (the Satin; leftovers from my Snow Bunny Padme need a use ) I might want to add some flesh color bodysuit or sleeves since I too don't wear anything sleevesless. But the idea of add in a Nightgown, probably in the style of her AOTC one but simplier seems like a more "practical" idea to me so I might do that instead.

 

Okay. There's a bit of a question on another site as to whether the cape on the back is one cape or two capelets that are joined together in the center.
I'm having a hard time telling from the full back hi res shot on Padawans Guide

 

I did my friend's daughter's as one peice that was folded on itself and the folds held with the pearls. It came out PERFECT! Now I only wish I had better pictures to share

[image=http://photos.imageevent.com/jedisamantha/starwarsevents/katiejohnsonbenefitmidnightshowing/websize/HPIM2009.JPG]
Her Daughter from the front.

I used Neimhaille's pattern and placed the flat edge on the fold to get one peice. This way I didn't have a seam running down the middle of the draping. I also modified it a tiny bit to get bigger folds. I'll be using the same technique again for mine (which I start tomorrow )
[image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v609/glittersweet/costume/hannskirtdrapes.jpg]

I made this right before the stitch shots came out for the front, but I had a feeling that there was a seam running down front and made two simple ones. After the stitch shots came out I went back and hand tacked sequin trim to the seams to give it a little flare (it was for an 11 y/o after all ).
I found heirloom trim in NYC and will be dye testing it tomorrow since its in a natural color right now. I just need to figure out how to attach it properly LOL.

 

Thanks

 

shameless self promotion I have a Jappor Snippet up for sale on ebay...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=11015&item=6539501832&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

I live in the Netherlands, so that is why it don't show up at the search results at ebay.com, but if you check the box: 'worldwide' on the left side it will show up.