Padme Amidala Rainbow dress

Lil Miss Amildala: Whats wrong with being seen as the star wars girl? I'm already known as that. That would be so cool if you did wear it to prom.

Amidala-Leia: Well I would hope no one else would have one like it! If they did that would be missing the whole point. Well, I'll turn on the charm to get my date to wear the costume, but most of the guys I know just think my star wars obcession is humoress, and humor me about it. There is this weird lack of star wars fans in my town.
But oh well, I'll sure try! To bad I couldn't get the real Anakin as my prom date huh?

 

That is a shame that you can't get the real Anakin for a prom date That would be the memory of a lifetime. You definitely would get noticed that way Anyway, please post pics when you get them.

 

Princess - Oh, there is nothing wrong with being known as 'Star Wars Girl' Heehee, I was known as that in my old school, cause I had my hair like Padme's when she went to Tatoonie for the first time in Ep1 for my grade 8 Grad, so I want to keep with the tradition for grade 12, and maybe even University! lol

Amidala-Leia - I WISH I could get Anakin as a date anywhere! lol, I would do anything to get that.... well, almost anything. lol

 

Hi All-

I've been reading these Padme threads for a week or so and finally committed to making the Rainbow dress for Halloween. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it in the trailer, and seeing the movie confirmed the fact that I MUST MAKE THIS DRESS.

I have several ideas/questions. Please share your experience and advice with me!

I am making the under-bodice out of yellow lycra to ensure a nice tight fit. I can't decide whether I should attach it to the underskirt to make a dress, or make it a bodysuit and have the bodice and skirt separate. What have you done?
Are you all using chiffon? That was my first instinct, but now I'm thinking it may be of a less sheer fabric, such as double georgette. I also found a fabric called "pongee" that seemed to be a nice semi-sheer.

I have lots more questions and ideas, but hopefully someone has some advice on the above.

 

NICEGIRL welocme to the group of us making this dress. Here are my suggestions-I've made a few of Padme's dresses and am just finishing up this one, it is a fun project and will definatly be recognizable for Halloween.
I would not use Pongee because it is a lining fabric, because this dress has so much yardage to it and needs to flow well, a lining with cause a sort of static reaction, and won't drape nicely. Chiffon seams to be the main choice, that's what I used. I got my poly chiffon to dye just perfectly, and it is flowy and sheer and I couldn't be happier. You could use a silk chiffon, but be warned silk takes dye a lot faster than poly so TEST TEST TEST!!
I would suggest making is a complet underdress in kinda a halter style with a plunging backline. Make sure you cut the fabric smaller since it's a lycra so that you get the right fit, or get a pattern intended for stretch fabrics.
Hope that heads you in the right direction.
GOOD LUCK!
FeRd

 

Thanks Ferd!

Do you mind telling me which dye you used? For budget purposes I planned to use poly chiffon as well. Also, though, since the colors are so pastel and subtle I really thought poly might be a better choice as it will not take the dye as deeply as silk and you end up with more muted colors. Silk feels nicer and drapes better, of course, but colorwise I'm pleased with my choice of poly.

My dyeing concern is bleed. It seems like with most dyeing processes the excess dye needs to be rinsed out of the fabric, which it seems would result in dye rinsed from one place going all over the entire fabric and distorting the coloring. Am I exaggerating the effect of dye bleed during a rinse? Is the exposure for a short enough time that it won't have any effect?

OK, two more questions and I promise I'll stop. How much yardage did you use for the chiffon? Did this include an overlay for the skirt, or did you just use a satin for the skirt? And is 45 wide apparel chiffon adequate, or do I need to go for the wider decorator chiffon? Ok, fine, that's three questions, I'll shut up now.

 

Hello all! I'm new to posting in this forum, although I have been watching it for a couple months planning this dress. In fact, to answer someone's comment, I'm PLANNING on this as a Prom dress!! That's what got me started on it. And may I say that EVERY guy I've mentioned this too thinks it's a great idea...

So, anyway, now I'm close enough to getting started that I've decided to ask a question. See, I've compiled all the patterns/suggestions that have been posted by all of you and compared them for HOURS (sad, isn't it?? J/K!!) with only the OFFICIAL movie stills, and drafted my own design for how I believe this dress was actually put together.

Here's the bizarre question: a lot of you are really into sewing/designing/etc. and I'm NOT. Well, actually I am into dress designing, but I can't really draw! So I can draw what the dress looks like IF I have a "person" to draw it on. What I'm hoping is if one of you happens to know of somewhere online I can copy a standard sketch of a body in any (or preferably several) poses??? I'm NOT looking for nudity here... :-D Not even faces, actually! I just want something to sketch a dress onto--back, front, and side views.

thanks!!
-skywalker325

 

What exactly do you all think it used for the "wings" as I like to call them--the drapery over her arms. I've seen mention of silk, chiffon, etc, but it doesn't seem airy/ see-through enough...

 

Hi skywalker325! I totally agree with you, in the first place I wanted to use different a fabric for the upper dress, but from this picture (http://media.filmweb.no/materiell/fox/FOX20010476/14.jpg), I really think I'm going to use the same one (in my case, chintz).

Whatever you use, be extra carefull about the color : we all tend to say it's yellow dress, but it's really very pale yellow. In any case, all the colors are quite pale, which does fit the description of "a dress that insn't there".

Good luck!

 

For the type of dye to get the ombre effect on a poly chiffon, I would use a really thin silk paint like Dyenaflow. Dharma Trading sells it and it works wonderfully! You can find it at some art supply (not craft supply) stores too. RIT doesn't do well at all on poly, and you usually have to boil stuff to get the colors to take. Not conducive to ombering at all. With Dyenaflow, all you do to set the colors is iron it. Then you can wash it to get out the excess. It's color and lightfast, and it doesn't change the hand (or feel)of the fabric. If you're concerned about recoloration (this is more of an issue with silk) you can buy some Synthrapol which prevents rinsed out colors from redepositing on the fabric.

I'd email Dharma with any questions you have because they are really good about answering and giving really practical information with just about anything you can think of. In addition to Dynaflow, they have other stuff that works just as good on poly fabrics.

Bath-Sedi

 

For drawing out designs: ftp://ftp.cirr.com/pub/SCRIBE/Costume/Pprdolls.Zip. You'll need WinZip to open it, and it only has one view of a female body. I know that Chivalry Sports offers drawing pads for sketching male and female clothing, front and back views, for about $5.

 

Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum (just discovered it today, in fact!) and have been reading posts like crazy. I too am planning on making the rainbow dress, and this thread has both encouraged and intimidated me. I'm not exactly a beginning sewer, as I've made costumes for shows before, but I've never tackled something as complex as this dress on my own. But the info in this thread is just invaluable-- I shudder to think how I might have tried to make the dress if I hadn't read all of the posts here!

At any rate, I have the whole summer (and then some) to do it, and I plan to be in this forum plenty, checking out links and getting advice! <g>

 

sorry for not replying sooner to those who asked me questions! i have been busy moving from MI to CA (i'm in CA now but i haven't moved into my new apartment yet - i'm staying with my aunt and uncle for the time being)

anyway - i think everyone's given such wonderful advice!! i hope you will all share pictures of your dress!

oh as a side note - the ombre technique obviously would be difficult for this dress but it wouldn't be impossible if you had enough space for it and time.

another dying technique i did was doing the dying by hand. i did this when i made sleeves for Yuna from Final Fantasy X (for those who do not know the character - she has these kimono type sleeves that have a gradient from white to pink). i wet and hung the sleeves i made then i made the vat of dye in a bucket. i put on some plastic gloves (the really cheap disposable kind - not those plastic yellow gloves you use for dishes though i guess those could work also) and i sort of "palmed" the dye from my hand onto the fabric by dipping the palm of my hand into the dye and then "wiping" it on the fabric. (of course i did this when the dye was not super hot - it was lukewarm) it took a while to get the bottom to be a darker pink obviously but it allowed me the greatest control and the results came out well. the brush idea is a really good idea also - i was also thinking maybe using a sponge also as another tool to help get that gradient effect? like sort of "wiping" on the dye onto the cloth? i dunno just some extra thoughts on the dying part.

a side question - are you ladies dying the cloth before or after you make the dress? i had assumed that you'd make the dress first and then dye it but maybe i'm wrong? just curious

~PA

 

sorry for not replying sooner to those who asked me questions! i have been busy moving from MI to CA (i'm in CA now but i haven't moved into my new apartment yet - i'm staying with my aunt and uncle for the time being)

anyway - i think everyone's given such wonderful advice!! i hope you will all share pictures of your dress!

oh as a side note - the ombre technique obviously would be difficult for this dress but it wouldn't be impossible if you had enough space for it and time.

another dying technique i did was doing the dying by hand. i did this when i made sleeves for Yuna from Final Fantasy X (for those who do not know the character - she has these kimono type sleeves that have a gradient from white to pink). i wet and hung the sleeves i made then i made the vat of dye in a bucket. i put on some plastic gloves (the really cheap disposable kind - not those plastic yellow gloves you use for dishes though i guess those could work also) and i sort of "palmed" the dye from my hand onto the fabric by dipping the palm of my hand into the dye and then "wiping" it on the fabric. (of course i did this when the dye was not super hot - it was lukewarm) it took a while to get the bottom to be a darker pink obviously but it allowed me the greatest control and the results came out well. the brush idea is a really good idea also - i was also thinking maybe using a sponge also as another tool to help get that gradient effect? like sort of "wiping" on the dye onto the cloth? i dunno just some extra thoughts on the dying part.

a side question - are you ladies dying the cloth before or after you make the dress? i had assumed that you'd make the dress first and then dye it but maybe i'm wrong? just curious

~PA

 

sorry for not replying sooner to those who asked me questions! i have been busy moving from MI to CA (i'm in CA now but i haven't moved into my new apartment yet - i'm staying with my aunt and uncle for the time being)

anyway - i think everyone's given such wonderful advice!! i hope you will all share pictures of your dress!

oh as a side note - the ombre technique obviously would be difficult for this dress but it wouldn't be impossible if you had enough space for it and time.

another dying technique i did was doing the dying by hand. i did this when i made sleeves for Yuna from Final Fantasy X (for those who do not know the character - she has these kimono type sleeves that have a gradient from white to pink). i wet and hung the sleeves i made then i made the vat of dye in a bucket. i put on some plastic gloves (the really cheap disposable kind - not those plastic yellow gloves you use for dishes though i guess those could work also) and i sort of "palmed" the dye from my hand onto the fabric by dipping the palm of my hand into the dye and then "wiping" it on the fabric. (of course i did this when the dye was not super hot - it was lukewarm) it took a while to get the bottom to be a darker pink obviously but it allowed me the greatest control and the results came out well. the brush idea is a really good idea also - i was also thinking maybe using a sponge also as another tool to help get that gradient effect? like sort of "wiping" on the dye onto the cloth? i dunno just some extra thoughts on the dying part.

a side question - are you ladies dying the cloth before or after you make the dress? i had assumed that you'd make the dress first and then dye it but maybe i'm wrong? just curious

~PA

 

sorry for not replying sooner to those who asked me questions! i have been busy moving from MI to CA (i'm in CA now but i haven't moved into my new apartment yet - i'm staying with my aunt and uncle for the time being)

anyway - i think everyone's given such wonderful advice!! i hope you will all share pictures of your dress!

oh as a side note - the ombre technique obviously would be difficult for this dress but it wouldn't be impossible if you had enough space for it and time.

another dying technique i did was doing the dying by hand. i did this when i made sleeves for Yuna from Final Fantasy X (for those who do not know the character - she has these kimono type sleeves that have a gradient from white to pink). i wet and hung the sleeves i made then i made the vat of dye in a bucket. i put on some plastic gloves (the really cheap disposable kind - not those plastic yellow gloves you use for dishes though i guess those could work also) and i sort of "palmed" the dye from my hand onto the fabric by dipping the palm of my hand into the dye and then "wiping" it on the fabric. (of course i did this when the dye was not super hot - it was lukewarm) it took a while to get the bottom to be a darker pink obviously but it allowed me the greatest control and the results came out well. the brush idea is a really good idea also - i was also thinking maybe using a sponge also as another tool to help get that gradient effect? like sort of "wiping" on the dye onto the cloth? i dunno just some extra thoughts on the dying part.

a side question - are you ladies dying the cloth before or after you make the dress? i had assumed that you'd make the dress first and then dye it but maybe i'm wrong? just curious

~PA

 

NICE GIRL-(and others) I used RIT Dye and DYE IT to dye POLY chiffon and had no problems at all. I wanted a suble pastel blend and that's exactly what I got. The RIT I used really hot water, and the DYE IT required room temperature. I did some in the washing machine, some in buckets, some in the tub-controlled it by hand--suspended it outside, pinned, draped, tied up pieces. I guess you could call it the FERD technique LOL!!! I used wide (home dec) chiffon to accomodate the "wing span". I dyed the pieces before constructing the dress (but I did cut some pieces accordingly, a gather here and tuck there) I mostly did this because I did not want to jeopordize the underdress. **Will Post Pics as soon as I finish it**
<3 FERD

 

Ferd, I'm curious to get more details about your dyeing, if that's OK.

I'm guessing that you started out with white fabric, and then dyed the whole lot of it yellow (with RIT?), then added the pink and lavendar with the other dyes, in the tub/buckets/by hand. Am I somewhere close to right?

Right now the dyeing is what's hanging up my planning...oh, it's enough to make me want to live at home again, where there are garages and basements and bathtubs to spare *sigh*.

 

i'd like to know how to even begin a dye job.. never done one.. so i'm a bit confused. someone said that they did it with their hands? that would seem like the easiest for me... what kind of fabric and/or dye should i use for this?

 

JainaMSolo--No problem, I'll try to explain myself. I did start with white--and dyed the whole thing using Rit golden yellow in the washing machine--easy enough. Then I used a combination of rose pink and mauve RIT and very hot water and held the sections in my washing machine (yes, I dyed on top of the yellow-and it looks pink not orange) I moved it around in the dye bath--holding the parts I wanted to remain yellow out of the water. I then removed the fabric, added more mauve, then dyed more, leaving some of the pink out of the water this time. I then made a dye bath of Purple DYE IT (only because none of my stores had it in RIT ) and Country Blue RIT to get a nice kinda lavender grayish bluish purple looking dye color. I made this up in a bucket and suspended my fabric above it (I kept the whole piece of fabric wet so the dye would not make a line between colors) I had the bucket in my tub, so I could constantly wet it and slowly move my fabric up and up. I then made this contraption in my front yard to spread out the fabric to dry in the wonderful Florida heat and air. As I saw it float in the breeze, and catch the sun I was VERY VERY pleased with my results. AND, it's not just a fluke--I'm making 2 of these dresses and I've been able to get the same look both times. YEAH!!! The dye Gods smile on me
Hope That Helps you out!!
<3 FERD

 

That helps a *lot*, thank you, Ferd!

 

woops. accidentally reposted.

thanks

 

Oh, Thank you Ferd! Your dye description is invaluable, especially knowing that pink will dye over yellow without turning orange, which was a concern of mine. Thank you thank you! Do you mind telling me what kind of yardage you're using of the decorator chiffon?

 

Ya'll are making me blush with all the thank yous!! Sooo Glad I'm useful to someone LOL!
For the yardage: I'm using the 120" chiffon and am using about 6 yards (that's about 12 yards or more of regular width chiffon) I'm putting a layer of chiffon over my underdress, too. The underdress is taking about 3 1/2 yards and the same amount of lining.
**This and that picnic dress EAT fabric***
Can't wait to see your pics.
TAKE CARE!!
FeRd

 

Ferdalump,

I can't wait to get back from my trips (the next 4 weeks straight) to try that dye technique!!

You mentioned that you are using 120" chiffon. I've been wondering how wide to do this... But where in the world did you get 120" fabric?!?! That's 10 feet wide!!! lol

And I'm very interested in how you're using that fabric. I'd love it if you could take some pictures of the fabric with your new dye job on it and scan them in for all to see. Also, if you've got any sketches, or can just explain, how you are planning on putting this dress together? I mean, where everything is going to be attached and all...

See, a couple days ago I thought I'd figured out the purple part in the back, but then after watching the movie again last night, I realize that it doesn't quite fit. But I do agree with you that the underdress needs a layer of chiffon. Again, I'd love it if you could detail your procedure!

thanks a million!

-skywalker325