Jedi / Light Side The Complete Jedi Costume Guide

Any new developments on good places to find boots? Specifically in the Episode III-Anakin vein.

 

Hi would it be all rigth to use felt or polycotton to make the robe with if u could let me know thanks

 

Poly/cotton in the right weight so it flows well would be just fine. Felt...ack...if that ever got wet, you'd be in trouble.

 

Thanks for that info Arsinoe

 

I am a costume designer and have recently complete a Jedi Costume this past week. There are a few patterns you can work with but they do have to be modified. Simplicity has a robe pattern in the mens section of any of it's pattern books. This can be used for the tunic. It's a lot longer than the Jedi robe so you do have to modify the length of the pattern. Simplicity also has a Cloak pattern you can use for the robe. The only modification I made to the pattern was the hood. The hood is way too small so I made it larger so it frames the face and lies on the shoulders. The tunic, tabbards, and Obi should all be made of the same material. The jedi costume is very simple in it's look at it's design.

For materials I used 9 yards of 100% cotton denim in a wheat color. I used the wrong side of the fabric because it is more smooth and you really can't see the weave unless you get close-up. For the Robe I used 6 yards polortec fleece. It has a nice flow and it's quite heavy so it doesn't fly up like a cape.

I altered the sleeves on the robe pattern to make them longer and more bell shaped at the wrist. I cut off about 14" from the bottom of the pattern to make the robe thigh length. The tabbards are attached to the Obi. They are approximately 3" longer than the Tunic in the front. The easiest way to make these is to put on the tunic, use a tape measure and start at your waist in the back, measure over the shoulder and down the front. I cut 2 strips of fabric 21" wide to the required length. I then folded them in half forming a tube with the fabric and stitched it closed. Turn it right side out and iron it flat with the seem in the center. Once they were both sewn, I cut a wedge at 15 degrees from both tabbards and set them aside. For the Obi, I measured the waist size and added 6 inches to that. I then cut 2 strips of material to length, one at 18 inches wide and one at 9 inches wide. the 18 inch fabric needed to be gatherd at both ends to 9 inches. I the sewed the 2 strips together on all sides and left an opening for turning. Once turned, I ironed it flat over the gathers to make pleats. Once it is ironed, you can attach the tabbards. These are attached on both ends of the Obi. Line up the angled part of the fabric to one end of the Obi and top stitch it to the underside of the Obi. Repeat for both sides. once these are attached, there should be a "V" shape in the back center of the Obi. I then attached 3" wide velcro to the Obi. When closed, the tabbards overlap.

For the Robe, I cut the pieces out and simply zig-zagged all the seems. Polartec fleece is very easy to work with. I did not put hems in it simply because the fleece does not ravel. I used a leather togel clasp at the neck to keep it shut.

The customer I made this for didn't ask for pants or the undershirt. All together the materials cost me less than $100 and that includes notions.

You can find boots at:
http://www.sonofsandlar.com/index.htm
under the peasant thumbnail.

For the belt, I reccomend going to the women's section of any department store and purchasing a 3" wide belt. You can use a leather carving tool to make the designs in the belt.

This is typical 1550's peasant wear so you can pretty much go on any renaissance costuming site and find the belt bags.

Light Sabers can be found at:
http://www.parksabers.com/

 

Has anyone purchased or seen a Plo Koon or Saesee Tiin mask? I plan on making a costume for C3 and either one of them would be acceptable. Which was the best looking, in your opinion? I would be willing to paint one to correct any details that needed to be made.

 

anyone know where to find the patterns for the costume?

i want to do an ani ep3,

but any pattern help would be appreciated!!!

 

I've been making Jedi costumes for several years and I have a handout I use when I teach at Cons and such. It includes suggestions about patterns, materials, sources as well as other website with more info.

JediKai Costume Handout

I also have some photo tutorials on my photo host (be sure to click on the thumbnails as the text of the tutorial is in the captions)

JediKai belt tutorial

Best websites are:

Amber's Jedi Mediation Chamber

Padawan's Guide

 

Does anyone know the material that is being used for the Mace Windu costume? Here is a link of a pic for the one i am looking for.

http://www.padawansguide.com/mace/mace_hires.jpg

 

Anyone order a LARGE robe from Outer Robes?

Anyone figure out a way to kind of modify it so that the hood doesn't swallow me? The rest of the robe is perfect in size, but the hood is like, two times too large.

 

Since it looks like there are several people here who have put together Jedi outfits before, I'm searching for advice.

I'm wanting to put together a Jedi costume to wear at various events. Currently I'm looking for fabrics. I especially like the tan crinkled fabric on the tunic, obi and tabards of Obi-Wan's Episode II costume. But, I'm having difficulty finding anything that resembles this type of fabric. Does anyone know where to look to find a fabric that resembles this crinkled texture? Does this texture have a name in the textile industry? I'd prefer the crinkled fabric, but I'm willing to go with flat linen if there is no other choice.

Also, I'd like to put together a real wool robe. I know this is an expensive proposition. But, I'm willing to go for it. I am, once again, having difficulty finding the proper wool (color, weight and texture) for this project. Does anyone know where to find any wool that resembles either Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan's robe (although, I don't necessarily need the tuck at the shoulders). Also, does anyone know what weight I should look for and what texture the wool should have? Would medium weight work or does it have to be heavier? Most other fabrics simply don't have the 'flow' that the wool has.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Hi all. Novice sewer considering a Jedi outfit as my first real "home-made" costume project, and I've got a few questions.
For the design, I'm planning on a standard Jedi outfit, though in darker colors (probably black and grey just 'cause I like darker colors, but I'm still chewing on that), but the fabric choices are of some concern to me. Based on some of the pages from the Padawan's Guide site, I'm considering cotton flannel for the robe and silk noil and/or a linen/cotton blend for the tunics and pants (I have fabric swatches on the way to evaluate). I've been kind of spoiled by my costumes so far - all the fabric pieces can be machine washed (usually in cold water), and ease of care of my Jedi outfit would also be highly desirable. Anyone know of any wierd care requirements for cotton flannel, silk noil, or linen?
Also, are any of them particularly difficult to work with?
Thanks in advance for your help.

Eric
SL-7171 Garrison Tyranus

 

Personally, I think cotton flannel would be too flimsy for the robe. I would recommend a medium to heavy cotton, if you're not going to use the standard (but more expensive) wool.

However, all of the fabrics....linen, silk noil or cotton flannel, are washable. Just be SURE to wash BEFORE you cut as they may shrink. For linen and silk, wash in cool water, maybe even a delecate setting if your machine has it. However, I don't. I wash them just the same as my cotton clothes and they do just fine.

 

Silk noil does shrink, but is machine washable and easy to sew. The only thing you have to watch out for is that it can lose its nubbyness after several washes.

 

Thanks for your replies, guys - that's exactly what I wanted to know. Glad to hear that my fabric choices would be washable, and I'd already planned to wash them before starting the costume (I'll have to dye the fabric anyways, so washing was a foregone conclusion).

>>>Personally, I think cotton flannel would be too flimsy for the robe. I would recommend a medium to heavy cotton, if you're not going to use the standard (but more expensive) wool. <<<

Well, I'm waiting for the swatches to show up before I go any farther, and I'll probably run them through the wash to see how they react once I get them. Not married to the cotton-flannel for the robe, either - it'd be handy, as it's available in HUGE widths (90" and 108" widths, at dharmatrading.com), but I might end up going with wool after all.

Again, thanks for your input.

Eric
SL-7171 Garrison Tyranus

 

I have used a heavyweight cotton flannel for a robe in the past, and I didn't have any problems with it being flimsy. HOWEVER, I did have a problem with it bunching and clinging to other fabrics. It made for a very "just rolled out of bed" Jedi look. I would most likely not go with that fabric choice again, or I would line the whole thing so it wouldn't cling to the tunic, tabbards, etc.

 

Well, I got my swatches from both Dharma Trading (silk noil, linen, and cotton flannel) and Denver Fabrics (various colors and textures of pleather) in the mail on Monday - considering I placed the swatch orders in the wee hours of last Friday AM, I'm highly impressed with both companies' speed.

I'm totally sold on the silk noil for the tunics and trousers (any thoughts on using linen for lining, maybe, to keep from using a non-launderable synthetic lining? Or am I missing the point of lining fabrics?). The cotton flannel, on the other hand, is far too thin to make a decent Jedi Robe - too bad, as those wide widths would have been REALLY handy. Oh well, guess I need to start looking for wool. Any advice on what kind of wool fabric I should be looking for, and what price range I should expect?

Eric
SL-7171 Garrison Tyranus

 

I'm making a Jedi outfit for myself, but so far I've had no luck finding any fabric whatsoever for the robe. I wanted to try and locate some dark brown wool to make it more authentic, but at the moment I think I'd be lucky if I found anything at all. (Or maybe being housebound for 3 days is getting to me. )

So my question is posed towards anyone who has made Jedi/Sith robes.. where did you find your fabric?

 

Hey guys, yet another robe question. I'm making a Jedi robe for a friend, but she's allergic to wool, so that's out of the question. Also, she lives in a pretty warm climate, so I'd rather not go with denim or something heavy like that. Earlier in the thread someone suggested cotton gabardine-- does anyone have any other suggestions? I'd rather stick to natural fabrics, since they breathe well.

Thanks!

 

LizBennet: My first robe was of inexpensive light cotton, proof of concept to get me by until I found the right fabric. It took me about 2 years of searching to find exactly the right dark brown, not too heavy, wool, at the price I wanted. It would have been easy had I been willing to pay upwards of $15/yd.

My fabric on-line outlet is Phoenix Textiles However, the selection is limited. I do not now remember where I eventually did find the wool I sought.

JainaMSolo: I still recommend medium-heavy cotton. It needs a certain weight to hang and flow correctly. Look for "bottom weight", for example, at JoAnn's. I obtained some very nice dark brown there a few months ago. Use your 40% off coupon! I agree, avoid synthetics like the plague in hot climates. I made a robe out of 100% raw silk for a friend. And though it is lighter weight than *I* would have wanted, it actually does work OK. And I made a bathrobe for my husband out of my Jedi Robe pattern and made it in linen. It's a little too light weight.

 

here's some pics of my jedi costume(in progress), the tunic is a wool blend twill weave thing, not very heavy at all, and it lays really nice, still have some sewing left, but, that want take to long.
finally found some buckles I like for my belt so I should be finishing that up soon.
[image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/jabba974/joel2.jpg]
[image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/jabba974/DSCF0567.jpg]
[image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/jabba974/jedibelt4.jpg]
[Image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/jabba974/jedibelt1.jpg]
[image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/jabba974/jedibelt2.jpg]

 

EricT - it's been a while so you may have already figured this out by now, but the point of lining fabric is to keep one piece of clothing from catching on another piece. therefore, you need slippery fabric. since you've already been to dharma trading, i'd recommend buying some of their habotai to line with - probably the 8 mm weight. lighter if your cloak is alreay too heavy, or heavier if your cloak needs a little extra weight. really lightweight habotai tends to pucker and pull threads when you sew it, so be careful.

i've had good luck finding wool at phoenix textiles (although not in the past month, for some reason) and at denver fabrics. both have already been linked, i think. the fabrics that i liked run about $8/yd.


on a non-fabric note, are there any good pictures of the back of qui-gon's tabards?

 

RE Qui-Gon's tabbards: not really. Try Padawan's Guide and look at the photo of Qui-Gon fighting Maul. Your best bet is freeze the DVD at appropriate points. Having done that, it appears to me that his tabbards differ from Obi-Wan's in that they are just two long pieces, one on each shoulder.

I even bought the Insider's Guide DVD after Ep I to try to figure out the costume. Unfortunately, Obi-Wan's was shown without the robe but Qui-Gon's was not.

 

Hello everyone. I want to make a female Twi'lek costume, but I'm not sure how to construct the tentacles on the tops of their heads. Any ideas? Thanks!

 

For Twi'lek lekku info, see these threads:

Twi?Leks

Twi?Lek headgear?finally finished

Twi?Lek costume tips wanted!