The Official Costuming Thread

Nevermind, all. I sucked it up and went and bought one from the hardware store on the opposite side of the intersection I live on! Steve shall have his Jedi belt come Saturday...

Jedi Costume:

Cloak - have - Thank you Diane!
Tunic - Have, but am making another if or when I get a machine
Tabards - Need (have fabric, sort of)
Obi - need. Want to scope craft store on University for leather parts etc.
Boots - need - hope to find some at Payless or something like that.

Next I want to make a Rebel fleet trooper or pilot or whatever called, with the orange jumpsuits. Then an R2D2 costume, possibly.

Went to Joann's yesterday. very crowded.

Modernism - sounds like you're making some progress! The Obi is usually material and the belt is usually make out of leather. Ya might want to ask MadKidJedi about belts he just made a real nice one for Nevets.

I was never able to find a pair of boots that looked Jedi-ish in the stores. I ended up using ones I had sitting around that I had bought over a decade ago at a garage sale. I'd really love to replace them, but since I have such huge calves I have a hard time finding tall boots that fit.

The orange jumpsuit ones are called Rebel Pilots or X-Wing Pilots normally.
The Rebel Fleet Trooper that I'm making is this one. An R2-D2 costume sounds cool. I don't know if I got a picture of the girl at Dragon*Con that was wearing one, but it was pretty cute.

Yeah, yesterday was Jo-Ann's huge 1-day sale so it was pretty packed. I overheard an employee out at the Amherst store that I was at last night mention that they had already met their daily budget by 5pm. I picked up the purple material that I need for my sash for the Padme gown.

~Doc_Bev

Someone mentioned it on the Buffalo board and I saw pictures from D-Con of a character from the flick..


DARK HELMET.

Yes, Joann's in Henrietta was a zoo on Saturday. Diane and I spent half the day there. We saw Diane, Adrienne's mother there looking for stuff for various cool projects. I was able to pick up quite a bit on sale or with coupons for one of the Padme outfits from ROTS that I really liked and hope to have for Halloween and the DVD release. I just need the hair accessories and trims.

Yesterday, we went to Sew-A-Rama and discovered a store in Fairport called "Craft Bits & Pieces" which is a non-profit that takes donations and is staffed solely by volunteers. Therefore, they have very limited hours Wednesday - Fridays (10 a.m. - 2 p.m.) and Saturdays (10 a.m. - 4 p.m.). The money benefits "Elderbus and Senior Options for Independence (SOFI) programs of the Fairport/Perinton Senior Living Council, Inc.". They were selling baggies of an assortment of a lot of interesting fabric and trim pieces for quilting or other projects. For $5.90 I picked up 2 baggies with enough soft purple crushed velvet, satin, and trim to make a medieval vest for a SCA event. Diane picked up an interesting baggie too. When I showed these ladies a picture of the trim I was looking for for the Padme gown, they suggested cutting a tapestry-type of material into strips if I can't find a close enough embroidered ribbon for the trim. They looked through the book a little and pointed out costumes I thought would be impossible to duplicate due to the materials used, and said we need to visit their shop because they get things like these all the time. I also picked up an older dress form from them (for an extremely reasonable price) in which my measurements fell close to the middle of the range of it instead at the small end of the one I got off freecycle. Also, this one has more adjustments on it than the one I already had (like cup adjustments), so hopefully the costumes will fit better.

Saturday afternoon we also went to the Ronald McDonald House sale and I found a few pouches that go on belts for either Tom's jedi or Mara's costume.

WOW - McCall's has a pattern for one of Padme's nightgowns from ROTS, except it's a formal dress or costume - M4995. Check out http://www.mccallpattern.com/item/M4995.htm?tab=costumes&page=1. And their sizing seems more accurate than Simplicity. Too bad we didn't see that on Saturday when McCall's patterns were $1.99. Perhaps next time.

Gang-

Is anyone (besides me) interested in getting the film-accurate Jedi belt studs? Nicky informed me that we can get them through Ryan, and I wanted to re-do my belt to film accurate before Halloween, so time is kinda of the essence. If anyone IS interested, I'm gonna order a bunch, so put in your requests with Nicky or me, and we'll contact Ryan within the week. We're uncertain about pricing, but we'll let ya know when we find out! Oh, and there's 8 on a typical Jedi belt...

Wow, that's a nice nightgown pattern! A little chilly to wear this time of year though..lol.

I forgot about that pattern too while shopping last Saturday. I remember seeing the post over on the C&P board, but didn't write it down on my shopping list.


ATTN all current or future Jedi costumers: As MadKidJedi mentioned in his post above, we're placing an order for Jedi Belt Studs. The studs are $0.40 each and you need 8 per belt (i.e. $3.20) also there is a nifty buckle available for $3.95. Here is a picture of what each look like on JediAgent's belt. If you're interested in going in on the order, please PM me or MadKidJedi by Oct 3rd. I'd like to send JediAgent the order & money on the 4th so that we'll hopefully have this stuff in before Halloween.

~Doc_Bev

As Nicky mentioned just above, these studs are the ones that are affixed to the under (wider) belt, and hold the thinner, top-belt in place. Having now made multiple belts (okay... two...), I've already revised my belt making instructions, and have found that the process becomes more simplified each time. If anyone is interested, I can hold a belt making tutorial/lesson at one of our prop making parties, but having these studs in advance is a very good idea. I'm ordering multiple sets for myself, and a set for Steve's belt that I just finished, to revise it with.

For those that already have belts, it an extremely easy mod to put these on. They're screw together rivets, so hammering 'em on isn't even required. Justin (Primrodo) has access to Anakin-style buckles for the inner belt (and there's always someone selling theme cheaply on eBay), so if anyone wants one of those, PM him or go to eBay.

As I said in the other thread, I'm uncertain as to whether or not I'll be attending the Prop Party this Saturday, but if it rains, I'll be there. Not that we'll have our studs, but at least I can show y'all how to do anything else to the belt, besides studding them.

Take me off the list for Jedi spikes and belts and stuff.


I think I'm going to concentrate on helping however I can to make armor and maybe do a Punisher costume as a self treat.

I know jacksquat about costuming and I havent learned a <censored> thing. Sorry. I'm just very frustrated right now with a lot of this costuming stuff and I have basically gone down a dead end and get to stare at brick walls whenever I want to do a costume.

I'm better off as a handler, photographer, or the guy standing in the back.
Sorry....just...GRRR! SORRY.

Wingnut - I understand better than you know... and I will let on more in my PM to you forthcoming.

Everybody- I guess it's kinda a "costume-related" thing, but I dyed my hair back to a light, golden brown last night. After a summer of too-blonde, too-"rooty", I've embraced the true Nature of the Hair. Thing is, my hair takes to dye like a fly to... well, you know. What I mean is, if I'm going to go to blonde, it goes waaaaayyy blonde. If I'm going brown, or darker, it goes waaaaayyy that way. So now I'm hoing that this will lighten up some before Halloween (or any other costuming ops happen)! Must resist the temptation to grab the peroxide bottle... aaaarrrrgggghhh....!!!

You could always try that stuff from Wal-Mart that sort of acts like paint in your hair...you put it in and it colors it but it washes right out. Never tried it....maybe someone else has?

I had my hair dresser use a temp dye on my hair last year...I went black. It was supposed to last 6-8 weeks, nine months later my hair was almost back to its normal color. My hair dresser said she'd never seen hair keep a temp color that long. LOL

Hey Dean - If you are going to be out in the sun, try a more natural way to lighten your hair - lemons or lemon juice. When I was a teenager, I would speed up the sun's natural highlighting by using lemons on my hair at the beach and red and blonde highlights would jump out. Or try John Frieda's Beach Blonde Lemon Lights, http://www.johnfrieda.com/products/products.asp?pid=69&section=products&subSection=beachBlonde&lineID=5. I'm thinking of trying the sample Tom brought home earlier this week when we go Apple Picking on Sunday since it is time to refresh my color, but I'm not sure how red I should go considering what costumes I have to wear when. Timing is everything. I have also tried John Frieda's Gold Rush Shimmer gel - it actually makes my brunette/auburn hair golden and very shiny.

Nicky - At Sew-A-Rama, the women from Craft Bits and Pieces said that they use a temporary spray that evaporates on the back of velvet to stiffen it to make it easier to look with. As long as you don't saturate the material so it soaks through, it won't damage the velvet or be seen from the front. They made it sound that after you treat the velvet, it wasn't too hard to work with later. When Diane and I went over to the booth that they had indicated that sells the spray, it was a temporary adhesive so that you can attach a piece of delicate material to a fabric before you sew it instead of pins that could damage it. Perhaps Diane could explain it better or maybe Katie knows about this trick.

i'm working on the Obi - belt. Sewing by hand which isn't too bad, not very long. When I look at pics of Obi Wan and Qui Gon from Ep. 1, their tabards are a definite V in the center and hang down straight without any slants.

I'm taking a sewing class at Joanns, and it's fun. Also there is a sewing class at Adult Education for Rochester City School District at East High. It starts Oct. 3 (Mon) and is $150 for 8 weeks. Says you can work on any project you want and instructor will help.

want to buy a sewing machine...

Is there anyone else interested in doing the RFT in the future that would be interested in going in on an order for the belt buckle? Shipping is $8 up to $65 so I figured it made more sense to do a combined order and split shipping. I'd like to place the order on Oct 6th, so please get back to me before then if you're interested.

~Doc_Bev

Nicky-

That's the exact buckle I found online earlier this week, and decided it was perfect for my pending Luke Ttaooine outfit. Or should I say my "revist" to that iconic outfit? Also, it makes a great base buckle for Imp. officers and Death Squad Commanders, Rebel Troopers, and many more rogues from the Star Wars universe. Think on that, gang. Me? I'm for at least two, Nick.

I will be needing at least one of those Buckles. How much?

As it states on the website they're $2.89 each, plus whatever shipping gets split down to and tax.

If I get to Craft Service before Oct 6th and if they have the same buckle cheaper - I'll just get some from them.

~Doc_Bev

I've been down there recently, and I've not seen a buckle anywhere near that one. However, they've got some impressive, most impressive leather scraps in a box; many perfect for cutting and making into Jedi belts...

Went to the VOA Thrift store on Main Street near Goodman just now, looking for darker brown pants and a base garment for modification into an under-tunic. Thought I'd found one, but, nah... I was wrong. Emily found a teapot for a friend at work, though, for less than a buck.

So, looks like I'll be attempting to sew again. Can anyone in our group make a suggention regarding which undertunic pattern is best from the two sets I've got; the Simplicity #5840 or the new one that Diane just got for me? And/or is there anyone who's not too busy betwen now and Halloween to craft me said tunic and/or a screen accurate Ani-Jedi robe? I've already got the material for the undertunic. and I'd be happy to purchase whatever necessary materials for the robe if anyone has the time...? Or there's that idea for Prop Party Ep. 3 brewing...

The only Tandy Leather store left in New York state is in Syracuse. We were planning on picking up Mara a buckle next time we are there.

4726 South Salina Street
Syracuse, NY 13205
Store Hours: Monday-Friday 9am-6pm, Saturday 9am-4pm
Toll Free 800-446-2999, Local 315-492-2225, Fax 315-492-6312
Store Manager: Robyn Griffith
syracuse@tandyleather.com

When we were out to Eastview Mall this weekend, H&M had a very wide tan leather belt on a mannequin in the window that would make a great obi as well. I think it cost $24. There were only 2 on the rack plus the one in the window.

Tandy Leather is where I'm ordering the buckles from (if you click on the belt buckle link you'll see the website). I figured shipping would be cheaper than gas & time to drive out there. You're welcome to add on to my order if what you need is on their website.

~Doc_Bev

I am interested in a couple of those buckles. I will use them eventually for RFT and / or Imp. officer

I'm going to be sending JediAgent the info for the Jedi Belt Studs tomorrow. Anyone else other than me, MadKidJedi, Nevets and Modernism interested?

~Doc_Bev

Nicky- I'm in for a total of five sets, or 40 studs. What's the total for that, after shipping, so I can set it aside now?