Padme Amidala Padme's Meadow Picnic Dress v4.0

Oh, man! They're going to destroy the meadow? How sad! Maggie's pictures are so wonderful, I added that location to a wish list for a future vacation site. "Progress" Bah!

I noticed a nice Picnic Padme in some D*C photos that I didn't recognize. Anyone know who she is?


I'm resurecting this question now that we're past the D*C craziness. Any thoughts? Bueller?

I've been busy glueing sequins and vining the front panel of my circle skirt. What a job! I figured if I tackle the biggest piece first everything else will be a breeze. That sleeve muslin is still haunting me, though.
Regards,
M.

 

The area around the meadow was not built up at all! I'm totally bummed about it!

I saw pics of that Padme at the DRagonCon parade and the costume looked really good! I don't know who it is though!

 

I have finished the first under layer !
My corset is in the north of France for being embroided by a machine !

 

I forgot her name But I chatted with her a bit at the RL photo shoot and just before the costume contest. I did encourage her to come post here and share photos of her costume. I'm pretty sure she gleaned a lot of research here (seemed to be aware of who I was and who obi-dawn was?)

Too bad about the meadow. I'll probably never see it then

- kay dee

 

I hope she does stop by here and chat with us then. It's always super neat to meet people who used these picnic threads for research.

 

Hello again)))
Finally I decided to share my progress with you guys. I'm horribly slow, I know, but I can really do nothing about it! At least I've done such things after that you just can't stop doing this gown!
So, I'm done with: corset inner and outer layers, corset emboidery (without roses, which I'll appligue at the very end of my costume), skirt construction, a bit of skirt embroidery.
[image=http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/4885/dsc03421hhyr9.jpg] - my progress so far;
not much... . Just in case any of you will have the same problem as I had: for the corset embroidery I used not a stabilizer, but a paper, which is put into the shoes. I had no fortune to find a good stabilizer, so I decided to go on with improvised means and it turned out nicely! I just had to do the golden outlines before the flames and flowers. All in all it took about 7 day (4-6 hours a day) to finish the hole thing.
[image=http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/8660/dsc03374nnnnsc4.jpg] - corset details.
Now I'm embellishing the skirt. I prefer to finish my skirt construction before the embroidering and I don't regret it. It's rather easy to make it this way - no need to worry that the sequins will get into the sewing machine or something.
I'm a crazy women, but I am doing this embroidery on this huge circle skirt with my hands, using chain stitch! It goes slow, but bearable. I could't even imagine at the beginning that me, always so restless, reckless and passionate will LOVE such a boring at first sight thing as embroidery!
[image=http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/2949/dsc03434yyypx9.jpg] - embroidery close up
[image=http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/9070/dsc03418bbxl2.jpg] - tha same at the sunlight
Tha is all for now, maybe I'll show up again at the beginning of January! I bet I won't finish the skirt before this time!

 

Very pretty Sotis! What fabric did you use for your corset? Oh man, I can empathise with you doing the vines by hand. I had started to do mine by hand a few years ago and it was taking too long, so I ripped them out and had to skip them.

- kay dee

 

Great job on the embroidery and the corset! I'm totally jealous! It looks really good!

As for mine, I posted a question about my skirt on my livejournal, though no one answered me so I'll ask here.

Skirt Detail

Sorry about the light, really hard to get good pictures of it.

Do you think I'm putting the sequins and embroidery too close together? It's hard for me to figure out the right distance between them.

~Spacelady

 

Your corset and vining are abolutely gorgeous Sotis. Your still doing this by hand or do you have you bought a sewing machine?

 

Thanks, Kay Dee, Spacelady, Tenyon !
Oh, I'm afraid I can't name the corset fabric It was my third fabric to choose, because I was absolutely dissatisfied with 2 previous ones. I bought it in a large fabric store among different curtains. It is 100% polyester, and it was sunny-yellow. I have dyed it with RIT to match the skirt fabric colour.
And I'm doing the embroidery by my hand because I want to! I have a wonderful sewing/embroidery machine, which, unfortunately, doesn't have a chain stitch)))
Spacelady
I think that the problem is in the very pattern you are using. The vines should be different. Don't try to make them neither very geometrical(the lower ones) nor too wavy(the higher ones). Use you imagination and everything will be great!

 

So how many of you girls use a machine to embroidery, and how many hand embroidery?

~Spacelady

 

Spacelady
It depends. As far as I know, practically everyone hand embroidered the corset. And on the contrary practically everyone (except Kay_Dee, as far as I know) used a machine to embellish the skirt/blouse.
Girls, correct me, if I'm wrong

 

Wow, it's looking beautiful Sotis.

I always hand embroider the corset and use a machine for the vining. Your chain stitching for the vining is just gorgeous though!

 

Thank you, Obi-Dawn! I hope my courage won't leave me until I finish my vining!

 

If you ever feel it starting to wane just hop in here and tell us. We'll poke and prod at you until you get it completed by reminding you of how beautiful it will all be when it's done and how proud you'll feel for accomplishing it!

 

wow beautiful job Sotis

 

Sotis - I'm so glad you posted for everyone to see! I got a sneak peek at her corset earlier in the week. It looks awesome! I'm also so impressed that you are doing the vines by hand. Keep up the amazing work!

spacelady - I think you might want to put more sequins on each line and not make the vines quite so curvy. Kay_dee measured the distance from her photos and the sequins were roughly 15-20 cm apart.

I'm in the doldrums of vining the front of my circle skirt, too. I'm kind of frustrated because the chiffon stretches between each 'shape' when I remove the stabilizer. I'm hoping that once I wet it down, iron it and let it hang for a while, each shape won't look so poofy. If anyone has other ideas, I'd appreciate it!

Regards,
M.

 

Aw, man. That means I have to to take off the sequins again (I had different ones on before) and then take off all the embroidery too. *sigh* But..that's what I get for being so addicted.

Alright, that measurement actually helps a lot. *writes it down so she doesn't forget*

Thank you!

~Spacelady

 

SpaceladyGood luck!

Liannb, Mirax, thanks a lot!
Yours appreciation means a lot for me!

And Mirax, can you show us what's wrong with your embroidery? In the original costume the spaces between the vines aren't all very flat ,too!
I'm sure you are aware of it, but just in case: if you decide to wet it down and then iron, the chiffon can change its size once again and shrink!
Just be careful!I love your work and I'm sure everything will be wonderful!

 

great job Sotis!
mine is in stand by !

 

Hey guys!
I've been wanting to make this dress for such a long time, SO I've read the 1st page many times. But my biggest downfall is the corset. I have tried before to make corsets, but I just can't seem to do them. I could make all the other parts of thos outfit except that.

Does anyne have any suggestions as to what I should do or where I should go? Or should I just not attempt this one?

By the way, Sotis: Great jon so far!

~Tally

 

Sorry guys! I "think" I?m the mysterious Picnic Padme from Dragon*con. I was in the RL shoot and the SW costume contest with my version 1.0. I just moved to a new apartment since Dragoncon and I just got internet so I?m sorry I was so slow to post.

I was presently surprised that the costume was pretty easy to wear, but I think I have fallen sequins in 3 states. I just had a problem with keeping my straps up (I made them removable so I could do the strapless movie poster look so that's probably why). You'll notice my strap issues in some of the pictures : [

You can view my pictures here. You may notice some familiar faces! It was great to finally put names to faces at Dragon-Con and I learned so many tips and tricks from costume veterans, like Kay Dee (who I want to worship like a goddess after seeing her Padme family gown in person!) Yes, it is THAT good!

I'd recommend Dragoncon to any costumer! It was my 3rd year and I can?t stop going. But I?m taking a bit of a break from the Picnic (first time all year) to work on the Packing Gown and Zam Wessel. But I?m still on the search for that perfect picnic fabric.

=Cressie

 

Yay! I'm glad you stopped in here Cressie. It was nice meeting you at D*con and chatting before the costume contest started. Your costume came out great - but I obviously have a soft spot for the picnic dress So this is your version 1.0 huh? Does that mean you'll do another version some day?

Argh, one of these days I need to sart on my version 2.0. It's just hard not to get attracted to new things.

- kay dee

P.S. I always had problems with my straps falling down too. I really want to avoid it on my new version. I may try tacking elastic to the end in the back, but have it hidden under the first few inches of the top of the corset. That way maybe it will move with me like a bra strap would.

 

What's the difference between the two? Would it be easier? I'm sooo bad at the corset type stuff