This was a really big project for me but it was a fun challenge. If you are interested in making your own you will find the details below but for now let us just scroll through some photos of this beauty now that the crafting storm has settled.
In the end I added a piece of sheer light pink mesh fabric to the upper portion of the back to hold the blades in place a bit more. If you don't think you need it then you can opt out, it is easy to cut off and it won't be visible. If I were to make this gown again I would swap the material out for a clear bra strap (and you can usually find those at the sewing shops in the sewing notions section).
The bodice is in the right measurements for a size medium however the bodice isn't very pronounced on the sewing doll. Since this dress fit on the sewing doll I held off but I do have elastic thread in a sewing kit to go with this gown in order to cinch up any areas if needed. It won't wreck the design and was my initial plan but since it fit well as is, I left it alone.
I had a difficult time finding the bodice fabric for this costume. I wanted something with a cinched look, something sort of dragon-like. You know what I mean..the..perfect...fabric! In the end I found a cinched gold knit fabric with a black flower print on it. It was pretty horrible I will be honest but on the back side there was a plain white shimmer fabric. I picked up a pack of Dylon in the shade of gun metal and I dyed the fabric before I sewed the bodice pieces. Make sure if you do this you test the dye on the fabric, I watered mine down a lot to get the right shade. When hunting for fabric you may need to get super creative because finding the perfect fabric might not be an option. You can also go with a more basic knit fabric and elastic thread (in the color grey or white-sometimes the elastic thread shows through to the front so it's better to go with an elastic lighter in color for this project). If you go with a flat knit fabric for the bodice you are going to want to go with 3/4 yards of fabric for the bodice and a light colored elastic thread to deck it out scrunchy style. You will also need a sewing needle to sew the elastic by hand for this section.
The skirt took a lot of time to construct. For starters I could not find a pleated fabric in the right color. In most cases they were sheer fabrics and I really wanted a non-see through fabric. To save yourself time, if you can find a pleated fabric go with it, even if you have to line the skirt with a slip. I added my own pleats and I tried to get them perfect with heavy duty (env. friendly) Niagara Starch. If the fabric you select is pleated and sheer-as in way too sheer-I would sew the slip to the skirt to make one piece, and then sew that skirt + slip piece to the black vinyl areas. Your slip can be an inexpensive rayon skirt slip, something thin and flat that offers a little bit more coverage. This specific dress may or may not need a slip. My intent with here was to not need a slip but in some lighting I can still ever so slightly see where you may want one. The sides of the skirt are made to be laced up and you will find they lace up 4.5" in length. hen I made this gown I found the hips hung a little too low for this gown. They really should fall horizontally along the belly button line but I decided to leave the hip seams/ lacing area as is for now. I feel like they will need to be altered if someone purchases this gown but I'm not going to alter it not knowing someones hip measurements. If you are interested in purchasing this one, if still available, you will see this same info in the etsy listing stating that with the purchase of the gown comes a final hem for the skirt and if needed, a minor alteration to bring those side seams up slightly. You can tell that it's too low because it's making the front diamond area buckle a bit and when I pinch the sides it tightens perfectly.
Making those beautifully sculpted shoulder blades was not an easy task either. When I originally made the base shoulder straps (that run from the back ring to the front hips) I used my sewing doll to help determine the length. I also cut the straps wider at the shoulder blades. Not too wide, but slightly wider to help balance the layered blades I was going to add later on. Along with the black straps that wrap from back to front, I went with two additional layers of black vinyl for the shoulder blades and one layer of fabric stabilizer. The fabric stabilizer I liked was white. The color doesn't matter, you will be fully wrapping these with the vinyl. I cut those pieces out pretty big and I sewed these down every few inches to hold the blade layers together. Then I sculpted the shoulder blades with layers of fabric glue. I used a plastic mannequin covered in plastic bags, put the dress on the mannequin, wrapped the skirt in plastic so there was no chance of getting glue on it, and then I glued the layers of blades together.
I really needed the shoulders to get the formed shape I wanted so if you do not have a plastic mannequin at your disposal then I would say you really might want to go with a big suit hanger or fashion yourself something out of tin foil or similar to get a rounded shoulder shape. I used a clear fabric glue and a medium sized paint brush. The brush got really gunked up towards the end so go with an inexpensive one because you will most likely throw it out afterwards. I ended up gluing the shoulder blades down once to get everything a bit stiffer, again to make sure everything was folding and wrapping around as best you can, and then once more to seal it all up. I let each of those glue sessions dry for four hours minimum. Once I was satisfied with the shape and wrapping of the fabric around the blades I added more glue along the top, this time not brushing it on but heavily smearing it on. Not too much that it runs, but enough that it starts to pools a little before you even it out with the brush. Then I sprinkled the black beads on, letting them settle into the glue. Allow the beaded blades to really dry out. I would assume at least 24 hours minimum and you can touch it with gloves the next day to see if it is fully dry before you remove it from the mannequin/ hanger.
In the end I was really happy with how the dress turned out. When you see it up close it really does look like sparkling fresh caviar just resting on the blades as though Khaleesi has just walked on out of the Sea... It's pretty cool. I am not sure if I will make more but it was rather nice to set out on this crafting project with the hope of making a decent gown and accomplishing something pretty and pretty close to the original. I am going to list this gown on etsy for $155. With the purchase I will hem the bottom for you to the length you would like and I will also, if needed (and I feel it may be) bring in the sides a bit as they hang just a tiny bit too low. The hips should fall horizontally in line with your belly button. So there is a small range of hip sizes that will allow alteration but I will be willing to do it, especially since Halloween is coming up so soon and I only have one. If I were to make more of this gown in the future I would sell it for about $200+ but I always discount my first one. It's just one of my rules, what can I say?
If you are planning on making your own I would get started right now, there is no time to waste! It also takes a few days for the shoulder blades to dry. There is still time..but you will want to get started sooner than later.
Ok, so here is the materials and detailed 'how-to' part of this post. Any questions let me know!
Materials needed:
Fabrics:
1) light grey rippled/ knit fabric for the bodice-1/2 yard if the fabric is cinched. If you are going with a flat knit then go with 3/4 yard of fabric.
2) black (crackled) vinyl for the bodice and shoulder blades -1.5 yards
3) light beige/ light peach colored fabric for the skirt-3.5 yards or so. If you can find a pre-pressed pleated fabric I would recommend going with that and if you do then you will need 1.5 yards of fabric.
I went with a soft rayon fabric that was flat so I had to iron the pleats myself, which was a bit time consuming and required a lot of starch to hold the ironed pleats
4) heavy duty fabric stabilizer-1/2-3/4 yard should do it. I went with white but covered the blades so well you can't tell.
5) plush black fabric to the underside of the vinyl to cover up any glue from the underside of the blades and made it comfortable to wear-1/2 yard
Threads:
black, cream (to match the skirt fabric), and grey to match the bodice fabric selected.
All the Extras: I also used clear fabric glue, a 2" metal ring for the center back, very small black beads (and a few opal blue beads mixed in), a light blue glitter fabric paint, scissors, plastic or a few plastic bags to cover the skirt when gluing the blades, masking tape, gloves for painting the blades, paint brushes, tape measure + something to write your measurements down on, sewing machine if you have one, two leather twine strips that are about 15" or so in length (that will be used to lace up the sides), and a hand sewing needle.
I use a sewing machine for almost all of my sewing for this project but it is good to have a sewing needle on hand in case you can't get your machine to sew the shoulder blade layers down together. I found sewing the black crackle vinyl to be challenging on my sewing machine because the crackle vinyl fabric has such a tight weave. I switched out my sewing needle for a micro one, which is basically a leather and micro tech fabric needle and that helped a lot. If you do not have a sewing machine that will really chomp away at fabrics then I would probably go with a regular vinyl fabric as it is easier to sew, but again, using the right sewing needle will make your sewing easier. You may also find widening out your stitches will help the sewing process as well.
Measurements needed: (This is a very important step and you will probably need help for this because it is not easy getting an accurate measurement yourself from the middle of your back around to the front hip. Impossible actually so grab a tape measure and someone you love and enlist their help).
1) measurement from your center back-where you want your metal ring to be placed- up across one shoulder-down the front-and ending at the opposite hip of the shoulder you measured over. If you are measuring over your right shoulder then you will want to measure to your left hip.
2) measurements of your bodice, waist and hips all the way around. Measurements between each of bodice, waist and hip measurements.
3) measurement from where your ring will be placed in back down to each hip. For your natural hip area you should assume that it will be level with your belly button.
4) measurement across from shoulder to shoulder
*There are a few additional measurements that you will need however you need to construct the black vinyl straps before you are able to get those additional measurements. I have marked those areas below in bold to help you along there. It will look like this: (*Additional measurement needed here).
Making the gown: I started out by creating the black vinyl pieces you see in the front and back. You will want two strips of vinyl that are about 1/2" wider than what you want for your finished, sewn strips. That 1/4" seam allowance will allow you to fold over the raw edges of the strips on each side. I made my straps 1.5" in width to compensate for a 1/4" fold over and also because the strips all had to fit around the metal ring in the back. The pieces will be about 1.5" in width toward the mid region in front but come up wider in the shoulder area and again in the back before they narrow into the ring.
For the length of the strips you will want each strip to be the length from your center back (at the ring) up and around your shoulder and down the front until you reach your opposite hip (the opposite side you measured for your shoulders). You will add 1" in length additional to the end of the strip in front. For the back you will also want to add a bit for the seam allowance however in this case that seam allowance will most likely be slightly longer to compensate for wrapping the end of the strap around the round metal piece and sewing it down. This will be more like 2" instead of 1" added to the front. Here is a picture that should help you understand what I am talking about. I made mine out of paper first so I could get the shoulder blade area cut correctly and then I cut out two fabric pieces by cutting on the folded vinyl fabric.
For the lower strips that fit into the ring in back, cut two matching strips and sew 1/4" down the sides. Fold the ends around the ring and sew them down. In the front you will want to sew down where the bodice straps meet at the center bodice. Next you will need two strips that are long enough to wrap around the lower half of the back of the gown from the metal ring in back until you reach your hips. Assume about 2" fold over for around the metal ring for the seam allowance and 1" seam allowance at the hips when you cut those strips. As you sewed 1/4" fold over on the edges of the first set of vinyl strips you will do the same to the lower back-to hip-strips as well.
Once you have your main front and back straps sewn at the edges you will want two more strips the same width as the others and the length of about 12-13" each. These will be for the lower half of the front and back mid-section where you want your diamond shape to be. Fold each strip in half and sew a small area on a 45 degree angle and set it in with the upper part of the diamond shape and sew it down. Make sure before you sew any area down that you know for sure that the diamond piece is even and in the right place so it doesn't fall too far above or below the belly button. Placement for this section is everything so take your time. Adjust as needed before you sew any final stitches to this area. Do the same to the back as you did to the front.
At this point you will find connecting the sides with pins or tape helpful..just for a little bit while you're working on the rest of the dress. I had a difficult time getting sewing pins into the fabric for this part and clothing clips/ pins didn't hold enough so I went with masking tape.
Next you're going to want to work on the bodice area in the front with the silver knit fabric. Measure about 2" above your bodice front center where your two leather strips meet to the back ring where the fabric will stop (*Additional measurement needed here). Make sure to measure inward in the front and back so you cut the fabric wide enough so it falls in line with the angle of the vinyl pieces. If you cut the width too short it will be too tight and will pull all wrong. Don't do that.
Take those measurements and add an additional 1" seam allowance horizontally for the top and bottom hem, and 1/2" for the vertical seams in front and back. You will also want a bit of a cinch to the bodice where it meets the vinyl so I added an additional few inches to the length of the fabric bodice pieces to compensate. I folded the top and bottom of the fabric bodice pieces horizontally and sewed them down. Gather the front center of the fabric bodice panels with grey thread and a sewing needle. This has to be done on an angle and carefully or you can ruin it so I would suggest you also sew this area by hand to start and then if you want to reinforce it on the machine afterwards that would be your best bet there. Pin and sew, or hand sew a few areas to hold the fabric bodice panels in place to the underside of the back vinyl and then fully sew the bodice fabric panels to the bodice vinyl strips. Do the same in the back as well.
Now we are going to move onto the skirt portion of the dress. You can easily get it pulling in different areas if you're not really careful so take your time. I found that pins did not like going into this fabric but laundry clips worked well for this part in the project. They will hold the skirt into place around the black vinyl areas. In order to get the skirt pleats to fit down and around with those black vinyl angles you are going to want to construct the black vinyl pieces first, prepare the skirt (pleats/ slip), and then slip the skirt under and up to the highest part of the diamond vinyl areas. Pin at all of the peaks and sew the skirt to the underside of the black vinyl along the lower stitches
Once you have the skirt attached to the black vinyl areas (add a bit extra for the seam allowance) you are going to want to pin about 4" lower from the hip area and then sew down the side seams from there until you reach the bottom hem of the skirt. Then cut two long pieces of black vinyl strips sewn down on the sides so that they are 1/2" wide when finished and 12-13" in length. Cut these two strips in half. Fold over one end and sew it down. Repeat with one end of the other three pieces.
It's time to start those lovely shoulder blades. Cut yourself one shoulder blade piece that is about 3-4" longer and wider towards the ends of the blades. Hold it over your base shoulder strap (the one that wraps from back ring to front hip area) to see how it fits. It is going to be bigger and floppier than you like but it's better for it to be bigger because you're going to want to cut it down to size once you start to shape it with the glue. Next you will lay that piece out upside down over black vinyl fabric (facing up) and cut a shoulder blade in the same shape as the first. Next lay one of those pieces over the black vinyl once more and cut one more set of two on a folded piece of fabric (on the fold). Next lay your fabric stabilizer out and cut one blade for each shoulder as you did with the black vinyl blades. Now layer the vinyl blades so that the straps that wrap in front are the base layer and then you have a black vinyl layer that is fabric facing down, then the fabric stabilizer piece, and then two floppy vinyl pieces on top, the lower one pulled out further from the shoulder area and the top one inward more. Sew these pieces down in a few areas so that they stay together.
Now comes the messy part with the glue and such. Above I explained a bit how I sculpted these blades and I have to be honest when I say that I do not know how else you would make these unless you have something to use as a mold. I had a plastic mannequin that I covered in a bunch of plastic bags and masking tape. If you do not have those then I would get myself a box, put some plastic in the inside, and make myself a rounded shoulder shape out of tinfoil. And in order to save on space I would probably make one shoulder blade at a time. Just don't forget to fashion a shoulder blade for each shoulder so they don't end up wonky.
Don't forget to cover your mold in plastic, it helps keep the blades attached to the mold later on. And don't forget to wrap the skirt part of this dress covered in plastic, you do not want to get glue on the skirt. Once you're ready, take your fabric glue and your paint brush and start gluing down the layers, and sort of folding them down and under for the top layers of vinyl and up and inward for the bottom vinyl layer. I glued the top layers into neat little folds and wraps on top, making sure to add glue to the underside of all of the layers so it really stiffened and then once the top was fully dry I glued the underside, it's just a little easier to do the top and then the bottom. Once the blades have had a few glue layers and were a bit shiny and stiff I took the dress off the mannequin and turned it upside down. I took the plush black fabric and laid it inside the blades so it was lining the blades, and cut around the edges so you could not see the lining from the outside. Then I glued down the lining to the inside of the shoulder blade area so it would be soft when being worn.
After finishing the upper lining of the blades I put the piece back onto the mannequin and added the black beads. For awesomeness I added a few very tiny opal blue beads which matched the blue glitter paint but for the most part I used small black beads. And as mentioned above, you're going to want to really lather up the fabric glue so it's pooling a bit but not running. Smear it out a bit with the brush and let it dry. Give it at least 24 hours in which to dry and then put on a pair of gloves and test it. If a few beads come off then you need to add more glue. You'll know how much at this time, you're done a great job so far so I will trust that you can determine at this point how much is too much. Allow it to dry another 24 hours and then you are ready to add an ever so light shimmer of blue glitter paint. I used a light paint brush. If you want you can use a small amount of cloth or something similar but do not use a q-tip or anything that will get globbed up in the glue. Just lightly spread it where you like and allow it to dry for a bit. How long...until it's dry. Give it a few more hours to really really dry out and then you can remove the skirt from the plastic and you are all set. You are finished! Now you're ready for Halloween 2017!
Thank you much for stopping by and checking out my latest Khaleesi project. If you are having a difficult time making your own or have any questions feel free to ask. I pop in and out of the craft room. It does happen so I should see your message. If for some reason I dont message you back you are always welcome to shoot me a message via etsy, and that page is www.Craftzies.Etsy.com.
Have an awesome Halloween and be safe! Have fun AND be safe. Both of those together.... :)
Now I am off to finish a new blog post on how I made a Jon Snow Season 6 inspired costume set. It's finally finished!
Until then, here are a few older Khaleesi inspired blog posts if you are looking for something else to make:
Walking on Air - > http://craftzies.blogspot.com/2012/10/game-of-thrones-costume-remake-making.html
Quarth Gown - > https://craftzies.blogspot.com/2014/09/in-quarth-state-of-mind.html
Dragon Scaled Tunic -& gt; https://craftzies.blogspot.com/2014/09/dreaming-up-dragon-scale-tunic.html
Wild Dothraki Sets -> http://craftzies.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-khal-constructing-wild-dothraki.html
https://craftzies.blogspot.com/2013/08/constructing-wild-dothraki-khaleesi.html
Blue Battle Outfit -> http://craftzies.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-brightest-blue-reconstructing.html
Silver Wedding Gown -> https://craftzies.blogspot.com/2013/12/into-mist-recreating-silver-khaleesi.html
*in the lower part of the Silver Wedding Gown blog post you will also see a few Renaissance inspired gowns including the Khaleesi inspired pink and white gown with the black choker.
No comments:
Post a Comment