 Halloween 2003 |
This gown has three main parts to its construction: 1) the chemise (or off-white dress), 2) the vest and 3) the corset (or cincher). I'll briefly describe what materials I used for each piece and how I ultimately constructed them. At the bottom of the page, you can view some preliminary images of the gown.
Chemise
For the chemise, I purchased approximately 10 yards of an off-white paisely brocade. This material has a similar weight of a light tablecloth, which makes it pretty opaque and "warm". This works well for me since I didn't have to build in a lining or "underdress". Also, being that I live in Missouri, Halloween can tend to be chilly, so this material will keep me warm and comfortable. :) To begin creating the dress, I used Simplicity pattern 5843 and modified the neckline and lengthened the sleeves (I also split the sleeves just above the wrist to the end) . I then reduced the circumference of the dress by 6 inches in order to save material. The pattern called for 10 yards of fabric, however, when I modifed the arms, it increased the amount of fabric I needed to almost 14 yards! But since I reduced the circumference of the dress, I had just enough! (whew!) In case you're wondering, the reduced circumference of the dress is still large enough to retain the desired look of Eowyn's gown. :)
NOTE: Simplicity pattern 5843 has 4 pieces which make up the dress. Since I didn't want a seam going down the front and back of the dress, I taped the pattern pieces together to create two large ones.
Putting the dress together was a pain since this fabric frays so much! The material was practically falling apart on me when I was pinning pieces together! Luckily, I got all of the pieces together with no major problems. After the dress was hemmed, I began my work on the embroidery around the neckline. I thought it was going to take forever, but it only took me around 5 hours to complete.
Vest
The vest used the same material as the corset, which several websites said was a "suede" type of fabric. I managed to find a really nice faux suede that has some lycra in it for some stretch. In order to start the vest, I used Simplicity pattern 7222. Again, I modified the neckline to get the v-neck, and made the sleeves narrower to make the vest look like a tank top (this was so I could add the cap sleeves on later). I put an invisible zipper in the back of the vest so it would be easier to get in and out of; especially with floor-length sleeves! Once the main pieces of the vest were together, I then took a cap-sleeved t-shirt that I had and used it to create a simple shape for the cap sleeves on the vest. Once I had the sleeves cut out of the suede material, I then pinned and sewed the trim to the right-side of the sleeve and sewed the entire thing to the vest. This created a nice seam on the inside of the vest, and reinforced the trim. I purchased the trim from Calontir Trims; and I must say, they are VERY fast and low-priced!
Corset
This was probably the hardest part of the entire costume. I didn't have a pattern for this piece, so I just used my measurements and created something that would fit my midsection. With my make-shift pattern, I cut out pieces in three different materials. For the outside of the corset, I used the same material that was used for the vest, however, I spent quite a bit of time quilting the fabric for the entire corset. Even though it took a while, my diamonds came out great and I'm VERY happy with the results! After I completed the quilting, I took some pieces of duck canvas along with a piece of brown lining (which I cut from the same pattern as the suede material), and sewed them together. I then sewed 4 boning channels into the canvas and lining. Once the channels were sewn, I slipped in the boning and pinned the canvas and lining to the suede material (canvas on the inside with the lining facing out). Then, I hand sewed the hem of the corset for a finished look. Using 4-layers of material made for a very strong and sturdy corset. It should hold it's shape well not stretch out.
I hand sewed some other trim that I purchased from Calontir Trims, to the top and bottom of the corset. In the images below, you'll notice that there are only two rows of trim along the bottom of my costume when Eowyn's actual gown had three. This was due to the fact that the trim I used was wider than the embroidery found on Eowyn's gown. It still works though! :) To lace up the corset, I purchased simple, brown leather laces from Michaels as well as some antique gold grommets from CorsetMakingSupplies.com.
Miscellaneous
Several additional things were created for this gown that didn't require as much time, but are extremely important to the look of the costume. This includes the ropes which tie around the arms, the sword and "puffing" up the sleeves.
For each of the ropes, I braided 3 (3 yard) strands of cream-colored cord along with one strand of gold thread. I finished the edges of the ropes by wrapping them with cream-colored thread.
Since the sleeves need to be puffed in the costume, I decided to create handy little arm bands to keep the sleeve pushed up. The ropes alone will not keep the sleeve in place, so I created two arm bands using 3.5 inch elastic. I then covered the elastic in the same material I used for the chemise. This keeps the sleeves securely in place and gives you a nice flat surface to tie the ropes around! :)
At this time, United Cutlery has not released a replica of Eowyn's sword. I didn't have time to create a sword from scratch, so I'll be going without a sword this year. I would purchase a plastic one and "fix" it up, however, I'll be wearing the costume for a Halloween party that I'm hosting, so I probably won't have time to pick it up...let alone wield it. ;) As such, I'll just save up for when UC does release the sword!
Below are images from my costume. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an email. Thanks for stopping by!
The material used on the chemise.
The completed chemise.
Hand-embroidered swirls around the neckline of the chemise.
The "almost-completed" corset/waist cincher. The grommets for the back still need to be put in.
The completed vest.
Close up shot of the chemise with
the vest over it along with the sleeves
being held up by the arm band and rope.
Back of the finished corset.
Me in full costume! I apologize for the crooked image.
Good shot of the sleeves.
Back of the finished costume! The corset's a little crooked, but hey...
I just threw the thing on! ;)
