Curtain call - finished masquerade costume

And... It's posted!  Sewing has taken a back seat lately due to long work days and plenty of classwork on top of that.  But at least this was done in time for the Desolation of Smaug premiere (not that I went to it, but it's the thought that counts), even if it waited until two weeks later to be posted.

So, since I gave a ton of background in my previous post, this one will just contain a few updates.  I did reference the Rivendell musicians' gowns in construction initially, but in the end I more closely followed Thranduil's silver robe (especially in terms of fabrics, colors, and silhouette) with an Arwen/feminine interpretation (from FOTR, the farewell dress).  So it's a touch "Oriental" (stretching it a bit there), (more than) a touch "fantasy", and really not remotely historical at all except for the en fourreau back and the front pleating; but it's masquerade, so that covers it just fine.

Here's the fabric (the outside will be the side that reflects lighter; the other was too dramatic):

Here's the final outfit:

Just the facts…

The Challenge: 2013 HSF #22: Masquerade

Fabric: 4-ish yards 44" sage-silver brocade (poly-something); 1-ish yd 44" crepe-back satin (yellowish sage); 1930s green dress (HSF #21)

Pattern:  My favorite kind: sketch out a rough drawing, then make it up as you go along, draping and pinning as you go until it looks right-ish.

Year:  Um… fantasy.

Notions: Sage green polyester thread, a few pins (for the final photos)

How historically accurate is it? Not really at all; borrows from several eras, pure fantasy, really.

Hours to complete:  14-16 (sewing all those pleats was FUN)

First worn:  For these photos

Total cost:  Stash project.

And the making of…


The gown/robe:

Robe:
First, I cut the fabric to the correct height and then cut the slightly shorter piece in half lengthwise.  Then I sewed the cut edges of the shorter pieces one to each side of the full piece so that the selvedge edges were in the center.  Then I hemmed the bottom and top edges.

I pleated the center section (the back of the robe) from top edge to about where the hips would be in something of an en fourreau style (with the center "V") so it was slightly wider at the shoulder and narrower at the waist.

Then I did knife pleats on either side, facing away from the two side seams.

The first fitting.  Back was ok, the front left a lot to be desired…

So, I decided to make the front pleats narrower - taking in the pleats that are already there. That was fun.  I also sewed down the back pleats and sewed the robe over the shoulders where it had been pinned.

It looked better than the original when I tried it on again, but the front still wasn't what I was thinking.

So, after a couple other pinning attempts, I finally settled on the final version that I liked, which had the widest "fold" down the center, and all the narrow folds between that and the sides - including adding another narrow fold right before the side seam to take the shoulder width in a little, and making the front of the bodice into something of a "V".  Then I took several movies' worth of time to sew each one in place.

Sleeves:
The sleeves were the easiest part to make, and were my typical medieval fold-it-in-half-with-the-seam-on-top-to-the-elbow-and-let-the-rest-hang style. Aka, Goldberry sleeves.


"Undergown" pieces:

I originally wanted to make a shirt/blouse to go under this dress, but found out that I didn't have enough fabric to do both that AND make a long sash (like on Arwen's farewell dress).  In fact, I would barely have had enough fabric to make the blouse.  So, I cheated.  I made the full sash, first, and then cut the rest into three pieces to make two faux undersleeves (essentially elbow-covering gauntlets) and a front bodice insert.

Faux undersleeves (aka gauntlets):

These were easy: take a rectangle of fabric, sew it into a tube and hem the edges.  Done!  Because I couldn't be picky with the width, the top of the sleeve was a bit tight on one of them.  The plus side is that they're reversible, and stay in place without elastic.

Faux undergown bodice:

This was easy in thought, and annoying in execution.  Take one rectangle of fabric, hem it on all four edges, sew rings (evenly spaced) to the shorter edges, and run lacing through the rings.  Wear over a dress and under the robe, akin to an unfitted tube top with a laced-up back.  It looks weird over the dress, but when worn under the robe looks fine.  Note to self: replace rings with solid rings if ever use this bodice again (I used rings for jewelry - the ones you can bend open/closed to attach a charm to a necklace) and add some darts.

Sash:

Probably the next easiest piece to do, aside from the sleeves.  The only issue was that it took forever to hem (four yards per side, once the two strips were sewn together; eight inches wide).  Looked good, though.

Putting it all together:

So, I tried a couple different variations to see which one works best.  I actually prefer the one with the '30s dress to that of the faux undergown bodice.  FYI, the robe itself is pinned shut with long pins.  I'll make some real fastenings later, when I wear it for an actual event and come up with some better ideas.

The back (with and without sash):

With the faux undergown bodice over the '30s dress:

Just the '30s dress:

Worn as a robe (no pins):

Of course, then I went to see The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug today, and the only elf costumes (aside from Thranduil) were all fighting costumes.  Still, I think this could fit in at Thranduil's court, on a festive or ceremonial occasion.  But, now that I've cut my hair (these pictures were from a few weeks ago), I'd have to invest in a good wig.