A friend had posted a link to an Etsy shop which sells vintage saris (shamelessly promoting the shop - the saris I got are BEAUTIFUL and in wonderful condition; highly recommend. I haven't found any other place to get beautiful silk - 5 yards of it - for less than it costs PER YARD in the states.). So, while browsing (in my infinite spare time), I stumbled across the perfect sari for this gown: silk (thin and floaty like the real costume), multi-color in an ombre-ish pattern (like the real costume), in shades of blue (not like the real costume, but the colors I prefer). So, I got it (and a couple others for later use - one of which will be a more historical - and a bit more modest - recreation of Jasmine's turquoise outfit from Disney's Aladdin based on Shoomlah's Historical Disney Princesses version), since there was a deal on shipping).
I had already (over a year ago) made the underdress base for the gown out of a stretchy, shiny knit fabric, but hadn't gotten beyond that. Also, the underdress was several inches too short, so I needed something else that would be longer to go over it as an undergown, and yet not clash with the overdress piece.
This is where a sari comes in very, very handy. When a sari is worn, the majority of it is horizontal (wrapped around one's waist as a skirt), but there is a section of it (the pallu) that is worn vertically (as the top of the skirt section and over the shoulder from front to back) and therefore has a different decoration. The pallu for this sari matched the pattern of the rest of the sari, and therefore became the undergown (the pallu sewn into a tube, vertically, and attached to the underdress base). The rest became the overdress (folded in half, and half of the top edge sewn together to create a funny loop, and draped/sewn horizontally over the top of the gown; you'll see what I mean below, or if you explore the Padawan's Guide's page for this dress and several ladies' "making of" explanations). And, I only had to make two cuts (one at the end of the pallu where the pattern changes; the other to fit the top of the pallu-piece-turned-undergown to the neckline and back-line of the underdress). Which only means two hems. …little did I know how annoying it would be to join the fabric together edge-to-edge for the two seams, though, oh well.
Finished gown:
Oh yes, and I also got a major haircut - 18 inches donated. I like the new look; haven't had hair this short since college. :-)
Construction info (à la HSF):
Fabric: 1.5 yd blue shiny knit cotton-poly blend; 5 yd khadi silk sari
Pattern: None; referenced the Padawan's Guide page for tips about the overdress fabric layout, but other than that just draped it and went with it.
Year: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… StarWars time.
Notions: blue polyester Dual Duty all-purpose thread; slate blue polyester Gütermann thread; white satin ribbon for halter neck; powder blue grosgrain ribbon for underdress structure; silver sheer nylon stockings
Hours to complete: 12+ (lost count)
First worn: for the final photos… one day I'll get special shots taken with it, probably at the beach (when it's not winter and freezing)
Total cost: $14.99 for the khadi silk sari (with its share of the shipping fee for the batch: $21.00 total); $6 (approx. $3/yd) for the knit; ribbon and thread from stash… approximately $30 all told, so not the most expensive one (that'd be the saque, which still isn't finished yet) but a bit more than normal.
Making of…
The underdress base is three pieces: front-wrap-to-back, back skirt, and mid-back strap (to attach the top of the undergown's back to, since otherwise the back was way too low for my taste). I sewed the edges of the underdress into a small tube for a ribbon to go through so that the fabric (which was very heavy, actually, and stretched a LOT) would hold its shape and the proper edge. The ribbon ends were tied together and (originally, during initial fittings until I sewed on the final satin band that would be the neck strap) used as the loop through which I put a choker necklace so that the length would be right when I was trying it on.
And, the sari fabric… the blue doesn't really match, but you don't end up seeing the underdress base much at all anyway.
Making the undergown:
This is the back (you can see the seam down the middle that I'm sewing together as an overlap). I forgot to take a picture of it when it was flat (not pinned/sewn together); pinning and sewing the edges together was a pain - the fabric was quite crinkled (and I was hesitant to take an iron to it); but it worked.
I then pinned the center back to the underdress's back strap, and then tried it on again to make sure that the top edge of the front and back would work out. When it did, I cut that part off, roll-hemmed the edge, tried it on again and pinned down (and flattened) the edges of the sari fabric over the edge of the underdress so no knit fabric could be seen, then sewed it all together.
Not bad. It looks weird on me by itself, so you'll have to be content with a flat photo of it that I took when it was pinned:
When I was sewing it, I cut a length of white satin ribbon and attached it at the top of the front, and then will use that to secure the top of the dress. It fits fine and really could be strapless, but doesn't look complete without it.
Making the overdress:
Overdress fabric (folded in half) / Overdress fabric (as a sewn "loop"; not a circle, because the two ends are not sewn together but are a continuous edge that forms the back/base of the skirt):
I then sewed the center top (the inside top of the loop in the right photo above) to the top front of the undergown (so that it was attached across the entire top), and the center back (where the two purple stripes join) to the center of the undergown back where the underdress' back edge is (you'll see in the pictures below) - not where the upper strap/edge is.
Gauntlets/aka sleeves:
Since there wasn't enough sari fabric to sew the overdress into loops for the arms to go through (and stay in place), I had to make separate under-sleeves to attach the gathered sari to. This was probably the easiest part and took all of a minute or two. I took an old (read: too small) pair of nylon stockings that I'd worn once, maybe twice, and from the leg sections made two arm-length pieces. Because they're stockings, they hold to my arm without any need for elastics.
However, sewing them to the overdress at the proper place, and then gathering the sari fabric as it is in the original dress, took more than enough time since because the gauntlet fabric stretched so much, I had to pin it while wearing it, and then fuss with getting the 'line' of the gather not only in the right place, and the right length, but to look right (running stitch; then along the line of the running stitch, made an internal fold so it looks like it's two pieces of fabric coming together on the outside).
Final gown:
I debated about making the beadwork and the knot that decorate the back and front of Padmé's dress, but decided against it. The dress is fine as it is, and has an interesting enough pattern that it really doesn't need decoration. Maybe someday I'll find the right beads and make them, but until then, I like it as-is.
Next StarWars dress… Padmé's light blue Tatooine cloak-with-hood and skirt outfit. Might not get to that until much later this year, we'll see.
