Drachenfest costume thoughts.
Apr. 26th, 2011 10:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
janestarzCostume for Beriadanwen on Drachenfest consist of multiple layers and multiple combinations will be possible. I can take layers off for cooling down and add several layers over one another for added effect.
Base layer: trousers plus undershirt.
For the undershirts I have several meters of very thin cotton, embroidered in vines or flowers. The undershirt will be an awesome cooling down layer, and it will soak up the sweat. When I take other layers off the sweat will evaporate and cool me down quickly while I hydrate.
That is, if it's warm weather. We're talking end of July here.
The first undershirt is a proof-of-concept test run from the least pretty fabric. It shrunk a bit and was horrible to iron, especially around the thick embroidery. I planned the placement of pattern pieces to create an interesting visual effect. Picture of partially done undershirt here. It still needs sleeves and I'm as yet unsure where I'll place these on the fabric. I could do them mostly blank like the front bust area, or I can center them around one of these big swirls of embroidery. Choices, choices...
Trousers will probably be narrow-legged ones. Pattern to be adjusted later.
Gambeson layer
I need to make myself a gambeson, which will be all sorts of pretty. I've ordered the perfect shade of green linen online, but the fabric was delayed because they were out of the dupioni in the exact same shade I ordered alongside it. The dupioni will be a strip around the neckline and at the cuffs, purely for decorative purpose.
For the pattern, I'm still in doubt. I could do something like this or something like this which will be easier than drafting something for myself.
I'm unsure how I'll be filling it. Towels are used by some, but I've been told it's too hot. I'm torn between wool (I have a thinner burgundy wool that will do nicely) or quilt batting. Perhaps I should use what I've got.
Quilt batting is rather expensive, but nice to work with. The queen-sized wool batting I got my eye on is € 58,95. There's also a bio cotton batting which is &euro 36,95 for the same yardage. I'll consult![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
alhandra_s on what is smart. Wool breathes better than cotton, I think, and I might as well use the wool I have lying around taking up cupboard space.
I'll quilt the gambeson in an elvish pattern, probably something I linked to earlier in this blog.
Armour layer: Chain or leather, or both
Still working on Project Elf Chain. I recently received the last 12 bags (i.e. 6000 rings) of gold rings in my ring size. That makes a grand total of 44.000 gold rings. I just hope that'll be enough. I've nearly finished the front panel, tapering to raglan sleeves in front and a v-neck I hope is in the center of the thing and not offset by one ring.
Still need to do the back neckline and the sleeves that will join the two.
I've also got Beriadanwen's leather armour to wear, and I'm unsure if it will fit over the chain as I had initially hoped. Still, I can switch between the two armour types if I want. The elven chainmail mostly looks gold, so it's a hell of an impressive sight, but not fit for camouflage missions. I'm also working on a new scabbard for my elven longsword to fit the armour Ragar made me all those years ago.
Top layer
As impressive as the gold chain is, wearing gambeson + chain mail is just that: gambeson and chainmail. For extra points I'd like to have a great coat to wear over the chainmail that will break it's golden shine somewhat and give me even more oomph in the shoulder department.
With a wink to the Yoshida, it will probably be something like this.
I've got suede in green and brown and I've got a dark forest green linen. The green and brown suede could also feature in a coat for underneath the leather armour, and the linen is easier to work with. I can do gold piping...
Still a lot of work to be done on this costume, but I've got time until July and there's not a lot of things I still need to make in the props department except for a chair and some tablecloths.
The hair dilemma
I'm still wondering what to do with my hair. Traditional for elves is variety of semi-loose combined with herringbone braid. We're not too Rivendell, actually we're the wilder types and there's talk of a combined dreads order.
I think perhaps my hair is already too long to be braided with dreads, it will take [person who will do this] ages to braid them all the way down.
I rather like the idea of braiding dreads in a mohawk on top (horse's mane) and in cornrows down the side. That way I'll only have my own hair on the sides and some added mane on top. I think that would look really cool. And it's a lot less work than braiding everything with extra hair.
ETA: The fabrics for my gambeson are being shipped today!
Base layer: trousers plus undershirt.
For the undershirts I have several meters of very thin cotton, embroidered in vines or flowers. The undershirt will be an awesome cooling down layer, and it will soak up the sweat. When I take other layers off the sweat will evaporate and cool me down quickly while I hydrate.
That is, if it's warm weather. We're talking end of July here.
The first undershirt is a proof-of-concept test run from the least pretty fabric. It shrunk a bit and was horrible to iron, especially around the thick embroidery. I planned the placement of pattern pieces to create an interesting visual effect. Picture of partially done undershirt here. It still needs sleeves and I'm as yet unsure where I'll place these on the fabric. I could do them mostly blank like the front bust area, or I can center them around one of these big swirls of embroidery. Choices, choices...
Trousers will probably be narrow-legged ones. Pattern to be adjusted later.
Gambeson layer
I need to make myself a gambeson, which will be all sorts of pretty. I've ordered the perfect shade of green linen online, but the fabric was delayed because they were out of the dupioni in the exact same shade I ordered alongside it. The dupioni will be a strip around the neckline and at the cuffs, purely for decorative purpose.
For the pattern, I'm still in doubt. I could do something like this or something like this which will be easier than drafting something for myself.
I'm unsure how I'll be filling it. Towels are used by some, but I've been told it's too hot. I'm torn between wool (I have a thinner burgundy wool that will do nicely) or quilt batting. Perhaps I should use what I've got.
Quilt batting is rather expensive, but nice to work with. The queen-sized wool batting I got my eye on is € 58,95. There's also a bio cotton batting which is &euro 36,95 for the same yardage. I'll consult
alhandra_s on what is smart. Wool breathes better than cotton, I think, and I might as well use the wool I have lying around taking up cupboard space. I'll quilt the gambeson in an elvish pattern, probably something I linked to earlier in this blog.
Armour layer: Chain or leather, or both
Still working on Project Elf Chain. I recently received the last 12 bags (i.e. 6000 rings) of gold rings in my ring size. That makes a grand total of 44.000 gold rings. I just hope that'll be enough. I've nearly finished the front panel, tapering to raglan sleeves in front and a v-neck I hope is in the center of the thing and not offset by one ring.
Still need to do the back neckline and the sleeves that will join the two.
I've also got Beriadanwen's leather armour to wear, and I'm unsure if it will fit over the chain as I had initially hoped. Still, I can switch between the two armour types if I want. The elven chainmail mostly looks gold, so it's a hell of an impressive sight, but not fit for camouflage missions. I'm also working on a new scabbard for my elven longsword to fit the armour Ragar made me all those years ago.
Top layer
As impressive as the gold chain is, wearing gambeson + chain mail is just that: gambeson and chainmail. For extra points I'd like to have a great coat to wear over the chainmail that will break it's golden shine somewhat and give me even more oomph in the shoulder department.
With a wink to the Yoshida, it will probably be something like this.
I've got suede in green and brown and I've got a dark forest green linen. The green and brown suede could also feature in a coat for underneath the leather armour, and the linen is easier to work with. I can do gold piping...
Still a lot of work to be done on this costume, but I've got time until July and there's not a lot of things I still need to make in the props department except for a chair and some tablecloths.
The hair dilemma
I'm still wondering what to do with my hair. Traditional for elves is variety of semi-loose combined with herringbone braid. We're not too Rivendell, actually we're the wilder types and there's talk of a combined dreads order.
I think perhaps my hair is already too long to be braided with dreads, it will take [person who will do this] ages to braid them all the way down.
I rather like the idea of braiding dreads in a mohawk on top (horse's mane) and in cornrows down the side. That way I'll only have my own hair on the sides and some added mane on top. I think that would look really cool. And it's a lot less work than braiding everything with extra hair.
ETA: The fabrics for my gambeson are being shipped today!
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no subject
Date: 2011-04-26 09:39 am (UTC)Would it be a possibility to get sheep's wool (should be plentiful around this time) on MP or something? You could do your own batting. Cotton tends to soak and stay wet. Alternatively, if you use wool fabric, you'll probably want to double it up at strategic points.
The hair idea sounds cool. It's worth something to be comfortable in that sort of weather.
no subject
Date: 2011-04-26 10:38 am (UTC)I still have a bolt of dark red wool lying around, so that could serve as batting for the gambeson and get rid of a part of the stash in the meantime.
no subject
Date: 2011-04-26 04:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-27 10:22 am (UTC)I'm thinking about making the Gambeson into a dressdiary. I assume that will meet with your approval?
no subject
Date: 2011-04-27 09:50 pm (UTC)