But never fear, I haven't been completely idle in the past month since my decision to make this costume!
Obviously, you can't just jump into the creation of a new cosplay. Well, I can't anyway. ;) Thus, I've been doing alot of research on patterns and fabrics lately.
Research - complete. Yay!
Next thing I needed to do was create an artistic rendition of just exactly what I was planning on making. This always helps me collect my thoughts and get ideas for patterning.
Speaking of patterning, I've decided to free-hand this entire costume. Yup - this girl is sayin' adios to expensive patterns! Oh yeah! :D This will be my first time sewing something without a pattern, so I'm pretty excited - and scared. But that's besides the point. ;)
SO obviously now I've got even more reason to draw out just exactly what I plan on doing on paper - or rather, in this case, computer...
So without further ado, here is my virtual mock-up of the dress portion of Tauriel's costume. Hopefully this will become a reality soon! :D
Can you comment on where you found this pattern? Is it from a pattern maker, number and such? My daughter is wanting to make this outfit!
ReplyDeleteYes, I most definitely can! I actually made up alot of the pattern, but it is based on McCall's 4491. I made the main bodice as the pattern calls for, cutting it off at a slight point a little above the hips, and added a collared neckline. I altered the sleeves to be normal long sleeves, and the skirt I free-handed... it's basically four panels, slightly overlapped on the sides, and tea length. I ended up adjusting the front panels to be slightly curved at the bottom.
DeleteAlso, if you don't mind the costume not being 100% accurate, you could try Simiplicity 1773, view A, and using the bodice section of view B, the overdress, as the leather vest, minus the puff sleeves of course. I hope this helped! If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask! :)
How many yards of fabric did you use, if you do not mind me asking. :) How did you free hand it? How long did the dress take? How do you cut the pieces to sew out to match your measurements?
ReplyDeleteOf course I don't mind you asking! I love getting questions. :) For the dress, I used a little over 2 yards of 60 inch wide fabric. (I bought 3 to be safe) How did I free hand it...well, the biggest thing that helped me with that was makin a mock-up of the costume first, out of old fabrics, which I then used as a pattern for the real thing. Making the dress took about..uhmmmm... oh gosh I don't even know! :p I believe I made it over the course of a week, working on it between 0-2 hours each day. And for the measurements, when I made the mock-up, I used one my shirts and an old pattern I had for a basic guide of how big to cut the pieces.
DeleteHope that helped! If you have any more questions, please ask! :D
Where did you get the fabric?
ReplyDeleteI was wondering because I can not find the right colors anywhere
I actually got mine at Goodwill! The color ended up not being quite perfect, but I think it worked. Have you tried Joann's? They have them pretty much everywhere. I'm sure they've have something that would work. :)
DeleteThanks!:)
ReplyDeleteWhat shape were the pieces you had to sow together? I've never made a dress before but I really want to make this one. :) I love your blog!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks! The bodice is 2 back pieces, 2 sleeves, and 2 pieces in the front - though I made my bodice with princess seams, so 3 pieces for the front. The skirt is 4 pieces. You can check out this post for more help! :) http://adventuresofanelvenprincess.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-guide-to-making-your-own-tauriel.html
DeleteThanks you so much you are AMAZING!!! I can't wait to start!! :D
DeleteAwwwh shucks! ;) You are so welcome! :D
DeleteWhat kind of fabric did you use?
ReplyDeleteI got the fabric for the finished dress at a thrift store, so I'm not entirely sure what kind it is, but I think it's some sort of cotton blend, with a bit of stretch. You can check out "Step 3 - Buying Fabric" of this post for more help. :) http://adventuresofanelvenprincess.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-guide-to-making-your-own-tauriel.html
DeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteI have been wanting to make a Tauriel costume for a while, but I don't like the pattern Simplicity has. How much fabric do I need, what type, and how do I use your pattern since it's on the computer? I'm a homeschooled thirteen yr old who loooooooves to sew, but is new to cosplay. :D
Oh yes -- okay, so the sketch I made can't be used as a pattern, specifically, because it's technically not a *sewing* pattern. However, a really great pattern I could recommend to you that would get a very similar design, is McCall's 6818. You'd only have to alter the collar and length of the skirt, and it's be perfect. That's the pattern I used for my "battle Tauriel" design... http://adventuresofanelvenprincess.blogspot.com/search/label/Battle%20Tauriel%20Cosplay
DeleteNow, fabric: Green suede, or something similar, will be best, and you'll need 3 yards of 60 inch wide fabric, or 5 of 45 inch wide. :) That's *awesome* that you love sewing!!! I don't know many people who do, so I love to hear that there's girls like me who enjoy it. :D And good luck on your first cosplay project!! If you have any more questions, let me know, and I'll try to help the best I can. :D Thanks again for the sweet comments! :)
Thank u so much! That helps lot!!!
DeleteHey! I know you posted this forever ago, but I just happened to stumble upon it.
ReplyDeleteI think it's fabulous that you do this sewing ordeal. I don't really do sewing much, but I've yearned for a while to get into it.
Speaking of which, my Senior year is approaching rapidly, and there's a dress that I would really like to wear to my Senior prom. Unfortunately, it's not a dress that can be purchased at just any store or dress shop, and the only reference I have for it is from pictures.
I was wondering if you have any tips for me for making a dress just off copying designs from pictures; I won't have patterns in the making, just like you didn't have patterns for this costume.
Thanks!
Ah, yes!! So happy you stumbled upon my little blog. I don't blog here anymore, but I still attempt to keep up with comments. ;) But I would love to offer some advice!
DeleteSo, a prom dress is certainly an ambitious first project, especially without a pattern. With that said, it is definitely not an *impossible* first project! I would say, though you said you weren't going to use a pattern, it might be helpful to buy a pattern that is somewhat similar to the basic *shape* of the dress you want to recreate, so you can get an idea of how you'll need to cut out your fabric, and how you'll need to put it together.
ALot also depends on what style of dress you'll be making... if it's a more basic style, made of something like silk or satin, will be much easier to free-hand and base off of pictures and such than something of a bit more elaborate style, of a fabric like chiffon or organza. So, take that into consideration as well.
For patterns, if you want to get an idea of what sewing a more generic style prom dress might entail, try McCalls, or Simplicity -- those are my favorite pattern brands, as they're pretty easy to follow and have some nice styles to choose from.
Well, I hope all this helped at least a little bit! Good luck on your project!! :D
Hi, I am a biiig fan of LOTR/TH and I really wanted to make a cosplay of tauriel and I ended up on your fabulous blog!!! I have some notions in sewing but it looks quite tricky... I mean how did you do without patterns? Because I don’t have any... and the collar seems a bit complicated... anyway I love all your cosplays, especially those from tauriel and Arwen!! Maybe you could do Arwen’s horse dress?
ReplyDeleteHope you see my comment :))
Hi! I came across your blog while researching, and i was wondering if you could help me! I plan to cosplay Tauriel in a comic con towards August, however, I cant find any helpful tutorials about her outfits, and I was wondering if you could explain what parts you had sewn/hemmed. I'm new to making a full on cosplay and I've only worked with sfx and all that fancy stuff, but I can't seem to wrap my head around what parts need what..
ReplyDelete