Post Two: In Which I Make the Parade Dress from Star Wars Episode I

(Note: I wrote this post about a year ago, before New Orleans Comic Con 2016. The costume is being worn and reworked again this year, but I'm going ahead and posting this now and I'll update it later.)

So, I married the King of the Nerds. He's great, amazing and wonderful, and he really REALLY likes Star Wars. So, last year for Comic Con in New Orleans, I made each of my girls a Star Wars costume. My older daughter wanted the Parade Dress from the last scene of the Phantom Menace.

Isn't she a-stinkin-dorable?

This year my niece wants to wear it, and I'm doing some improvements.

I have something of a tendency to over-research things, I think. Accordingly, I've spent a ludicrous amount of time viewing every picture and video I could find of this dress, particularly detail and work-in-progress shots.

I've decided that since aforementioned costumee is six, I'm not going to worry about remaking the dress- which should be crosscut (cut on the bias) and way more slinky than the one I made. I'm doing the mental equivalent of sticking my fingers in my ears and singing "lalalala" to try not to succumb the the temptation to remake it. She's six, Merisha. It's all good. Besides, you have seven other costume that need to be finished in time for Comic Con.

Now. Where was I?

 Ah yes. Improvements. Main thing that needs improving: the halo/collar/parasol thing. This is a really excellent shot of it up close

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 I've analized, read and experimented (to the tune of remaking the stupid thing four times) and here's what I have come up with: 

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For starters, the thing was a wire frame and a embroidered fabric thing. Don't bother trying to use the fabric to hold the thing together. Won't work. Point in case: disaster number 1.

I got it together and the whole darn thing fell apart. I used a pliable, but thick aluminum. Not good at all. 

This one looked pretty, but totally didn't work. 

 By this point I discovered this little jewel of a screen shot. Note the helpful little circle in the middle. My husband told me I would need one, but I poo-pooed him because I couldn't see it in the picures. Turns out he was right. Some day I'll learn he's more artsy than me...

I constructed this one next. The details are correct, the wires are all going the correct direction and all that, but the wire was too brittle and not rigid enough

I ended up buying the largest metal ring I could find at Hobby Lobby in the leatherworking section. It is very rigid and thicker than I would have liked, but either the rings or the spokes needed to be rigid, and I was having a hard time finding spokes rigid enough. 

I made another white fabric thing, 

 I didn't have time to finish it as well as I would have liked. One only has so much time. Still, she was adorable.

Post One: In Which I Make Lost of Dresses with Hoopskirts

Note: I don't know what happend to the original post one. I'm blaming small people who aren't supposed to be touching the computer. 

I have always loved to sew. When I was a very little girl, our homeschool co-op was making princess hats, and all us little people had a chance to sew a seam - on the sewing machine. I was hooked. I was constantly making cloths for everyone's American Girl dolls. Being small, they had the advantage of being easily made by hand. When I was twelve or so, I discovered Living History, and I was totally hooked. I sewed historical clothing (don't dare call them costumes!) from many different eras over the years, and eventually got a sewing machine that didn't catch and pull when I went too fast.

Eventually, I managed to get my sister to join me in my favorite hobby, and then I had even more sewing to do.

I was even so insane as to made my own wedding dress.  I enjoyed it, but it was SO much work. And kinda stressful. 

This is my inspiration piece. Princess Alexandra of Denmark in 1867.
 It's right there between hoopskirts and bustles.  Love love it. 

Here we have an elliptical shaped hoop