The parade was pretty awesome to walk in this year… it is super fun to go as a recognizable character that the kids love. Many high fives and hugs going around ❤️ 
My one big panel choice had to be Matt Smith. The 11th Doctor. My favorite!
the girls both wanted to be Suicide Squad Harley Quinn. They had a blast doing the big group shoot and got featured on the scifi channel!
I finally finished this Once Upon a Time costume of bandit Snow White. Not as much fun as I had hoped so this one got sold pretty soon after :/.
and another costume I worked for a long time on and just didn’t really enjoy wearing. Katniss from Hunger Games (Catching Fire chariot dress.). It lit up like fire and fit well so I actually ended up wearing it to a Christmas party later that year 🙂 I skipped the bunny hutch this year because I had the kids with me on Thursday, but am looking forward to next year.
I originally made this six or seven years ago…post HERE
With new generations falling in love with Star Wars (and old ones rekindling,) I have made over a dozen of these beautiful recreations in the last year or so!
I have learned a lot, changed a little, and even worn my own personal costume several times. My wedding anniversary happened to fall on the premier of “The Force Awakens”, so of course hubby and I had a night on the town fully dressed 🙂 Some Padme/Obi Wan jokes were made, but , hey, we are in love 🙂
I still use the one basic blended mermaid skirt pattern for and faux leather for both the steel boned corset and the gloves. (Yes, I realize my gloves are too short.)
The main thing I am changing is to conform this to Rebel Legion Standards. At first, I thought this meant it needed to be front zip, but after some research, have learned that the back closure is not an issue and just that the front needed a hidden closure flap. Totally doable. 🙂
We were also this Duo for Halloween 2015:
I am going to try to gather up some customer photos to add to this updated post. And as always, have my ebay and esty searches on alert for vintage beads and black lace for this classic 🙂
Close up picture of the Lace I use:
This is my favorite Leia outfit and have been wanting to make it for years. Unfortunately, I never could find a vintage white snowsuit, so had to start from scratch! Here are a few of my favorite reference photos that I used (as well as the Padawan’s Guide). It is basically a white suit with belt and quilted panels with a cream vest and grey boots. As of now, the costume is not complete because I had to wanted to wear it before the vest was finished! I will update the bottom of the post once the whole thing is complete and I have more photos 🙂
I had made a pattern for a one piece suit when I did the Dune still suit that was about my size, so this is what I started with. It took many alterations once pieced together, but was easy to do since it was for me! It was a vintage pattern from the 80’s merged with the “Elvis style” zip front suit pattern.
The wrist communicator and the ID for the vest were made out of sculpy and hand painted with acrylics. I used reference photos found online for these and just made sure to make my pockets for them fit the areas on my patterns. I glued them onto fabric squares that were smaller than the outlying edges of the pieces, then sewed the fabric onto the correct places on the suit.
The taupe/grey boots were a score on ebay. It was hard to find ones that were leather, with a wedge heel, and in my size, but I got lucky one week. I made simple grey vinyl covers that were open up the front and added velcro strips around to hold them in place.
To make her hairstyle, I just made two long braids behind the ears and wrapped and tucked them around. I had ordered a “braid headband” that did not arrive on time, but my hair was just long enough to look ok without it.
The scuply pieces were finished weeks before these shots, but had to do the suit in just one day! I sort of want to go back and redo a few things.. finish it nicer, but think it will probably have to do. Here are some of the shots
More to come shortly!
Here is a photo of the finished vest… Later this year I will be able to add more pictures of the completed suit.
This was a fun project to embark on, and took some major research before even starting to pattern!
The stillsuit is a full body suit worn in the open desert that was designed to preserve the body’s moisture. It consisted of various layers that would absorb the body’s moisture through sweating and urination, and then filter the impurities so that drinkable water would be circulated to catchpockets. The individual could then drink the reclaimed water from a tube attached to the neck. A stillsuit, kept in working order and maintained properly, permitted the wearer to survive for weeks in the open desert.
Since this was for a woman customer, we used the screen used one found on propstore for reference:
It was worn by the Character Chani
After thinking and looking into several different materials and patterns, and a couple of good prop store pics, along with great input from my customer, I came up with a plan. A merged jumpsuit pattern, celery Moire fabric, grommets, and parachute cord!
I used a basic 80’s vintage jumpsuit pattern and altered it to include the high neckline with collar. We found the perfect fabric on ebay called a Moire which has the patterned grains in it, but it would not bleach, so I used acrylic fabric paint to give the pieces the look of the sun bleached sweat marks. (they show up pretty yellow in these pics, sorry)
I luckily remembered that all of the grommet holes for the “veins/tubes” had to be set BEFORE I sewed the pieces together! I also added the ruched knee and shoulder pads a front zip and the flap before sewing.
Almost finished. I added pale blue (distressed) paracord through the grommet holes, the logo pocket, and webbing straps at one shoulder and the upper waist. It also had a ruched waistband. Not shown in these photos is the webbing belt that is the third belt of sorts on this suit!
Close up of the front flap
I couldn’t get the thing on my mannequin that has a head, so had to fit the wrap around facemask/cap on myself!
And FINALLY, my customer (with the hood hanging back). It was a treat to run into her at DragonCon and see the suit on her 🙂
SHADOWCAT 2013
Here is one of my favorite customers as Shadowcat and here is her link! http://nokindoflife.deviantart.com/
I can ONLY take credit for the briefs and shirt/sash on this costume. She sourced/made the leggings, matching blue boots, gloves, mask, and necklace herself. And the dragon. Lockheed the alien dragon was custom made for her by her boyfriend ( I think!?!).
Since she is depicted in several variations of the costume, we just looked through and agreed on two that we liked the best and sort of combined them.
Above is one of the ones we liked, a piece by artist funrama on deviantart.
The shirt was just free draped on my mannequin in a dark slate blue satin. The sleeves were long and ruched/gathered up the underarm seam. The shirt had a side zip and slit with the sash attached at the bottom so that it went on like a wrap shirt. The under collar of the shirt was actually turquoise and could be turned up as well.
Fun to see this all come together!
This classic Star Wars costume is one of the best known, but this was actually the first time I have been asked to create one!
It is shown without the silver squares on the belt, but I made those out of rubber clay and hand stitched them to the leather belt.
The dress was TWO layers of a light poly blend jersey with lots of movement and drape. I used the Padawan’s Guide, as usual when researching patterns, fabrics and upclose pictures. The hardest part of this was getting the perfect drape on the “hood” which is not even really a hood! It ended up being perfect!
This is a custom job for a happy repeat customer. We have lots of time to work on it, so every detail is being studied and recreated….it looks simple, but is more time consuming and fickle than even the Leia gold bikini!!
My customer, Megan, is making the brooch herself along with the draped pearls, so all I have to do is make a loose dress that will fit a faux preggo lady, right? then attach her brooch? ….NOT SO EASY… this is the tutorial for the dress only…
MATERIALS:
10+ yards silk or silky satin with a good drape to be used on the bias
5+ packages of nude binding tape
several spools of matching or slightly different thread for embroidery
sewing machine thread to match fabric
binding tape to match dress fabric
dress form stuffed to be pregnant and at your measurements
Matching zipper
elastic
snaps and or hook eyes (not sure how it is all going to come together yet….)
MONTHS
This outfit is so detailed that each seam took me about 2 hours to finish. …
STEP 1: Build out your mannequins belly with a pillow..stuffing, anything under a tight wrapping. Panty hose work great. A tiny tank top is what I used. This is doable without a mannequin, but is hard to get the drape right on yourself with a belly.
STEP 2: Pattern using muslin or large scraps. I use the padawans guide as a reference for almost all of my SW costumes. There you find that there is a center seam with 4 panels radiating out and then the side seams. The back panels have a zipper which is hidden by the waterfall cape. Here are most of my front panels on the mannequin. I really wanted a full look, like the original, which I had not really seen redone.). I used large triangles of muslin, then draped and pinned them till I was satisfied.
How to make padme amidala’s steel lavender nightgown
Step 3: Cut your panels. On the bias, this took me the full 10 yards of fabric I had ordered! To get this great drape, you have to place each pattern piece not up and down, but at a 45 degree angle. Leave extra at the back piece …this is where you can alter easily.
Step 4. Cut the waterfall cape. I chose to do it double sided. 60″ crepe satin and 60″ long. This should be altered for the height of the wearer. It was the max of their wrist to wrist….
Step 5: Begin to assemble the front pieces. Make sure your patterns are correct because you have 7 full length seams to either join together by pressing seams and hand faggotting a loose hand stitched seam or pressing seams and spending only a few less hours doing it by a machine that will do it for you …but you have to feed it perfectly correctly….sometimes I might rather spend that hour sewing by hand…..What I did was press the seams, then sew the nude binding to one side, then to the other, then went down with the blue embroidery over, giving the look of a nude undergarment with the overlaying embroidery. I have heard that to do the separate nude lining and do a true faggoting hand stitch on the exterior results in alot of unwanted movement, so I avoided this.
faggoting stitch by pfatt
Step 6: Once it was pieced together, I draped it again on the stuffed mannequin to make the back zip and strap placement. The back zip was easy, but with the straps, the padawan’s guide REALLY helped. Here is a pic of mine, based on the diagram on the site:
Step 7: From here, it was fit, so all I needed to do was face the top, hem the bottom and attach the brooch and pearl strands.
Step 8: Then the final piece was the cape. I tried hook and loops, but ended up using snaps to attach it to the neck piece. To make the waterfall drape with hanging beads, I pulled it together at around or below the hip, and attached matching silverish pearls, then again near the calf. With the shape I started from and this combo, I think I got pretty close to the original…
Sorry it won’t let me turn my images right now.
Finally, here it is …I still have to tack up the pearls along the breast, but for this blog, it’s done!!!
I will try to get back to this and fix the pictures, but really mean this to be an aid for people wanting to make it themselves. For anyone interested in purchasing one, please email me directly at miala.net ( at) gmail.com, it is available by custom order and will run 350-400$.
Happy sewing and hope I was a help!!!!!
Here is the update, with the customer wearing it!
Custom made Blue Pregnant Nightgown by miala.net
FANTASTIC UPDATE, 2013:
Just received this photo below of my customer in her Sally Jupiter costume. Some comments she received at the convention were:
“You have the best costume I’ve seen all weekend!” , “You are the best Sally Jupiter I’ve ever seen!”, and “Seeing you as Sally Jupiter is like how Homer looks when he sees donuts!” (that last one is my favorite). Love it.
UPDATE:
I made the new version in September of 2011…it is chiffon and leather with little details like lace linings that really make it special. Under the sheer dress I paired a strapless, backless bra with vintage looking low cut high waist briefs with sewn on garters. The long glove does come with it, it is just not shown in the photos.
I LOVE this costume/character. I had no idea of the Watchmen until I got a request last year in the midst of my Halloween hullaballoo. Then of course, once I get a second, I get to research a bit.
This one is not as simple as it looks! (like her character)
I looked around online and saw several “ok” versions of this, but I want to do it right!
I have made a prototype using satin and cordura, but know that the georgette or chiffon will be more accurate and the leather will be more realistic once I get the pattern down.
I use my mannequin for draping. There is no commercial pattern out there that will help you here.
So….
Here is my prototype:
I cannot wait to make this now with the right materials.
What I need:
1 yard yellow sheer georgette or chiffon
1/2 yard black leather
1 spool black ribbon
grommets and setter
boning
undercorset (make or buy> ?) with briefs and garters?
buy garters?
buy fishnets and boots and gloves
make wristlet
Follow the best long hair no bang 40s tutorial at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfhhXW_iDn0
2010 , wow! This is updated as of 2016 on the new post! So many Padmes, so much Star Wars this year!
Link HERE
In 2010, I was asked by a returning customer to help her out with this Padme Amidala from Star Wars costume. I have since then made several of them and it is one of my favorites!
I started with an eight panel mermaid tail pattern and overlapped my pattern pieces making it only a front and back with wide bottom. I left the back seam open at the bottom and inserted a large square for the extra volume in the back. I used a silver satin and black lace overlay, although through the supercool site SPOONFLOWER, I gave her the option of using the exact pattern replicated in cotton. I took a swatch of the original skirt and worked it over in my art program. They will make you a fabric of ANY photo you send them (awesome), but we decided the cotton would not look luxurious enough.
The gloves, I just patterned on myself freeform.
I use a faux matte leather for the corset and gloves. The pattern for the corset is an 11 piece pattern with laces up the back for a perfect fit. The original has a ZIPPER and if you are using this for submission for the Legion, it will need to have the Zip.
I found a few vintage beaded belts/scarves on ebay which I use to make the long neckpiece along with crushed velvet. Each one is unique depending on which finding I have. The headbands were found at Michaels!
UPDATE 2013: Here are some new pics of my Caprica Six Dress
I have now made many of these and am still constructing it the same way..custom..and by building out my mannequin to the customer specs! These new pics are awesome. Thanks to John Eaves for sharing his photo shoot!
OLD PHOTOS AND INFO ON THE BS SIX DRESS:
I had never seen Battlestar Galactica nor this Red Dress until I received a special request. It is quite a show stopper! Well…Six is…in it. It was a challenge deciding how to create a dress with not much to it that would produce so much cleavage. Until I find an easier way, these are custom patterned to fit each customer based on their best fitting push up strapless bra that they send me. The bra is actually built into the dress and is the backbone that holds everything up and in place 🙂
I use a matte jersey with slight stretch and a bit of sheen. This allows for a snug, but forgiving fit. I depend on my two mannequins for all my patterning and the patterning actually takes about twice the time of the constructing! Like the green fairy, there is lots of hand sewing involved and patience while working with stretch fabric. I would like to try one in a thick lycra next….
MiaLa costuming blog 