Queen Amidala Red Invasion Gown

[Lora Skywalker ()]

Excellent progress.

Make sure your hoops under the skirt can't be seen; you might need a stiff petticoat layer between the skirt and the hoops and/or to alter your crinoline.

Look forward to seeing this done!
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DXO of Royalty & Senatorial detachment

Detachment website: http://www.senate.rebellegion.com/

[abrookebrown24 ()]

[abrookebrown24 ()]

I'm finally nearing completion on the collars for this dress. The material is from the satin (not the bengaline). The top collar I sandwiched a foam batting between two layers, then hand-stitched 1mm silk cord in the vermicelli pattern. This took a lot longer than I was expecting, but I'm pretty satisfied with the results. The small collar at the top I actually put a bit of foam between the layers to get it a bit more stiff. Still need to tweak it to get it to sit correctly.

I used a hidden zipper in the back, and added a second collar with the hood attached. Once I got that all put together, I finally started adding fur and the gold embroidery tabard. I did a test run with the whole dress, and I'm realizing I need to make some changes to my hoop skirt. The dress tends to get twisted, and I think I need a few more hoops to hold the shape. I was just excited to finally put all the pieces together!

https://imgur.com/a/aw1OxqR

[SongofAmazon (Jenna)]

That's looking gorgeous!

How many hoops will you have total, do you think?
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In planning and progress:
Riyo Chuchi, Havoc Trooper, Amilyn Holdo, Lilac Handmaiden

Charter Committee | Galactic Senate DCO | RLGS Web Site

[Lora Skywalker ()]

I meant so the rings can't be seen through the skirt.

Your progress on this looks very nice! Getting there.
_________________
DXO of Royalty & Senatorial detachment

Detachment website: http://www.senate.rebellegion.com/

[abrookebrown24 ()]

I have ADD with this costume because if I get frustrated on one aspect I'll switch to another.

Anyway, I finally tackled the hair roll. It was pretty much finished, but every time I touched it I'd get pieces of hair flying away. So... because I'm used to finishing 3D prints, I grabbed some fiberglass acrylic, and applied a very thin layer over the hair roll. Probably a little unconventional, and I had to be very careful not to pull the hair out, but it worked like a charm! (I wouldn't necessarily recommend this because there is no turning back after this point. Haha.)
I'd previously placed Velcro at the top of the hair roll, and the headpiece. I then added some ultra strong magnets behind the two egg/ear parts on the headpiece, and because of the design of my headpiece, that seems to be plenty to hold it in place.

For the top bead decoration I stacked it on a cotter pin (just something I found at Home Depot), using Swarowski crystals in red and gold, two different sizes of pearls, and the Cinnabar bead from a seller on Etsy. I purchased it from YumiSadamoto, and it was perfect. The rest I carved from clay, and covered with gold foil.

Once I finished this up I did a makeup test, and realized with the hair it was quite heavy. I put a cute little bow around the bottom just to hold it in place. I'll be experimenting with ways to secure it to my head, especially for wear around an event. I'll likely use a chin strap of some kind which should be hidden when I put on all the collars.

https://imgur.com/a/uQitnAq

[Lora Skywalker ()]

Your headdress looks very nice, even if it's heavy. You just need to make sure your natural hair is covered by it now so it doesn't stick out in front.

Hope to see updated pictures again soon.
_________________
DXO of Royalty & Senatorial detachment

Detachment website: http://www.senate.rebellegion.com/

[abrookebrown24 ()]

I failed to post in this thread that I was approved!





Since then I have made some slight upgrades. My first real event was our FanX here in Salt Lake, and I quickly realized the headpiece was just too heavy to wear for prolonged periods. I decided to remake it.




My methods included using craft plant foam for the base which I shaped to the correct C-shape. I then wrapped this in black flannel. For the hair I used much smaller pieces of wefts to glue on. Also, I used the Tacky Glue to stick the hair in place. Using wefts that were only about 2 inches wide I pinned that in place at one end, then applied a thin layer of tacky glue on the flannel, laid the hair flat over it, and painted more tacky glue over the hair itself. Tacky glue dries clear, but you do have to be very careful not to touch it while it's drying because it'll turn a bit flaky.

The result was a much lighter hair roll that I'm much more comfortable wearing! Also, partially because of the weight, my hair line was slightly visible around the headpiece, especially if I was wearing a dark wig cap. I actually added more to the headpiece itself to hide my hairline. Hooray upgrades!




Next upgrade, I'd like to change or improve my dress lights, but it might be a while before I get to those as I'm currently working on a Leia! This costume is a lot of fun to wear, and it's been perfect for events during the winter.

[accioveronica (Veronica J)]

Your gown turned out absolutely spectacular, great work and congrats on your approval! Also, I'm loving the photo of you and Hayden!
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Approved:
Senatorial Leia (ANH)
Medical Frigate Leia (ESB)
Tatooine Peasant Padmé (TPM)
Padmé's Hospital Gown (ROTS)
Queen Amidala's Parade Gown (TPM)

[Lora Skywalker ()]

Well done! It is a pleasure to see such undertakings of gigantic costume proportions and seeing that it really can be done. (Even by us 'normal' people).
_________________
DXO of Royalty & Senatorial detachment

Detachment website: http://www.senate.rebellegion.com/