Clone Wars Cartoon Purple Senate Padme

[SongofAmazon (Jenna)]

I was planning to make Queen Apailana my project for this year, but I still can't find an obi fabric I am happy with. Next year, grad school is taking me to Japan, so I figured I would put her on hold once again and see if I can find some fabrics I like over there.

So, as a replacement project this year, I wanted something that was a little easier on the budget and something that I could finish before I head to Japan. I decided on the Clone Wars cartoon version of the Purple Senate Gown for Padme.



(I collected more images here.)

While it is obviously inspired by the Episode II velvet version of this dress, there are quite a few differences and simplifications. It's almost like it's a lighter, summer version of the dress.



The headdress is the same shape, but simpler, and the hair does not appear to be braided. While this will be considerably faster to construct, actually getting the loose fibers attached will be a bit more challenging, and may result in a heavier headpiece. The necklace also has only five rungs as apposed to the seven in the movie.

The coat is only hip length without the long sleeves and does not appear to be velvet (though I really have no idea what it is supposed to be). The piping lines are similar to but not the same as the movie version either. The dress is one piece and has a belt in a slightly more lavender color, which does not appear on the movie version. The sparkly insert in the shirt is brighter and more iridescent. The embroidered cording appears only on the skirt in this version and seems to be simpler as well.

I've already spent lots of time staring at Kathy's write-up on her movie version of the gown, so I know how I'm going to attack the accessories. Meanwhile, I spent this weekend working on a fabric mockup of the dress and vest.







I am really happy with the fit of the dress (only one sleeve for mockup purposes). The dress is fuller in the back than the front, which I really love. It moves spectacularly.

The vest still needs some love though. I tried two different sleeve techniques. The cartoon version does not appear to have a shoulder seam, so I tried to do one side with a seam and one side without. In the end, I like the shape of the shoulder seam, like it was used in the movie. The dart in the back of the vest will be eliminated when I cut it up for the pieces between the piping. That was just for fitting purposes. The fitting around the shoulder in front isn't great, and I did a terrible job attaching the collar this time, but I think I'll be able to ease some of that extra fabric out when I do the piping panels.

Cartoon Padme has that impossibly deep curve between her lower back and butt, so I can't really achieve the same shape in the bottom of the vest that appears on screen. I'm just not built like a cartoon girl. Haha.

I think the collar could be a bit higher too. One thing that they do in the cartoon that does not happen in the movie version is that the collar comes to a right-angled point before it curves back around her neck. I'm not sure if I can or if I even want to do that. Thoughts?

I haven't bought any fabrics yet, but I've been hunting. I have been thinking about a lavender taffeta for the dress like this one and then this more purply fabric for the belt.

For the shiny insert, I'm still debating. I was thinking of a liquid lame, shatterglass holographic stretch, or sequins. I'm leaning toward sequins, but I'm not really sure yet. Any thoughts on that?

Then there's the jacket. I really have no idea what that's supposed to be, and it's digital fabric that doesn't exist. Here are some thoughts I had though.
This could be dyed
Kind of crazy, but might balance off the sequins
Sari fabric, but I'm not sure if there is enough of the pullu pattern for all the jacket pieces

So, next up is figuring out the piping and piecing of the jacket. I am excited to get this rolling.
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In planning and progress:
Riyo Chuchi, Havoc Trooper, Amilyn Holdo, Lilac Handmaiden

Charter Committee | Galactic Senate DCO | RLGS Web Site

[JediDWH (Lisa Curtis Saunders)]

Loving the look! That's pretty exciting.

I'm pretty sure I've already told you this, but I think the sequins are a better look for the costume- it has a nice texture, isn't too garish (as liquid lame can cross that line really easily), and is a nice callback to the original costume.

Also, I know the jacket isn't made out of the flame velvet, buuut, if you wanted to go that route, I picked up some poly dye and will be testing the flame velvet I bought sometime soonish. I can let you know the results, and pick up some yardage for you if you want. Just another option to have on the table, since that fabric is only $5/yd.
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Sew Corellian
KJO DXO
Celestia Delegation Leader
Sunrider Base Webmaster

Retired LWM, BCO, BMO

[Lora Skywalker ()]

Well, the jacket is stiff. But considering it is a modded version of the film costume it is probably supposed to be the same fabric. I guess you should just find some that looks right.
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DXO of Royalty & Senatorial detachment

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

[Miana (Rachel Williams)]

Looking at the fabric, I think the jacket is supposed to be the same velvet.




(I also have been trying to compile an album of Padme costume references for Clone Wars, so I have a bunch if you need them: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mianakenobi/sets/72157625262668514/with/5124636712/ )
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Retired LCJ, BCO, & BXO



"I dislike smiling. It contorts the face."

[SongofAmazon (Jenna)]

Hoorah more photos. I didn't have many of the back.

Huh. I guess what throws me off is that the animation doesn't look a thing like velvet, and that the piping is the same material/color. Of course this is the Clone Wars animation, where hair even looks crystallized most of the time. Haha.

Though, with both of you saying that, I am starting to lean the direction of burn-out velvet anyway. The toss-up I am now having is to use some of the synthetic stuff Lisa has and dye it a different color than she will be, or this sort of inversion of the pattern in silk velvet. The bonus of that one is that it would be a lot easier to dye the piping to match silk that synthetic.
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In planning and progress:
Riyo Chuchi, Havoc Trooper, Amilyn Holdo, Lilac Handmaiden

Charter Committee | Galactic Senate DCO | RLGS Web Site

[Miana (Rachel Williams)]

Well all my shots are from the earlier seasons, where I don't think they had the budget to make fuzzy things look fuzzy.
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Retired LCJ, BCO, & BXO



"I dislike smiling. It contorts the face."

[GentleBant ()]

I agree that a velvet makes sense, though the pattern of the burnout looks different.

Can't wait to see you make this!
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[SongofAmazon (Jenna)]

Yeah, that pattern I linked is sort of an inverse of the stuff used in the movies, but it is silk velvet. Lisa found a huge quantity of the official pattern in the LA Fashion district, however it's a completely synthetic fabric. I beg a photo from Lisa when she inevitably winds up in this thread again.

So, settled on a burn-out velvet, but what do you guys think of the fabric options I found for the shiny cut-out in her dress? I don't want to bead that movie-version. Grad school will make me crazy enough without beads. Haha. Plus, the animation looks like it could be something different if I wanted it to.
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In planning and progress:
Riyo Chuchi, Havoc Trooper, Amilyn Holdo, Lilac Handmaiden

Charter Committee | Galactic Senate DCO | RLGS Web Site

[JediDWH (Lisa Curtis Saunders)]

Yep, Kathy pointed me in the right direction for the fabric, and since it was so dirt cheap, I just picked up a crap ton and I'm going to will it into the right color.



I also have the purple and blue iDye poly dyes, so I'll do some dye tests on it to see how it all works. Should be exciting!
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Sew Corellian
KJO DXO
Celestia Delegation Leader
Sunrider Base Webmaster

Retired LWM, BCO, BMO

[Miana (Rachel Williams)]

I like the Liquid Lame or the Sequins.
_________________
Retired LCJ, BCO, & BXO



"I dislike smiling. It contorts the face."

[SongofAmazon (Jenna)]

Huzzah for birthday money! Now I have my fabrics for the dress:



I do have a concern that they are WAY more purple than I expected based on the thumbnails I ordered from. The dark purple is the dress, the fuscia is the belt, and the bluer fabric is the lining. I am tempted to swap the lining in for the main body of the dress, as it is much closer to the right color, and line it with the darker purple. The lining is a lot shinier though, so I need to do some flash tests to make sure it doesn't look terrible in photos.

On my real camera (this was an iPod photo) it all photographed much bluer, close to the colors I am aiming for. So, I'm torn. I need to use this stuff, as that was my fabric budget for the semester, I just need to figure out if I'll go with Plan A, or swap the lining for the dress fabric.

I would have loved to do this in silk, but that's not in the budget right now. It's all synthetic taffeta and the lining is a polyester 'china silk.'

Thoughts on the colors?
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In planning and progress:
Riyo Chuchi, Havoc Trooper, Amilyn Holdo, Lilac Handmaiden

Charter Committee | Galactic Senate DCO | RLGS Web Site

[SongofAmazon (Jenna)]

Decided to move ahead with those colors. I may yet get something a little less pink for the belt though.

That said, progress!

I got my purple metallic embroidery thread and my purple cording, so I set to work drafting up the vine pattern for the skirt. It's hard to really see exactly what is going on with Padme's skirt, but after staring at tons of screenshots, I came up with this:



Then the next task was to take apart my skirt mockup and draw that design directly on the cotton using a white marking pencil. Once I had finalized the design I liked, I went over that with permanent marker so I could see the design from the back of the fabric. I used a soft-lead pencil to color on the back of the design with as much excess graphite as I could. Then, I pinned that to the satin fabric and used a hard-lead pencil to color on top of the cotton. This pressure made the layer of graphite on the back of the cotton get transferred to the satin. However, it came out really faint, so I went over the whole pattern again on the satin with a white marking pencil.

Here's some progress photos with the cotton:





And now that it's on the satin:





With that all set up, I started with the corded embroidery. Using two strands of the embroidery thread (I think I might switch down to just one from here on out) I started stitching the cording to the satin. So far so good!


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In planning and progress:
Riyo Chuchi, Havoc Trooper, Amilyn Holdo, Lilac Handmaiden

Charter Committee | Galactic Senate DCO | RLGS Web Site

[JediDWH (Lisa Curtis Saunders)]

So pretty! I love the design of the swirls; this is going to look gorgeous when you're done.
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Sew Corellian
KJO DXO
Celestia Delegation Leader
Sunrider Base Webmaster

Retired LWM, BCO, BMO

[PadmeSkywalker (Carrie Christian)]

This is going to be an awesome costume Your progress is coming along nicely!!

I have some extra supplies (i.e. fabric, cording, metallic embroidery thread, sequins, wires, etc.) left over from my Loyalist Committee Gown...I may need to look into doing this one, too
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http://padme-skywalker77.blogspot.com/

[Miana (Rachel Williams)]

I can't wait to see this one, Jenna!
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Retired LCJ, BCO, & BXO



"I dislike smiling. It contorts the face."