Shadow and Bone - General Kirigan: Costume Analysis + Plans

After a few false starts, when I finally got around to properly watching Shadow and Bone, I was hooked. It's been a while since I enjoyed a new fantasy franchise/universe so much, and it pulled me in hard. The world-building is fascinating, so many of the characters are endlessly lovable (and acted beautifully), and all the visuals from the locations to costumes to cinematography are stunning. But there was a precise moment, a single shot, that sealed the deal.

"Oh. Oh no."

With just four or five shots in like two scenes, I was absolutely fixated on Kirigan in that first episode before even seeing his face or knowing anything about him, and that's some shockingly good storytelling. By his first proper appearance in the next episode, I knew I'd be making the costume.

It's going to be a very long-haul project, and I'm not putting any deadlines on it. Something about the story and aesthetic just resonates so much with me, that I'm really interested in doing it all-out in the most minute detail, and that's going to be a longterm commitment when I've got other big detailed costumes coming up that sort of do have deadlines. I've half joked that maybe I'll have it done in time for the third season premiere so I can still take advantage of fresh hype for the show when I debut it. But really I'm just going to pick away at it as regularly as I can, and hope that it comes together on a decent timeline without really enforcing one. For now, here's a piece-by-piece analysis and plan outline.

Kirigan's basic costume is three main pieces— an almost-knee-length tunic-style undershirt, a knee-length leather coat, and a calf-length kefta (the same type of uniform coat all the Grisha wear, though his is unique)—plus pants and boots. All three of the costume's layers show up clearly at least once in the show: the shirt when Kirigan broods over the state of the war in episode 4, the leather tunic at the fountain in episode 3 and in his room before the fete in episode 5, and of course the kefta throughout most of the show. Because of this, I initially thought I'd construct the costume from the inside out starting with the shirt. The shirt is the easiest piece, and I hoped that assembling everything in that order would feel like making real progress by completing a version of the costume at each stage. But after researching the details of each piece and thinking about my priorities, I adjusted that idea: I'll still more or less work from the inside out, but I'll make simpler versions of the shirt and coat rather than making them screen-accurate, so it's all more comfortable to wear with the kefta and lets me work on the kefta sooner, and then later I can go back and make a screen-accurate shirt and coat if I want them individually (more on all that brainstorming below). I think I'll also break down the build recaps into each completed stage, so each major layer will each have its own post.

The shirt:
Kirigan's shirt is a nearly-knee-length loose-fitting tunic. It has a band that serves as a low collar and runs around the whole front edge, with subtle closures and small areas of gathering. The three-quarter-length sleeves are very wide and set off the shoulder. The material has a visible horizontal woven texture.

I went through a lot of brainstorming and changed my mind over and over with how to tackle the shirt. It's really the most gratuitous pieces in the costume. It only barely peaks out from under the leather coat, just visible at the collar and lower front edge, and even then not too noticeably. So *technically* I don't need the shirt at all. At the very least, because it's so nondescript I could buy a premade shirt of some kind so *something* is visible just for the sake of being thorough.

Since I wanted something there but didn't plan to wear it on its own for a photoshoot or event, initially I was going to make a stylized version of the shirt: something that would show under the other layers in the right way but be slimmer to reduce bulk, and that I could wear in Real Life to justify making a costume piece that wasn't really necessary. I'd use linen to somewhat match the on-screen texture plus help with breathability. (For anyone curious, I was going to use Simplicity 9059 view A.)

But then I thought maybe I *did* want to use the shirt in a photoshoots, and using the original design was much simpler than redesigning my own anyway, so I planned to make it screen-accurate. McCall's 7525 was almost perfect, just needing a slight modification at the front for a center closure rather than crossing over the body.

I still planned to use linen, but after sourcing some cheap polyester dupioni (better texture match and cheaper) I went with that instead. I even started sewing the shirt, but halfway through I decided I hated the fabric (more on that in the eventual construction post) so rethought the whole thing once again.

Finally, the current plan is to fake the shirt in the full costume, and make a screen accurate shirt later. Realistically I need to cut down as much heat and bulk as possible, plus save time and money where I can, so I don't really mind faking the shirt for the sake of comfort and ease. The poly dupioni I have was too stiff for a whole shirt but has a great texture, so I can use that to make a fake collar, front edge, and hem, and tack those fabric pieces underneath leather coat. If I end up wanting a full shirt for a photoshoot down the road, I can do it as a separate project then, and look for (or save up for) better fabric in the meantime.

The leather coat:
Kirigan's second layer is a knee-length leather coat. It has a waist seam, princess seams on the front and back, a center back seam, no side seams on the skirt panel, offset shoulder seams, a double vented back, and hidden closures down the center front covered by weathered silver clasps featuring Kirigan's eclipse insignia. The collar, cuffs, and center front panels have a textured contrast material that extends around the upper back, and the collar is lined with a red taffeta or satin. The leather has minimal shine and grain.

While the kefta is the most elaborate and will be the most time consuming, the leather coat which seems so much simpler will actually be the most difficult construction. Like the shirt, I initially planned to do the coat screen-accurate for photoshoot opportunities. But for convenience (both in making it and wearing it), I might partially fake it: do a sleeveless version with a simplified back to wear with the kefta (no sleeves will be far more comfortable, and the back will never show), and do a screen-accurate version to wear on its own. This does ultimately add more time and cost to the project, but it's a trade-off I don't mind. The whole costume really needs to be as wearable as possible, so cutting down on layers and increasing comfort now are well worth spending more time/money on a duplicate down the road (if I even decide I want the duplicate later). The kefta is my favorite part, and the leather coat is nice but kind of a piece to make just on principle, so I'll do the altered version first to finish the costume sooner, and do the real one later. Depending on the version, the pattern will be McCall's 7848 view C and/or McCall's 8134 view A, both modified.

For the altered version, 7848 will be used for pretty much everything. I'll scrap the sleeves, and maybe remove the skirt side seams for a little more accuracy just in case they ever show with the kefta moving around. But otherwise any places where I'd make more changes will be hidden under the kefta so I won't worry about it. For the screen-accurate version, 7848 will be used for the collar, bodice front, skirt front, and skirt back. The bodice front is pretty much perfect as-is. On the skirt I'll remove the side seams, add a center back seam, replace the side back seams with the ones from 8134, and add vents. 8134 will be used for the sleeve and bodice back. I'll move the shoulder seam, add the contrast panel across the shoulders by extending the 7848 bodice front seams, remove the outermost side back seams, and crop it at the waist to match 7848. I'm hoping that being the same company, there won't be too much trouble merging the patterns at the shoulder and side seams.

For fabric, I'm looking at a number of pleathers. It's been difficult so far to find a pleather that's not too heavy/stiff, doesn't have too much shine or too much grain/texture, and is vaguely affordable. Gauze is my best option right now for the contrast, but I might also look at thin wale corduroy or canvas. The lining will probably be a lightweight satin. Amazonian Cosplay makes some beautiful clasps (both a 3D file and finished prints) for the leather coat, so I'll buy a printed set from her (but might paint them myself).

The kefta:
Let's be honest. The other pieces are cool, but this is what it's all for. Kirigan's kefta is calf-length, with long sleeves, a standing collar, and open front, hanging slightly away from the body. It has a waist seam with princess seams above the waist in front, and possibly some darts running down from the princess seams below the waist. In back, there's a center back seam. The black fabric has a low pile and slight sheen, and a custom thorny vine pattern in white.  And ohhh, all that black and silver goldwork embroidery along the center front, collar, sleeves, hem, and center back.

The pattern will be Simplicity 8974 view A.

This is almost perfect as-is. Probably all I'll do is shorten the hem and cut down the center front so the edges don't meet.

My top fabric choices right now are faux microsuede and low pile velvet/velveteen. I looked at some jacquards and brocades with a woven crackle design and some quilting cottons with a printed design, but all of them were too expensive or not available in black or not close enough. So I'll pick whichever fabric has the best drape and surface texture and stencil the crackle/vine design on with fabric paint. Like the leather coat, the lining will be some kind of satin-y material, and I'll probably use the same fabric wrong-side-out for the trim.

The goldwork embroidery is the most interesting and challenging aspect to the kefta. There are much better introductions to goldwork elsewhere online than I could provide (I constantly reference Amazonian Cosplay's kefta guide and her guide to goldwork video), but it's basically a form of embroidery using metal "bullion" wire. The type of goldwork on the keftas specifically uses very thin hollow metal tubing cut into specific lengths and sewn down like beads, with padding (felt or gathered thread) underneath for a denser more 3D effect. Doing goldwork on a separate fabric like organdy and turning each piece into an applique to be sewn to the garment individually is supposed to be more secure (the embroidery stitches themselves aren't connected to the garment, so don't get strained as the garment moves), but takes more time (doing all the embroidery in the first place and then cutting out and sewing each applique on, rather than the single step of embroidering directly on the garment). And I've read from people who know much more about goldwork than I do that in the show the goldwork is embroidered directly onto the keftas and in certain scenes you can actually see some of the stitching break due to wear.

Thankfully there are a lot of people making keftas right now, and quite a few using goldwork, so I've had lots of methods to reference. Some people with prior goldwork experience (who therefore know what they're getting into) are doing goldwork on visible areas like the chest for higher visual payoff, and then using machine embroidery on less visible areas like the sleeve and hem for speed and (in their words) to save their sanity. Some of them are even making keftas with less embroidery to begin with, reducing the amount of goldwork needed even further. Crazy though it may be, I've already decided I'm obsessed and stubborn enough that I want to do all my embroidery in goldwork, so the machine embroidery is largely irrelevant to me. I've seen people do solid goldwork for more complex keftas like Alina's, which of any of the designs is closest in embroidery density to Kirigan's, so I know I'm not entirely crazy for considering it. Of others doing goldwork, I've also seen some people make a few large parts of the design as separate appliques for stability and embroider the surrounding smaller areas directly on the kefta for speed. This seems to be most practical on keftas like Genya's, where a whole chest panel is one large design made up of separate, distinct shapes which can more easily be separated into different sections created with different techniques. Kirigan's design, on the other hand, repeats many times down the front, and each repeated motif is small and dense and intertwined, so it makes more sense to keep each motif together as a single piece.

After thinking about the trade-offs of each approach, I decided I'll be embroidering each distinct chunk of Kirigan's design separately on organdy and then handstitching those appliques to the kefta. This works better for me for a lot of reasons. I can make adjustments easily, just by moving around a bunch of finished appliques and seeing where I want them to sit, rather than committing to placement each time I start a new section of direct embroidery. I'll be using small pieces of fabric in the embroidery hoop, easier than having to handle entire kefta panels. I don't have a lot of experience with embroidery and none at all with goldwork, so if I make a mistake or don't like how a section of embroidery turns out, it's a lot less stress and hassle to fix or just simply remake a separate applique than to have to rip everything off the kefta. And this is a project I'll probably never want to remake or do much repair to, so the more secure the embroidery is the better.

The pants:
Despite going all out on certain parts of the costume, I'm actually not making pants specifically for this. There's already so much to do, of any of the pieces the pants are the most generic and least noticeable, and the whole costume is probably going to be somewhat uncomfortable, so I want to give myself a break where I can. Black athletic leggings are going to be a lifesaver here: plain, stretchy, breathable, and lots of pockets. Problem solved.

Accessories:
Most of the costume detail is directly in the fabrics and embellishments, but there are some key separate accessory pieces. On his right little finger he wears a silver claw-like ring with a black rhinestone. It's seen most prominently when he tests Alina's Grisha abilities in episode 2.

There are decent mass-produced replicas floating around on the internet.

He also wears black riding boots and silver spurs. The boots are low-heeled, knee-high with an asymmetrical top edge, and have a hidden(ish) back zipper with a long double cord on the zipper pull. The spurs have rondelles and black leather straps with silver buckles. The spurs are only clearly visible in that single close-up in episode 1, so almost any low-profile dressage/English-style spur or even a strip of aluminum (or even something painted silver!) would do. Much like the shirt, it could even be left off. But simple spurs are cheap enough that I could justify getting a pair, and being obsessed with that one single shot and wanting to replicate it in a photoshoot, I wanted to get the right style.

By now I actually already have the boots and spurs. I didn't intend to start buying pieces at the time I was doing this research, but I do like tracking down materials as soon as I start a project. I found boots that were incredibly perfect and I got a great deal, so I couldn't pass them up. After that I wanted to accessorize them, so I went ahead and got a pair of English spurs and black leather straps. More on that in the first construction post.

For now this is the plan. As it already has, it'll probably keep changing and evolving as I start really making it. Thinking about it right this moment, I kind of want to scrap my "work from the inside out" plan and make the kefta first since that (plus maybe the boots/spurs) is my absolute favorite part of the costume. But then if I have the kefta done, will I be able to keep up any energy and momentum to make the leather coat? Do I need to save the kefta for last to keep myself motivated? We'll see what happens!

Stay tuned!

WandaVision - "Naughty" 1990s Agatha

WandaVision snuck up on me in a big way. I was glad Wanda was getting more screentime, but I hadn't seen much promo material before the show aired and I had no expectations of getting invested in it, let alone recreating any costumes from it. Then Agatha happened.

It really *was* Agatha all along!

While the show has some issues that really don't sit well with me and definitely spoiled my overall enjoyment, I immediately fell in love with Agatha and the problematic elements didn't damper that. I initially planned to do her 1950s dress from the first episode (and that's in the works), but I quickly found myself theorizing and researching *all* of her costumes (and currently planning to do them all, but we'll see how that goes). On mostly a whim, the first I ended up doing was the most gratuitous—it only has about 30 seconds of screentime, if that—but also the easiest: her 1990s purple velour "Naughty" tracksuit from the opening credits of the seventh episode.

I myself have an edgy velour rhinestoned tracksuit, so it was super relatable. And as I'm still in a costuming rut, something easy to make and comfy to wear was also appealing.

Because the costume felt so indulgent and was meant to be a laid-back project, I didn't want to invest a lot of money in it, so I got a tracksuit second hand and some cheaper (but still beautiful) clear resin rhinestones. The lettering could really be done with any uniform size, and that may be how they made hers, but with only blurry references it's hard to tell. So I got 6mm, 5mm, 4mm, and 3mm to give it some variation.

I made a digital template/stencil of the lettering from screencaps and tweaked it to account for perspective. I don't do much digital work in costuming, so it was fun to use a new tool, even for something basic. I sized it based on standard 8.5x11" printer paper and did some (awkward) mock-up tests, and it ended up being pretty perfect.

Using the template as a stencil, I lightly painted the letters onto the pants with silver Jacquard fabric paint. Referring to both the template and screencaps, I started gluing the largest 6mm rhinestones in the places that looked the most prominent, then went down in size filling in more of the letters. I mostly used the larger sizes for the bulk of the letters, and used the smaller sizes to fill in gaps between them and smooth out edges. This gave the letters a really nice shape. I used E6000 for the gluing based on tutorials by the shop I got the rhinestones from, and it worked great. A wax pencil was also very handy.

This was my first time rhinestoning (?) fabric and it was so much fun. I'm already thinking about doing a second Agatha tracksuit but experimenting by filling in the letters with just tiny 2mm or 3mm rhinestones for a more uniform look. 

There are a few wonky spots where I painted outside the lines or had to remove and reglue rhinestones and left some residue, so I might try to disguise that with some purple paint. The tracksuit I bought also fits a little odd—despite being a matching set, the pants are just this side of indecently tight but kind of perfect that way, but the jacket is a good size too big in comparison. So I may take the jacket in so it fits a little more tightly like hers. But it's completely wearable and overall I'm so, so happy with how it turned out.
 

I already have a white t-shirt to wear under it, and I'll likely improvise the shoes with some generic sneakers (I do have an old pair of Reeboks that might fit the '90s aesthetic). This would be a great opportunity to skip a wig because my hair is the perfect color, but it's also too short right now. I'm in the process of growing it out so I may wait and see if it's long enough by the time I have a reason to wear this.

I have no definite idea when or where that'll be. At the very least it needs a photoshoot. A friend of mine does a wonderful Wanda (in many different incarnations) so when I fell in love with Agatha I told her I'd be her evil counterpart, and she was so excited when she found out I was doing this costume specifically. It would also be fantastic for a lazy day at a con or for staying in costume but being comfortable during post-con evening shenanigans. I may even be bold enough to wear it in Real Life.

As silly as it is, I love this costume and I'm super glad it was my first completed costume build of the year (and of the pandemic!).

Stay tuned!

*Tagging this as "historical costume" feels so... ugh. Not just because it doesn't feel like historical costuming or look like any of the other historical sewing I do, but also because I lived through the '90s and thinking of that as "historical" in any sense is jarring. But for the sake of accuracy and tagging continuity...

Hamilton - King George Crown 2.0

He said "you'll be back" and he was right.

My King George crown has been done for about two years now, and even right after I finished it I thought about the inevitable version 2.0. I've been staring at the crown for all that time but never had the motivation to jump back into it. I'd kind of moved on, both to other parts of the King George costume and just other projects entirely. But with the show being released in film format last summer, I got the bug again and started finally making steps towards version 2.0 with some specific upgrades and changes: template size, gold surface, and rhinestone details.

The main problem with the original template for the horizontal fleur-de-lis and cross band was the length. It was too long for the 24" sign I used as the base material, so the cross in the back had to be cut from a separate piece and glued in which was a little unsightly. The finished length was also longer than the band on the base hat which was about 23", creating a gap between the crown piece and the hat and widening the profile. It made the whole thing a little bobble-headed and oversized on me.

So for 2.0, I remade the template in a few different sizes. I liked the size of the individual fleur-de-lis and crosses themselves so I wanted to just shorten the length of the piece rather than completely scale it down. The only place to do that was in the gaps between the fleur-de-lis and crosses, and on the last template I basically removed that whole gap.

The finished length was almost exactly 24" and it didn't disrupt how the fleur-de-lis and crosses sit next to each other (they weren't squished too close together) so it worked perfectly.

The other, and even more problematic, big issue was the gold finish. I went through so many paints on the first version before finally settling on the Montana Gold chrome. It looked pretty dang good, even though I botched the primer and didn't get as clean a finish as I could have. But it didn't take long for the finish to corrode with fingerprints and what I can only describe as oxidization. That's because I didn't seal it, which at the time was a trade-off for not dulling down the bright finish. It's been frustrating to see the paint darken and dull, but I was able to make peace with it after deciding that first crown was a prototype and knowing I'd do an improved remake. But I don't want to use paint again, at least not spray paint, so that puts me back at square one for the gold again.

One of the first gold tests I did way back on the first crown was an adhesive vinyl/mylar sort of stuff.

At the time time I scrapped it because I couldn't get it to behave how I wanted on the curved strips: it lays nice on the outside of the curve, but on the underside the edges buckled and wouldn't stay adhered even with notches cut. But I'd loved how amazingly reflective it is. This time I played with it a little more and figured out some ways around the earlier problems, and decided that was what I'd use for the second crown.

Good color, amazing surface, pretty resilient stuff considering I've had the same sheet of it for at least six years (if not longer) and it hardly has a blemish. (The scratches and dimples on this test piece are from not cleaning the plastic surface before applying it and intentionally scratching it to see just how resilient it is.)

But then I started really comparing it to the finish on the stage-used crown instead of just hyperfixating on "ooh, shiny!" and I realized the stage crown has more of a soft finish.

Still super gold, still smooth. But it's not like a mirror. So now I'm rethinking the surface again, which continues to be the biggest challenge to this whole prop. Next step will probably be getting samples of some adhesive vinyls that are a softer, kind of brushed gold instead of mirrored to see how I like that finish. I'm also thinking about finding someone who can cut the pieces out of brass for me.

The other and most superficial upgrade is all the little bits and bobs on the crown, namely rhinestones and metal filigree stampings. What I used the first time worked really well, but there was room for improvement. I bought all the rhinestones in silver settings rather than gold, figuring they wouldn't show or I could just paint them along with the rest of the crown, but gold settings would be better (especially now that I'm not doing any real painting). Some rhinestones ended up a little too small based on my size estimates, and others I realized after more research were the wrong shape. I also wanted to add some of the filigrees that I'd skipped the first time.

So:
-5mm red cabochons and 18mm clear cabochons on the top cross -> flat-back rhinestones. The rhinestones aren't necessarily more accurate, but they match the faceted design of all the other stones so the continuity looks more aesthetically pleasing to me.
-4mm round clear individual rhinestones on the ball -> 6mm rhinestone sparse chain. The larger rhinestones better match the proportions, and the sparse chain includes the gaps between stones.
-4mm round clear rhinestones on the gold squares -> 4mm and 5mm on the squares that have oval gems, and just 5mm on the plain squares. The 4mm rhinestones kind of got lost next to everything else and the finished result looked a little more subtle than is accurate, so the 5mm will be more sparkly and ostentatious. 5mm doesn't quite fit on the edges around the oval gems, so those will stay 4mm.

-Add the setting under the 13x18 red oval rhinestones on the vertical strips. Don't know why I skipped these.

-Large cluster of 3mm and 4mm rhinestones around the 8mm clear rhinestones on the fleur-de-lis -> just three 4mm rhinestones on each side of the 8mm trio.

-6x12 navette clear rhinestones on the crosses -> 5x10 clear rectangle rhinestones. The rectangle shape looks more accurate and has a slightly larger profile so again, more sparkly and ostentatious.
-18mm round clear rhinestones in center of crosses -> 18mm square rhinestones. The square is more accurate.
-Add the rectangular filigrees to the edges of the crosses. I don't know why I skipped them last time.
-Use larger clovers and add the flat-back gold pearls around the 18mm rhinestones in the cross centers. Just more accurate. I have two options: the filigree clover which is larger and open (just wire-work, not a solid piece) or the plain setting which is solid and smaller. The solid setting is more accurate and will be easier to glue neatly, but the wire filigree has cleaner edges.

-Add extra square filigrees at the top of each vertical strip. I skipped them before because I thought the curve of the strip would be too extreme to get the filigrees to lay flat enough. This time I'm just going to make it work.
-3mm round clear rhinestones -> all removed or replaced with 4mm. Some of the 3mm were ultimately unnecessary, and the others were too small to be appropriately noticeable.

There are also some other incidental changes to materials and construction. Getting rid of basically all painting meant the ball at the top has to be shiny gold already, so I'm switching to a gold Christmas ornament for that. I'll also be adding patches of black fur to the white fur trim instead of coloring the fur.

Since I've done this once before and was pretty pleased with the result despite mostly having no idea what I was doing, I'm pretty confident in this second version.

Hocus Pocus - Fabric Galore

This project is definitely not really in progress right now but I've been dabbling with fabric research and swatches again, so in the spirit of sharing something new that's not just a recap of last year I figured I'd post it (and on Halloween of all days!).

I knew going in that this project would require a lot of research and trial and error, and fabric swatches are a key part of that. But I don't think I've ever ordered so many swatches for a project, and especially not this many types of fabric.

Winifred:
The coat:

Beautiful, luscious green velvet.

Sheer sleeve trim.

Sheer sleeve trim.

Coat lining.

I still had a swatch of kelly green velvet for the coat from when I dabbled with these costumes years ago, and I still love this fabric so much.

Kelly green micro velvet via Fabric Wholesale Direct

I've swatched some other velvets and looked at a few in stores and nothing has beat this, so it's definitely a winner.

Mint green chiffon and olive sheer voile for the coat sleeve trim.

Mint green chiffon via Fabric Wholesale Direct

Olive sheer voile via Fabric Wholesle Direct

I've been back and forth on these constantly. I like the drape of the chiffon better, but I think it's a little too vibrant and opaque. The voile is a bit stiff and just looks and feels a little more polyester plastic-y, but I think the more subtle color and sheerness are a better screen match. Then again, the chiffon seems closer to some of the display photos. Then again, washing and handling seems to help with some of the voile's stiffness. This might take some actual yardage to see how it drapes and moves.

Poly lining in sage green, pistachio, and dark sage for the coat lining.

Sage green poly lining via Fabric Wholesale Direct

Pistachio poly lining via Fabric Wholesale Direct

Dark sage poly lining via Fabric Wholesale Direct

In person, the sage is lighter and more seafoam-y, so there's actually more of a contrast between them. But I'm leaning towards pistachio or dark sage. The pistachio compliments the velvet okay and is a nice light color that should take purple dye well, while the dark sage blends in with the velvet and will be a more subtle contrast (which I think I prefer). I still need to do some dye tests with purple to see how the finished result would look.

The dress:

Sleeve lace and undersleeve netting.

Sleeve lace.

Kelly green peachskin and kelly green challis for the body of the dress.

Kelly green peachskin via Fabric Wholesale Direct

Kelly green rayon challis via Fabric Wholesale Direct

These were pretty close, but the peachskin is just a little better in terms of color (a little more yellow-green) and weight (a little heavier). It also barely wrinkles, while the challis wrinkles really easily, and I'm all for low-maintenance costumes.

Purple crinkle poly, purple crushed charmeuese satin, and plum crushed charmeuese satin for the center panel of the dress.

Purple crinkle poly via Fabric Wholesale Direct

Purple crushed charmeuese via Fabric Empire

Plum crushed charmeuese via Fabric Empire

The crinkle is pretty much perfect. It has a very faint sheen, which I think will help it move well without being too shiny, and the texture and color are a dream: perfect little uniform crinkles, and a really nice rich purple that ranges from nearly perfect to just a little warm depending on the dress photo. The plum crushed charmeuse isn't quite vibrant enough, but the purple has a really nice color, and even having more sheen it seems to still match the dress pretty well. This might just come down to preference of wrinkles.

Off white cotton crochet lace for the dress sleeve trim.

Via lacejamila on Etsy

I actually found this for Billy's shirt first, and then realized that Winnie's lace was really similar (just purple instead). So I decided to double up and just get more of the same stuff and dye it purple. As a rule I generally hate dyeing things, but lately I've been using Dye-Na-Flow more and more, and it takes a lot of hassle out of the process. This project has a lot of unavoidable dyeing anyway, so what's a little more? And having Billy and Winnie wear the same lace is kind of fun on a meta level.

For the undersleeves, I'll be buying purple cheesecloth and weaving it through with yarn for the lines.

Because of how I think the dress needs to be constructed, the green will probably be lined in front, and for that I'll use the same green poly I choose for the coat lining.

The petticoat:

Petticoat hem visible under dress.

Petticoat and trim.

Cherry red crushed charmeuese satin and burgundy crushed charmeuese satin for the petticoat.

Cherry red charmeuese via Fabric Empire

Burgundy crushed charmeuese via Fabric Empire

I thought the burgundy would be the clear winner, but in person it's too purple-y (more like wine). The cherry red is a great color though. The texture is fun, and the wrong side is matte enough that it negates the worry I had about using satin as a cheap-but-maybe-not-so-accurate fabric option. But lately I've been thinking about the actual construction of the petticoat and how to make it more multi-purpose to use with other costumes. So I decided to make it like an 18th century petticoat to wear it for historical stuff too, and I'll end up just using the same cotton-poly broadcloth I've made my other petticoats out of.

Red venise lace (DressyJessie) for the petticoat trim.

Via DressyJessie on Etsy

Speaks for itself. BEAUTIFUL. Looking for the trim is actually what made me think about reusing the petticoat with other historical costumes, because I just want to show this off all the time.

The bloomers:

Bloomers fabric and trim. Shows what looks like a shorter row of pointed lace that goes over the top of the fringe.

Bloomers trim.

Bloomers trim.

Another potential sighting of the extra lace. The darker pointed lace at the top should be the petticoat, and I think the lighter, more scalloped lace in the center of the image might be the short lace that goes over the bloomers fringe.

Red diamond cut-out lace (Stylish Fabric) for the bloomers.

Via Stylish Fabric

I'm so, so happy to have found this, because it's a very close match for a very particular fabric. The bloomers might never show so it doesn't really matter what they look like (I could even go so far as to skip them), but just knowing how accurate they are will be gratifying.

Red knit ITY jersey, red interlock knit, red matte milliskin, red shiny milliskin, and red cotton jersey for the bloomers lining.

Red knit ITY jersey via Fabric Wholesale Direct

Red interlock knit via Fabric Wholesale Direct

Red matte milliskin via Fabric Wholesale Direct

Red shiny milliskin via Fabric Wholesale Direct

Red cotton jersey via Fabric Wholesale Direct

I came really close to just getting the usual poly lining, because it's cheap and works great. But with the outer diamond fabric being stretchy, I can cut the bloomers slimmer around the waist and hip to reduce bulkiness under the dress but still be comfy and able to move around. This only works if the lining stretches too, of course, so I decided to try a stretch knit. I have a thing about textures, and something about the feel of the interlock gives me the heebie-jeebies. But the ITY jersey is pretty nice: soft and fairly smooth, good stretch and color. The milliskins and cotton jersey are still pending the arrival of swatches, but I have high hopes for them.

Red venise lace fringe for the bloomers trim.

Via DressyJessie on Etsy

Like the petticoat lace, this is kind of self-explanatory. Beautiful stuff, and has just the right look. If I have leftovers from the petticoat I might add some of that to the bloomers too, for the hypothetical extra row of lace at the top of the fringe. (I also have leftover venise lace from Lucille Sharpe's nightgown that would work for the extra row on the bloomers after a quick dye job.)

I was originally planning to do black suede boot covers for the shoes, and I still might, but first I'm going to try to permanently modify a pair of boots. If that doesn't work, I know Fabric Empire has great faux suede.

Billy: 
Billy's stuff is so distressed and decayed, that on the one hand I have a little more wiggle room than usual with the fabric choices because it won't look the same after so I don't have to worry about matching so much; but on the other hand, it'll help to choose fabrics that are already textured to make the distressing process easier and add some visual interest. Color is also tricky, because the coat and breeches are weathered differently, and all of Billy's scenes take place at night and aren't well-lit.

The coat:

Lots.

Of.

Texture.

Brown cotton gauze and various cheesecloth for the coat.

Dark brown gauze via FabricPlanet on Etsy

Obviously I won't be using pink cheesecloth on Billy, but it gets the textural point across.

The gauze is fairly lightweight, so if I go that route I might have to play with interfacing (depending on how the gauze layers with lining). The cheesecloth adds great texture, but I'm worried it'll hide so much of the gauze I'd be better off using a plain cheaper fabric as the base. Which would be fine, but I do like the gauze for the option of tearing holes in the cheesecloth so texture still shows through from underneath. I really admire Cosmicsaur's amazing Billy coat, so I might do a similar technique and apply small strips of shredded fabric for the tattered bits, rather than having a whole solid ratty layer. In that case, the gauze will look nice for an overall distressed look that more rotten spots can be created on top of. I'm also thinking about cutting the coat pieces so the slightly pleated texture of the gauze runs horizontally to help match some of the texture seen on screen.

Brown crushed charmeuese satin and brown crinkle polyester for the coat lining.

Brown crushed charmeuese via Fabric Empire

Brown crinkle poly via Fabric Wholesale Direct

The lining was a bit of a challenge, because I need something that can facilitate movement with the shirt and waistcoat (not let the coat cling to the other layers) but it can't look too crisp/modern/pristine. So these fabrics are a lifesaver. The crushed satin has a more random and distressed crushed pattern which looks like natural weathering, and the wrong side of the fabric is matte enough to be a little more subtle (and again, look more dusty/old and less shiny/fresh). The crinkle poly has a more uniform and subtle pattern, and the fabric is more matte. The lining looks green-ish in the movie, but I'm hesitant to stray from the brown-grey-black palette and neither of these fabrics come in an appropriate dark green. So that'll take some consideration.

The breeches:

Brown cotton gauze again (?).

Dark brown gauze via FabricPlanet on Etsy

The coat and breeches look like they're different fabrics, but it's hard to tell with the heavier distressing on the coat versus the fairly intact breeches (and again, the low lighting throughout Billy's scenes). My current theory is to use the same fabric as though they were a matching suit, and then let the layering/weathering on the coat distinguish them a bit.

Based on the texture in that behind-the-scenes photo, I'm also thinking about maybe some twills or tweeds for the coat and breeches.

??? for the waistcoat.

It's been incredibly hard to find a fabric that's affordable, non-stretch, black and gold/silver, and striped in the right width. This might come down to making my own. Luckily plain black fabric can be had just about anywhere for cheap enough (I might even have enough in the stash) and I already have tons of gold/silver paint. (The waistcoat stripes look gold-ish to me, if anything. But the buttons are all silver and the metallic trim looks silver too, so I might just do silver or at least grey stripes to make it all match—which is what makes sense both historically and for the character color palettes in the movie.)

The shirt:

Shirt and ruffle.

Lace ruffle detail.

Lace cuffs.

Ivory cotton gauze for the shirt.

Ivory gauze via FabricPlanet on Etsy

Basic cotton gauze is basic, but it's just about a perfect texture match, so that's a blessing.

Off white cotton crochet lace for the dress sleeve trim.

Via lacejamila on Etsy

Again, this is the same stuff that I'll use on Winifred's dress sleeves. I'm scared and excited to shred it.

Mary:
Mary is kind of a unique part of this project in that the costume is more or less technically done. For version 1.0 I did manage to finish her whole outfit, if not to the standard I wanted, so for version 2.0 I could keep everything and just do upgrades. But there are distinct things I want to change, so more likely I'll be repurposing just some bits and pieces and completely remaking others.

The vest:

Vest and shirt.

Vest cape.

Vest cape.

I used burlap for the old vest, and it looked okay but was stiff and hell to work with. I didn't want to deal with that again, so I got a sort of twill fabric that's a lot easier to handle and more pliable. The cape on the back of the vest was leftover red voile from Mary's skirt, and I'll probably do the same thing again (or likewise use leftovers from whatever I remake the red skirt out of).

The shirt:

I've continually struck out finding the right kind of orange checked/striped fabric for the shirt, so last time I got dark saffron voile and planned to stitch on the stripes.

Dark saffron voile via Fabric Wholesale Direct

I ran out of time to do the stitching, but I liked the fabric. So that's still a viable option for the remake, but this time around I'm looking for striped fabric again and I've found a few contenders with a white checked cotton in red and orange.

Red check cotton via WarmKittyQuilts on Etsy

Orange check cotton via WarmKittyQuilts on Etsy

It'll have to be dyed of course, but again with this being a dye-heavy project I'm not too worried about this piece. Also being cotton, it'll be an easy process no matter what I use. The different stripe colors give me some options, and I'll do dye tests on both because I don't want the orange stripe to disappear into an orange base or the red stripe to be too bright/contrasted. The simplicity and scale of the stripe pattern seems pretty spot on, too.

The apron:

I'm happy-ish with the fabric I have, and I don't know I'll ever find something affordable that's better.

Perfectly hideous, or hideously perfect?

So for now the plan is to disassemble the pieces, weather and slightly customize everything, and then reassemble them more or less the same way (with a few little technical upgrades). But I'm also getting some crazy ideas about knitting the apron with specialty yarn. So we'll see what happens.

The skirt:

Outer plaid skirt.

Red and houndstooth layers in the skirt.

Houndstooth visible under the plaid, with less difference in skirt length than in display photos.

The skirt was the most properly finished piece so it more than anything else could be reused, but it could use some tweaks too. I'm also thinking about taking a different approach to the construction, so I might just sell the finished skirt to fund materials for a completely new one. Whether I use the finished skirt pieces or buy more yardage, I'll stick with the same plaid I already have unless I find something better by chance.

Madras plaid 1402 via Fabric Wholesale Direct

I skipped the houndstooth layer last time, mostly because I couldn't find a woven fabric in a large enough pattern. Last year while thrifting I found a scarf that's the perfect fabric, and there's just enough to make a short fake layer that'll be attached to the underside of the plaid along the hem.

I also want to replace the red under-layer, because the voile likes to stick to the plaid so the whole thing doesn't drape or move right. As an alternative, I'm looking at red crinkle poly and red peachskin.

Red crinkle poly via Fabric Wholesale Direct

Red peachskin via Fabric Wholesale Direct

Either of these are silky enough they should move well under the plaid, so it'll just come down to color and texture.

The bloomers:

Bloomers under the skirt hem

Close-up of the lace trim.

I didn't do bloomers before, mostly to save time and money, but I want to add them now for the same reason I'm doing Winnie's bloomers: because I can, and because accuracy is cool. I haven't found any definitive photos yet, but the fabric is probably plain white like the trim, so I'll just use something from the stash. For lace, I'll probably get something suitable from the shops I'm getting the other laces from. These are a few good options.

Via DressyJessie on Etsy

Via DressyJessie on Etsy

Sarah:
Isn't my responsibility anymore. For the full Sanderson Sisters trio a friend of ours will be doing Sarah, so while I have some theories and might chime in with ideas from time to time,  I'm not doing full-blown research and not constructing anything. Bless.

I'm sure I'll be back and forth on these right up until I order the fabric and start sewing, but for now I'm pretty happy with having things this organized.

 

Happy Halloween, all! And stay tuned!