Star Wars Episode 2 Packing Padme

I worked for months on my latest Star Wars costume: Padme’s Packing Gown from Star Wars Episode 2. After months of tracking down movie-accurate fabric, learning to crochet for the front piece, dying fabric, beading, embroidery and multiple trial and errors on fitting, I finished the night before the contest and won the Star Wars costume contest in the Padme category! Yay!!!!! My first big win!!!!!

My Award:

A owe a big thanks to ladies on theforce.net costume and props board and to Padwan’s Guide for their reference pictures.

Lots of people have asked me how I made this costume. Below is a list of materials used:

  1. 2 yards of crinkle silk chiffon from Thai Silks dyed grey with RIT

  2. 2.5 yards of silk velvet died Charcoal/teal for the vest

  3. 7 yards of woven poly for skirt from WalMart’s $1/yard section.

  4. 2 yards of Kona Cotton for the under-corset

  5. 4 yards of duck cloth- 2 layers for vest stiffness

  6. 4 yards of boning for vest and under-corset

  7. 1 yard of hook and eye tape and lots of eyelets

  8. 5 yards of silver taffeta for petticoat

  9. Hair Jewelry: 1 package of “bend n flex” sculpey, puff paint for texture, “buff n rub” paint in silver leaf and aqua paint.

  10. Front panel: gold and turquoise seed beads, turquoise ball beads, tulle net, gold braided thread, flat trim, silk embroidery floss and hand-crocheted chain stitching in light gray.

  11. Armbands: Making Memories Scrapbooking Molding strips with puff paint for raised texture, “buff n rub” paint in silver and aqua acrylic paint.

  12. Hair: felt and wire mesh rolled in fake hair extensions and attached to a headband

This is a picture of my dress and the Museum Replica’s dress. You just can’t mass produce hand beading:

I had a great time catching up with the veterans and familiar faces of the Star Wars costuming world such as Kay_Dee, Amaryllis and Jessica. I also was in the The 2008 Rebel Legion Photoshoot at DragonCon.

Me and Chris at the Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama in June 2010. It was a fabulous exhibit and I loved seeing actual movie costumes.

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