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I was never originally going to make this one, but I found the fabric and since it was $.99 a yard, I
couldn't pass it up! I got it at Mill End Textiles in Rochester, MN, which is basically my favorite store
on the planet. I bought it in early August of 2004. There were two bolts when I got it, and they were
outside for a "sidewalk sale."
I think the fabric itself is actually woven, and then it's gathered into the crinkle look with elastic on the
backside. It was an off-white, so I had to experiment with dyeing. I was shooting for the color as I
remembered it from the DVD. So sad that this costume didn't make it into the movie! I kind of wanted
to make it in time for Halloween, but there were two problems with that. 1: Halloween was on a
Sunday that year, so fewer people would see it, and 2: since it's a deleted scene costume, only hardcore
SW fans would recognize it as Padmé. But I ended up wearing it last year anyway.
I hadn't done dyeing on a large scale for anything yet, and I had NO IDEA how to make the headband.
I really wanted to have it, because I think it's such a great part of that costume, plus I needed it to
cover the hair extension I end up doing, because I had just cut 12" off my hair and it wasn't long
enough to do Padmé styles anymore! (Not that I had ever had time to do them before, which is why I
had cut it.)
Anyway, while I was at Mill End I also found some silver velvet that would work to make the gorgeous
cape that she wears with it, but they only had a little more than three yards. And I think to make the
cape accurately would take more like six. So I had to try and find more of the same velvet, since I did
end up buying it anyway. Hey, it was on sale for $4.99 a yard! So, so far I had spent less than $20 on
this costume, which was a good thing! I mean, I was planning on going to Celebration III in eight
months and I wanted more than one costume.
I did the dyeing in October but was too nervous to start cutting out the dress for a while. I used RIT
dye in Teal, and it turned out the perfect color! At least, it looked the way I thought it should look. I
know that different pictures of the dress look different colors, but I wanted the really rich turquoise
blue color from the screen shots of the deleted scenes.
Anyway, I finally started cutting things out while I was home on Christmas break. I started by making
a muslin with a turquoise knit that I was planning on using for the lining. I really wish I had taken
pictures of my progress, but alas, this was before my dad bought his digital camera. Next time I go
home I'll make up for it by taking detailed shots of the bodice inside and out to show my process, as
well as the weird piecing I was forced to do on the skirt because I was dumb and only bought three
yards when I had the chance to buy so much more. I just didn't realize how much fabric it would take!
For the shoes I used reasonably comfy flat white dress shoes that I never wore anymore, and painted
them with a combination of turquoise and silver paint, and sealed it with a clear acrylic varnish. I was
originally planning on using the same technique for the headband, but that didn't end up happening
because I ran out of time. Instead I cut up an old turquoise vinyl vest that had belonged to one of my
younger sisters, and seriously threw the thing together after I got to Indianapolis the first night of the
convention. So it wasn't the best, but it would do in a pinch.
I used beads for the trim on the bodice. They weren't exactly right, but they looked all right. They are
light and dark turquoise plastic faceted diamond-shaped beads, and I strung them every-other one light
and dark and hand-tacked the strings along the seams. I had a panic moment when I pricked my finger
and got blood on my bodice, though! I quickly dabbed the spots with cold water and it came out, but
ten minutes later I discovered that I had missed one little spot, and by that time it had dried and it was
NOT coming out! I experimented with OxiClean but it started taking the dye out instead of the blood,
so in the end I just hand-tacked two of the natural gathers of the fabric together to cover the spot. And
no one ever noticed!
I fortunately found more of the silver velvet that I bought three yards of back in August at Mill End
when I went back there in December. I found two remnants of just over a yard each, so I made the
cloak in one day, using the three-yard piece from before as the base and the two one-yard pieces for
the sleeves. I didn't use a pattern except for the sleeves, which I altered from a Medieval dress costume
pattern. Then I had to piece the hood from the scraps of the two sleeve pieces, and I lined it with silver
satin so the seams wouldn't show on the inside. It turned out pretty well, although of course I still wish
I had had more fabric. Oh well.
couldn't pass it up! I got it at Mill End Textiles in Rochester, MN, which is basically my favorite store
on the planet. I bought it in early August of 2004. There were two bolts when I got it, and they were
outside for a "sidewalk sale."
I think the fabric itself is actually woven, and then it's gathered into the crinkle look with elastic on the
backside. It was an off-white, so I had to experiment with dyeing. I was shooting for the color as I
remembered it from the DVD. So sad that this costume didn't make it into the movie! I kind of wanted
to make it in time for Halloween, but there were two problems with that. 1: Halloween was on a
Sunday that year, so fewer people would see it, and 2: since it's a deleted scene costume, only hardcore
SW fans would recognize it as Padmé. But I ended up wearing it last year anyway.
I hadn't done dyeing on a large scale for anything yet, and I had NO IDEA how to make the headband.
I really wanted to have it, because I think it's such a great part of that costume, plus I needed it to
cover the hair extension I end up doing, because I had just cut 12" off my hair and it wasn't long
enough to do Padmé styles anymore! (Not that I had ever had time to do them before, which is why I
had cut it.)
Anyway, while I was at Mill End I also found some silver velvet that would work to make the gorgeous
cape that she wears with it, but they only had a little more than three yards. And I think to make the
cape accurately would take more like six. So I had to try and find more of the same velvet, since I did
end up buying it anyway. Hey, it was on sale for $4.99 a yard! So, so far I had spent less than $20 on
this costume, which was a good thing! I mean, I was planning on going to Celebration III in eight
months and I wanted more than one costume.
I did the dyeing in October but was too nervous to start cutting out the dress for a while. I used RIT
dye in Teal, and it turned out the perfect color! At least, it looked the way I thought it should look. I
know that different pictures of the dress look different colors, but I wanted the really rich turquoise
blue color from the screen shots of the deleted scenes.
Anyway, I finally started cutting things out while I was home on Christmas break. I started by making
a muslin with a turquoise knit that I was planning on using for the lining. I really wish I had taken
pictures of my progress, but alas, this was before my dad bought his digital camera. Next time I go
home I'll make up for it by taking detailed shots of the bodice inside and out to show my process, as
well as the weird piecing I was forced to do on the skirt because I was dumb and only bought three
yards when I had the chance to buy so much more. I just didn't realize how much fabric it would take!
For the shoes I used reasonably comfy flat white dress shoes that I never wore anymore, and painted
them with a combination of turquoise and silver paint, and sealed it with a clear acrylic varnish. I was
originally planning on using the same technique for the headband, but that didn't end up happening
because I ran out of time. Instead I cut up an old turquoise vinyl vest that had belonged to one of my
younger sisters, and seriously threw the thing together after I got to Indianapolis the first night of the
convention. So it wasn't the best, but it would do in a pinch.
I used beads for the trim on the bodice. They weren't exactly right, but they looked all right. They are
light and dark turquoise plastic faceted diamond-shaped beads, and I strung them every-other one light
and dark and hand-tacked the strings along the seams. I had a panic moment when I pricked my finger
and got blood on my bodice, though! I quickly dabbed the spots with cold water and it came out, but
ten minutes later I discovered that I had missed one little spot, and by that time it had dried and it was
NOT coming out! I experimented with OxiClean but it started taking the dye out instead of the blood,
so in the end I just hand-tacked two of the natural gathers of the fabric together to cover the spot. And
no one ever noticed!
I fortunately found more of the silver velvet that I bought three yards of back in August at Mill End
when I went back there in December. I found two remnants of just over a yard each, so I made the
cloak in one day, using the three-yard piece from before as the base and the two one-yard pieces for
the sleeves. I didn't use a pattern except for the sleeves, which I altered from a Medieval dress costume
pattern. Then I had to piece the hood from the scraps of the two sleeve pieces, and I lined it with silver
satin so the seams wouldn't show on the inside. It turned out pretty well, although of course I still wish
I had had more fabric. Oh well.
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