Vicky's Examples - United Kingdom

Eowyn - Green Gown

I used Simplicity 9891 and made the bulk of the dress from green cotton velvet. For the sleeve edgings, collar and front panel on the dress I used some old brocade curtains which I dyed a dark green. I know there has been a lot of discussion about whether the front panel is a separate skirt but I think it looks just as good either way. It was a complete nightmare trying to get the fabric to lie flat in the front panel though as I made it first with the velvet and then literally cut a section away from the front of the dress. This was fairly stupid as I’m sure it would have been much easier to have cut the right shape in the first place, but it was such a great learning process that it wasn’t without benefit. The belt is from a UK department store and cost about £25.

Arwen - Arch Dress

I also used Simplicity 9891 for this version of the arch dress. I decided to use real velvet instead of crushed velvet as I don’t particularly like the look of crushed velvet. The sleeves are not as long as they should be (a mistake whilst cutting out!) but they’re lined with pink satin. Because of the fact that I used a different type of fabric and one that is a much stronger colour than that used in the film I chose not to add the belt to this costume. The hair jewel was made by linking a few simple bits of chain from a local craft shop to a piece of braiding

Elrond - Council Robes

The main Council robes are made from red cotton velvet. I used Simplicity 5840 and just changed the shape of the sleeves slightly and didn’t add the cowl. I added a rolled collar to the neckline and edged the sleeves with the original colour brocade curtains which were also used in Eowyns’s dress.

The Under-robes are made from a silver satin type fabric (I’m not sure exactly what type of fabric it is!) and I used Butterick 3249. I joined the front seam up to the waist and added buttons from the waist to the neck. Because of the nature of the fabric the join at the front doesn’t actually show. I added the mandarin collar and embroidered the elven design onto the front of the robes.

The crown is made using a mask making technique which Since I don’t work in metal I decided to use a technique that I learnt on a recent course I attended. It uses gummed paper in a similar way that you would use papier mache. I made a mould of the head, waited for it to dry, cut out the shape I wanted of Elrond’s crown and then spray painted it silver.

Sam

For Sam’s shirt I used Simplicity 5925 and made it from a soft creamy coloured calico. I decided to use wooden buttons as it seemed more appropriate for a gardener. The yoke and collar of the shirt are re-enforced inside with some plain white cotton since the calico was so soft I didn’t want the garment to stretch.

For Sam’s waistcoat I also used Simplicity 5925. I wanted to use a woollen fabric but couldn’t find anything locally which would suffice so I ended up using a standard suiting and lined it with suit lining. I was quite nervous about how it would come out but I’m really pleased with the result. I added two pockets quite low down on either side and then painted the white stripes on using white fabric paint.

The trousers again used the same pattern and I chose a dark brown suiting to make them with. One thing I discovered is that it’s fairly hard to find winter type fabrics in the summer where I live and so again even though its not quite what I wanted I’m happy with the end result.

For the hobbit cloak I used the pattern and instructions detailed on ACS, which was invaluable so thank you to everyone who put in so much time and effort to help people like me out! I bought a basic wool fabric in cream and dyed it grey. I re-enforced the neckline with interfacing as suggested and used a plain old grey button for the clasp. I didn’t quite have enough fabric so it’s a little shorter than I would have liked but the overall effect is great. This is my favourite of the ones I’ve done.

Aragorn - Strider

For Aragorn’s duster I used Simplicity 3249 and for the jerkin I used Butterick 5994. I used real cowhide to make both and having never worked with leather before found the help from the group invaluable. I cut the pieces and used Adam’s suggestion of gluing them to hold the pieces in place while I sewed some of the seams. The jerkin is laced with leather thonging from the bottom of the garment to the waist but the rest of the seams are sewn using a special sewing needle for leather but normal thread. On the duster all the pieces are laced together and the only seam which is sewn is across the shoulders. I then set about trying to distress the leather to make it look old and worn. First I used paint stripper to strip the finish off the leather making it look very dull and scuffed, I then used a product called Fullers Earth which I mixed with leather cleaner and treated the leather with which gave a dirty, muddy look.

For the shirt I used Simplicity 5925 and a soft cotton based fabric which I dyed a sort of terracotta colour. The ties are made from plain old string which I bought at a local DIY store

The trousers were made from McCalls 3658 and I used standard black cotton. I made the waist elasticated for speed.

The boots were made from an old pair of wellington boots. I cut a V shape out of the back and laced it back together with leather thonging. Then I spray painted them brown. This wasn’t a great method as they stayed sticky for days but for the purposes of a few photos they were okay.

Ringwraith

For the main pattern on the robes I used Simplicity 5840 but I didn’t overlock any of the fabric to give it a ragged look. I used a soft black t-shirt type fabric which gave me that great draped look in the photos. Once the main robe was made I used another probably 4-5 metres of fabric and literally sewed it into the neckline in long ragged pieces to try and get a more layered look. I know in the movie they used several different types of fabric but I couldn’t find any other fabric that looked quite right with what I already had so I stuck to one.

I had a go at the boots and gloves using the same method I had used for Elrond’s crown but it didn’t quite lend itself in the same way and so I decided that since for most of the time they weren’t on show the costume would be okay without.

See more photos and more notes on Vicky's website <here>

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This page was last updated 11/21/09