Rue
Series: Princess Tutu
Worn to: World Cosplay Summit 10, Sakuracon 11, Fanime 11
Difficulty: 5/5
Krystal and I always said that if we were ever given the opportunity to go to the World Cosplay Summit, we would make costumes from Princess Tutu. When we won, we were both ecstatic to go to Japan but I was also very nervous because I had never made such a large dress before. Also, I had a very short time to make it.
I started off with a historic dress pattern to use as a base and modified the heck out of the bodice. The bodice is 3 layers: stretch denim with steel and spiral boning, a jacquard and peach skin outer shell, and a polyester lining. All of my fabric started off white and I dyed it in a diluted mixture of brown and yellow fabric dye to achieve an ivory tint. The appliqué on the front of the bodice was purchased online and I used braided trim to create lines that radiate out from the appliqué. Next I took about 15-20 packs of crystals and hand sewed them along the bottom of the trim to help balance out some of the sparkle of the appliqué. Next I sewed rows of pearls onto the trim and added lace to the top to give the bodice some dimension. There is a separating zipper in the back.
I pattered the sleeves as 3 separate “balls” and sewed them together. I filled each section with polyfill and lined the inside with white cotton. I also added trim to the sleeves (along with pearls and crystals) and hand sewed small flowers onto each point where the trim overlapped with a row of pearls. There is about 8 yards of lace at the bottom of the sleeves and 2 layers per sleeve. The shoulder pieces are made from foam (the kind found in shoulder pads) and feather trim and are hand sewn to the bodice.
The skirts were kind of a mess because they involved so many layers. There was a hoopskirt underneath, a tulle petticoat on top, a bum roll (to create lift near my hips), a peach skin tiered underskirt, and a brocade overskirt, and 2 detachable brocade pieces. The underskirt was the most difficult piece and took the longest amount of time. Each tier is lined and has hand-gathered gold silk and silver trim attached to each piece. Each tier was sewn onto a cotton underskirt and has a waistband that closes with hook and eyes. Next, I sewed the brocade overskirt directly onto the underskirt. There are 2 separate brocade pieces that attach with snaps and/or decorative buttons.
Worn to: World Cosplay Summit 10, Sakuracon 11, Fanime 11
Difficulty: 5/5
Krystal and I always said that if we were ever given the opportunity to go to the World Cosplay Summit, we would make costumes from Princess Tutu. When we won, we were both ecstatic to go to Japan but I was also very nervous because I had never made such a large dress before. Also, I had a very short time to make it.
I started off with a historic dress pattern to use as a base and modified the heck out of the bodice. The bodice is 3 layers: stretch denim with steel and spiral boning, a jacquard and peach skin outer shell, and a polyester lining. All of my fabric started off white and I dyed it in a diluted mixture of brown and yellow fabric dye to achieve an ivory tint. The appliqué on the front of the bodice was purchased online and I used braided trim to create lines that radiate out from the appliqué. Next I took about 15-20 packs of crystals and hand sewed them along the bottom of the trim to help balance out some of the sparkle of the appliqué. Next I sewed rows of pearls onto the trim and added lace to the top to give the bodice some dimension. There is a separating zipper in the back.
I pattered the sleeves as 3 separate “balls” and sewed them together. I filled each section with polyfill and lined the inside with white cotton. I also added trim to the sleeves (along with pearls and crystals) and hand sewed small flowers onto each point where the trim overlapped with a row of pearls. There is about 8 yards of lace at the bottom of the sleeves and 2 layers per sleeve. The shoulder pieces are made from foam (the kind found in shoulder pads) and feather trim and are hand sewn to the bodice.
The skirts were kind of a mess because they involved so many layers. There was a hoopskirt underneath, a tulle petticoat on top, a bum roll (to create lift near my hips), a peach skin tiered underskirt, and a brocade overskirt, and 2 detachable brocade pieces. The underskirt was the most difficult piece and took the longest amount of time. Each tier is lined and has hand-gathered gold silk and silver trim attached to each piece. Each tier was sewn onto a cotton underskirt and has a waistband that closes with hook and eyes. Next, I sewed the brocade overskirt directly onto the underskirt. There are 2 separate brocade pieces that attach with snaps and/or decorative buttons.