Started - December 2006
First worn - San Diego ComicCon (2008)
Reference pics
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Final costume pics
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Pulling it all together
(This costume went through several stages before I stumbled across the right combination of items so it is a long process to get to the final costume.)
December 10, 2006
I found the yarn that I am going to use, unless I change my mind again. I went through four different yarns before deciding on the fifth. Of course, I'm still somewhat debating between the fourth and fifth but I'm going with the fifth for now. I also tore it out at least four times to get the right pattern, still not sold on it but I think it will work. The color is closer to the bottom picture, a nice barely cream color, but the design shows up a bit better on the top. It's knit three, purl one and then the opposite on the way back. I'm not really a knitter - I can manage a scarf and only that - so that's the only way I know how to describe it.
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Last weekend, Bryan and I drove around to six local Jo-Ann's stores to find all of the skeins that I need. I knitted one skein and determined that I needed 15 skeins. The last store had nine skeins and that brought my total to 16 but I figured one extra would be a good thing since it seems that this yarn is being discontinued.
I have just barely started on the fourth skein and it's approximately four feet long. I will have to block it when I'm done because it is curling up and making a very nice tube, or pair of tubes actually, but since I don't want a tube, I get to figure out how to block.
December 18, 2006
My scarf is now just over 6 feet long and I'm nearly done with the sixth skein. It looks the same as it did last week except it's a bit longer so no new pics.
January 8, 2007
It's been awhile since I've updated this page even though I've worked on it quite a bit. It's just a little boring to say that I've knitted yet another foot or so. So the update on the scarf is that it is now 10.5 feet and I've used 8 skeins. I think I mis-calculated how many skeins I had used last update. There was at least one skein hiding when I did the count. Anyway, I'm over half done knitting the scarf and it is getting rather long.
I've also found a lovely blue wool. The costume is supposed to be pinkish/mauvish but I'm not too keen on the colors and have always considered making it blue instead. Blue is my favorite color so I have a tendency to think that everything should be blue. Right now I don't think I have enough but it is a clearanced fabric so I'm not sure that I will be able to find more. If so, yeah! If not, back to the pink wool quest.
February 5, 2007
So out of the yarn graveyard, I started another scarf out of one of the previously discarded yarns. I knitted out more than I had before and decided I liked it quite a bit more than previously thought. So, we'll see how far I get on it but it's way down on the list. The white of this scarf might look better with the blue wool than the cream scarf so it's an option until I run out of time or find the perfect shirt fabric.
And just to prove that I am still working on the cream scarf, pics of the blocking process!
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I'm not too keen on blocking either. I tried dunking it in water and then pinning it down and letting it dry. That sorta worked. I wasn't too happy with it though and talk about time consuming. I'm too impatient. I read online that ironing would work too. However, my scarf is somewhat squishy and I didn't want that to go away, I just want it to stop making a tube. So, I'm using my steamer now. It seems to be working but I'm not done yet so we'll see. (I have since found out how to actually block something - pinning it to a floppy towel isn't going to work nearly as well as pinning to a solid surface.)
February 20, 2007
Very slow progress on my scarf. I keep forgetting to steam it so it just sits. I'm down to the last two sections though so I should be done by the end of the week, done with the steaming that is.
In other news, we are now the proud owners of sonic screwdrivers. Bryan's will move and is rather heavy for what it looks like. Mine is much more delicate, as is appropriate. I won them off of eBay after losing the first auction. Thankfully the seller had more and I was able to get a set afterall. I think they will be the perfect finishing touch to the costumes. Of course, I don't think Romana gets her own screwdriver in this episode (oh darn, going to have to watch the episodes again to find out when she gets her screwdriver) but recently I've been wanting to make another one of her costumes so it might be perfect for later on as well. I'm still going to have it with this costume just because I like it. =)
March 25, 2007
I've decided that the scarf isn't going to work. It keeps curling up no matter what I do with it and it's really thick and when will I ever be happy with my scarf? I've started it at least ten different times with just about that many different yarns.
On a recent trip to LA, I found the shirt fabric! It matches the yarn for the scarf just about perfectly. However, since I've decided that the scarf isn't going to work, the shirt fabric prolly won't work either. I didn't like the fabric so much anyway, it's poly. =) Then I found the rayon for the trim and it looked good there but I don't like it at home so much.
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I'm thinking of going with the dupioni that I had planned to use for an Elizabethan doublet. The first pic is with the dupioni and the second is with the rayon.
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May 22, 2007
Not much of an update because I haven't done anything other than change my choice of fabrics...again. I found this 'lilac' suiting that is polyester so I'm not too keen on that and it really does look purple in some lights - but always a pinkish purple - but it should be much more recognizable than blue. I'm not planning on doing anything with this until the end of June so it will be awhile before this is updated again. However, with the way I update the website, it will prolly work into the next update. =)
June 8, 2007
I have started work on yet another Romana scarf. It is just in testing stage to make sure that I like the edge finish before I commit to it but it seems to be looking good so far.
June 13, 2007
The edge finish that I was doing was looking good but taking forever! Considering that the scarf is around 5 yards long, I might have finished the scarf in time for ComicCon but the rest of the costume would still be just fabric. So, I got more thread and tried out several different stitches/lengths on the serger. Found one that looked almost the same and serged it right up. Hemming is done. YEAH!!! I am now working on getting the fringe thick enough but the new computer has been distracting me so it's going slowly. I have re-watched the first two episodes of Destiny of the Daleks and figured out a few more things. I am currently looking for boots for but that isn't going nearly as well as I had hoped for. Hopefully this weekend so I can start the muslin.
August 14, 2007
One of my eBay purchases came in today - the boots for Romana! I was really worried about them after shopping for my granny boots this weekend. I ended up needing to get a 9.5 for those boots - a full size larger than normal - and the Romana boots were a 9. I decided to go large when I bought them so I could wear socks comfortably. Good thing too, these fit a bit snug with socks but fit nicely, maybe a tiny bit snug, with trouser socks. So I can officially go ahead with Romana since I now have boots. They're not quite perfect and I would like to tear them apart to make them better but that can wait until the costume is done since they work as is.
This costume (obviously) didn't get done in time for ComicCon but I am delusional enough to think I might be able to get it done for Dragon*Con at the end of the month. But I really do have to choose which costumes to work on since Romana isn't the only costume in the works at the moment. It would have been easier if the boots hadn't fit but then I would have been back to searching for a pair and I've been looking since January so that isn't a happy thought. I'm glad they work but now which costumes do I work on? The joys of last minute planning and sewing. =)
February 11, 2008
This costume obviously didn't get done in time for anything last year since I'm still working on it... I have plans for it this year though so hopefully this will be done by the end of July for ComicCon. So far, the only thing new that I've done is work on the scarf and find yet more new fabric for Romana's costume.
New shirt fabric is a bit of a mystery fabric (label was less than helpful - Various) but it has at least some cotton in it so it's better than the poly stuff I had before.
And the scarf is done!!
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The scarf took a lot of different turns but I just wasn't able to knit fine enough to get it to work so I found some this linen blend fabric that behaved the way I wanted it to. I kind of wish I had done the edge all by hand since I wasn't able to get it done in time anyway but I think I'm going to go with done is good. The fringe ended up taking forever but I like the way it turned out. This is a very nice thick fringe but I really hope static isn't an issue. Big ol' fuzzballs aren't quite the look I'm going for here.
June 1, 2008
I drafted out the jacket for Romana but instead of doing what I thought I should, I did something slightly different. So now I have to go back and do what I thought I should do. =P Someday I will learn to trust my instincts but until then, I need more muslin.
So the jacket needs some more work but the shirt muslin is good to go. At least it looks good so far but I want to see how it looks with the jacket before just going ahead with it. The pants needed a lot of work - that was expected. These are some pretty weird pants in comparison to the pants I normally make. The waistband extends above my natural waist and I normally make pants a couple inches below my waist. I'm not too concerned about it since they will be pretty much totally covered up by the jacket but I do tend to be a perfectionist so a second muslin was needed. A few last tweaks are needed but they don't require another muslin so the pants are ready to be cut out! That just leaves the jacket muslin and then I can get started with the sewing!
June 10, 2008
Yay!!! The muslins for Romana is done!!!! I'm ready to cut it all out and get to sewing!! I tried the jacket muslin 2.0 yesterday and while closer, still not good. The muslin part of a costume is my least favorite part most of the time and I was so ready to be done with it and then it wasn't done. I kinda threw a fit, balled it all up, and ignored it for the rest of the night.
In a much better mood today, I went back to work on it some more. Changed the dart slightly and changed the angle of the waist. Tried it on and all the problems from yesterday were gone. Crazy how small changes can make HUGE differences but I'm taking it. The waist is a bit low but that's easily fixed without another muslin so I'm good to get started for real!!!
June 14, 2008
I have most of Romana's costume cut out. Of course, I'm waiting for some organza before I can finish the shirt and I can't get too far on the jacket until the shirt is done. That leaves just the pants. The silly ridiculous looking pants. Some progress is good, more would be better but what else is new...
June 15, 2008
The shirt just needs the sleeves set in and then I'm done! Well, as done as I can get until the organza comes in anyway. But only the front edge/neckline, hem, and closures will have to be done then so it will be mostly done once I finish the sleeves. I haven't quite decided what to do for the closures either. In some of the pics, it looks like the shirt just overlaps and there aren't any closures of any kind - especially in one pic... However, that cuts rather low then and I just don't trust the shirt to stay overlapped properly the entire day. Then again, the fabric is really quite sheer and modesty might dictate the necessity of a cami and then it really doesn't matter what the shirt does. =)
So, the progress pics (with the silly Abby petticoat just showing)...
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All seams are French seams and the hem of the cuff is bound in the same fabric. Right now elastic is gathering it up and I'm not sure that I like that but it seems to be the best I can come up without making it crazy complicated. Trying to simplify the way I do things especially when they're items that will barely be seen. Of course, the neckline is anything but simple... Baby steps...
June 18, 2008
Started the embroidery for the suspenders. It's going to look great once it's done but matching it up so it looks continuous is such a horrid process. The worst part is that no one will see it. The suspenders are completely hidden under the jacket! But I am strangely compelled to do the embroidery anyway. Also, I kinda forgot that I ran out of bobbin thread so I can only do one more stitch out before I have to run out and get more thread. Can't wait to put in my needle order and then I can order a cone of bobbin thread instead of these silly little spools that I get here. 10000yd cone vs 500yd spool. Yeah, I like the cone.
June 20, 2008
Not much of an update but I'm excited! I have bobbin thread so I can continue the embroidery and the organza came in and actually matched my shirt fabric!! So now I can finish that up.
June 21, 2008
The silly embroidery that won't be seen except for the maybe grand total of five minutes that I won't be wearing the jacket is done! I did need a decent amount of the bobbin thread so it was needed - I love it when I buy something and then actually need it because I have very often bought something because I suspected I would need it and then didn't. The main thread color - slightly off-white - came from stash because I happened to have that color. And since I had the color, I didn't bother calculating out how much I would need like normal. Good thing I happened to have two spools because the first one was nearly gone after the first half. =)
The only problem is that my marker is not washing out like it normally does. I had finished a little bit of it earlier this week and sprayed out the markings and it looked fine. Came back tonight and saw that it wasn't quite gone. Sprayed it again and again and it's better but still not quite gone. Most of it will be cut off and it is very pale now. I've sprayed it yet again and hopefully it will be gone now but at the very least, it will wash out when I throw it in the washer rather than just using a spray bottle. Lesson learned - always check to see if the marker will go away on each and every fabric no matter how many times it's been used without a problem. =/ I'm just glad that it is coming out. I had visions of the stupid Kaylee sleeves all over again.
June 22, 2008
I managed to get the fly done and that's it. On the plus side, it turned out quite nicely. It can't be seen that well which is a good thing in my mind. Also there is a strange white-ish line going across the top. It kept appearing when I was taking the pics and I couldn't figure out what was going on until I sat down to edit them. It's the reflection from the iron. =P I'm too lazy to get the camera ready again though so it will stay like this.
And in really happy news, it looks like the marker is completely gone on my suspenders. Yay!
June 27, 2008
I managed to sew the contrast to each side of the suspenders before work so I took them to work to finish them up. Pinning it down always takes longer than I think it will and we had a meeting so I didn't have that much time to work on them. I still managed to get one side of one strip sewn down and started the other side. Shouldn't take too long to finish them up and then I'm back to the machine and things should go fairly quickly.
June 29, 2008
Yup, the silliest pants I have ever made are done! No pics though because there really isn't a good way to take pics of pants unless they are being worn. I'm waiting until the shirt is done and then I can take a pic of everything but the jacket. =)
And the shirt is getting much closer to done. I have to finish pinning the binding around the front and then sew it down, finally set in those sleeves, and sew on a few snaps. That's all, so getting there. It did take much longer than expected (of course) but progress is progress. I should be able to start the jacket before I head off to work so while I haven't gotten nearly as far as I had hoped, at least some significant progress was made. Quick pic of the shirt...one side is pinned...
And I finished the suspenders yesterday! Well...except for clipping the threads in the embroidery...ooops...forgot about that...
June 30, 2008
Yesterday before work I managed to get the jacket body sewn together. Sounds kinda impressive but it's not. Now I have to figure out the pockets, lining, facing, binding, buttons, sleeves, and those cursed darts. I don't really like darts as a general rule but when I have to use them, I prefer to make a curved dart rather than a straight one. However, when I made a curved dart in the muslin, it looked horrible and the straight dart looked good. So I'm using a straight dart and I hate the way it looks so far. There's hope that it might look better once everything is put together. Otherwise, I'm changing it. Actually I've figured out how to make the jacket completely - except for a little bit of handsewing and the hem - and still be able to change those darts because I know I'm going to end up changing it. Stupid darts...
The shirt is going much better though. The neckline binding is completely done (slow-ish night at work so lots of sewing while watching Jeeves & Wooster) which leaves me with setting in the sleeves and sewing in a few snaps.
July 1, 2008
Romana's shirt is done!!
That is all.
July 4, 2008
Pic update!
The silly pants - bad pic but I'm not up to trying them on to get a better pic so this will have to do. And the shirt - with sleeves! And a closeup of the collar because I'm really happy with it despite it being horribly uneven. =P
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It doesn't look like much and I don't plan on wearing it closed like this but I felt the need to have pictorial evidence that I have in fact started the jacket.
July 10, 2008
I really do like to make things difficult for myself. I've really cut back on what I'm trying to do this year - by quite a bit actually - and there's still no chance of getting it all done because I have to make things all complicated. It takes virtually no time to whip up a jacket but not when you decide to try tailoring it properly. Why do I even get these things in my head? Who tailors a polyester jacket for a costume that will be worn once or twice? Well, I do, apparently...
Anyway, I started working on the jacket last weekend hoping that the long weekend would let me finish the jacket and start on Bryan's Doctor costume to match this one. It started off well enough. However, the book that I'm using to teach myself proper tailoring says that padstitching should be considerably smaller than what I did on my last jacket. Started in on that and one whole day later, I wasn't even half done with one side.
I finally finished the padstitching for one side last night at work and pinned it in place on the jacket. I was kinda hoping that it wouldn't make that much difference so I wouldn't have to do the other side. =) Of course, things didn't work out that way. It looks MUCH better with the padstitching. Now I have to decide if I want to do the jacket properly or be able to wear it to ComicCon. Of course I want to wear it to ComicCon but I hate not doing things properly - it takes the fun out of sewing for me. Plus if I don't do it properly, I'll never like it very much. But it's so close!
July 17, 2008
The jacket is finally showing some progress! I finished padstitching the main part, got it basted into the jacket, and I have one lapel padstitched. I'll do the other lapel at work tonight and then I'll be ready to make the jacket really look like a jacket.
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July 22, 2008
Still working on Romana's jacket. I really hope that I'm doing all of the 'support' stuff now and the 'fashion' stuff will come together really quickly because it's not looking at all finished right now. I don't have any more padstitching to do (THANKFULLY!!) but still quite a bit of handwork and I haven't started the sleeves or the pockets. It will get done though. Sleep is totally overrated.
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Jacket collar is next. Undercollar is in place and I just have to sew on the upper collar and I'll have a collar. And then binding and then it might look like a jacket. A sleeveless, pocketless, button/buttonholeless, unhemmed jacket but a jacket nonetheless. Okay, I'm going back to work now...
July 24, 2008
That jacket will get done!!!! Last night I even whipped up a bag (that would match my costume) so I could bring the jacket with me and work on it at the con. I'm completely breaking my rule but I want this costume done! It has sleeves now (the first pic is from yesterday) and I'm cutting out the pockets - two of the four won't actually be functional pockets so I'm cheating there but I think it's an acceptable cheat. And apparently I can't decide which way it should overlap... Anyway, back to the jacket since it will get done.
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July 27, 2008
Well, the jacket returned with me on Friday for more hand-sewing fun in line. Saturday started as soon as we got home with the mad rush to finish that jacket. I had finished my hand sewing during the day so back to machine sewing on that jacket. Things weren't going too smoothly and I was tired but determined to get it done and I did. However, by the time it was good enough to wear, Rhynn was up again and I had to finish getting ready and go back to the con. Yup, no sleep for me at all. But I got to wear a new costume!
I tried to sew a bit on the jacket white in line and wearing it since it still wasn't done. The hem was just basted in (looked horrible to me) and the buttons weren't sewn on. I got one button on before I decided it was a pain and then some and besides, the scarf covers the buttons anyway so who would notice if they were on or not?
After a pretty full day already, we wandered around waiting for the Doctor Who meetup. Of course, I was nervous like I always am when I'm joining a group. The jacket not being done, me being dead-tired, and the thought of pics being taken did not help at all either. If there was a Least-Photogenic award, I would win that without any hesitation. But everyone was really cool and the costumes!!! All the costumes looked so good! And it looks like we just have to go to GallifreyOne this year. Hmmm...time to start planning more costumes... =)
March 2, 2009
Well, if all goes well tonight - which it will - I will finish Romana's jacket except for giving it a good press. Started working on it last night and it will be done tonight. I seem to have this failing where I only need a few more hours and something will be done but I wait months to actually finish it. Kaylee's dress is the main one that I remember. On the plus side, I seem to be getting better. There was more work with Romana and it didn't take me nearly as long to get back to it. =) One hook and eye vs. hem and buttons and years vs. months. Definite improvement.
And that's it! Costume is finally finished and ready to be worn whenever! It took a long time and the rush before ComicCon wasn't ideal but it's done and I love wearing that jacket. Not keen on the polyester aspect of the suiting though so maybe I should make one out of wool now...
Hi, this coat is a dream, and you did such a great job after all the reearch and trials you've done. I also noticed the geeky bag and wonder if you consider selling the pattern as a pdf , there would be so many ways to personalise it. Its so good to know that other crazy sewers love the value of costume as a fashion source. I just wish I wasz about 4 years younger.:)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I've never thought about selling the pattern because it's really just a pentagon so there isn't much to the pattern itself. Coming up with instructions on how to put it together is intimidating but I might have to look into it if time allows. Thanks again!
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