Wearables The Calien Project: Dressing a modern-day elf

And on the subject of Elrond - I took a look at his clothes, and boy do I love this design:


I'd have to see what fabrics I have ... I have silk, which might need dyeing if I don't want to go stark white, I have already dyed dark grey silk, soft and flowing slightly shiny lighter grey, and who knows what else ... and I really want to stick to what I already have, given the fact the fabric stash is threatening to take over the place.

I also love the wrap pants the LotR Elves have. I might end up going for a combination of designs - wrap pants, robes with an open front, and an overcoat like Elrond's grey one.
Somehow this has gone full fantasy and I don't think there's any going back at this point

 

awww thank you so much! I'm happy you like my stuff, and I'm even happier to inspire people to make things Fingers crossed you find some heatwave-free wig-making time! (And I just found your undergarments thread which amazes me quite as much, methinks )

Also, stash raid! Wheee!


Left side has three colours of faux suede; the brown shiny stuff is stretchy I-don't-know-what I had no idea I owned. Not a clue where that wandered in from (or for). The right side has greys: The darkest is the aforementioned dyed silk, the one with the woven patterns has shown up in white and green already (but drapes so perfectly I couldn't leave this when I spotted a piece of it in the sale bin at the fabric store), the lightest in the middle is - I don't even know. Ultra soft and slippery, and there's loads of it. I do remember what I wanted with this one, but there's plenty. It drapes perfectly for the pants, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to hem that! Maybe it's FrayCheck-compatible, otherwise it's out for anything but dresses.
Not pictured: White silk, white and green drapey stuff with woven patterns.

Nothing for a coat, though. Maybe faux suede instead of velvet ... ? But all I have looks too pale with the greys ... I'm thinking dark grey silk robes (because I know how that stuff behaves and would dare attempt a collar with it, unlike the slippery pale stuff) and hopefully pale grey pants things. Maybe. We'll see what happens.

 

@IsabelleR yay for unexpected finds! (I'm slightly jealous regarding the brocades. I need some for the hobbits and nothing I own is remotely doll-scaled ...) Good luck with the vests, too!
Oh my, stash secrets. My doll stash is fairly tame (but that's only because it's the youngest). My reenactment stash is worse, and the Larp stash ... that's what holds the shameful things, including glittery abominations from the 90s.

@Answer42 Thankies! Sideburny wigs emphasize pointy ears, too ...
The swept-back elf hairstyle is super easy to make actually, as you need neither a part nor a crown. I forgot to document yet again, but (if there isn't one already) there ought to be a tutorial for this ... we need more elves.

As for the flowy fabric - my main worry is the drape, to be honest. Even if FrayCheck works (or rolled hems would), I'm afraid it would make the "hems" too stiff or sticking out ... but I guess I'll risk it, as there's no way of knowing beforehand because the edges will be curved. I'm also a bit scared of the burning thing because the way that fabric looks it'd probably go up in flames. (I know I'd only need to cut off a small piece and test it in the bathroom sink, but still. I'm a total chicken sometimes. )

And another thought: Emphasizing + adding weight = beading ...

Or I'll go the easy way, decide no one's ever going to see whether or not his underthings are wrapped, and make a pair of simple, "track pants style" pants with boots to stuff them into. (Which reminds me of the fact most of my elves are still barefoot. Eep! )
Actually, I think I'm gonna go do that right now. I'll have a curved cut to try hemming things on (the crotch area), and considering how quick track pants usually are he'll have something of his own to wear in next to no time. *runs off to the sewing machine*

 

Tried and failed to get a pic of the pants - the fabric behaves just like I feared it would, but they actually came out decent. Ironing the seams flat(ter) might help, too.
Only question left is drawstring or elastic ... but I'll decide on that tomorrow, it's pretty late over here.

 

Elf track pants!

 

"Elrond" pattern in progress ... guess I'll make a test run from the white silk and use that as lining if it works. I don't think the dyed silk would stain a doll, but better safe than spotty, right?


(I don't know why this came out so dark, it's full daylight ... but a better (albeit still second-hand) camera may be happening soon, so no more excuses for terrible pics. )

edit, and Mr. Handsome wearing the pattern test:

I'm not too happy with the collar (SURPRISE SURPRISE) but the rest worked as planned. Sleeves will be added now this part is on him - I found with Tárion's tunic that it's easier for me to come up with a sleeve pattern when the body is on the doll.
Technically all that would have to be re-done is the back of the collar ... not sure what I'll do about it, but something will have to be done. We'll see.

 

Thank you, @IngieBee - I'm happy you like them! But I can't claim credit for all the designs, lots of it is based on LotR movie designs and stuff.

@Answer42 thank you! I'll fiddle with the collar a bit more (I'm beginning to see a theme here, I had the same issues with Tárion and Ana and seem not to have learned a single thing ) - seriously though, those elven collars are tricksy. I've spent the past couple days getting the hobbits and Kori ready for today's meetup, now (= tomorrow, as it's going on bedtime) it's back to the elves.

 

@skyealloway welcome to the party! It's a typical project of mine, progressing in fits and burtst with hiatuses (hiati?) in-between. But every now and then an update happens.

 

Aaand it's update time! I'm fiddling with collar fit - decided against plucking the test piece apart, updated the collar / appliqué patterns and cut new collar parts ... which I just pinned over the old ones. They fold inwards along the side seams because they're not yet reinforced, causing the whole thing to look wavy, but this is so much better:



I still need to get the edge a bit smoother, but it's not as bad as it was with Tárion's so I do seem to have learned something after all.
Next step: Grey silk.

 

Grey silk! Well, parts of it ... still need to do the collar a second time (obviously). But the white has been reinforced with fusible interfacing in the meantime, so I thought I'd show you the difference that makes. The collar part will definitely become lining; not sure whether or not I'll line the entire top. Don't think I will - I mean, he's super tall and fairly slim so a bit of extra bulk probably wouldn't hurt him, but still.

Anywayz, current state of WIP with the lining piece pinned in as placeholder::



(and if anyone was in any doubt, this is definitely not real silk. I just noticed his hair standing on end because the fabric picked up all the static and silk doesn't do that. But it's kinda hilarious. )

 

Thanks! The collar pieces have been cut and fray-checked, but I still need to come up with a pattern for the sleeves ...

And have a late-night update because who needs sleep when there's a holiday tomorrow.
Sleeve pattern has been made, and I sewed up the back and added the collar pieces - have a sneaky-sneak preview:



Plan for tomorrow: Sew up shoulders, cut & fray-check sleeves, topstitch collar, insert sleeves, insert collar lining, sew up sides. Then I need to make up my mind about embroidery on the collar, and whether / how to hem the whole thing. (Fraycheck means it's not strictly necessary, but still.)

 

... whoops.

The robes are as good as done, as I'll be busy all weekend so what doesn't get done today won't get done these holidays: Sleeves are set in, collar reinforcement added, the only thing I'm not (yet) sure about is the embroidery. I was just about to close the sides when I realized I might want to hem the sleeves first. Then I remembered I'm not sure about how (machine or hand? Basic or fancy?), and it's not just the hem - embroidering a sewn-up sleeve is probably not the brightest idea ... so as I'm not likely to come up with an idea right about now, and get it all done today, I'll scrap embroidery on the sleeves and finish the "basic" part. (The collar will get embroidery, but later. That can be done after the thing is sewn up.
Besides, Mr. Still Nameless isn't the highest-ranking, so I might want to not go overboard with his stuff.


... pic! An elf in his underwear

 

thanks! For me, it depends - usually (especially in doll scale) I'd embroider first, when everything is still accessible. But in this case the collar is "lined" and I don't want a visible topstitch, so the embroidery will serve the double purpose of looking good and securing the layers together.

 

I may have found something suitable for Tárion's closure problem ... but no time right now. It's not quite as olive-y as the topstitching on his tunic, but it's within his colour scheme. I hope it's not too hard / unwieldy to make frogs from. We shall see next week.

 

And a quick snap back to the not-quite-forgotten "modern day" aspect of this project - look at these two all dressed up as humans. Almost believable, don't you think?