July 15, 2005: I have planned to make an inspired gown of Nimrodel's, patterned after the Yellow Leaf Collar Elf Extra Gown...This gown has been seen at exhibits featuring Lord of the Rings Costumes, and is described along with a photo at Alleycatscratch... So far, I have been working on the pattern drafts... I decided not to reconstruct the original, as the yellow shades do not suit my skin tones... Then, I found this perfect silk velvet in aubergine, and a violet dupioni that compliments the velvet tremendously...
Some sketches...
The Fabric...
Thank you for visiting!... :)
This page was last updated: March 11, 2013
Nimrodel's River Gown, Front View... Back View...
Nimrodel's River Gown, The Underdress
Front view...
Back view... Note: my underdress will have no waist seam, but the seams in the sleeves will go this way from the back...
The Overdress Muslin...
July 22, 2005: Here are some photos of the overdress muslin I will use... It is only pinned together...
Here you can see our kitty Jojo behind the dress form, playing with the tape measure... She is a big help... (muttered sarcastically...)
Here are a few close-ups of the sleeves. bodice and collar...
Photos can be clicked for larger, higher resolution images...
July 29, 2005... Now, I have a first draft at the underdress muslin... I may decide to do one more, and lengthen the cross drop in front... But I kind of like it this way... I put up the sketch from above for comparison...
And now, photos of the complete muslin... with the sketch photo from above...
Again, the muslin is only pinned together here...
Jojo continues to be a big help, adjusting the trim I'm using as a tie here...
Some Close-Ups...
Collar Embroidery Planning...
As I was playing around with my embroidery machine, Faye, a friend from LJ, sent me a link to her Rivendell Elf page, (Her homepage is called Simbelmyne...) with an enlarged photo of the collar area, and upon seeing that, I changed plans, and now intend to do the collar embroidery by hand, as I see now the whole collar takes on this leaf shape... Here are my embroidery plans, sketched onto the collar I have sewn into the muslin...
Some other close-ups of the Bodice...
As I was checking a second underdress muslin, I sewed the pieces together, rather than pinning, to check to see if it would lay right around the armscye, etc...
Photos of the Muslin with the Second Underdress, with a lengthened cross-drop...
And for a Visual Comparison...
I think I prefer the first version, with the rounded edges showing more distinctly at the bottom... Friends opinions are greatly appreciated!
September 10, 2005...
I have cut out the fabric, both for the underdress and the overdress... except for the collar and the belt, and begun assembling the gown... I will add a pattern page soon, with the cutting layouts and the pattern pieces, and a description... but for now, I have some photos of the construction so far...
First... The underdress... As I was putting it together, and fitting it... The first shots show how I fit it by pulling in the side seams when the gown is inside out on the dress form... I have not sewn down the overlapping skirts at this point, and am contemplating where I will fix them, most likely with some kind of toggle mechanism... Looking at the photos now, I think I will move these into the side seams... That is where I had them in the muslin...
Next, photos before I put in the sleeves...
Now, some photos with the sleeves in...
Next, I cut out the silk velvet for the overdress... The cutting layout and pattern shapes I'll publish on a new page soon... Here are photos of the overdress in it's first pinned fitting... at this point, it is Not sewn together... (mostly)... I photographed it with my Alternate Arch Dress Belt, just for fun...
Looking over the progress so far, I was able to come to some decisions... Namely, I will use the dupioni for the leaf collar... and the sash... I figured out this was the best route by placing some scraps on the gown, in the area of the collar, and as a sash... (I'll take photos of this tomorrow or the next day...) and in both regards, the dupioni is the obvious choice... Also, I may be adding a third "dress" to this gown, and under- underdress, or a slip, made from a gray silk chiffon I acquired through a friend... (Thank you, Jean! ) I'm not decided on that one, yet... but it has been suggested to me, and it seems like it may be a good idea...
On my next update, I will be opening a new page, as this one is getting too long... I'll keep you posted! :)
September 15, 2005... Well... The next update is underway... and the continuing construction details can be found on my Nimrodel's River Gown Construction 2 page...
Peter Jackson's visualization of The Lord of the Rings woke my latent passion for costuming and inspired me to learn to sew.
This page and its links reflect my best efforts in Lord of the Rings costuming.
Projects linking to their own pages are featured here. Click the links in the navigation bar to visit the individual pages, or scroll further below to the image links and see a quick overview of the costumes.
y
Nimrodel's River Gown
Construction
An Inspired Project
Welcome to Yvette's
Nearly ten years ago I set out to teach myself to sew, so that I could create inspired costumes such as those featured on my site.
I created this site to share what I've done. It launched August 18, 2004, and has been growing ever-since.
In addition to costume construction pages, there are pages featuring portraits of the costumes being worn.
Costuming is a hobby I love documenting, but I do not do commissions, nor do I sell patterns.
Please visit where your interests lead you, and enjoy.
y
The navigation on my site is under construction. I'll be getting the links set up page by page. In the meantime, please bear with me.
