Making a Wicked Costume

Hello everybody, I am glad to be back blogging again after an extended Christmas, New Year and Birthday holiday break. I have not had any major costume work to do, except for the Costume I am telling you about here,  so have been filling in my time with a few alterations and tidying my sewing room ready for the 40 Dalmations I have been asked to make for March.

On checking out the pictures and info on the Elpheba Costume, I found out the original cost about £14,000!! How was I to try and make a similar one for the sort of money that a 'Dance Mum,' would want to pay? As I am a hoarder, I have lots of shiny and glittery remnants that I have collected over the years, so I started to forage and found plenty to get me started. I cut out a bodice in a medium weight, cotton type fabric and a circular skirt that I was going to leave plain, as it would take far too much time to start decorating that too. I cut various shapes out of the fancy fabrics and appliqued them to the bodice, experimenting with adding sequin net layers over these too. Then I covered the lot with a black lace layer and appliqued various bits of heavy lace and flock over this. I added some boning along the bust seam to give the bodice a better shape

 

I did the same with the sleeves and once I was happy with the look of it all, I sewed all the pieces together and added some frills to the cuffs and around the collar which were made out of torn strips of green and black chiffon. I added some pieces of black elastic cord to the front of the bodice to give an impression of a complicated bodice. I cut out some strips of net and shiny lilac fabric to make the frills for the side of the top bodice. I am very happy with the result



Elpheba type Costume
 



 

 

Apart from the 40 Dalmations, which are going to be quite a laborious and messy job, I don't know what work will be coming my way this year, I just hope there will be lots of creative commissions to keep my blog interesting for my readers who have an interest in costume making.

 

My next blog will contain photos of some of the Troupes I have created recently with details of how I made some of the costumes. Thank you for your continued interest.

 

Chris Davoile

 

www.chrisdavoilecostumes.org.uk