Long time no post! I’ve missed a few costumes that I’ll have to get up here soon…but for now, this is what I’m working on at the moment. It’s a handmaiden gown from Game of Thrones! I plan to wear it to this year’s Granite State Comic Con (2014), which happens to have a little GoT theme going on….They have several guests from the show attending, and will be holding quite the hand-full of GoT panels, as well as an official 21+ GoT after-party.
The handmaiden dress is a lot more simple than everyone assumes it is. The most difficult part of the dress so far was finding the right kind of fabric, in the right color, and with enough yards available to make three dresses (one for myself, and two for friends). We had to order online to find enough yardage, which means there was no feeling the fabric before selecting it. The color is lovely, but ideally we would have selected a fabric that was a little more light-weight. This is a linen-rayon blend, and has a stiff hand, though a nice drape. It’s a dream to work with but isn’t quite as airy as the dresses look on-set.
These pictures are of my initial drape: no hems or anything, just 4 yards of fabric draped on my dress form with an unfinished leather belt. It is an awful lot of fabric. The dress will weigh more than 2 pounds when its done, which may not sound like a lot, but believe me it’s more than your everyday clothes weigh. My friends and I decided to be handmaidens because we assume that there will already be a whole mess of main characters from GoT attending this con. Maybe by being generic background characters, we may actually stand-out. We will also be incredibly comfortable.
Thanks for your tips on this Game of Thrones dress. I showed my Mum ( yes, at 35 I still get my Mum’s help on costumes! ) and she found it very helpful, I’m thrilled with the results. You’re right about finding decent fabric being the most difficult thing, in the end my mother-in-law came through with some lovely flowy pink and purple fabric ( just hanging around in her cupboard! ) that looks great.
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!
You’re very welcome! I’m glad you found the post helpful. 🙂 Happy sewing!!
Hi,
I’ve searched the internet and beyond for a handmaiden dress that looks like the ones in the series. Yours is the best one so far, since most cosplayers seem to make a halter dress with a veil on the back that goes straight down. Your dress seems to be in one piece. It goes from the neck down to the side and then goes back up again, so it creates this nice drape, just like it is supposed to be.
I tried a few things, but I can’t figure out how it all flows so gently. I usually have either too much or too little fabric on certain parts.
I was wondering if you would like to post a picture of the dress laying flat or perhaps a quick scetch of the pattern. Just to have a basic idea of the shape or cut of the fabric.
Either way, thanks for sharing your work in progress!
Laying flat the dress looks like a huge shower-curtain on the ground. Depending on your body size you will need 3-4 yards of fabric sewn into a giant tube with a neck cord running through the top. The best advice I can give for fabric distribution is to drape the dress on a dress-form of your size to determine how much fabric goes in front, and in back, and how low to drape the sides.
Okay, I will try that. Thank you very much for the tip! 🙂
Hello,
Can you tell me where you bought your fabric? Thanks!
Yes, I bought from https://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/ but unfortunately their inventory doesn’t always match what’s online. I had to email back and forth a few times after they cancelled my initial order, to find a fabric that was suitable and in-stock. It was quite a hassle and I don’t exactly recommend them.
hi! would you be able to provide a tutorial for non sewers? This is the best handmaiden dress replica Ive seen and I really wanna recreate it. Well done. Thanks!
I’m not much of a sewer, but I will buy the dress from you if you still have it. Or if you have a step by step tutorial I might be able to pull it off
Hi Ariana, so glad that you like the dress. Being that it is real linen, I could sell you this piece or make one custom for $200.