Recent project: Isard

Director of Imperial Intelligence, Ysanne Isard.

Since April 2010, I had been itching to make a costume that would be worthy of admission into the 501st Legion, especially after I met some members of the local garrision (Woot! BAG FTW!) at NOLA Comic Con that month. I toyed around with making a generic black officer but decided against it when I saw that Isard in her lovely red "power suit" was an accepted costume. I love red; it's one of my favorite colors. And anything to stand out from the crowd of white and black is OK by me!

So I started altering a pattern for the jacket over last summer, using a Men's Civil War costume pattern as a base. That was not the best of ideas. Even though I cut it out on the smallest size, I still had to take it in A LOT! I'm surprised that the proportions were even remotely right once I was done with it. I went through three different prototypes before I got the jacket to a point where I was ready to cut it out of the actual fabric.  

 An early stage of my initial prototype.

I didn't get the fabric until around Christmas, but was so nervous that the pattern wasn't right or that I'd screw up cutting it somehow. I was really short on cash (Come on, it was Christmas time!) and I had purchased all of the bolt of fabric. I really didn't want to screw up.

During the fall, I had received a pattern for the flared breeches to go with the jacket, which was a good thing, because the prototype that I made really sucked. I hate trying to make pants without a pattern. I always end up with a wonky crotch. I only had minor adjustments to make to the pattern, however, so that was nice. 

Pants prototype from pattern. Please pardon the boots, they were the only ones I had at the time.

Since the holidays were busy and I was in the midst of Steampunk costume-making, I didn't get around to cutting out the actual fabric until the end of January. I got mostly finished by Feburary, all ready to go for Mardi Gras. I even ordered the wig, but didn't receive it in time for the parades (and then didn't go to one because of the threat of rain: rain + wool = bad). 

I did however, march without the wig.

I finally got everything together and submitted it for 501st approval at the beginning of June, just over a year after deciding to do this particular character. I am now ID 8137, member of Bast Alpha Garrison, and am already planning my next Imperial costume, as well as several outfits for Rebel Legion membership. Because, let's face it... as a girl, the Rebel Scum have far more options in terms of costumes.

So here's the costume all put together.

Pardon the hair, it still needs some styling.

Next up: Steampunk stuff I think.