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Verdaera β Elanor Gamgee - full shot
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Published: 2012-03-10 23:31:53 +0000 UTC; Views: 13108; Favourites: 202; Downloads: 2848
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Description
Here is my finished Hobbit Bodice!I hope one day to get a decent wig since curling my own hair is a pain, plus I'd like shorter hair around the front and perhaps a bit blonder than my natural color. I had my heart set on a cream chemise, moss skirt and rust-colored bodice. I chose the fabric because it wasn't too rich of a brocade, but resembled the fabric used in Merry's waistcoat, so I thought it appropriate. It's trimmed with velvet ribbon and the buttons have dragons on them. I hand-bound the button holes. The ears I ordered from WETA. The skirt is a cotton fabric I dyed, but I'd like to find a fabric that hangs better and re-do it.
This is now wearable, but I will probably add a cloak for the December Hobbit premiere, and when I learn the skills, I plan to hand-tie a wig and hand-make proper hobbit feet.
Fun fact: The casting call for Hobbit extras for women was 5'... which is exactly my height
If only I lived in New Zealand!Please note, this is NOT COSPLAY. This is a COSTUME, so please don't call it a 'cosplay'. Thank you for understanding.
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Comments: 36
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I love the clothing the female Hobbit's wear. So pretty.
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Hello! I'm so happy I found your blog and dA. Β This has to be the best and most beautiful hobbit costume I've seen. I'm planning to make a hobbit costume for cons/fairs as my height is 5'2!Β You have truly inspired me with your costume. As a beginner's sewer, the dress (and cloak) won't be a problem, the chemise and bodice however will be (I have no clue how smocking works for example) :c and I might just have to buy something. Anyway, amazing costume
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Hi, thank you so much!
Well, you don't have to do smocking, most of the hobbit women have simple, gathered chemises. When I designed mine, I looked at all the Hobbits that were on film to see what types of fabrics they used, the shapes of the clothes, the colors, etc, and designed within those guidelines. There are patterns out there for medieval/renaissance outfits that are very similar in shape that you could tweak to suit your needs. Here's my image gallery of all the screen caps I took, which will hopefully help you! www.rebelshaven.com/images/cosβ¦
Chemises aren't hard to make, the bodice has more seams with curves but I'm sure you can do it if you follow the pattern and make a mock-up!
I hope that helps!
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Also, may I perhaps know which smocking pattern you used on the chemise?
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My gosh, I want this costume SO BAD. Especially the chemise. I can't find one anywhere like it.Β
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Aww, thanks so much!
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Working my way up to those 
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I see.Well,you look great in a photo anyway.Better than any one I've seen before.Good luck in studies,then you may be able to get to the film studio
.
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Fantastic costume, you're really talented. I think you would have made a wonderful halfling in the movies.
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Hello, I am looking to make a hobbit costume for myself. I was hoping you might have some advice for me on patterns and such as your costume is so beautiful!
I am planning to make a six piece outfit consisting of a short sleeved chemise, petticoat, skirt, overskirt for fancy occasions, bodice, and an apron. I am planning to use cotton for just about everything except for the bodice which I will use a brocade for. All of my fabric is coming from JoAnns.
I have decided on green for the skirt and creme for the apron, but beyond that my color scheme is still up in the air. I know I want to sew buttons into the skirt and button holes into the petticoat so I can gather the skirt. I may make the chemise in a dress form to eleminate the need for the petticoat. I am planning for the petticoat to come about three inches above my ankle, the skirt to come two inches above the petticoat and the overskirt to come one-two inches above the skirt. I am leaving the overskirt long in case I ever feel like using it as a skirt. I have already made a reversable cloak from dark green cotton velour and grey velvet.
I am an intermediate sewer who has never worked with bodices before, but am competent enough to make everything else.
Any advice?
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Thank you, I'm glad you like it!
I do have some advice for you
For colors, LOTR era stuck pretty much to any color you can make with natural, plant-based dyes, so they were somewhat subdued, but things like saffron yellow were seen in Merry's vest. They had lots of texture and used natural fibers. The Hobbit era ones did break the initial rules, and there were a few more things like purple colors and a couple fancier brocades. I tried to stick to tone-on-tone, and I used a matelasse fabric (like Merry's vest) from the JoAnn's home dec department. You can find lots of great bodice fabric in the home dec section. I would just advise against having many visible, layered skirts as I haven't seen any evidence of that. You can use petticoats for volume, certainly, but I haven't seen any skirts that have been gathered over other skirts. I have seen lots of decorative aprons, some that go almost all the way around.
As for bodices, there's plenty of patterns in the historical costume sections of the pattern books at the fabric store that will work. In LOTR, they had back-laced bodices, some also had buttons on the front as well as back lace (which I just find easier to get into), and the hemline on the bodices were straight. The Hobbit hobbits differed from this, with more 18th century styled bodices that had pointy fronts and peplum skirts attached. I prefer them straight because it gives the illusion of being shorter whereas pointy bodice hems elongate the body. They put some boning in the bodices, and you do want it a bit of a heavier weight (so if you use a thin fabric, back it with something heavier). The Hobbit hobbit women also had the option of tie-on sleeves.
I hope this helps!
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This is one of the best hobbit costumes I've ever seen! You are amazingly talented! Keep up the good work
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Holy cow...you look like you just stepped off the set! Such professionalism! People will go crazy seeing you at the theater for the premiere.
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Thank you!! I hope so!
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This is so cute! It inspires me to make my own now. Great job, as usual
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Your deviation has been featured in my journal this week. [link]
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Here's the thing...
You have such an ethereal, Elfin look to you as it stands that you could pull off just about any Middle Earth woman.
Excepting, of course, Dwarf women and Orc females.
The costume looks great!!
~D
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Thanks, you made my day!
Actually I was looking at Orc females but it turns out there are none!
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That looks really good, you did a nice job on your costume.
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