Upcycled Halloween Costume: Elven Princess

I love dressing up for Halloween, but after COVID-19, I was too old to go trick-or-treating, so there was no reason to dress up --until this year. I got invited to a Halloween party by one of the girls in my ballet class put on by the mother of one of the girls at my church's youth group. I smiled evilly as she asked and began plotting my wicked plans... mUhaHahAha!!!

If you are anything like me, you love Lord of the Rings. Even more so, you love its predecessor, The Silmarillion and it is one of your all-time favorites. It is the collection of tales that range from the creation of Arda --the world in which Middle Earth resides-- all the way through the events of the classic three books. I love it so much my current profile picture is the two trees from the book!

One of my favorite characters from this book is the elven princess Idril Celebrindal of Gondolin. She is awesome and a really good role model for young women. She is strong, brave, and works with her husband to keep their family safe. I'll stop ranting now...

This project took me roughly a month in total, but I did not work on it every day. I reckon that it could take as little as a few days to finish if you really went for it. I do not recommend it though.

Let's get crafting!

TIPS/NOTES:

If you see this, I have a good tip for you or a note that could help make the process easier. You do not have to do it, but it may be helpful to keep in mind.

1. Fabric
2. I used an old cream-colored bedsheet set. It was twin-sized, which left just enough fabric for this project. If you do choose to use bedsheets, remove the elastic of the fitted sheet to make it nice and flat.
3. Note: go ahead and remove all the stitches and little folded-over bits. It can glean you almost an extra six inches almost.
4. Pattern
5. I used Mood Sewicities's Lúthien Dress for the base pattern with a few alternations. It is free, but you must make an account or cough up an email address. I think it is worth it, personally. Ironically, Lúthien is related to Idril --being the grandmother of her son's wife.
6. The pattern can be found here: https://www.moodfabrics.com/blog/the-luthien-dress-free-cosplay-sewing-pattern/
7. Scissors
8. You want some good, sharp scissors to cut fabric. Any scissors used on paper will most likely leave a jagged cut that you do not want. Fabric scissors should never be used on paper because of how much that stuff dulls it.
9. Needle and Thread
10. Some bits of this project need to be done by hand. Also, if you do not have a sewing machine and instead have enough patience, you could do it by hand.
11. Pins/Clips
12. For holding fabric together :)

Technically Optional Bobs that Will Make Your Life So Much Easier:

1. Sewing Machine
2. A sewing machine will make this project a lot quicker and easier. Please use one. Borrow your mother's. Borrow your friend's.
3. You could also serge the edges if you so desire. I did not simply because I do not own a serger and my cousin's machine is having technical difficulties.
4. Iron
5. Ironing the seams and getting the fabric nice and flat is a must. You can technically get away with not pressing your fabric, but it will make everything harder.
6. Rotary Cutter and Ruler
7. If you want, you can use a rotary cutter for the straight bits, but you will still need the scissors for the curved bits.

DISCLAIMERS:

1. This project is complicated. Please ask for help when you need it --whether it be for the project itself or just some of the tools. Please do not assume you know how to operate everything and hurt yourself.
2. I cannot guarantee all the terminology is accurate. I can barely speak English on the best of days even though it is my native language and am certifiablely an idiot. I use a lot of "thingamabob" and "dohikey" to describe stuff, so if something is unclear, please ask.
3. I can guarantee you will look awesome!!!!

Although not popular, you should always plan your projects really well first. Please. It will save your last brain cell. Before you start ask yourself:

1. What do I imagine this costume to look like?
2. Do I have all the tools I need? Where can I get them if I do not?
3. Have I given myself ample time to complete this?

You can always alter patterns as I did: lengthening the skirt, removing the sleeve ties, making the sleeves long and flowy, and adding an itty little train. A sketch or image search can be really helpful to figure out what you want this to look like. I also ended up with "open shoulders," but that was more of a result of having really broad shoulders and forgetting to add some extra space.

Note:

Please, please, PLEASE read the all of instructions before beginning so you know what you are doing. It just makes it easier to follow along and is a good idea anytime you do something. Maybe you want to make pesto chicken for dinner and follow this specific recipe. If you do not read it all, you would not know that it has to marinate for several hours. My point: just read it first, please. Thank you.

This step is pretty self-explanatory: you cut out your pieces. However, there are some little things that will make your life a million times easier.

The pattern that I used has the pieces laid out in a way that is the most efficient. I could not use this because of the shape of my fabric and a few of the little alterations I decided to make, but I highly recommend it.

The most important thing is to make sure that the pattern is right before you cut it. You can always re-measure, but you cannot always re-cut. I ran into this problem because I cut out a piece backward and did not have enough fabric to redo it. I think it turned out okay, but it could have been much worse. Moral of the story: measure at least twice, cut once.

Note:

For the hood, I made the internal bit about 4 inches longer to make a larger, more flowy hood.

Tips:

The more accurate the cuts can be, the easier it will be to sew everything together.

Mark each part with a piece of paper with the piece's name or identifier on it.

If you have a carpet or a rug, cut over there. You can pin the fabric directly to the carpet, which keeps it nice and still when you are cutting. Just make sure it is not where your dog usually lies because she will lay on it. Mine decided my fabric was now her blankie after running in the mud.

If your fabric is more sheer like mine, you may want to cut a lining. What I did was just cut the top of the bodice (not including the skirt) to serve as the lining. I put a little heart-shaped bit for the front panel because I ran out of fabric. If you have enough, I would recommend cutting it with significantly thinner straps to hold it on real good. I did not cut a back bit because my fabric would probably make the pleats/wrinkles in the back created by the laced bit look weird.

If you have enough fabric, I would recommend lining the ENTIRE dress. That entails cutting out basically two dresses and making them. When you finish the neckline and hem, you will also sew the two dresses together. Probably would be a good idea to tack the two "dresses" together at the armpits and chest first though...

Note:

You still may have to have an underskirt or underdress with the costume. I actually used the dress I wore for homeschool homecoming under the dress, which gave it a nice little poof.

You want a nice long bit of lace for your dress. I just cut out 3-inch strips of fabric AFTER I cut out the rest of my pattern pieces and sewed them together. Give a half-inch seam and turn that giant monster inside out. I was waiting in the doctor's office for almost 45 minutes turning the lace around as a child watched on in both horror and intrigue.

We will return to this giant string when we cut the loops for the laced bits of the dress.

WARNING!!!!!

Will attract cat. Prepare a separate piece around a foot long as a tribute for His/Her Majesty.

Although the pattern I used recommended differently, I started by sewing the two side panels together on each side and then ironing the seams open. Remember, it is a 1/2 inch seam.

Next, I carefully sewed the front panels together. Start at the top and go SLOWLY. Iron the seams open when you are done.

Note:

While it may not always seem useful, pin everything first, especially in "3D" seams like this. It can keep some stuff from going crazy.

Take the little bits of the lining and sew them together the same way you did the front.

Make sure that you try it on the seam side out so that the finished product will have both seam sides facing one another.

Finish the bottom with a 1/4 foldover or so. If you cut little straps, you may want to finish them too, but that is really up to you.

Press the seams open.

I decided that I wanted to attach the lining before the back panel to save some of my dying sanity. I lined up the vertical seams facing each and tried to line up the "3D" aspects. I do not know the proper name, but, in this case, the 3D bit is the part that has some extra room for the chest. That is what I am trying to say I lined up. English is a difficult language.

(If you did cut little straps into the lining, make sure they reach all the way to the seam before sewing.)

Sew the raw edges together around a fourth of an inch from the seam, right where the back panel will be. Do not worry about it being pretty; the back panel will cover it up.

If you did add little straps, sew them to the top of the outer straps.

IMPORTANT!!!!

The wrong side of the lining that shows the excess seams should be facing the wrong side of the dress. That way, you do not have to see the seams.

Tips:

When I cut my pattern, I had to "split" one side piece right around the sixth rib. I decided to put a stitch on all side panels along that seam to make it match and used that seam to tack down the bottom.

If you do not want to do this, you can sew hand sew the little bit of fabric that sticks out on the wrong side of the lining to the corresponding bit on the dress. I cannot for the life of me remember what that bit is called.

Congradulations! You have done a big chunk of this project already.

This costume is hard. So hard. It is okay to get frustrated and burnt out. Nothing goes perfectly and something will always go wrong. But that is okay.

Take a break from this; do something you love. Go fishing with your dad at five am while incubating a bad case of the flu. Catch that flu. Rest with cat. You can really do whatever you want to relax, but you must give love to the cat and the dog. Or whatever animals you have. That is not an option.

tHe FuR baBiEs mUsT bE LoVEd!!!

Return to your giant fabric fettucini and slice out eight three-inch sections --four for each side. Because my ribbons were so thick, I hand-sewed them in half --except for some bits that I accidentally made thinner. After you cut these, you can finish those ends by tucking in the raw edges and sewing them up.

Next, press them into a generally "loop" shape. You can do what I did or a more traditional loop, which you probably do not need to iron.

Pin or clip the little ties into position on your back. I eyeballed how far down they needed to be --the first under the curve of my chest and the bottom above my hip-- and spaced the remainders accordingly.

Tips:

Depending on the desired loop size, you could cut them longer to make larger loops or shorter for smaller ones. Just make sure they are big enough to lace.

The pins can be helpful to get them in the shape you want before ironing them. After you iron them, they can also help the ties maintain a consistent shape that you determine.

Baste the loops on with one long stitch for each side. Once you do this, pin the back panel to the dress. Start at the top and work your way down.

DO NOT SEW YET!!!!!

Tips:

If you pin the sleeves together first, then you could hang the dress on a hanger and work it down like that. It was a bit easier for me that way.

It is really important that you try on the dress at this time to make sure that it fits around the torso. I am saying this from experience. I did not try it on and the bodice was too loose, which made the front look weird and the back need to be laced up so tight it did not look right.

Moral of the story: just try it on first.

When it fits right, do what the step says. Just sew in the back panels. There is not much to say about it, but here are some tips:

1. Start from the top
2. For a straighter back, make a straighter stitch, ignoring some of the curves along the back
3. Check everything as you go so that it is the way you want
4. Take your time

Pin one side of the hood to the center bit and sew. Then, sew the other side to the middle pannel. Like the front and side connections, you will need to go slow and make sure that it does not scoot. Finish the edges as per the directions stated in step 19.

Tips:

Finish that seam down the hood. If you want, you can pick up the needle and create two separate seams between the top and the back if you need to adjust something or if you want to check it. I found this more helpful to ensure that the corner of the middle piece was snagged under. And I still had a little hole there.

Really, you could do this at any point, so I just stuck this here. The sleeves in this specific pattern have three parts so that there can be a laced-up bit. If you want the laces, do it like the back. if you do not --like me-- then just sew up the sleeves normally. I wanted flowy sleeves, so I did not do this.

Line up the side pieces with the top piece and work your way down. Then, sew the final seam together. if you want, you can go ahead and finish that outside edge. I described how I did it in my very punny step 19.... I'll leave now.

Slide the sleeves over your arms to make sure they are not too tight. Then, pin them to the dress.

It is crucial that you try on the sleeves before sewing them on. I discovered that my collosial shoulders were too large for the pattern by doing this and it saved me a lot of headaches.

There are a myriad of ways that you could attach the sleeves. If you want to do "normal" sleeves, then just sew them up. Having a sewing machine with a removable storage bin so that the machine has a protrusion that you can put inside the sleeves works wonderfully.

You really need to make sure that the sleeves fit before you sew them. I did not. They did not fit. For a bit of context, I have monstrously bit shoulders. I got a whole other shoulder on my sister. So, I had to think creatively. I only attached them at the bottom few inches to form an "open shoulder." Depending on how big your shoulders are or the extent that you want this all to come out will change how far it comes up. I eyeballed it, so I do not know how far it came up. I know now that it was not enough. I tore the armpit seam almost immediately.

If you also have this problem, you can add a gusset to make it a wee bit bigger. I did not have enough fabrigh, though.

Tip:

If you do not want the hood to have snaps on it, then you can attach it into the top of the sleeve seam. Basiaclly, you stick the edge of the hood in between the two pieces of fabric and stitch it up like normal.

Terrible puns aside, it is time to hem that baby. The sleeves, neckline, and hem all need finishing. I folded over the raw edge a quarter of an inch two times for the finished edges with the exception of the neckline, which I did less.

As you go, straighten the fabric according to whatever point the needle is at. This will prevent any puckers and general craziness.

Tip:

For corners, try to not "pass" the corner so you can make a clean edge.

This part really should be done by hand. I do not even know how you would do it with a machine, but I am sure someone knows. Stitch the female side of the snaps (the side without the little protrusions) on the underside of the shoulders right on top of the seamline behind the finished edge if you have an open shoulder like I did or no sleeves at all. If you have closed sleeves, it will just have to be on top, which means you can see it.

Stitch the male side on the inside of the hood about the same spot. I did not measure this.

Tip:

Make sure you know where you want your hood to sit before you sew it or the snaps on.

Make sure everything is exactly the way you want it before you move on. Now is the time to fix some little cosmetic mistakes. Some that I did were:

1. Going over a missed bit on a sleeve
2. Fixing a little sharp edge on the chest (front and front-side connection seam)
3. Going over a hole in the armpit
4. Going over the hole on the hood
5. Decreasing the sleeve hole by a half inch or so in order for the sides to be more even

The dress is just about done!

Remove any long threads, remnant stitches, and extra pieces of fabric sticking out from seams.

If the fabric allows, press the dress. First, make the seams nice and flat, then iron the larger bits.

I imagine elves to be rather "natural" in how they wear makeup. Personally, I would go with very light concealer and some dark brown mascara. I recommend using a brown or tan eye shadow, but you can use color if you want. Really, you can let your imagination go wild here. Maybe your idea of an elf has sunken eyes and looks like an evil dark-elf wizard from DnD. It is up to you.

Here is what I did in order of how I typically do it:

1. Foundation Primer to have a smoother face
2. Good idea to use if you have large pores or some facial scars like me
3. Dark Brown mascara
4. Brown and black eye shadow
5. You could also do a black hooded eye, which would look cool.
6. A thin layer of concealer
7. I do not cover all of my facial markings --just my pimple clusters and that little red spot I have on my nose.
8. I. AM. RUDOLPH!!!!! Maybe I should have been him for Halloween... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
9. A little blush on the cheekbones
10. Just a wee bit of silver or gold GLITTER!!!!!!!
11. On eyes and cheekbones

There is a myriad of ways to do elf ears. You can buy some, you can make some. My backup is the purchaseable ones, but I think the masking tape ones are the best ones for me. This is how to make them:

Materials

1. Tape
2. Tan masking is preferable, but you can also use clear tape
3. Foundation
4. Blush
5. Make-up brushes
6. Something to hold back your hair
7. I used a hair tie, a headband, and like 10 bobby pins for those pesky side frizzles. Seriously, you need something to get your hair out of the way.

Procedure

1. Cut a small piece of tape (1 - 2 inches)
2. Put the center at the tip of your ear where you want the point
3. Tightly wrap tape around the ear to form a point
4. Keep adding little pieces to build up the point until you are happy.
5. Trim extra tape (if necessary)
6. Cover in skin-colored concealer until good
7. Let your ear do the cool down thing where it ain't as red
8. Apply a bit of blush to the tips and match the rest of your ear

Really, the latex ones look best but I do not have any liquid latex (allergies in the family). The great thing about both is that you can "pierce" the fake ears, even if you do not have cartilage piercings.

I used a wire crown that I made for a Legolas costume two or three years ago. It is just made of wire and a few green beads. Because I am putting the crown over my hood, I did not want any drop lines --chains looping down around the crown, like Arwen's final crown in Return of the King. They look really cool though if you want to use them. You can find cheap crowns online or make them out of almost anything. I may make a separate instructable all about costume crowns.

1. Elf Ears
2. (See Previous Steps)
3. I also made some earcuffs that I may use.
4. Necklace
5. A great paring with this outfit would be a short to medium-length necklace. Colors and designs would differ with the color of the dress, your skin tone, face shape, and hair color, but something simple would flood best.
6. For a similar dress, I made my friend Arwen's pendent and that looked quite good on a medium-length chain. I may decide to make an Instructable about that sometime. I am not Arwen and I am not fond of the necklace design that much, so I did not include one for me. I just wore my silver cross that I never take off. The great thing about doing it yourself is that you can do what you want.
7. Earrings
8. I just did simple silver hoops that ended about my chin.
9. Hands
10. Personally, I would keep the hands quite simple. If you decide to add a small ring onto the sleeves to hook it over your middle or ring finger, I would not add any jewelry save a wedding ring or any other jewelry that is really important.
11. Since Idril is married, I put a silver wedding ring on her right index finger --as per elven tradition.
12. Props
13. Idril is a warrior queen and I wanted to represent that. You could do some armor, but I ran out of time. I simply used a cardboard sword to which I glued aluminum foil on to give it that shiny look.
14. Shoes
15. I mean, if you want to be accurate, no shoes. If you want to wear shoes, opt for something simple. I wore sandles to the party, but, since it was at the bowling alley, I did not wear them long.

Please, please, PLEASE do not be disappointed if your costume is not perfect. It is homemade, which means there are plenty of happy little "accidents." If you make a mistake, do not worry. Most of the time, you can fix it without even redoing all the stitches. Even if you cannot, who is going to notice that one bit of the hem of your skirt is thicker or there is a few small puckers on the bodice. No one is going to notice; they just will think it is cool. Very few people will look at every tiny detail.

Sometimes, your mistakes can lead to cool features --like the sleeves and my stupidly big shoulders. This is true of everything --music, dance, and costume-making.

Congratulations! The fruit of your wonderful nerd brain is complete. Relish in the beauty and reality of your new costume.

Wanna know the great thing? The pieces of this costume can be used for other characters. That dress can become the base for another elven character --whether that be a princess or the base for armor-- or can join your daily wardrobe.

Let me know in the comments if y'all have any questions or if you want me to make a separate instructable all about how I make crowns or other bobs I mentioned. I am really busy and cannot guarantee that I can get to them all, but I will try. All bets are off once college starts up.

I cannot wait to see what y'all come up with. Happy crafting!