The Train, the Sleeves, and the Top

I didn't bother with the McCall sleeves - they had a straight finish around the wrist and I'd all ready pattered the pointed sleeve when I made my Brave dress. I busted out the Butterick pattern and had perfectly shaped chiffon sleeves cut in no time.

For the train and the top, however, I didn't pattern at all. I'm sure ever single sewing teacher I've ever had is cringing, but I simply pinned the chiffon directly to my bodice and chalked out the shape I liked best. I wanted to see how the chiffon would fall and it ended up being faster to cut without a pattern. On a whim I used left over square ofchiffon and cut an ellipse in the center, laying it over my dress form to check size and shape of the neckline, which ended up looking just the way I wanted it. It all worked out far better than I'd anticipated, but I wouldn't recommend this fast and loose approach as a general rule - I'm fairly sure I got dead lucky in not messing up the shapes.

The train ended up being three separate pieces - two sides and the main back. I sewed them together, but left the top and the sleeves flat until they could be embellished. There were all ready going to be obvious seams where the train sections met and the sleeves to the bodice, but I wanted as few visible seams as possible. To avoid fraying or a very noticeable hem, I singed the hem of the train, the sleeves, and the neckline Ideally, this can be done with a hot knife for an even singe, but because I don't have one of my own, I used a lighter for the continuous heat. You do need to do this in a well ventilated area - the synthetic fabric will give off some fumes as it melts and brain cells are important.

References and the template projection (including a bungled snowflake tracing)

I did need a pattern for the ice details. I laid the train out on newsprint and traced the shape of the full piece before posting the tracing on my wall and busting out the old overhead projector. My projector is literally the sort we used in school - it actually came from a school that planned to get rid of it. Its lenses aren't great for projecting small details (anything under about 12"x12" gets fuzzy), but it was the perfect size for my train detail.

Projecting the template plus a look at the top on the dress form

I traced out snowflakes and the main ice pattern from print outs with an extra fine point sharpie onto projector sheets and then focused the projection to fit into my train tracing. I used a couple of different snowflake templates I found in research. The snowflakes themselves came from Angela Clayton's Costumery and Creations blog (https://doxiequeen1.wordpress.com/2014/02/02/the-making-of-elsa-frozen-part-four/) and the main ice pattern came from DeviantArt user NostalchicksCosplay (http://nostalchickscosplay.deviantart.com/art/Elsa-Cape-Design-421658247). Both of these makers have some spectacular work and I am massively grateful to them for sharing their templates. The details on the sleeves were too small for the projector and I drafted them myself from screenshots.

Once I had the templates matched up and traced out onto the newsprint, I laid everything out on the floor - newsprint on the bottom, a layer of wax paper to keep the glue from sticking, and the train on top, weighted down to prevent shifting. The translucence of the chiffon made it really easy to add the embellishment - it could be applied directly to the chiffon.

I was fairly certain I was going to need the liquid E6000 and loose glitter I'd picked up, but I tested a pre-made glitter glue I had found at Micheal's just in case, which would have saved a tremendous amount of time. While the glitter glue bonded to the chiffon, when dry, it didn't read from more than a foot away, so I returned to the E6000 plan.

The liquid E6000 comes in a spray bottle. This gives you very little control over the flow, so I poured mine into a resealable glass jar and used a paintbrush to apply it. I painted the glue onto the chiffon, spread the loose glitter over it, and allowed it to dry overnight before shaking it out and collecting the glitter that hadn't adhered.

This was a very slow process primarily because I had greatly underestimated how much glitter I would need for the entire train. I had only purchased three bottles - two in white and one in blue. I didn't end up using the blue, but I blasted through the white in only a couple of passes. When I returned to the neighborhood hobby store, I purchased their two remaining bottles of extra fine white loose glitter and had to order more for a total of six full bottles used on the train, the sleeves, and the top detailing with a bottle and a half of liquid E6000. The whole train, the sleeves, and the top ended up taking nearly a month to embellish - most of that time was spent waiting on the additional glitter to arrive.

The top, sleeves, and train all had to be hand sewn to the bodice. The texture on the bodice was more flexible than some of the options I'd come across in research, but not flexible enough for my sewing machine. In hindsight, I should have attached the train to the top and sleeves and left it all separate from the bodice, but I chose to put it all together as one piece. I foolishly didn't realize that this would make the bodice nearly impossible to get into without assistance, though I am very happy with the overall look.

Next Time: The Shoes, the Wig, and Other Details

The Elsa Dress - Part Three

The Elsa Dress - Part Four

The Elsa Dress - Part Two