Gettin’ Khaleesi Up in Here

By now you might start thinking I’m obsessed with the character Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones, as documented by my Halloween costume from last year and the dress I made to go to my friends’ wedding. I blame the awesome costuming in the show… and dragons. Having dragons makes anyone cooler.

I also blame the Big Four pattern companies for coming out with so many variations of her costumes that I had to buy them all since I couldn’t decide initially which one I wanted to make. This year, I chose to be Khaleesi/Dothraki Daenerys after her dragons were hatched, AKA Simplicity 1347, View D.

Here’s a screenshot, showing details of the fabric used in the show.

And my version, complete with baby dragons and an I-just-came-out-of-a-burning-pyre-and-didn’t-have-time-to-take-a-bath look!

The great part is most of these fabrics were already in my stash. I only had to buy the suede for the skirt and the burlap trim for the waistband.

The top is a hacci knit fabric I bought from GirlCharlee.com a while ago. If you remember, I made a Hunger Games inspired cowl top with it. I used the reverse side of it for the texture, which I think is pretty darn close to the actual costume.

The top, according to the pattern instructions, was supposed to be made of a non-stretch fabric. I’m a rebel (who didn’t want to buy more fabric than I needed), so I just sized down a bit to ensure it stayed on.

It’s a pretty straight-forward halter top. I’m sure the back strap wasn’t supposed to look all poofy, but hey, I was in a rush (HELLO, Disney vacation was on the horizon!), and didn’t care since it was going to be covered by the wig, anyway.

The skirt was a fairly easy make, although I misjudged my actual sizing yet again (I’ve been gaining some weight lately – THANKS, WORK STRESS!) and made the bottom a little too big. I took in the waistband to ensure it didn’t fall off…

It has a faux wrap tie in the back. The skirt is actually held together with those beefy hooks and eyes you use for trousers.

Oh, and those leggings I’m wearing are also handmade. I whipped them up last year but never blogged them. I’m glad they came in handy for this costume!

Oh, Viserion, u so cute!

The hand wraps were the last thing I made. I had no idea where to begin, so I tried looking up tutorials and images but couldn’t figure out what to do. I think I was thinking about it too much because then I thought “hand wraps” … ohhhh, I should just wrap fabric around my hands! And that’s what I did. I had this faux leather fabric in my stash from a going-out-of-business sale at a local home fabrics store. I think I probably paid $1 a yard? I got it about 2 years ago, thinking I could use it for a tote bag or costume. All I did was cut 2″ thick strips and wrap them around my hands, tucking the ends away. EASY.

For the makeup, I used this YouTube tutorial, complete with how to make ash marks!

Woops, you can see the wrong side of the skirt flap, but I liked the wind-blown effect of this picture. After the skirt was constructed, I took sharp scissors and made the “ragged” effect on the hem and flap. It took a while to get the hang of it, but I think it adds some visual interest and fun texture. I mean, my [fantasy] husband DID just die and I’m left to wander the desert/wilderness to find a home for my people…

The pictures were taken in the wash behind my neighborhood. This was the only time I wanted it to look like a desert, but we have had crazy amounts of rain lately, so of course everything is beautiful, green, and alive. Sigh.

Here’s some detail shots of the skirt:

The linen trim was actually an old pair of DD’s linen shorts. I felt guilty for cutting into them, but he gave them to me for sewing experimentation, anyway. Thanks, DD!

The flap fabric is reminiscent of a linen/loosely woven type material. I bought a yard of it at SAS to make my dad a little valence for his bathroom and I had just enough to make the flap. Hooray for stash-busting!

Just a close-up of my distressing skillz.

I got to break in this costume last week at a Halloween party and it was a hit as there were lots of fellow geeks there. DD didn’t have a costume to wear, so I took an old T-shirt and applique’d a sun and stars on it. For true Game of Thrones fans, you’ll get the connotation. For those of you who aren’t… Daenerys and Khal Drogo were married and she called him “My Sun and Stars” and he called her “Moon of My Life.” D’awwwww.

Well, it’s almost Halloween, so that means more party-time in my costume!

We have another party to attend tomorrow night and Tucson Comic Con is coming up in November…. plus Renaissance Festival is in February! I’m gonna wear the heck out of this costume!

So what are YOU going to be for Halloween this year? Did you make your own costume?! Tell me in the comments!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE!

-RED