How to get a costume commissioned for Dragon Con?

[tardisfan1971.livejournal.com]

I want to have a simple but great looking tardis dress made for Dragon*Con this year as a gift for my girlfriend. I am looking for someone who could do a commission for me. I don't want to spend a ton of money but I have $100 saved for it and could add a little more in needed. Does anyone have advice on how to get it made or someone they would recommend to me for making it?

Comments

[gwenyfhar.livejournal.com]

honestly, you should have posted this about 3-4 months ago. good luck!!

[elvishtard.livejournal.com]

This. Best thing you can do at this point is to start hunting Goodwills for something you can mod.

[danabren.livejournal.com]

It's a little late at this point - most costumers are already booked for commissions.

[maddantanner.livejournal.com]

I agree with the above comments. It would definitely be difficult to get one this close to the con. My only word of advice is that you can browse around the Internets and possibly find a tutorial on how to make your own? If you do that then you're not dependent on someone else. Also, if you weren't planning on it being a massive surprise for your girlfriend, the two of you could make it together. Great relationship building exercise and all that jazz.

[eidolon-bird.livejournal.com]

A quick trip to Google brought up this (http://www.etsy.com/listing/98599654/tardis-dress), but I don't know if she can make it in time for the con.

Also $100 really isn't that much money for most commissions and I was extremely surprised to find the one above was so cheap. Material can be expensive and any decent costumer will (rightfully) charge significantly more than minimum wage.

[xenaclone.livejournal.com]

I suggest looking in thrift and charity stores for a simple dress [in the right size and shades!] which can be customised. That's how I made mine.

I started with:-
1 black/blue cocktail type dress with a boned top

I bought some more TARDIS blue material [silk/satin] and went to work. I did the panels on the front with felt squares [no fraying edges!] This is the top half...

http://www.twitpic.com/a5tucn

[arseaboutface.livejournal.com]

As others have said, this is a little late to be looking for a seamstress. Also, $100 is not much. A Tardis dress, no matter how simple, is going to have lots of detail work with the windows and everything. To give you some idea, my wedding dress was quite simple (sleeveless floor-length a-line with a train and a very simple bolero jacket and no decoration) and made by a friend who gave me a steep discount, and construction cost me $400.

Advice I have:

I would suggest you check out local theatre groups--colleges, community theatre, etc--as well as ren faires or SCA chapters to find a seamstress.

When looking for a seamstress, ask to see samples of things she or he has done. Actual garments are ideal, but at least see pictures.

The seamstress should take your girlfriend's measurements and listen to what you say, and you should have a written contract. It can be very simple, but it needs to be in writing so there's no confusion. This should include price per hour and date of completion.

Make sure your girlfriend wears the undergarments and shoes she plans to wear with the dress to fittings, including the initial measurements.

Remember that seamstresses are not magic. On the other hand, you're paying a lot of money for this service. Make sure you're crystal clear on what you want, but also make sure you listen to what the seamstress tells you so you can both leave satisfied.

[tonyalittegirl.livejournal.com]

I would try etsy.com there are many people on there who make Doctor Who related items for women and some can get it done pretty fast for you.

[caeria.livejournal.com]

Second the Etsy.com suggestion. There is a person who does cute aprons/pinafores that are less than $100. Your girlfriend could easily pair it with a dress she already has and it would work.
Just do a search on etsy for tardis dress.

[tardis-stowaway.livejournal.com]

There's always the option of buying this TARDIS bathrobe (http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/ec64/?srp=40) and being casual TARDIS.

[pinkdiamond.livejournal.com]

I third the etsy option. Sometimes good are already in stock or parially made so will be able to be finished in time :) They will probably be adjustable too whih hels keep the costs down :)



Just to give you an idea of how much work is involved in commissioning:

Design needs to be finalised (goods and labour- sketches etc.)
fitting needs to be sorted (labour)
test pattern made (goods and labour)
materials bought for the dress (base fabric, lining, zip, bias, buttons etcused to add detail)
Dress made (labour and goods- thread, tool wear and tear)

And extras to cover travel to get said goods.



Just to give you an idea of why the reaction has been what it has been :)

I am spend my last 4 weeks before D*C (and elebration VI the weekend before) struggling to finish my own projects. Some of which have been 2 years in the making.




Just in case, it may be easier and equally effective to make a dalek inspired outfit. Large self cover buttons and ribbon applied to a fairly classic outfit could work


Fingers crossed for you :) I am wearing my Reinette gown on the Sunday :)

My TARDIS dress

[skzb73.livejournal.com]

For my TARDIS dress I found a dark blue dress for $6.00 at my local vintage store. Then I bought a bunch of fabric paint (shiny, metallic, sparkly, and glow in the dark varieties) and a couple fabric pencils from JoAnne fabrics. I printed some pics of the TARDIS off the internet to use for reference.

Then I stared at the dress and the pics for a while, thinking of a design. Next, I drew some very basic sketches on plain paper. I measured the dress to get the proportions of squares and rectangles right before I started drawing squares and rectangles.

I used the fabric pencil to lightly draw my design on the dress. Then I went over all the lines in fabric paint. Finally, I added a blue rectangle "Hello my name is: Sexy" nametag that I got in a pack at Office Depot.

Cost: $50.00
Time: Two straight days, much of that waiting for the various layers of fabric paint to dry.
Meeting my first doctor in person, Sylvester McCoy, on the very first night of DragonCon while wearing the TARDIS dress I'd just finished the day before: Priceless.

[cavaticat.livejournal.com]

So you want a "great looking tardis dress" but you don't want to spend a lot of money? Why should anyone bother making you anything great-looking if you're not going to pay them for their efforts, especially this close to a major convention? You think you're entitled to get amazing art for free?

This is the kind of attitude that makes freelance and commission work so hard. Try to be a little more respectful of people who create things you love. They have to eat, too.