cupcakecosplay:

Because of the flood of questions about Anna’s coronation skirting we thought it would be helpful for us to show some of our progress for this piece and explain how we achieved the end look.

First step was to make the pattern. Based off of the 17” Limited Edition Doll we were able to figure out that Anna has 10 pieces to her skirt. With this information is was pretty simple to make the base pattern shape. Take your waist measurement and divide it by 10 for the top and then take the total circumference of the bottom of your hoop or petticoat and divide that by 10 for the bottom and then connect the dots to make a trapezoid. Don’t forget that if you are using a petticoat the measurement may be off a little because it will squash itself under the weight of the material in the skirt. 

Next was dividing the pattern into three sections for the different colors. The middle section was divided even further into 6 sections (this was based off of the reference we had in the concept art and not off of the 17” Limited Edition Doll). Then came the fun task of doodling on the pattern in markers so we could see what it looked like from a distance. We always recommend taking a step back from something and looking at it from a distance because if you stay too close to something you might do something you will not be happy with later. Trust us. We know from experience.

After we doodled the design we made a pattern out of a thin plastic sheet so we could trace the design more easily onto our heat n’ bonded material. And then the long task of cutting out the material. The reason we chose to do that heat n’ bonded method is because a. we do not own an embroidery machine, b. we don’t’ have time to hand embroider that, c. painting it would end up with too many inconsistencies, and d. it’s my costume and this is what will make me happy. Always remember to do what will make you happy in the end cause cosplay is about having fun and expressing yourself! 

The skirt itself is box pleated! The paper pattern was used to cut out the light green and olive green sections which were then sewn together. (Remember to add seam allowances to all sides since the pattern is drawn to the exact end measurements. Also remember that since this is a trapezoidal pattern the pieces will be on a slight bias which will cause them to stretch a little if pulled.) The darker green section is three pieces. One full piece in the middle which is the same size as the front section and then two half pieces to connect the main front piece and the main back piece. This creates that box pleat for you. 

Hopefully all of this makes sense and helps anyone who is looking to do this costly for the future. Best of luck and remember to have fun and do it for yourself!