The Fabric Alchemist

This is the very, very, very delayed 4th and Final installment of my Assassins Creed/Ezio Auditore Costume Series. You can read all of the Ezio posts here.

I’m not going to lie. I was a little jealous of the attention Greg received as Ezio at Emerald City Comic Con 2012. Two kids asked him to sign their shirts, for pete’s sake!  Just in time for PAX Prime 2012, I finished my own Assassin’s Creed costume (modeled after the female assassins from AC2:Brotherhood).

Costume Elements:

• Hooded Doublet—Self-drafted pattern based on bodice sloper
• Sash—Long rectangle, folded and raw edges sewn together
• Undertunic/Blouse—Thrift store find (bought two sizes larger to get the long and loose look)
• Leggings—Already owned for everyday life
• Boots—Already owned for everyday life
• Belt & Leather Pouch, Daggers—purchased from a Renaissance fair in 2011

Design Notes: The hood and doublet are connected. I modeled this after some of the brotherhood garb seen in game. Using a slightly smaller hood pattern (technically the original one I made for Greg and then realized he has a HUGE skull), I just stitched the base of the hood to my doublet’s collar. I also clipped off the iconic pointed “beak” of the hood, as it was not my intention to go as a female Ezio (Ezia?). I was content to be an anonymous member of Ezio’s assassin “brotherhood.”

Eventually I might go back to the costume and add some of the details depicted below, like the black trim along the hood and the edge of the doublet. However, most likely I’ll just move onto a new costume.

Construction: Compared to the 2 months it took me to complete Greg’s Ezio costume, I drafted and sewed my lady-assassin doublet & hood in just under two weeks!

Already owning the fabric and knowing what sewing techniques I would need saved me a lot of time. But the greatest time saver was the bodice pattern block I had drafted during my summer pattern design class. This bodice block (or sloper) is drawn based on my specific measurements. Whereas Greg’s costume required a lot of commercial pattern modification, I didn’t have to spend as much time fussing to make the pattern fit me.

It is my opinion that the single greatest asset any sewist can have is a set of pattern blocks based on their measurements. From these blocks (drafted on durable drawing paper) I trace the block (onto thin pattern paper) and sketch in the modifications. In this case I extended the front and back around the curve of my hips and past my butt. I based these lower-body measurements on my skirt pattern block.

If you are interested in drafting your own pattern blocks, I recommend searching for a local Meet-up group that focuses on sewing, or explore classes at a community college or community center. I bet someone in your community knows how to draft pattern blocks. There are also many online resources. One I like is they series of pattern making tutorials at Madalynne.com.

Now that I had the general form of my assassin doublet (on pattern paper) I started drawing in the individual pattern pieces (similar to the Ezio doublet), adjusting the shoulders, and curving the lower hem. Then I got more pattern paper and traced each small pattern piece and adding 1/2″ seam allowance around each piece. I had some trouble with the bust area. On the original pattern block there is a bust dart built into the design, but when I drew in the doublet pieces I initially forgot to account for the dart. I had to redraw the front doublet panel pieces to align them closer to traditional “princess” dress seam lines, which account for the curve of the bust.

After that, the construction of the doublet followed most of the same steps as the previous Assassin’s Creed costume. You can see the details of the doublet in the portrait photo below.

Costume in Action:

My assassin costume debuted at PAX Prime 2012, where I fought off Lolth, scaled some dungeon [& dragons] walls, and helped Ezio assassinate some eager convention goers.

Climb, climb, climb. Photo by Greg Bilsland.

At PAX Prime 2013, we crossed paths with cosplayer Aaron Thompson (Last Oryx Productions) and were invited to join a group Assassin’s Creed photo shoot. The photos below were taken by SmallRiniLady and Harbinger Photography.

 And that, folks, is my last part of the Ezio Costume Series.