Jane Porter – Tarzan

Made for: Anaheim Comic Con 2010

Background: I love Jane… I thought this would be such a fun costume to make.

Journal Entries: Read more at my Jane tag

Patterns Used:
Butterick 4954, Simplicity 9769

Underwear:
I started out with the underwear. I made a corset (see above pattern) – it turned out all right, it was my first time doing an open front busk. I’m not crazy about the shape it gives, but it fits pretty well. I also went ahead and bought a bustle online – I decided to save myself the hassle of making that!

Top:
I used matte satin for the skirt and top – though I ended up using it wrong side because even the right side was a tiny bit shinier than I wanted. I used a heavily-altered pattern for the top. It’s self-lined and zips up the back. For the collar, I bought a plain button up shirt, cut the collar off and used it as a pattern to make a taller collar out of my white matte satin (which is also what I used for the cuffs), and attached it back to the body of the shirt. I attached the little tie (made of purple satin) to the collar as well so that’s all one piece and closes at the neck with a hook and eye. The belt I cut out of a piece of leather I had, and stitched it in place in the front. It closes with a hook and eye in the back.

Skirt:
The skirt was a pain, I couldn’t find any patterns to use as a reference so I came up with my own. It ended up ok. It’s also self-lined. I bought some lace to add to the edge, and went through four or five different versions of the front drape before I was finally happy. It closes with a hidden side zip.

Accessories:
The helmet I bought online, and the gloves were my Hoth Leia gloves. The boots I bought online and made spats (white knit fabric) for, and the parasol I bought at an estate sale – I grabbed it because it had a nice wooden handle and I thought it would be a good base. I was going to rip the fabric off and re-cover the frame with my yellow fabric, but in the end decided to leave it, mostly because I was running out of time (and feeling lazy…) I did hand stitch lace to the edge and clean it up as best I could.

History: This is such a fun costume to wear! Most recently wore it to a Halloween party in 2013, with a new petticoat and fixing more bustle issues…

                       

Visit my FAQ | Contact Me
Please note that none of these costumes are for sale! This is my personal portfolio. Thanks!