Leliana (Dragon Age: Inquisition) Write Up - Fabric

Leliana (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
Write Up Part 1 - Fabric

Cosplayer: @notgodzilla
Photo: Cosmic Garden Photography

Have you ever made a costume and felt like this is it - I’ve leveled up all that EXP grinding was worth it? That’s what Leliana was like for me. I’ve written short write ups on my website on how I made my costumes but this is my first time going really in depth with the process. I wouldn’t have ‘leveled up’ if it weren’t for all the tutorials and and write ups I’ve read so I wanted to write some of my own :o

Before I start I want to thank Caitlin for all the amazing detail shots she got of my costume, which makes explaining the details of how I made it much easier :P 

Anyway, let’s talk fabric!

Before I start planning out an actual costume I actually like to pick out the fabrics first. Back when I was a wee newbie cosplayer I wasn’t really picky about fabric but I’ve since learned :P Fabric choice can really make a difference in how our costume looks so it’s really important!

Chainmail  - Since I’m lazy and didn’t want make real chainmail I used fabric chainmail I found on etsy. I believe i needed about 4ft. There is, however, an alternative to using real chainmail by using plastic rings instead which saves you the weight of real chainmail but not the time making it. TLDR: I’m lazy.

Trim -  What actually looks like trim is the body of the whole thing. I’ll go more into detail about this further into the write up. I think I only needed 1.5yds of this.

Piping - I got this at Pacific Trimming in NYC. They have a website but it’s unfortunately not listed online. The trimming is light gold satin so you can always try looking for that or making your own. I bought about 7yds but didn’t use all of it. The white piping on the collar is just generic Wright’s white piping.

Cowl - I got this from Joann’s and tried looking for it on their website but it seems like it’s not being sold anymore but this looks like it could work. The actual fabric is brushed herringbone twill. I used 1yd. 

Bolero - Ideally I would’ve made the bolero from the same fabric as the ‘trim’ but it’s too heavy. Fabric.com doesn’t seem to sell what I used but I’d suggest using any faux leather that relatively thin and lightweight. I used 1yd. 

Arm armor - It’s just some brown upholstery fabric I got at a local fabric shop here in Boston. Any upholstery fabric should be fine. I bought 2yds only because it was super cheap. I didn’t use all of it. 

Lining - It’s lined entirely with broadcloth. I didn’t have any special reason for using broadcloth other than it was the most accessible fabric to me in Boston :P I think I used 3yds. 

Bias tape - I saved this for last because BOY DO I HAVE A LOT TO SAY. I literally searched for over a month for the perfect kind of bias tape to use since I specifically wanted corduroy bias tape and I wouldn’t accept anything else. After searching for what seemed like forever I stumbled upon an online shop based in the UK that sold exactly what I needed. It’s on clearance on their site so I’m not sure how long they’ll have it in stock but I LOVE this bias tape. I think I used about…15yds. I don’t remember - it was a lot :P