A costume so real, it almost got me a role in the movie!
If you haven’t seen the Star Wars franchise, what have you even seen?
It all started when Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith came out. All my friends were raving about going to the cinema to watch this new Star Wars installment. I, who hadn’t seen any Star Wars movie in the past, was naturally intrigued and decided to tag along.
And it was the best decision of my life!
Now I understood what all the hype was about. Now I could relate to why everyone was so excited. It ended up in me binge-watching all the previous movies, right from Star Wars: A New Hope!
It also started a new chain of activities: Me attending all big and small Star Wars conventions, movie nights, and anything that had to do with Star Wars. I even joined a Star Wars Club at school!
This is where the tricky part begins!
These fan gatherings weren’t just gatherings; they required the attendees to dress up as their favorite characters.
Now, being new to all this, I had a hard time dressing up as one of the characters. Well, dressing up was not that challenging, but finding the right costume was!
The costumes available at the local shops would never fit perfectly, or the fabric was of questionable quality.
After many attempts at buying ready-made costumes and looking nothing like the character I intended to be, I decided to take things into my own hands! I decided to make a costume from scratch!
And this is how I ended up creating the best Star Wars costume ever!
Choosing the Fabric
Now that I had decided to make a costume independently, I first needed to get the fabric.
But wait, which character’s costume was I even making? After much thought, I decided upon Yoda! It was the most basic and required minimal stitching compared to others, and also because who doesn’t love Yoda?
So, I began my quest to search for the right fabric.
I needed a soft and breathable fabric for the skin, undertunic, and trousers. For the obi, I decided to get something stretchy and satin-y. As for the Jedi robe, something with a fur-like appearance would do.
Also, I wanted to buy all the fabrics from one shop for my convenience.
And, to my luck, I came across Big Z Fabrics. It was like a dream come true because they had such a huge variety of fabrics that I was stunned! It’s a one-stop shop for all your clothing needs, especially costumes.
I went through their online fabric shop and browsed through the fabric catalog.
For the Skin (Head, Hands & Feet)
I was looking for something greenish brown, more like olive, for the skin. And what do you know, I found the perfect match: The Velboa Faux Fur Fabric in olive.
It looks exactly like suede fabric but is made of 100% polyester and has short pile fur. I chose this fabric because, firstly, it was an exact match with the color of Yoda’s skin. Secondly, Yoda’s skin is wrinkly with a bit of hair, and Velboa Faux Fur Fabric’s texture seemed ideal for the look.
With the fabric for the skin sorted, it was time to choose something for the brown undertunic and matching trousers.
For the Undertunic and Trousers
I was already using faux fur for the skin and needed something fur-like for the Jedi robe; therefore, I decided to go a bit light on the undertunic and trousers in case it got too hot. So, after going through several fabrics, I finally found the Poly Cotton Solid Fabric in brown.
It’s made of 65% polyester and 35% cotton, making it lightweight and thin yet durable. Plus, it is super soft and absorbent. Just the kind of fabric I needed for the undertunic and trousers! Success!
For the Jedi Robe
The Jedi Robe is the most prominent piece of clothing in Yoda’s get-up; therefore, it has to be just right. Like I said earlier, I needed something furry, so I came across Big Z Fabrics’ huge collection of Faux Fur Fabric with long piles. If the weather had been a bit more chilly, I would have definitely gotten the faux fur for the robe!
However, given the weather conditions, I decided to go for something close to fur but with short piles. The Mochi Plush Minky fabric in platinum was the closest to what I was looking for. It’s made of 94% polyester and 6% spandex with a 1mm pile length. Plus, it can stretch 4 ways and is uber soft!
For the Obi
Here comes the final touch: The obi! In case you’re wondering, an obi is a wide belt worn on the waist to keep the undertunic secured. It is usually made up of satin or silk-like material. But with all the matted colors of undertunic, trousers, and Jedi robe, I decided to add a touch of bling to the outfit.
So, I chose the Neoprene Scuba Techno Athletic Double Knit All-Purpose Fabric in the shade mushroom. I wanted a darker shade of brown for the obi to go with the undertunic, but I realized it wouldn’t be visible if both the colors were the same. Therefore, I went with a light brown color.
This fabric is made of 94% polyester and 6% spandex with a 2-way stretch. Using it to make an obi meant it would stay in place, won’t loosen up, or make me uncomfortable. And I was right! It turned out to be the most comfortable obi ever!
With this, my fabric shopping for the best Yoda costume was complete!
The Delivery
Big Z Fabrics has an online fabric store, so I took my time to browse through the products from the comfort of my home. It has a wide range of unique colors, patterns, and designs; therefore, I easily found the exact colors and textures I was looking for!
Olive green Velboa Faux Fur Fabric for the skin, a dark brown poly-cotton fabric for the undertunic and trousers, an off-whitish Mochi Plush Minky fabric for the Jedi robe, and a light brown Neoprene fabric for the obi.
I was a bit skeptical at first whether I would get the exact shades or not or whether the delivery would be in time or not because online shopping comes with its risks and fears. However, to my surprise, all the fabrics were delivered to me on time, their colors were exactly as shown on the website, and the quality was amazing.
As for the price, you can say I saved a lot of bucks even after ordering 4 different kinds of fabrics, with different measurements and delivery charges included! It has the best price in the market.
Making the Costume
Let me in you on a little secret; I can’t sew!
So, even though I had all the fabric with me, putting the costume together was a task.
This is where my grandma enters the picture! She used to make prom and birthday dresses for her daughters all the time, so stitching up a Yoda costume won’t be much of a deal, right?
I showed her some Googled images of Yoda, and she took my measurements. I observed carefully as she cut pieces from the Velboa Faux Fur fabric for Yoda’s face, ears, hands, and feet.
Next, she cut the poly-cotton for the undertunic and trousers and then the Mochi Plush Minky for the Jedi robe. This was tricky, as everything had to be stitched carefully to perfection.
Making the obi was a piece of cake, as it just has to be stitched from the cut sides for a refined look.
It took my grandma a total of 3 days to complete Yoda’s outfit. It was brilliant, it was perfect, and it made me look right from a galaxy far, far away!
The Response?
Although I would say that stitching makes a whole lot of a difference, the quality of the fabric and its durability also count.
The fabric that I chose for the costume from Big Z Fabrics was impeccable! It brought out an exact Yoda look: Soft, textured skin, loose undertunic and trousers, an obi that kept everything secured, and a long and flowy Jedi robe.
With a bit of my makeup skills, I was able to give myself quite an impressive Yoda look, and after putting on the costume, I looked more like Yoda than Yoda himself did in the movies!!
Jokes aside, I got the best response from my fellow Star Wars fans! People kept coming over to check out the fabric and complimented the quality, the colors, and the whole look in general.
So, here’s a big shoutout to Big Z Fabrics for making me the star of a Star Wars convention. People talked about it for weeks!
