FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Aviendha
(click images to to enlarge)
Outline the story …
Aviendha entered Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series as a Far Dareis Mai, or Maiden of the Spear. She knew even then that she would have to give up her spear sisters to wield the One Power, her inevitable path is a process you watch her accept throughout the series. I imagine her soul as a warrior forever, even as she grows into other roles.
I chose to interpret Aviendha as she first appears in the series, with all of the strength she gains throughout the rest of the series. Her outfit is one that would survive the Waste, as well as the wetlands: sturdy and the colors of the earth. It covers the body for protection from the elements, with some added protection from the spears of others while still being reasonable to move quickly, quietly, and stealthily.
The scarf is for the protection from the sun, and the only bright piece of clothing on her body, because of the bright light she becomes for her people by the connections she builds to the outside world. The black veil shows her willingness to kill when necessary, as the Aiel always cover their faces in black veils to kill. Finally, the bracers are adorned with dragons. She joined the group to search for He Who Comes with the Dawn, the one they knew would wear dragons on both arms, though more permanent than I created for her. Eventually, he became her destiny and she carried on his legacy.
Outline the construction…
The pants are drafted using the method found for the bloomers in "The "standard" Work on Cutting Ladies Tailor-made Garments." In order to get a clean finish, I fell stitched the waistband which was a first for me and took a lot longer than expected. Also a new experience, I ended up having to hand sew buttonholes because my buttonhole foot was misplaced. The fabric is a light suiting, and the first time I've worked with such a fabric.
The shirt is draped, using elements from multiple shirts meshed with original ideas I had. It is a wrap shirt closed with hooks and eyes. This fabric is very slippery and unstructured, as well as snagging quite a bit on my machine, which took some experimentation with needles and other techniques. The shirt itself is relatively simple, but I've always struggled with sleeves and am mostly happy with how they turned out.
I used many online resources to learn about using modern materials like EVA foam (most valuable: SKS Props, YouTube). The pattern for the bracers was drafted by me, with much trial and error since I couldn't find any great tutorials. The base and straps for both bracers is made from 5 mm EVA foam, then 2 mm EVA foam was "engraved" with a wood burner, and everything was textured using an iron, aluminum foil, and a dremel. It was attached with contact cement and finished using Plasti-Dip, paint, embroidery floss, buckles, and Chicago screws.
Wow! Fantastic job on the bracers, I really thought they were real leather!!
I also thought they were real leather 😅
Thank you! It was so much work, but a really fun thing to learn to to do.
I love your interpretation of the character! The bracers look amazing and overall this outfit has so much power and cohesion. Amazing job!!
Thank you! I’ve been thinking about this costume for so long – the competition was the perfect push to make it a reality
The pressing on this is so good! I know it’s a strange thing to notice, but here we are. XD
Thanks for noticing! The perfectionist in me spent a lot of time on pressing everything 🙂
Love the tiny details! Your work is so neat♡
Thanks! It’s been so much fun since finishing to go back and appreciate all of the little things about the outfit
Those bracers took my heart! They are just perfect! Great job!
Thanks! As much as they’re just a small part of the costume, they’re definitely my absolute favorite part and discovering the process was the most satisfying part of this project
Best Intermediate entry with matching mask, thank you.
It wasn’t originally intended to have a mask, but with our recent world events and how fitting it would be with the costume, I decided it was definitely a must 🙂
I am in love with this. Aviendha is such a great character and I love the bright scarf as the “light she brings”. Excellent work, definitely fooled me on those bracers!