FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
The Dragon queen
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Outline the story …
I was inspired to make this dress after watching someone on instagram print out scales on fabric (I can't remember what they were called and I can't seem to find them either) and that was all I needed. I made 4 sketches with different designs and after asking some friends and family I ended up with this one. I like to imagine that in a world with dragons royalty would not miss the chance to weare such an exotic animal as the dragon to show off their wealth and power... And I want to be the queen. I can say that you really need a helper when wearing this.
Outline the construction…
I started by making a cotton dress as a base to later attach the scales. I made my own pattern from scratch and only took help from my mother when it came to hemming the skirt since I wanted it even and it doesn't fit my mannequin. I printed scales on tulle with my 3d printer. I sew the scales together which took about 20 minutes for each square. The hardest part was to get the scales on and get them straight. I also had to redo them at one point since I had accidentally put one row lower so everything became askew. Due to that I learned to check twice and sew once. I also put on leather at the back to make it look like it is a laced back while sneakily adding a hidden zipper to make putting it on easier. I added an extra patch of fabric behind the leather to ensure that it doesn't put too much strain on the cotton. I have used both machine and hand sewing in this project. The scales are but together entirely by hand and the dress with a mix of both.
In so excited to see the 3d print scales in this context, I have a project coming up myself with this technique and I love how you’ve used it. It’s fabulous. How does it feel when you wear it?