Between House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power, I spend my weekends indulging in my fantasy fix, and more importantly, my fantasy costume fix! Who else gasped when Alicent Hightower did a power-walk in her green dress, or when we saw Galadriel mix chainmail and silks with ease? If, like me, you’re itching to recreate some of these looks for your Halloween costume, then you’ve got to stitch up our latest free sewing pattern, The Luthien Dress! With a classic princess-seamed silhouette, wide boat neck, and lace-up detailing, it is perfect for designing your own looks or recreating some you see on-screen. Join us and let’s journey through the realm of high fantasy together.
Purchase Materials Used Below:
- 7.5-8 yards of Mood Exclusive Gray Gawain’s Glory Linen and Rayon Woven
- 2 yards of Metallic Gold Jacquard Ribbon – 1″
- 1 spool of 116 Smoke 500m Gutermann Sew All Thread
- MDF330 – The Luthien Cosplay Dress Free Sewing Pattern (free download below)
The seam allowance is ½” unless otherwise stated, and the hem allowance is 1”.
To make the sleeve & waist loops and drawstring, you’ll need to make spaghetti strap cord. A lot of it!
How much cord you will need:
Loops:
For each loop I used 2 ¼” of cord.
I put 16 loops on each sleeve, which equals 36” of cord needed for each sleeve.
18” of cord are needed for the 8 waist loops.
Note: The amount of loops per sleeve and at the waist is up to you.
Drawstring:
For each sleeve I used 80” of cord.
For the back of the dress I used 100” of cord.
Note: Although I made my own cord, I would highly recommend using a premade cord for the drawstrings.
How to sew the sleeves:
1. Pin each loop onto the center sleeve’s loop notches. Try to make this as uniform as possible by lining up the edges as pictured. Sew a basting stitch to secure the loops.
2. Pin and sew the back sleeve to the center sleeve, right sides together, aligning notches.
3. Repeat with the front sleeve, then press open the seams.
4. Sew the back and front sleeves right sides together. Press.
5. Hem the cuff 1”. If you’re adding trim, do so now.
6. Repeat on the other sleeve.
How to sew the dress:
1. Right sides together, sew the side front pieces to the front, matching notches.
2. Sew a side back to a side front, matching notches. Repeat on the other side.
3. As we did with the sleeves, baste the loops onto the back piece, lining up the loops with the notches.
4. Sew the side back pieces to the back, right sides together.
5. Hem the dress 1”.
6. Pin both neck facing pieces right sides together. Sew along the short ends with a ⅜” seam allowance.
7. Hem the bottom of the facing with ⅜” hem.
8. Pin the neck facing to the neckline of the dress, right sides together. Make sure the facing is correctly placed on the dress: front to front, back to back. Sew along the upper edge ⅜”.
9. Turn the neck facing to the inside of the dress, then press.
10 – If using trim, sew on now.
How to sew on the sleeves:
1. Ease stitch the center sleeve’s shoulder ½” from the raw edge.
2. Pin each sleeve to its corresponding armscye, matching the seams (as pictured above) and notches, and ease the sleeve into the shoulder.
3. Sew, then press.
21 comments
Elise! good job, this is a nice pattern, but how can we get it?
Hi Sethlyn! You should be able to download the pattern using the widget above the size chart. 😀
Sethlyn, I had to sign in to download the dress.. If you don’t have a Mood account, set one up. The newsletters are good.
What size/material would you recommend for the cord for the loops. I’m planning to use leather cording for the lacing, but since that can’t be sewn I’m looking for a good option for the loops.
Hi Leah, depending on the type of leather cording, you could use it for the loops too. Just practice with a leather needle and scrap fabric first. Otherwise, I suggest using your self fabric to create a spaghetti strap sized cord. Ribbons or folded and sewn bias tape are also options too!
Love this! And simply shortening the hem totally allows it to be a day wear dress!
Love this pattern – especially the sleeve detail. I taught my daughter to do lacing like that when she was first starting to make costumes at age 6 but hadn’t learned zippers or button holes yet
This dress is amazing! Such many ways for interpretation and adjustments ❤️
The pattern I’ve been dreaming of. Hope to see more patterns with this historical style.
Is it possible to not put the draw strings on the sleeves? I’m trying to recreate Galadriel’s green dress from the finale of Rings of Power and it’s super similar in cut to this dress but it doesn’t have the draw strings on the sleeves.
Yes! The sleeves will be quite roomy, so perhaps make a test sleeve first. But I think it would look great 🙂
I never got the email with the pattern download. I tried several times, and I tried setting up an account but I didn’t get a confirmation email for that either. How can I get the pattern?
Hi Amy! We are so sorry the pattern isn’t coming through for you! Just email [email protected] and they’ll send it to you. Happy sewing!
After completing this pattern I only really have two complaints, the mobility of the shoulders is a bit unfortunately. Can’t lift my arms without lifting the whole dress and a bit tight at the shoulders/fattier part of the arm. Might just be my build there. Not too sure how I should edit based on that complaint. Also I didn’t do any trim and the neckline that I cut from the pattern didn’t fit right, I ended up using a thin bias tape and it was very lovely. Over all though, I’m probably gonna make another one cuz I like how it looks so much. I might just try to do something different for the sleeve. If anyone has any advice on how to edit the pattern to make a roomier should area I’d be happy to hear. (so I can do it on my second make lol)
Hi Gloria,
I am really no expert on this… But this came into my mind. Maybe it is possible to add an anderarm gusset?! it’s a rectangle that might give you more flexibility, as on these pirat/medieval shirts.
Greetings,
Frodo
I’m hoping to make this for a project at school, how long does this take?
Hi Leila! It took me about 2 full days, but if you omit the trim and use premade cord for the lacing and loops, you’ll save some time!
Love the look of this dress.
is there a way to make it look more like Merida’s riding dress?
Hi Amelia, I suggest making a long sleeved chemise to wear underneath the Luthien Dress. Instead of using the sleeves provided in this pattern, I recommend using sleeves from The Tacca Dress. Cut the sleeve a few inches above the elbow. Remove some of the length from the forearm piece, by the elbow. Sew the forearm and bicep separately, hemming the edges. Sew some ribbon or strips of the self fabric, to attach the sleeve pieces at the elbow and shoulder. I strongly recommend making a muslin of the bodice and a sleeve first! The neckline doesn’t need to be adjusted that much, just cut out a little v-neck!
Oh my goodness thank you for this lovely pattern. And it will fit me without me having to adjust time patten!