Blog Three: Just for fun: Twi’lek headdress

This one is just for fun. I would never DARE wear it to a convention. I’d probably be murdered by some hardcore fans who’d be disgusted by my use of fabric to create what should only be done with latex or whatever. I don’t care. If I do go as a Twi’lek in October, it’ll be with approved materials. But this is just for fun. I made my Twi’lek headgear because I have a bunch of mates that I play the Star Wars RPG with (you can laugh, but it’s a lot of fun!), and my character is a Twi’lek. I’m really into the character, so I wanted to do this, for laughs. Who knows, maybe I’ll wear it to the midnight release of Phantom Menace 3D next month XD

Twi’lek headgear, Star Wars (WARNING: STRICTLY NOT FOR CON!)

I just had some white fleece material and some black leather-like fabric lying around, so that’s what I used to make this.

Note that these measurements were taken directly off my head. For some reason, I have a head bigger than most women and probably a lot of men too. The best way to do this is measure on your own head like I did, using the material itself. First off, you should know that my concept came from this picture from the core rulebook of the Star Wars RPG. 

So what I was originally aiming for was a helmet that covered my ears. The reason why I had to change that concept was it was too loose. In the end the helmet became a wrap around arrangement, but at least I can hear properly now *_* And you should also know that, since I have a fringe, I don’t like hats that squish my fringe against my forehead. So I intentionally made this headwear to sit back off my fringe. And yes, my boyfriend did tell me off, because Twi’leks shouldn’t have hair.

So basically what I’m saying is, the pattern to make the lekku themselves is straightforward! Just cut them out, sew them together, and stuff them.

Now for the hard part, the helmet part. Read the following instructional diagram (and prepare to be VERY confused).

Sewing the lekku into the helmet requires a lot of dexterity, and a high pain threshold. Those leather piercing needles can really hurt, you know! But eventually I did get the lekku into the helmet without a single gap. Guess my measurements really did work out! 

Of course, you have to finish off the open end of the lekku. Measure the hole left once the lekku are inside, and then cover it up so the stuffing doesn’t escape.

Finally, I tried to fit a chain on to hold this on my head, but it was waaaay too loose. So I ended up making straps, as you can maybe see in the photo. Not the prettiest, but it does the job. I left the chain one for decoration, and it clips on with a metallic button. 

This actually wasn’t too hard to do! It’s just that my instructions are probably really confusing... sorry!

I was happy with: The fact that this actually worked! I had no idea if it would... And the stuffing actually looks all right!

I could improve on: I think this looks cute when the lekku rest on my shoulders, but when they hang behind my head not only do they give me a headache, but they don’t look completely right. So I keep them on my shoulders.