Part 2: How to make Princess Serenity's Back Bow (Sailormoon)
Thursday, October 03, 2013
I was racking my brain on how I can make that long flowy and layered bow tails on the back of Princess Serenity's dress. So now that I figured it out I would like to share how I made it :) I must give credit to this helpful thread on http://www.cosplay.com that gave a diagram on how she made it.
The fabric I used was iridescent organza that had white-pinkish sheen from Joanns. Its hard to see in pictures but the color is perfect in person. It is sparkles in the light and has a slight pink color to it like Serenity's bow. The organza holds the draping shape very well too. I bought 1.5 yards of fabric, but I would suggest getting 2 yards! My bow just about reached the ground (I'm 5'3). But I wish I was able to make it trail a little longer on the ground.
With the 1.5 yards of fabric folded in half, draft out the shape of the bow. See below for the shape and measurements. Make the length 55-60" if you want your bow longer! Leave about 12" of fabric up top to make the actual bow later.
Cut it out and sew the frayed edges!
The Bow: After cutting out the bow tails, you should have 12" of fabric cut off from the top of the fabric earlier. And it should be about 22.5" in length when folded in half. Cut it it at the half, making it into 2 pieces.
Since this fabric is sheer, I would like to make my bow 2 layers. You should have enough scrap fabric cut off from the bottom left of the original fabric. Cut out a rectangle as close to the 12" by 22" as you can.
In the end you should have 4 pieces of approximately 12" by 22" fabric. 
To make the bow sturdy and not limp, I took 2 clear folders and cut out a bow shape. I connected them together with glue. This will be inserted inside the bow. If you have wire, you can make a frame out of that too.
Layer the 4 pieces of fabric on top of each other. Sew along the edges, but leave a gap big enough for the plastic frame to slip inside. Flip it inside out. And it should look like the picture below.
Insert the plastic frame. Hand sew the opening to close it up. Use a steamer or iron to steam out any wrinkles. Use leftover fabric to make a strip for the middle of the bow. Cinch the middle and sew the strip down in the back. My instructions and pictures aren't very descriptive on how to make a bow, so please look up any simple bow tutorial on youtube if you need help!
Drape the 2 tails until you like it, and then sew the top corner of each onto the back of the bow.
Ta-da! This was a picture of the when I finished. I used 3 pins to attach it to my dress.
 |
| Otakon 2013 |
 |
| Otakon 2013 |
Thanks for reading! Leave comments and questions below, I love to read them :)
Follow me here .. My Cute Bow ..
12 comments
I'm trying to make this dress for a convention next year. Your tips are really helpful thanks! I hope mine turns out as nice as yours :D
ReplyDeleteyou're welcome!! and thanks <3
DeleteVery helpful planning on doing serenity for the labyrinth of jaerth
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your tutorial! I used yours to make my bow :) I wasn't happy with the stiffness of the organza that I chose, but it was too late to get any more fabric...
ReplyDeleteAlso went sans the plastic in the bow as I didn't have anything suitable, but maybe for when I re-make it.
I gave you credit in my post too, if you are interested to see here is the link: http://www.idothingsilove.com/2014/01/princess-serenity.html
you're welcome! glad you found my post helpful :) Your costume looks great!^^
DeleteHi my dress came out beautiful do u mind if I friend u on fb so I can share pics
ReplyDeleteMy facebook
Deletehttps://m.facebook.com/profile.php
oh yes I would love to see it! hmm i can't see that link, it looks like a mobile link.
DeleteYou can send me a message on my cosplay facebook page to share the pics^^ www.facebook.com/mycutebow
or my fb is /reeni615
Thanks for your tutorials, they were really useful for my latest costume :)
ReplyDeletehttp://malteselizziemcgee.blogspot.com/2015/08/walkthrough-princess-serenity.html
ah I didn't see this comment until now! Thanks for checking out my tutorials, your dress came out amazing! :D
DeleteI used your helpful tutorial to make the bow for my soon-to-be daughter-in-law's Princess Serenity inspired wedding dress. I used floral wire to make a frame for it to hold shape, then and wrapped purple and pink battery powered LED lights inside, because I could. :) I left an opening at the bottom on each side, and the battery packs tuck right into the loop that holds the bow at the center, so it is easy to reach in and flip the switches. Thanks for the great tutorial!
ReplyDeleteLove the modifications you made, it sounds like a great idea! I'm glad my tutorial was helpful to you :)
Delete