How to Make Eowyn's Medallion Belt from Recycling: Analysis and Ideas

 I'll update this post with links to the finished belts as I make them.

I've been trying to figure out how to make Eowyn's Medallion belts for a while. Here is my write up and analysis of how to make Eowyn's belt. There's a full analysis on the alleyscratch website, which all these pictures are from.

Medallion Belt worn with her Green Gown

Medallion belt  on her White Wool Dress (really just a silver version of the Green Gown one, sewn onto a gold trimmed fabric belt)

Alleyscratch has a very good analysis, with diagrams and breakdowns of the medallions' constructions.

link to full page here.

The medallion belts are made of 2 medallions, a bigger central one, and a smaller side one.

front of belt.

Here are some nice fan-made examples that I have analyzed.

Yvette's Costume Site Example---clay and wire
Yvette (check out her amazing Arwen dresses, especially this one, scroll to the bottom of the page...) made them from metal clay and silver wire (scroll down to the bottom of the page to see them).
Like so.

close-up of Yvette's finished medallion, LINK HERE

Yvette's finished belt. LINK HERE

I don't think its necessary to make them from metal clay or silver wire, since baking the clay seems to tarnish the wire. Also, if you are going to paint it anyway, there isn't a need to use metallic clay.

 In my past obsession with wire-work, I've found steel utility wire is a lot cheaper than craft wire, and can be bent well with 2 pairs of pliers.
But if you want something that is really easy to bend with your fingers, skip the copper and get aluminum wire (which is still cheaper copper).

Yvette's version is lovely, and I like how she spaces the medallions nicely, it really gives it a medallion feel. Things I would do differently, is I like the medallions to be bigger, giving a visually thicker belt (which I think is slenderizing on fuller figures). I also would use a gauge 16 wire at least, as I think gauge 18 and above are a little thin for my taste, I like the wire flower loops to have more "pop."

Kairi G Design's version---3D printed plastic
LINK AND PICTURE FROM HERE. I really like the size of her medallions, they're a lot larger than Yvette's belt (perhaps even larger than in the film?). They were 3D printed from plastic, so its not an option for me

 Print my Props version---3D printed plastic.
You can hire people to do it for you....picture below

link to etsy shop here.

Mia's costume Site Violyns.tripod.com---metal rings and wire.
LINK HERE. This captures so much of the feel of Eowyn's belt, using instead of medallions, metal rings which the wire then is strung into, and spray painted.

Quite well done. LINK HERE. I like especially how she translated the medallion shapes to wires. I also like how nice and plump she made the "petals" of wire.

The finished look is quite good. I think the openness of the rings works especially well in the white belt version, since it works more on a lace-like feel.

From HERE on Mia's Costume site, more pictures and a write up

You could also do it with plastic rings for cheaper...

Cation designs ----Eowyn Inspired Belt from filigrees and jump rings
LINK HERE. I think this captures the most of the spirit of Eowyn's belt without having absolute screen accuracy. She simply strung together filigrees with jump rings (and also painted it a bit).

Pictures of her dress are here, her write up of the making of here.

It's real metal, so feels more authentic, and looks awesome. Filigrees are very thin stamped metal, that looks kinda like lace. Etsy is full of various filigrees, Hobby Lobby also has a fair amount.
I think this one especially looks reminiscient of Eowyn's belt. I wish it were just a tad larger though.

Antique gold scalloped round filigrees

I am going to make one using these filigrees. You can either string them together with jump rings and a lobster clasp (like her Green Gown belt) or sew them onto a fabric belt with trim/beading (like Eowyn's white wool gown belt) which gives you the option of more visually thickening the belt, if you would like.


Ideas for making Eowyn's medallion belt from Plastic and aluminum wire.
If you are going to go the plastic route at home, I would think a good start is to look at the alleyscratch break down of the medallion, and cut out the base metal part from plastic sheeting with a utility knife (on a glass cutting mat!). You could use yogurt lids, or pretty much any rigid plastic in the recyclying bin. Or craft foam. I would like to do it with something a little more rigid than yogurt lid plastic, maybe the bottom of those big plastic icecream tubs??? If you have an idea, please let me know in the comments!

Then you'd sand the plastic pieces with sandpaper, to make them more textured (and hold paint).
The wire parts I'd make from gauge 16 or 14 aluminum wire (since the plastic is soft anyway), lightly hammered. I want to use thicker gauge wire, because to me, a lot of the beauty of the belt comes from the wire loops not looking spindly.
 
Then you'd stack the pieces together with rivets through the centers. (preferably the big sewology push on kinds? Or furniture tacks with the ends sanded off, and bent with pliers?)

Lastly, spray paint with a darker color, and rub progressively brighter layers of metallic gold acrylic paint on it ($2 for those little 4 oz bottles from Walmart or Hobby Lobby) to make it look like metal (you want to go from the most "antique" colors of gold, to the brightest color of gold last, to give it depth.)

Ideas for making Eowyn's medallion belt from metal...recycling & steel utility wire! Cold forging!!
If you want to go the all-metal route, I would use can lids (6 oz. tomato paste, and frozen juice concentrate lids) opened with a NO SHARP EDGES CAN OPENER. (I don't know the correct name, except that there are sharp edges, just on the can, and not the lid, it cuts from the side, like this one). You don't want the lid part to have sharp edges, it will snag on your dress and cut your fingers)

You would punch the hole through the center with a hammer and nail (scrap wood underneath). This hole will be for the rivet, to hold it all together.

Because this is a sturdier version than the plastic, I am going to use real steel utility wire gauge 16 (so cheap at Lowes! BlueHawk brand at Lowes 100 ft for 8 bucks)
I've found with thicker gauge steel wire, the best shaping I get is with careful measuring, and using 2 sturdy pairs of pliers. I'd hammer it (carefully) lightly afterward, to help it keep its shape. The "seam" where the wire ends meet, will be at the center, where they will be covered up with the rivet.

I'd use real sturdy Tandy type of rivets for this, since I'm not as afraid to bang it with a hammer since its all metal.

Painting it, I'd spray paint it with Rustoleum matte dark colored spray paint, then build up brighter layers of gold with acrylic metallic paints and a rag.

Lastly, I'd string it together with jump rings.

This belt will not be screen authentic as it won't have large decorative holes in the medallions (if you had a punch and die set, you could do this easily), but the trade off is worth it to me to have something all metal, versus metal and plastic.

Ideas for making Eowyn's medallion belt from filigrees and fabric trim.
This is inspired by the belt on her white wool gown. You can get a lot more "bang" visually, with fewer filigrees. I really like these versions from redrose-online.de,

Check out their galleries, they're beautiful.

Gorgeous dress MORE PICTURES HERE.

From redrose-online.de HERE,. This is under this gallery. I love how visually thick it is. The neckband is amazing too.

And the belt on this is just...wow.

From redrose-online.de HERE (this is under the historic gallery) I just love how they used the square medallions, matching the color perfectly with the trim on the dark red. I think I am going to try something like this, on a brown or black velveteen fabric. We'll see.

These ones from Fashionsintime are pretty good too. Although I think those are more medallions and not filigrees.

from HERE from fashions in time

So here are a few of my ideas. You would use trim or braid, sewn with thread onto the fabric (a techinque called "couching"). You would sew the filigrees on, and could even do rivets or beading if you were feeling up to it. One of the advantages of this method is you could control the visual "thickness" of the belt, even if your filigrees were small, by how you placed your trim or braid.

I'm even considering using my stencils and fabric paint for the central fabric part of the belt, with the filigrees sewn on in strategic places as accents. I'd border the whole thing with trim or braid.

I'll update this post with links to the finished belts as I make them.

Nesting Ideas for an Organized Beautiful (Medieval & Elven Inspired) House, Making my home like Rivendell.

If I could build my dream house, it would look like a cross between Rivendell and Beorn's house, as described in the books.

This makes me think of Beorn's house. Wood and stone. picture credit: Little Moreton Hall.

Another one that reminds me of Beorns house. Picture credit here.

Not the movie version of Rivendell. Art Noveau is cool and all, especially for jewelry and lanterns, but as a house, its not homey to me.

The movie Rivendell: Beautiful but not homey...

even if you cross it with a Thomas Kinkade painting....

And Rivendell, is, after all, described as the "last homely house."
In the book, its described as white plaster with dark beams, as Frodo is waking up, being healed. This was always reminiscent to be of an infirmary in a medieval monastery, on holy ground safe from your enemies at the gate, a place of peace and healing.

picture credit here.

But it also was full of elves climbing trees and singing, and a long table with a feast, and a big hall with a fire in it, where the elves sung ballads in after dinner. This made me think of Medieval halls.

picture credit here. Ignore the tourists clothes, and focus on the firelight.

White plaster with the dark beams, and tall high latticed windows, long tables, and fires and singing. Kind of like an old English Church, or a Medieval Great Hall.

Vaulted ceiling like this, but no dark paneling or museum-feel. It would be crammed with elves and a big fireplace, and harps and all that. Picture credit here.

Like this, but bigger and less wood, not as dark. The windows would be bigger with more trees, strung with lanterns, to be seen out of them. picture credit here.

Something between the two of these, but with no dark wood paneling, and more white plaster reflecting the firelight. And taller windows. And more torches and lanterns and harps and all that.

Soooo, how do I mimic this in a two bedroom apartment?

High White Walls: I need white walls reflecting the light (I can't do dark colored walls, even pastels are a bit dark for me. I crave shades of white and beige at the darkest).

Dress up the Windows: with lattice-like cut out panels, etc, on posterboard, affixed to the windows.

I would make my knockoff panels from posterboard or something. Real thing from here at Acurio Lattice

 Lighting: Lots of warm lighting. I will scour thrift stores, and perhaps spend actual money at Hobby Lobby. And ofcouse make my knockoff Lantern-lamps. 

Inspirational Decorations:

Cutting Edge Stencils

from a talented artist on etsy for sale here.

 

Keep the walls bare except for---

• Big icon paintings/Medieval Illuminations high up on the walls. 
• Beautiful Weapons & Banners: mount the kid's medieval shields and spears HIGH UP on the walls like decorations. Also, the banners. I have one of a lion that my mother in law made. I want to make more with Elven themes as well. Its a way to surround the kids with beauty that they can't destroy. 
• Elven Art: Simple black-and-white line drawings of runes and trees like the gates of Moriah. I am going to make a simplified version of the gates of Moriah on a posterboard, and I have a piece with trees and runes on it made by my aforementioned elvish sister-in-law.
• Elven Smithing. Anything that looks like metal wrought leaves, or something elven smiths would make. I've already got 2 pieces, one as a Christmas present from my elvish sister-in-law, and one I found at a thrift store.

 

Some things I have...

Some things I have

I want my house to be laid out like a medieval house--which is the largest room will be communal, a focus on being together as a family.

Kitchen & bedrooms will be smaller and functional--that is really just for eating, sleeping, and getting dressed (or for introverts to flee when the need arises).

One room will be set aside as a chapel (perhaps also kind of a library as well, it will be kind of like a Beit Midrash, but the Christian version) Then the most space will be devoted to the Great Hall---a kind of combined dining/living room. Where we eat, do homeschool, read, and just hang out. I have observed that my family likes to clump, that is, even if we aren't actually talking or interacting, we like to hang out in one room together, all doing our own things. A kind of companionable presence.
There is also the "solar" which was the hangout for the family of the manor/castle. My current idea is just to collapse the Great Hall and the Solar, since we dont' have servants we're trying to hide from. And also because I'm going to be implementing this in a 2 bedroom apartment.


Master Bedroom: (with baby gate) Mom and Dad's bed, Mom and Dad's clothes, pack n play for babies under 6 months old.
Non-child-proof things: Bookshelves of art supplies & Legos. Sewing machine (& sewing supplies) corner and Computer(s). Work-table for art, sewing, etc.

Master Bathroom: (behind the Master Bedroom's baby gate) Dangerous things. Diaper pail. All makeup, cleaners, and medicines (child locked cabinets, or even better, high cabinets/shelves). Diaper changing table if it fits. Laundry hampers.

Kid's Bathroom: Bare essentials for kid usage, as this is the bathroom they will have free access to. A rack of books to read in the bathroom, footstools, potty chair, and potty seats.

Kid's Bedroom: Clothes all in the closet on cubicle-shelves and hanging up. (no dressers). Out of season clothes in tubs in the closet. Maybe some spice racks down low to put books in, or a couple toy boxes and a low bookshelf, but keep the floor as open and clear as possible. A crib (for babies 6-15  months) and sleeping mats/bedrolls which are stored in the crib during the day, and unroll at night.
A wall-mounted night light and music player, to play chant and worship music during the night.I will somehow have to secure the wires behind a banner screwed to the wall (through rivets), to keep the nightlight and the electronics out of kids reach.
The walls will be mostly open, except for icon paintings, kid's toy weapon racks with shields, and banners.
There will also be hat & shoe racks/shelves by the door.
The goal is to keep the floorspace as open as possible, to allow for play during the day, only needed to roll beds and bedding out during the night.


Linen closet: Out of Season blankets, sheets, towels, rags, baby blankets, camping chuck box etc.

Great Hall/Solar: A large wood table on one end, with benches (so much easier to cram little people in. I will need to start scouring thrift stores for benches...). A crucifix high up above the table. This is where we will eat, study, paint, and do things. On the other end there will be a couch, and most of the toy boxes.
The walls will have my elven lanterns (for the boy's room nightlight, as the couch will be doubling as a bedroom for Isaiah and any other  boys the Lord sends us). There will be the main music player up high with our CD collection so there will be music at all times. One corner will have a crucifix & Icon Set & bookshelves to be the chapel corner (maybe have a painted posterboard stained glass window??), but we'll probably do most of our family prayer stuff at the table.
I haven't figured out yet if this room's decor will be mostly Elven Art & Smithing, or Medieval weaponry. (There will be Medieval Icons)

Kitchen: Small and functional, hopefully with a gate across it somehow.

Chapel & Library: No space here, so I will dedicate a corner of the Great Hall.

Hall by the Door: Shelves and hooks for hats, shoes (2 pairs per kid), and coats.

Arwen's Bridge Dress: Analysis and Planning

Analysis on Arwen's Bridge dress. (Analysis on Arwen's Bloodred dress here)
So here are some thoughts on making a cowl-neck, Arwen-inspired maternity dress.

I have now come to really like this dress, even though initially it was not my favorite from the movie. Maybe it was the fact it only showed up in a smooching scene.

Watching people kiss...especially when us as an audience is forced to be right up in their faces....is just, so, awkward for me. I mean, if its sillhouetted against a sunset, and we're kind of watching from a distance (like an unscrupulous 14 yr old might, say, watch the neighbor boy and his girlfriend kissing in his front yard, in this completely hypothetical situation...) then its kinda sweet.
But when we get camera angles like we're watching from 3 ft away while they're kissing....well...I'm pretty sure the hypothetical neighbor boy would have minded that....

Um, I love cowl necks.


This cosplayer made it so beautifully, she convinced me to try to make it.

Farothiel on Deviantart "Arwen's Bridge Dress"

Farothiel on Deviantart "Arwen's Bridge Dress 2"

Maybe its because the way she made it reminded me of my dream wedding dress (that, alas, I had neither the funds for nor the skill to make when I got married.)

From Carpetina.com here

from carpetina.com here

 Some other cosplayers who did a decent job...

Therese on the Alleyscratch Scrapbook

by Eryndis-Waldlichtung on Deviantart

Sidhe on the Alleyscratch Scrapbook

Sidhe on the alleyscratch scrapbook

Looking at all of these, I know I really like the cowl neck. 

I also like the look white chiffon hanging down....even in Therese's example with the little bit of chiffon, its still beautiful. I'll probably do sort of petal-like half sleeves...maybe removable...we'll see.

I think I prefer fitted bust, and empire line for this one...actually, I think I end up preferring that for all of Arwen's dresses....

While the exposed shoulder top looks lovely on these folks, I just can't get used to it on myself. Firstly, the tops of my shoulders BURN LIKE CRAZY (I don't even know why. But they do). And secondly, it looks (on me) a little too night-gownish, I think.

So, onto practical construction...

Ta'anit Isis made some cowl neck shirts, and made this handy infographic.

from Ta'anit Isis HERE

As you can see from her pictures, her cowl extends under the bust. 

As my bust will be full of milk, I don't think I want it accentuated any more...so I will only slash my pattern (the red lines) to above the bust apex point.

My favorite part of her design, is how the back shoulder extends to the front, where the cowl actually starts. This is an ideal way to add in a gathered shoulder, without having to worry about the shoulder, or the cowl, becoming all untucked, because they are actually separate pieces.

The other thing I love about this design, is I can make it nursing accessible by having 2 layers of "fronts", the under-front is just there to form the armhole and keep the shoulder line, its neckline will go under the bust. Then the over-front layer will be the cowl, but where the pleats are, its actually just hooked (2 sets of skirt hooks?), making it simple to open and nurse, and hook it up when you are done.

I will make my own infographic at some point to illustrate....