Sew an Amazon costume with your own hands: pattern, diagrams and description

creativecommons.org

An Amazon costume is a complex outfit for a children's party or carnival, which is not easy to sew without specialized equipment. But if you spend enough time and be patient, the results will be worth it. In this article we will tell you where the Amazons came from and what clothes they wore, as well as share patterns and describe step by step how to sew an Amazon costume at home.

Amazons and the history of their costumes

The Amazons were first mentioned in the ancient legends of Greece. The most famous was the legend of Hercules and the Amazon queen Hippolyta, from whom the hero was supposed to steal the belt, thereby completing his ninth labor. By the way, perhaps this is why the emphasis in many Amazon carnival costumes is on the belt. The only reliable source mentioning these mythical maidens was the famous “History” of Herodotus.He argued that the capital of the Amazon state was Themiscyra, located in the territory of modern Turkey. The Amazons wielded a spear and a bow, wore thick tunics and secured them with a belt almost under the chest so that it did not hinder movement when running. Much later, “historians” began to describe the Amazon costume as “made of leather.”

By the way, in the second half of the 18th century, another costume appeared with the romantic name “Amazon”, which was intended for horse riding. Noble ladies who loved hunting and horseback riding as much as men could ride comfortably. Despite the fact that this suit looked completely different from the uniform of warlike beauties, the very idea and principle of its cut was the same: borrowing the most successful elements from a men's suit and adapting it to a woman's image. But let’s return to the carnival version of the warlike Amazon costume, which you can sew with your own hands and at home.

creativecommons.org

Step by step instructions for the Amazon costume

It is important to take into account the time of year; depending on it, the costume will be decorated with lighter decorations that imitate armor, or with natural-colored fur to create the feeling that the Amazon has covered herself with animal skins. The pattern may remain the same, but will be adapted to the specific holiday for which the costume is being made.

What you need to sew an Amazon costume at home:

• A piece of fabric made to look like genuine leather. If it's hot outside or indoors, you can choose linen or another fabric with a similar rough texture.It is better to avoid cotton fabric, as it will not look very impressive in person (although this option is quite suitable for photo shoots).
• Faux fur/thick fabric with pile, imitating animal fur. Contrasting fur (for example, made to look like a tiger or any other material with a “predatory” print) will look most impressive, but if you don’t have time to correctly arrange the pattern, then it’s better to take plain brown fur. This is an optional item, the choice depends on the time of year and the theme of the event.
• Sewing supplies (thick needles, threads, pins, scissors, leather laces).
• Decor matching the fabric. Ethnic-style jewelry, wooden beads, metal overlays and even feathers are suitable.

If you are sewing a costume for a carnival, then choose brown leather or leatherette, avoiding black and light shades, as well as latex fabrics - they will take the image of a warlike Amazon to another part of the perception spectrum. For decoration, you can use matching belts with stylized buckles, as well as boho-style jewelry.

All stages of sewing an Amazon costume with your own hands:

1. Take your measurements and adapt them to the pattern presented in this article. The fundamentally important parameters will be the volume of the chest, waist, hips and the desired length of the Amazon suit. Please note that the skirt should not be too short.
2. Attach the pattern to the fabric with pins and apply chalk marks, retreating 0.5-1 cm from the edge.
3. Cut out the details of the product, observing the indentation.
4. Connect all the fragments with the right side inward, secure at the joints and sew.
5. Fold the edges over, iron them, and stitch them to create a neater edge.Theoretically, you can leave the edge raw, but then there is a risk that the finished product will look sloppy.
6. As decoration, you can add patches from a different shade of fabric (also leather or imitation fur).
7. If the holiday takes place during the cold season, you can further insulate the costume by decorating it with fur. To do this, you will have to partially duplicate the suit.
8. Complete your look with ethnic style decor and add a decorative belt with a stylized buckle to your suit.