Cosplay - Kaname Madoka Skirt

This is a cosplay I wanted to make last year but I simply didn't have the time to do it. Ironically, I didn't think I had enough materials either back then until I this year while unpacking my Anime LA items, I discovered to my surprise that I had more than enough fabric to make Madoka's uniform top (and naturally, all the others girls' uniforms) and if I could find a nice plaid to work with, I'd make the skirt for it. I had been considering to be Homura/Moemura for quite some time, so I loved the idea. 

I went to the fabric store and discovered to my surprise that they had 1.25 yards of this plaid that resembles her uniform skirt closely. It's not exact, and I didn't think of spending the time to custom order it, so I went with this lovely plaid. I have seen some doujinshi designs for Madoka with this kind of plaid, and it's a much better alternative than using an old Persona 4 Yukiko skirt. 

Usually I assumed that I required more fabric than usual, but I figured I'd somehow make this work. To my surprise, the length is absolutely perfect and I even had a little extra. I started out by cutting my pieces in half and matched them up, sewed them together in a clean, French seam, and then hemmed the bottom. 

  

 

Then I had this awesome long and hemmed piece of cloth. It usually doesn't take me very long, but today I sat on it a little longer since my machine's been a little touchy lately. This is just supposed to be a calm crafting project! 

So after that, I set some of the extra bit aside for my waistband and ironed the ends together to make that nice, clean look. I pleated my skirt by using an measured index card as my guide, and then pinned the pleats, made sure they were to my liking, and finally ironed them taut. I then added the waistband and topstitched everything and added the zipper and I have yet to add the button, but it virtually fits like a glove!

And here's the end result!  

 

I admit I'm not the same size as my dress form, but I put her up on Ema Heshire, my mannequin just to see the overall balance of the skirt. It looks really nice and I'm actually happy that it's quite wearable for other occasions. I also a finnicky about length, so I usually make my skirts long enough to make sure I sit properly! 

I'll be making the jacket soon once I get my pattern for it completely done!