Romana (Mary Tamm) Costume from Doctor Who ‘Androids of Tara’.

I have wanted to make this costume for some time now as I believe that it so different to other ‘normal’ companions and has certainly a Timelady feel to it.

I enlisted the help of my good friend Natalie (dragonsandunicorns.com) who has a lot more experience in machine stitching then I.  I have only about 16 years experience in costume making and most of that has been hand stitching authentic costumes from 8^th – 9^th Century Viking/Saxon to ritual robes for the 21^st Century.

My old faithful Singer sewing machine was put to the side this time around and a more up-to-date machine is in use currently for this project. The only reason I’ll not use the Singer is because it is a little heavy to keep lifting and moving when I have only a desk with a pc to use as a work table.

Anyway, enough of the chatting lets see what we need:

Cotton velvet purple – 3 meters

Silky satin purple – 2 meters

Teal satin, extra wide ribbon – 11 meters

Peacock silky satin – 2 meters

Elastic waist band

Self-Cover buttons (15mm) - 51

I sourced the materials from a shop called Fabric Land. They had quite a good match to the original. For buttons I will use self covering ones, so that I may use the silk to cover them and match correctly to the costume. These I purchased from a local haberdashery called ‘Pinks’.

Using different patterns, Natalie was able to create a good replica of the original design. (This is where my own knowledge falters as I have never worked to patterns before). However, for those who have the skill or interest, we used the following patterns:

Jacket and Collar: McCalls pattern number: 4420

Front panels: Burda pattern number: 2471

Trousers: A pair of my own

After selecting the correct pattern for each section of the costume, a former was cut out. A former is some material which can be used as a test to see how the costume will look like without the need to cut the actual material first. We used some very cheap cotton. It’s a good idea as then you will have the pattern already cut out in fabric form which can then be used for other projects or a replica project, without the need to accidentally destroy valuable pattern paper.

The actual material was then pinned on to the former and cut.

Jacket:

Working on the jacket first, it was ensured that the area where the collar would be attached had a backing material added, to add to the stability of the collar. Also the edging of the jacket where it would meet in the front was lined with the purple silky satin, to give a nicer finish.



I added four lots of hook-and-eyes down the front of the jacket, allowing the closure overlap. I had contemplated using poppers, but as someone suggested to me, use poppers only if you do not strain the material and hook-and-eyes if you have a lot of bending to do.

Front panel

Jacket with seam lining



Jacket lapel





Jacket with first panel added

Completed Collar

Back of jacket with completed piping and collar

Front of jacket completed

Piping:



The piping from the teal satin ribbon was tricky to make. No piping material was added in side. Simply gather together into a tube and stitch down the edges inside out. Then turn it the right side. This was tricky and we enlisted the help of a long metal rod with a hook at the end, to hook and pull through. You do this with all the piping that covers the jacket, shoulders and front panels.



Piping for shoulders, back and edging



Buttons:



Using the self covering ones, follow the instructions on the packet. Use a practice piece of material to ensure the correct rough size. Then do a running stitch along the edge. Place the button in the centre and pull the ends of the cotton. Then simply snap on the washer and press hard to ensure it pushes as far down as possible. Make sure that the hole is completely clear of the washer. When you are happy, use the former material to make copies on the correct material. I tried a few times before I got it right. The fabric on the button head should be as wrinkle free as possible.

Unpacked button with backing

Covering a button

Completed button

Trousers:

I took a pair of combats which I knew would fit me. Folding them length wise so you only have a single leg, I drew around them on the former material. (Make sure that you fold the material correctly to ensure you have two sides to one leg and not one side like I did first time around).



Ensure that you have given enough material room for the crotch area. (There are patterns and tips on line to create trousers).

Pin and sew a running stitch loosely on the seams of both leg pieces. Then try it on. Adjust while it is on you (you may need to ask for help here) and check that you can move freely and mostly importantly can sit down.

The elastic waist needs to be measured around the actual body of the person who will wear it, to ensure the correct size. To add the elastic waist band to the trousers, the top of the trousers were folded over and stitched. Then the elastic waist band (by way of a closed safety pin) was pushed through.

Once the main jacket had been sewn together and the piping had been stitched, I then hand stitched the front panels onto the jacket. Carefully sewing the panels at the join between the piping and the silky material, it is possible to hide the stitches.

Completed trousers

Hat:



I purchased a jungle ‘pith’ helmet from Peeks Party Store to give the hat a general shape. Then three shapes made from the same material as the jacket were cut to cover it. The crown, the sides and the brim. It was the easiest way to cover the awkward shape. The brim was cut out in a circular whole piece first then a cross shape was cut in the middle. This allowed the brim to pass over the crown and the ‘triangular’ pieces were then removed. The sides were then covered with another piece of fabric and topped with the crowning piece. To help bind all pieces together, they were stitched and a hot glue gun was also employed to adhere to the hat underneath.

Inside the hat was lined with the silky material and the sides had the green silky scarf like material added to finish it off. My thanks to my beloved husband who took five hours to complete the job before a convention the next day.

Covering of hat

The completed look

This was a very enjoyable project to work on. If you are intending to do the same, I would love to hear how you get on.

The lovely Nicola Bryant, 6th Doctor Colin Baker and I at the Corsham event



John Levene and I at the Corsham event







K-9

Well, the Timelady’s house is in quite a state currently. Not only do we have a little warrior (baby Conan) trying to crawl around and grab sonic screwdrivers and bite the base of our full size Dalek, but K-9 is slowly making a recovery.

Before baby was born, I had purchased what I believe to be a fan made K-9 full size prop. (Every Timelady should have one, so that’s my excuse :)

When it was delivered, the poor tin dog was in bits and looking to be in a very sorry state indeed. However, slowly and with a lot of tlc, this K-9 has started to take on a more solid shape and structure.

My dear husband (who is an avid prop builder) has taken it on himself to let K-9 be regenerated.
Here are the photos of K-9 so far:

Head shot of the fan made K-9

As you can see, the eye piece needs removing and re-applying with a movable sensor pad

This panel is simply static currently. It will be removed and the correct buttons with electronics will be added

A side shot showing the foam frame and badly fitted panel

A few of the panels that fell away. These appear to be made from some kind of plastic (alcan sheeting we believe)

Side view with complete panel removed showing the foam and current empty interior

Static display panel on top of K-9's back

Neck and collar

Starting to work on gluing one side together to stop it falling apart.

The current and sorry state of K-9. It will get better - promise :)

What we intend to do is to make the prop structurally sound by glueing the parts which need to be fitted together. Then to fibreglass the interior to add further stability.

Then rub the whole thing down and fill the cracks with filler.

After that, remove all the static 'electric' panels and eye piece and replace them with working electronic units. Lastly, add a motor and further electronics for movement and audio capabilities.