Quick & Easy Ren Faire costumes – Last Minute Quality Edition

Back with the costumes! This time a quick and easy go on the complicated look of Ren Faire costumes. Either way, you could also use these costume hacks for conventions, cosplays and even Halloween if you want to give your look a renaissance and fantasy flick. The looks are Scottish inspired, fairy inspired and strider / archer / badass / cloak inspired. And of course: super easy and quick to beat that last minute stress! Because.. We have all been there before ;).

takingarrowsYou might have noticed I’ve been away for a bit. With pain I have had to let go of my post-every-month resolution because of busy life outside and inside Baytree world. But now we are back with a very fresh post! Also, I do really want to thank Costume Yeti for featuring my Ygritte post on their site and giving it some love <3. I also want to thank the Guardian for featuring my Outlander tutorials. And I want to thank a certain customer for whom I am designing a custom costume (aha!). You are so lovely. Oh and: welcome to baytreecostumes.com!! So much excitement and new stuffs.

But now: This post highlights the problem of a lifetime. A cosplay / costumer lifetime of course ;). What do you wear when you are going to a ren(aissance) fair last minute? I’ll teach you how to make a Legolas or elf inspired costume, a strider or Aragorn inspired costume, an Elf or mage or witch inspired costume, a fairy inspired costume and how to go Scot with as little materials and time as possible! Excited yet? 😉

Fast forward to:

  1. Scot: Great Kilt / Arisaid
  2. Ren Fairey
  3. Badass cloak style (archer, elf, mage)

Continue reading

How to make Ygritte’s costume from Game of Thrones

Perhaps too late for Halloween this year, but certainly not less inspirational! Let’s celebrate creativity with this new tutorial. This time we’ll discover the costuming world of Game of Thrones.

After a long period of trying to keep this exciting project silent (just to give myself a little less stress), I can now finally come with all the details. And they are plenty!

If you have been following my blog, you know that I am always inspired by a variation of TV series and films. From period drama to fantasy, the cinematic scenery and images always speak to my imagination and from there to creativity. I have been working very hard on two amazing pieces from the enormous TV series Game of Thrones. I wanted to make a twin piece, and what immediately came to mind: Ygritte and Jon! (Pre season 6: Have you seen this picture already?). Click here to see my article on how to make Jon Snow’s fur, ecologically! And click here to see my Youtube video on this costume!

I based my design on this version from the show

I like that guy on the right haha!

The process was long and hard, as always, but again very insightful and the new fabrics and techniques were so exciting. I always enjoy learning something new (said the proud autodidact).

Ygritte 2

This is the result. If you have seen my last (and first) project inspired by the TV series from Outlander, you know how much I can meddle with one particular project. The most irritating thing always being the pattern (argh). Continue reading

How to make a Kilt | Outlander costume – Part 1: Arisaid / Great Kilt

An Outlander tutorial! An Outlander great kilt tutorial or Outlander Arisaid skirt tutorial that I crafted just for you. Click here to go to part 2.

“Well, well, well, Ava Baytree.. This article seems even longer than your other ginormous tutorials!”

Guess what, this one is actually much easier 😉 ! Perhaps you are here because of Outlander, or just because you are as much into Scotland as I am. Anyway, you probably want to know how to achieve that key Scottish look. The modern small kilts these days don’t even reach that traditional look and feel of the amazingly functional great kilt.

Wearing and pleating a great kilt or an Arisaid is easy, it is warm and comfortable! The only thing that holds the tartan together is a belt. So no hardcore sewing required whatsoever! I’ll try to break down every bit that is key to these ancient garments.

Outlander Great Kilt by Baytree Costumes Continue reading