She Who Wakes the Dragon
The idea for the Dragon Queen costume began to take shape several years ago. It took me a long time to start working on it—not because I didn’t want to, but because the vision kept evolving. At first, I imagined a flowing dress in white and blue… but I don’t like white. Then I thought: black and green, with a corset covered in dragon scales and dramatic shoulders.
As you can see in the photos… I ended up doing none of that.
Why? Because of the fabric.
It was love at first sight.
The entire design shifted to fit the fabric. I used the same Burda pattern I had for my witch costume, added shoulder spikes, and instead of a corset, I created a bold collar—another chance to explore the goldwork embroidery technique I’ve grown so fond of.
I loved making the dress and collar. The wings… not so much.
I had never made wings before, and as with any first-time project, it was far from easy. Working alone meant no one could help hold them up while I checked the proportions, which made everything trickier. I also wasn’t sure what materials I needed and had to wait on multiple deliveries—only to discover I didn’t have enough of some parts.
Costume-making is rarely a smooth path to glory.
Even though I do love how the wings turned out, I wish I had waited for more foam clay to arrive. But by then, the project had been dragging on for five months, and I was ready to move on.
Something similar happened with the giant dragon skull and I gave up on making a wand altogether.
Toward the end of this costume’s creation, I also quit my job. The costume had started to feel like a relic of a life I was leaving behind. I lost motivation. It was time to turn the page and begin a new chapter.
Despite all the doubts and delays, I was pleasantly surprised: the costume turned out to be very comfortable. The wings weigh just 500 grams each, and honestly, I think the whole look suits me far better than it ever did on the mannequin.
And this isn’t the end for the Dragon Queen.
I’ll definitely make more versions in the future.
I still want that dragon-scale corset.