It took me a while to find the right doll for this purpose and I started making the outfit with Velma (a Chicago movie doll by Tonner). Then I saw the Basic Sweetheart version of Tonner's Queen of Hearts. Her hair is a bit too long for the character, but otherwise she's perfect. The images I used in creating the outfit can be found at www.taarna.net.
Click the pictures to see larger images.
I did not manage to find a picture that would have shown what kind of shoes there are under the gaiters. So, I decided that as long as the visible part corresponds with the pictures, everything is fine. I made the shoes from leather using a pattern I had created for Tyler. As I had no red leather, all leather parts were originally brown and painted later.
The following two pictures show the parts used for making the gaiters. As the pictures showed a seam in the front, I cut the lower parts accordingly. And it really was the most logical thing to do as it helped in getting the desired form. The lower parts are made of much thinner leather to achive a more natural look.
The knee caps are two oval leather pieces. I dampened the larger oval and spread glue on the back of the smaller oval, then placed it on the larger oval. After that, I placed the caps on the doll's knees (covered with plastic wrap for protection) and used adhesive tape to secure them in the desired form. When the caps had dried entirely, they remained in the desired form. Then I glued the ovals to the straps and attached snaps to the ends of the straps for closure.
The next thing to do was to glue the front seam of the lower part and then glue the lower part to the rest. The first two pictures below show the gaiters in their original color from front and back. The third picture shows them finished.
The second major piece was the shoulder harness. I made it from the same leather as the caps. The following pictures show the structure. One thing that had to be added was the small piece of elastic that keeps the whole thing in place around the arm. There was no strap in the pictures, but without one, you would never be able to wear something like this.
The harness is held in place also by the strap that goes to the other side of the body. Again, the buckle was not in the pictures, but is necessary. I made the buckle by bending a piece of wire.
The fabric parts of the outfit are made of lycra that has been hardened with Folkart's matte outdoor sealer. I used that also for the insides of the leather parts to prevent them from staining the doll.
I made the sword myself. The rounded parts of the handle are made of balsa and the rest is made of some harder wood. Then I painted the handle with gold paint and the blade with aluminum color, which was close enough.
The stockings and the glove are also made of lycra, but without sealer as they need to stretch.