Since that first mesmerizing episode of Outlander with the dancing druids performing their celestial ritual, I have wanted to duplicate this casual costume. I almost always costume Claire, but this is a nice alternative for hot weather. While the garment is basically an off-white nightgown or 18th century chemise (I used this lady’s guide to create mine), the signature accessory is the lantern. From what I found on Pinterest, the lanterns used in the show are are actually 2 liter soda bottles! With that as a cheap foundation, I made two lanterns in an afternoon. One for me and one for a friend…because friends don’t let friends druid alone.
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For each lantern, here’s what I used:
- 2 liter soda bottle
- 7/8″ dowel rod ~8″ long (Darice Unfinished Natural Wood Craft Dowel Rod, 7/8-Inch
)
- Hot glue and/or E6000 (E6000 5510310 Craft Adhesive Mini (4 Pack)
)
- Battery operated flickering tea candle (Homemory Battery LED Tea Lights
)
- Velcro circles (Velcro Sticky-Back Hook & Loop Dot Fasteners
)
- Foam (or felt)
- Wine cork (optional: cut in half)
- 1 bunch artificial flowers with leaves included
- Thin off-white fabric scraps
)
)
)
)
I emptied, cleaned, and cut off the bottom of each bottle. The dowel rods were heavily sanded down to fit into the mouth of each bottle for a snug fit, but for my peace of mind I also secured them with E6000 glue.
I then glued each half of the wine cork to the top of the dowel rods at the mouth of the bottles. Using a tea candle as a stencil, I cut foam circles to use as pads and glued them to the top of the corks. With self adhesive velcro, I stuck one half onto the candle (leaving room to turn candle on and off at switch) and the other half onto the foam on each candle. This keeps the candles from rolling around in the lantern, and allows thm to be removed or replaced.
I hot glued a corner of fabric to the bottom of the dowel rod on each lantern and twist wrapped the fabric up the rod and bottle until I could fold the fabric inside the top, and I glued wherever necessary. I cut the floral bunches off the main stem and bent them into circles, dividing the flower circles in two for my two lanterns. Inverting the lanterns, I slid the floral circles down the dowel rods and glued them in place at the base of the lantern.
And that’s it! Just add druids and standing stones! At DragonCon this past weekend my niece wore one of the druids, and our Amazon sister wore the other. Oh sure it was downtown Atlanta, but it was fitting regardless, and I was proud to see my druids represented so well.
Now you have that song stuck in your head, don’t you?
Outlander inspired costumes also on the blog:
Costuming Claire from Outlander: Season 1
Costuming Claire from Outlander: Season 1 (Additions)
Costuming Claire from Outlander: Season 2 (& the Red Shoes)
Costuming Claire from Outlander: Season 3
Costuming Outlander Inspired “Cross Creek” Claire
Costuming Claire from Outlander: Season 1 (c. 1945)
Costuming Captain Black Jack Randall from Outlander
And Outlander inspired costumes coming soon to the blog:
Costuming Claire from Outlander: Season 2
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This is amazing! I am mesmerized by the druid dance from the show. I’ve wanted a lantern so bad and I stumbled upon your site. I can’t wait to make this! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Angela and you’re very welcome! Enjoy!!
How much white fabric did you use per lantern?
Hi Emily- I used leftover scraps from the Druid dresses so if I had to guess, maybe a half yard for each lantern.
Thank you so much!
The material on the outside of the lantern looks kind of thick somehow. Did they just use cloth or was it something else?
Hi Lisa, looks like the material in the show was more like a gauze and probably several layers of it. I just used whatever I had on hand in my fabric stash.