mdb's Examples - New Zealand
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Eowyn
I drafted my own pattern. The dress directly onto my Duct Tape Double and
the sleeves I experimented with. I didn't get a photo of it but as the
sleeves hang on my DTD they fall exactly as they do on the form of the
exhibit.
Fabric:
Micro crepe. I was told the shop had wool crepe, but they didn't then I
saw their polyester microcrepe which is just heavenly. The texture is so
soft and it's extremely easy to use. It doesn't fray as badly as wool
crepe and is smoother. It's also a breeze to sew and you don't really need
to pin it as it doesn't stretch or skew under the foot of the machine. It
also doesn't wrinkle but irons wonderfully.
The sleeves are pure silk in a pale gold with slightly darker gold
pattern. This was originally a dark brown print on white but I used Dylon
pre-dye to remove as much as I could. The dye also 'bled' in this process
and warmed up the non printed areas.
I knew the neckline was finished on the inside with bias tape and as I'd
flatlined it I used this technique for the hem. It's a very nice finish
and very adjustable as it is hand basted for easy altering.
The belt is made of three layers: two outer of the crepe and an inner of
cotton. This meant as I was making it I could choose which side looked the
best to be seen;)
I made the rings by wrapping 16 gauge wire around a cylinder and cutting
them. As I was in a rush I used sports tape to wrap the ends and make
make-shift links. And again as time was a constraint I only partly filled
each and couched gold cord instead of using beads.
The ties for the sleeves were about 1/3 the length they needed to be but
that was all they had at the store. Twice the length would have meant I
would have been able to finish the wrapping of the arm and the rest would
then have been able to dangle free.
More notes about building:
I am actually an experienced seamstress so I knew how to draft my own
patterns and of course with all the wonderful photos available of this
dress it was pretty easy to work out how it was made. There are only so
many ways you can fit a full pendant sleeve and make a dress from three
pieces. Especially when most fabrics only come in a few widths. It also
helps that I've had to make fitted dresses with minimal seams for
historical costumes.
I used ideas gleaned from Robin Netherton who teaches how to make "Gothic
Fitted Dresses" no not the modern Goth, but Gothic as in the Gothic era.
You can see images of her dresses and her fitting a toile on a student
here:
The toile fitting is on page 4.
This is based on a four piece dress and to make Eowyn's dress you simply
need to make the front in one piece which is fine as it is not meant to be
as fitted as the dresses mentioned here.
And for more information including a PDF hand out and her posting to
h-cost about the dresses:
We recently discussed this dress on the h-cost list about what appeared to
have inspired the design and it was fairly well agreed it look very much
like a bliaut. Indeed the sleeves I cut were from a memory of a pattern
in Golden Hands of an Eleanor of Aquitain costume (bliaut era). If a
little more influenced by Pre-Raphaelite art than strictly of that era.
The Lady of Shalot looks similar:
Different fabric and sleeves of course but see how the belt curves under
her belly much as is seen in the photos of the wind blowing about Miranda
on the steps.
And in this dress you can see the sleeve style:
They are very similar to the sleeves of this bliaut pattern:
http://www.chateau-michel.org/bliaut_layout.htm
The sleeves are maunches here and there are two flattened out. For mine if
you imagine the elbow being at the point were it flares, the flared
section is as wide as the length from my elbow to knuckles, plus a little
extra to play with and for seam allowance.
The sleeves are cut on the fold and similar to
See more of her costumes at:
Humans | Humans 2 | Humans 3 | Humans 4 | Humans 5 | Human 6 | Human 7 | Humans 8 | Human 9 | Human 10 | Human 11 | Human 12
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This page was last updated
11/21/09
