I made this dress in 2001 in time for the costume contest the last weekend of that faire run. The following year I was pregnant and unable to wear it. I am now finally able to get back into it and I do like it very much even with its flaws. I have no diary for making it but following the photos is a brief description of its layers. A couple of shots captured on my day at faire, 4/8/06 Click the picture at right to see... Photos taken during construction and wearing in 2001
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The shawl borders cut away
and edged in silk. |
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A finished skirt strip ready to be added
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A detail of the finished skirts
With the piping, ties, and flower findings. |
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Another skirt detail
and the edge of the sleeve |
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Sleeve pieces
These are pieces of the sleeve heads before assembly. The pinked strip of suede at the center left is what went down the bodice center front. |
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The final product in 2001
And you can see me getting my First Prize-Middle class award from the Queen. :-) |
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My only other picture from 2001
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A good shot of the hat
and some details of the bodice |
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The components of the Big Pig: hoop slip - based on Alcega - I need to make a new one of these Canvas bum roll Partlet - embroidered white-work cotton with Venice lace on the collar Underskirt - of olive wool, hand-loomed & hand embroidered, with gold nail heads. Overskirt - Cotton with a dirty little secret I discovered after I bought the wool shawls that the ground colors were dyed in separate lots and didn't match very well. This meant I had to find a new base fabric for the skirt and I could minimize the color issues by cutting off the embroidered areas of the shawls and trimming the skirt with them. This worked fine, but the only fabric I could find in the right color green to match everything going on was a plain-weave cotton. No biggie, except it was PRINTED, yes, printed, and not just printed with something silly, but printed with forest camouflage with weird black cobras in the mix. Like G.I. Joe. I used the backside of it and no one knows until I flash them a little of my skirt and the laughing ensues...
Bodice and sleeves - of olive wool, hand-loomed & hand embroidered. Bodice, sleeves & skirt all trimmed with olive suede strips pinked and backed with salmon pink silk; salmon pink dupioni and pea green silk taffeta piping, puffs & ties; embroidered wool; and gold floral findings at piping intersections and tie-ends.
Hat - my first buckram effort covered in more embroidered wool with a salmon & pea green silk hatband and hand-curled feathers.
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