January 2005
At our Twelfth Night party. *sigh* I love this gown. More pics from the event here.

October 2004
I wore my gown again to my church's Harvest Party. I didn't get any good pics of me in the gown but I did get some pics of my hair . Bridget was able to style it again for me. We decided to make it less "loose" this time, to look more like Eowyn and hopefully hold up better. We added some more hair jewelry too, just for the fun of it.

October 2004
At the Maryland Ren Faire. I got tons of compliments on the gown and even asked to have my picture taken. I really felt like a princess. The sleeves, the hair, the velvet... yep definitely felt like a princess. What fun! More pics of the day can be found here.

October 2004
Pics of how Bridget styled my hair for the Faire. The style was based on the up-do Eowyn wears during the funeral sequence in The Two Towers.

After I blow dried and hot curled my hair, Bridget parted my hair slightly off center. She then gathered two front sections towards the back and knotted them together. (Literally tying the hair in knots, secured at the end with a rubber band). She used this as a base for the style. she brought the fake hair piece through the top of this base and pinned in place. She then sectioned my hair and the fake hair into 3 or four pieces. Using the fake hair as a base, she wrapped my hair around and then twisted each section to form a loop that was pinned to the base. She did this with each section, sculpting the twists with her fingers and hair pins as she went to get the right shape. After tiara was placed at on top of the base and lots of hair spray was applied I was ready to go! Thanks sis - you are the best!

August 2004

January 2004
The infamous "Hades Dress". These were taken at the last fitting, just before things got really horrible and I gave up on it. Whoa, do I look stressed out in these pics! Definitely not one of my better sewing experiances...

January 2004 - From the Ashes

I originally wanted to re-create the green gown of Eowyn's for the December 2003 Return of the King premiere (and party we had afterwards). I decided this in November. I was completely insane to have even thought of it - I was already stressed to the max with holiday madness but began the project regardless. *bad, bad Jenny*

It turned out to be a disaster, a complete and utter disaster which I could not talk about for weeks afterwards. I'm still a bit touchy about it actually. I refer to that project as The Hades Dress™. Enough said. In retrospect, the The Hades Dress™was a valuable experience. I learned a lot, mostly what not to do.

I began this project as a second attempt to re-create Eowyn's green gown. Unfortunately, I was not able to do that so the project became an "Rohan inspired costume". The journal tells the whole story of this costuming adventure...

January 2004

I am determined to use the lessons I learned the hard way on the The Hades Dress™. I'm also determined to have fun doing it. I am planning on wearing this gown to the Maryland Renaissance Faire in August. I'm starting it now so that I won't rush & stress at the last minute. Been there, done that - not fun!

I will never look like Miranda Otto in this gown. Ever. I simply have a different body shape. I'm okay with that but, with that in mind, I will be wearing a mid-Victorian corset with my gown. Neither Ms Otto nor Medieval ladies wore boned foundation but I need some support to look good in this style. Since this is a "fantasy" costume anyway, I've decided to be inspired not only by LOTR, period Middle Ages garments, but also by the look Waterhouse's paintings, particularly his Fair Rosamund and Ophelia. That smooth, "womanly" shape is what I'm going for.

Most of my research for this costume has taken place on the Two Towers Extended DVD, AlleyScratch and Costumer's Guide. I have also found some good info and inspiration in the LOTR message board archives and AlleyScratch scrapbook. Unfortunately there is not a video on costuming in the Two Towers Extended DVD but there is a lovely section of stills of Eowyn's clothes. Great views and some nice close-ups. Scans of these pics can be found at the Costumer's Guide.

February 10 - Fabric is Good

I finally found the perfect fabric! I've searched high and low for a fabric in a pretty green that I could afford. Not being particular as to fiber weave or content I looked at it all; wool, silk, linen, cotton, velvet etc. but couldn't find anything I liked (and could afford at the same time).

So I made a trek to the "super Jo-Ann's" in Maryland where I found the perfect green velvet for $10 a yard. WOW! It was on the home dec remnant table. The backing is a bit rough to the touch but the pile is long, soft and the fabric has a lovely drape. I bought all they had: two pieces totaling 7¼ yards. *crossing fingers that is enough*

The trim is a metallic gold I bought on sale last Christmas. I will use several rows to create the design. I may add some embroidery as well but we'll see how it looks. I'm not going to worry about it for a while!

February 11 - Draping the Pattern

I draped my gown pattern today. I think draping is the only way to get an authentic pattern for this type of gown, at least on my body. I have never draped a dress pattern before so I'm spending a few days with my friend Casey who has offered to help/teach me the process. Yes, she is fabulous!

I've spent the last few weeks researching the technique of draping patterns and the construction of period Medieval gowns. I've focused on cotehardies and fitted gothic dresses, as that is the basic look I want. Along the way I picked up some good tips on draping patterns as well as using fabric economically. Some helpful links:

Recommended books:
• Medieval Costume in England and France by Mary G. Houston
• Period Costume for Stage & Screen 1500-1800, by Jean Hunnisett - the front section on pattern draping was extremely helpful.

Fitting the pattern wasn't terribly difficult; it was just a matter of playing, manipulating and shaping the fabric until it was smooth. I laced Narcissa, my dress form, into the corset (stuffing her so the measurements were correct) and began draping.

I used two lengths of fabric, one for the front and one for the back. I will be adding fullness to the skirt later with gores. I made sure the center of each piece was straight on the center front and back of Narcissa and began to fit the two pieces together on one side.

I found it easiest to begin at the waist and work my way up to the shoulder before starting at the waist again and moving down to the hip. I ended up pulling the fabric vertically quite a bit at the bustline before the wrinkles were gone.

After marking and cutting the neckline and armhole, I marked where the pins were along the side seam. I will make a toile out of the fabric pattern and see if it fits me as well as it does Narcissa!

February 12 - The First Toile

My first toile turned out to be another painless step. Not only was it easy to put together, it fit perfectly!!! This costume is going way too smoothly, I'm a bit worried...

I began by laying out the fabric pattern I made yesterday. I trued the curves and added a ½" seam allowance to the edges (except for the neckline). In retrospect I probably should have added a larger seam allowance, incase I needed room to play with but I didn't think of it until it was too late. Luckily I didn't need it this time. After the front and back where cut out, I also cut three sets of gores.

I sewed the toile together, adding two skirt gores each to the sides and back. When I tried it on, it fit to perfection. It actually fit me better than it did Narcissa!

A few minor things need to be tweaked... The armhole was a little small, the back neckline a little low, the back gore needed to come down an few inches or it interferes with the zipper and four gores on the sides turned out to be too much. One gore on each side should be plenty.

Now I need to figure out that whole looped-up-front thing. I like the look of Maggie's version, with the front panel. I'm trying to decide if I really want to bother. The looped up front is my lest favorite thing about this dress actually.

February 29 - Possible Lining Fabric

I have been having a terrible time finding something to use for the contrasting lining. For the Hades dress I used silk essence, which I stamped with a leaf design using fabric paint. It was a very pretty effect if I do say so myself.

I think I could take the Hades dress apart and use the silk essence but I'd rather not. I like silk essence but it's not a good fabric for an August renaissance faire. It's 100% polyester so it doesn't breathe. I'm going to be hot enough in an olive green velvet dress without fabric that feels like a rain coat in Virginia's summer heat. So I've been on the lookout for an affordable natural fiber that doesn't look cheap and plain next to the velvet. Ah huh.

I stumbled across a pretty cotton print at Hancock's this afternoon. It has an abstract leaf design that reminds me of the original. It was even on the bargain table...ohh! Unfortunately is is yellow, not green. I got a ¼ yd and a package of Dylon fabric dye (olive green). I'm going to try over-dying the fabric and see if that will work. *crossing fingers*

Fabric for a Second Toile
Earlier this week I found a 60" drapey brown fabric on Wal-mart's $1.00yd table. It is a poly of some kind but it's a good match for the velvet, but without the nap. I want to make a full mock-up of this dress as I need to make sure I have enough fabric. I want to double check my pattern before I tackle nap issues and other velvet worries. I haven't worked with velvet before and I'm a little freaked out... can you tell?

March 3 - Next Possibility?

I spent most of Monday morning playing with the cotton and dye. I haden't ever dyed anything before so it was a new (and rather fun) experience. Unfortunately I wasn't happy with the results. The resulting color was okay but I wasn't hip on it looked with the velvet. The cotton was too much of a yellow-green and with it's orange highlights, it just wasn't right for this costume. Perhaps for a Second Age Elvish dress but not for Rohan.

No big deal, that's why I got a sample piece to try first! Back to the endless fabric searching...

March 16 - Pattern Plans

I need to tweak a couple of minor things but I can safely say at this point I've figured out the basic pattern. Have been inspired by Michaela's Eowyn and Ophelia gowns and medieval period layouts, it will have a front panel, back panel, back gore and two side gores. (In order to conserve yardage, early Medieval gowns typically had side, back and front gores to give fullness to the skirt. They began either at the waist or hips.)

I am totally stealing... umm.. I mean *barrowing* the concept that Maggie came up with for the front swag. The front panel's skirt is not attached to the rest of the skirt and the side gores are extended to the front by about 4". Confused? I was until I saw how she did it.

March 17 - Tweaking the Tie-Dye Toile
Today I tweaked the original tie-dye toile and then tried it on again.

I was checking the placement of the gores and how a belt looked with the gown. I originally placed the gores at the waist but that created problems with access to the zipper in the back. When I lowered the back gore, it made the side gores pull. After some experimenting with the toile today, I decided to place the gores closer to the hip (3" down from waist), about where the belt will sit.

I then took the tie-dye toile apart, pressed the pieces and traced them on to interfacing so that I now have a master pattern. I started to cut out my second toile but got too sleepy before I could finish. I'll finish up tomorrow...

March 18 - A Second Toile

I finished cutting the second toile this morning. While I had the table cleared I worked out how I was going to get all the pattern pieces to fit on my two pieces of velvet. I basically laid out the velvet and moved the pieces around, trying to find a configuration that worked. I think I can fit everything - with the nap going the right way and everything. Unless I missed something of course...

I sewed the main dress of the toile this afternoon. I must say I'm getting very good at gores - practice makes perfect! I'm very happy with the result so far. The separate front panel seems to work well and looks pretty cool. I haven't tried it on yet (I want to attach the sleeves first) but I did take some pics on Narcissa.

I experimented with crushing velvet today as well. Threads magazine just had article on crushing velvet, which I thought was very timely. The technique can be found in the Feb/Mar 2004 issue. There is also a short demonstration video offered online.

Originally I thought this might be a good way to camouflage naps that didn't match. As it turns out the technique doesn't help blend opposite naps at all. Good thing I got it all to fit correctly, huh? However, I discovered that I really like the effect of the crushing. The color variation is very pretty and the texture is really fun. I think it would add a lot to the finished costume but it would also be a lot of work! I can't decide.

March 24 - A Toile Sleeves

Before I attached the toile sleeves to the gown I tried the toile on for the first time. The fit was good but, as I suspected, the front of the arm hole was a little shallow. No big.

Once that was fixed I attached one sleeve and tried the whole thing on again. It didn't fit. The armhole was too big for the sleeve, throwing the fit totally off. Ahh!! I solved the problem by adding a pair of small side darts at the bustline. It perfected the fit and comfort of that whole section in addition to fixing the sleeve issue. I love simple solutions!

I sewed both darts and the sleeves then tried the toile on again. Perfect! The sleeves are not quite long or full enough but I can't do anything about it at this stage. I'm limited by the amount of velvet I have.

Other than that I'm thrilled so far with the way it looks. Oh, one other thing, I need to extend the front panels a bit. Narcissa's hips are apparently narrower than mine! I should have just enough fabric to put the panels where they should be.

March 27 - More Dye Tests

Today I test-dyed fabric options for the lining. I had the rather fanciful notion that I might be able to over-dye the brown fabric I'm using for the second toile. Nice drape, already cut out, doesn't feel like I'm wearing a plastic bag even if it is polyester... it sounded good. Unfortunately the poly didn't take the dye. I was hoping to bump it into the green family but it just turned a darker brown. A sick greenish dark brown. Yeah.

While I was dyeing fabric, I also test-dyed some silk twill from Dharma Trading Co. It has been in the back of my mind throughout the "great lining hunt". It is silk and it is a natural fiber - two big pluses despite the cost. I cut my precious sample swatch in half and dyed it (separately from the toile poly). It's gorgeous! It came out a lovely light spring/olive green that compliments the velvet beautifully. I surrender. I will have to dye and paint leaves on the whole yardage but I kinda figured I would have to in the end.

Now I have to decide how much yardage to get. Maggie of Costumer's Guide recommended 5-6 yards but I think I need more, maybe 7 or 8 (based on the fabric width and the petticoat pattern I want to use). If I need that much, it might be better to just get a bolt (11-13yds). It would be saving money in the long run but - ouch! I have money, it's just deciding I want to spend it on this. Decisions, decisions...

April 1 - Spending More Money

I just ordered the silk twill from Dharma. Whew! I've been debating with myself over the past few days it but in the end I broke down and ordered it. I'm shaky about how much yardage I really need so I ordered a whole bolt. Better safe than sorry.

I made a finial round of the fabric stores, hoping to find that perfect lining on the bargain table but no luck. Oh well. The silk seems like a huge expense at the moment but, it is so pretty and it will add luster to the costume. This costume better come out gorgeous as it is the most expensive one I have made so far! *no pressure right!*

April 5 - A Bolt of Silk

Oh, oh! My silk just arrived! I'm so excited!!!! Whee-hoo! It's lovely stuff all 13.75 yards of it. I should definitely have some left over for another garment. Yummy!

April 6 - Last of the Toiles

Just finished working on the collar. I finally have it to a point where I'm happy. It's not 100% accurate but it's close enough for me. You won't think to look at it but the collar has been the biggest challenge. I have lost track of how many toiles I've gone through for it. At least five. Whew!

Ignore the left collar half in the pics. I tried too different variations at the same time. The finial pattern is on the right.

April 7 - The Great Silk Dyeing Saga - part 1

I began on by pre-washing the silk with Ivory Snow. I combined the silk with my dye bath (2 packets of dye). After a while it was very obvious that it wasn't going to be dark enough. It was turning a light minty green. Blah.

In a bit of a panic, I threw in the rest of the dye (1½ packets). After letting it sit for an hour, I blow-dried another test piece dry. The fabric was now a pretty celery green - still way too light. Double blah.

I had already cleaned out my local Jo-Ann's of olive green dye so I made the trek to the Jo-Ann's in Potomac Mills. I managed to miss the traffic and was there in 25 mins – a pretty unheard of feat as there is always traffic on I 95. I got 7 more packets of dye.

I got home and, after a trip to the grocery store for more salt, put the silk into the new batch of dye (3 packets this time). I left the silk in the dye for an hour before rinsing it and hanging it up to dry in Bridget's shower. Wow what a day!

April 8 - The Great Silk Dyeing Saga - part 2
This morning I laid out the silk on my velvet but the color was still wrong. The truly discouraging news was that the second dye bath (with three precious PM dye packets) didn't turn the silk that much darker. Up to this point I'd been in a pretty good mood about the whole thing. Nothing truly disastrous had happened (yet), it was just much more complicated than it should have been.

It was my dumb luck that I stumbled upon the perfect color during my test so I knew it could be done. I was really guessing on how much dye and salt to use with my little test piece and I apparently used an extremely concentrated dye bath to achieve my perfect color. My "pretty good mood" started to evaporate quickly about this time. However, I was not ready to give up in an hysteric fit quite yet.

I again washed the silk, then combined the silk with the remaining 4 packets of dye. I checked the silk after 3 hours. The color was definitely darker, almost the shade of the original test. The bad news is that it turned out a little more blue (less yellow) and so didn't go with the velvet as well. It looked lighter even though it wasn't, if that makes any sense.

I left the silk in the bath for another 3 hours. The next test piece came out exactly the same. Nuts. I had expected that to be the outcome but a girl can hope! My next desperate act was to, again, wash and rinse the fabric and then dump it back into the used dye bath (with more salt). After an hour I rinsed the fabric, without testing, and hung it up to dry.

April 9 -The Great Silk Dyeing Saga - part 3
Looking at the fabric this morning I'm not sure what I think. I need to decide if I want to attempt another dye session (making another trip to PM or waiting for my Jo-Anns to get more dye) or if I can live with it as is. I'm going to take a few days to ponder, maybe a week. I don't want to make any decisions until I can get some perspective. I'm predicting that will take at least two days (if not more) and some chocolate.

Twill Tape

While I was in PM, I stopped in G Street and bought some 1" cotton twill tape for the bottom of the Eowyn hem, to protect the velvet. Theory is when the twill tape gets destroyed (instead of my fabric) from dragging the skirt all over the Ren Faire, I can simply replace it. That technique was used on one of the vintage dresses we have and it seemed a smart idea. The vintage dress used cotton velvet ribbon but twill tape is way cheaper so that is all my dress is getting.

I saved a little of both the second and third dye baths and threw the twill tape in. Even though I left it in over night, it turned out a rather blah grey green. Should have just bought the black twill tape I guess. Oh well.

April 13 - One More Time
After thinking about it for a few days I've decided to dye the silk one more time. It's just not dark enough. I've already come this far... I'll get 4 more packets of dye (making a round $30 on dye) and whatever color the silk turns out is what I will use.

April 22 - More Dye
Went to Potomac Mills today and got the extra four packets of dye. I'll dye the silk tomorrow.

April 23 - Last of the Dyeing Adventure
I proceed to dye the silk this morning. It was typical of the experience so far. I forgot the salt, went to the store, came home but forgot to change back into my dying clothes and got a spot of dye on my favorite jeans. *grinds teeth* While stirring the silk in the dye bath, about 20 minutes into the process, the sink plug came out and the dye bath drained most of the way out. I managed to save about a third of it and, for the sake of keeping the fabric submerged, added a bit of fresh water.

All this for what? The silk wasn't really any darker. I think it has taken as much Dylon dye as it will take. Maah! The sewing fates can be so cruel! I sat down with Mom and Casey (who came over for moral support) and stared at my swatches. None of us liked them with the velvet. I come up with four options:
• a. by the professional dyes from Dharma and attempt to dye again
• b. use the silk as is but attempt to blend the two fabrics by painting the leaves on
• c. forget making "Eowyn's Green Dress" and create a "Rohan gown" (using my current pattern without the split, looped front and perhaps sans collar), using the silk only for the sleeve lining
• d. forget the whole thing and make a totally new something out of either the velvet or silk

Frankly, I've had enough ‘dye adventures' to last a good long while and I hate the thought of spending so much money on a costume I will not ultimately be happy with. I really don't think I will be able to find (or mix) paint in the colors I need for the leaves. I know because I had this issue with the Hades dress.

At the moment I'm leaning toward "c". It would be cutting my losses and is the most practical at this point. I'd be able to use the pattern I've perfected (and love!) and have 9-8 yards of lovely green silk for another project. I'll be disappointed not to have made "Eowyn's Green Dress" but not brokenhearted. I'll still have a pretty LOTR costume along with yards of silk I could make into just about anything.

*sigh* Yep, the sewing fates can be cruel...

April 24 - A Change of Plans

I laid out the silk on the velvet this morning and I still don't like it. The silk is gorgeous until I put it with the velvet and then it looks... well not bad but not "right".

I do think I will go with the more generic Rohan gown and ditch the Green Gown recreation. I think it's the best option at this point. The Green Dress is just too complicated and, frankly, is no longer fun. If I pushed ahead and tried to make it work I would not be happy, nor would I enjoy the process. This is supposed to be my *fun* hobby and if it's not fun anymore then what is the point?

I'll use the same basic gown pattern but the skirt will be closed, no gaps in front. I will try making the collar out of the velvet but I suspect that it will be too bulky. If so then I will make it sans collar. I will make the belt more fancy by extending it down the front of the gown. I'm liking the concept on paper anyway.

April 29 - Cutting Fabric

I cut out all fabric for the costume today. Whew! My scissors, ironing board, cats, myself and everything else in the library is covered in green fuzz. I can't wait until I start sewing the velvet and my bedroom is covered in fuzz too – what fun. *note sarcasm*

The green stripey fabric the new lining fabric. Well, new-ish. It's a Wal-Mart bargain-table cotton I've had for a few years. I read somewhere that velvet has a tend to stretch so it should always be lined or interlined. Rather than "waste" the silk on linings that will no longer be seen (in my new design), I choose the cotton. The only silk in the costume now is the sleeve lining.

May 28 - Construction Begins
It took a bit of testing and experimenting with scraps to get the tension and everything on my machine working right on the velvet. I then began the task of machine basting the velvet pieces to the cotton lining pieces (flat lining). It took pretty much all day.

All the stories I'd heard about velvet are true: sewing the stuff is slow, meticulous work involving tons of pins. Very tedious.

Make that very, very tedious. *sigh*

May 29 - Under Construction

Today I put the dress together, sans collar, sleeves and a finished hem. I started out by trying to pin well but in the end I resorted to basting each seam by hand before machine sewing it. It was the only way I could control the fabric. Even by hand, control was a challenge. My velvet has the unfortunate combination of a pile (like all velvets) and a rather thick upholstery backing. Pins just wouldn't do the job.

So I got out my needles, thread and beeswax and plopped in front of A&E's Pride & Prejudice. It didn't turn out to be a great choice as I frequently found my eyes on the screen and my hands idle. I guess hadn't watched it in a while. :> By the end of the day both the main dress and the movie were finished though.

May 30 - A Bit of Handwork

I worked on the dress only a little today. I finished the zipper with some handwork; tacking the bottom of it and such. I also hand basted the neckline down so it is ready for the collar. I just turned it under 3/8". The edge will be covered by the collar.

May 31 - The Dratted Collar Strikes Again

Today I have primary worked on the collar. The wretched thing has turned out to be as fiddly to construct as it's pattern was to draft.

I realized this morning that I had only half the collar cut. I needed a total of four pieces, not two. Duh! I talked to Mom, explaining my blond moment and sharing my concerns that the double layer of velvet might be too thick. She came up with the rather brilliant suggestion of using the velvet for the outside but using a layer of silk for the "lining". That is fine, as the turned over part of the collar will be covered in trim anyway. Why do I never think of these simple solutions?

I cut out the silk pieces and began to construct the collar. It was very fiddly indeed, even with hand basting. I've discovered sewing two pieces of velvet together is a challenge but sewing velvet to silk twill is truly difficult. When you are sewing velvet on velvet, you can mesh the two piles together a bit with your fingers. With just one layer of velvet however, the non-pile fabric slips and slides all over the place. No amount of basting, pinning or pleading with the fabric really helped.

In the end I had set my normal perfectionist nature aside and just hope for the best. The finished pieces don't look too bad, after they were pressed. Ironing really is the key to a decent looking garment!

Once I had the collar ready to be applied to the dress, I moved on to the sleeves. Because the lining will show, I am bag lining them. I sewed the velvet's seams together and then the silk's. When I laid them out I realized that I had sewed the silk sleeves exactly the same, meaning the front and back of the cap are on the same side. Make that a big FAT oops! Oh well. I'll have to unpick the seams and re-do them. I'm very practiced at un-picking seams. *smirk*

At the moment I am taking a break. My little seamstress brain has had enough for now. I think I will take the rest of the night off and tackle the sleeves tomorrow morning when I'm fresh.

June 2 - finishing the sleeves... maybe

My brain won't fully engage today for some reason. I think I'll blame jet-lag. For some reason I ended up having to unpick one of the silk pieces twice before I got it right. Not sure what went wrong there. It was easy to fix, if time consuming.

As I worked, I had problems with my Mom's sleeve board. You know one of those gadgets to help with the pressing of sleeves. Anyway, she has an old one that is broken. I would iron about 3 inches, then it would collapse. I've been fighting that thing for 2 years but today I had finally had enough. I stopped in the middle of ironing a seam and went to Jo-Anns. I took my little 50% off coupon and bought a new one. My life is much happier now that I am the proud owner of a sleeve board that doesn't collapse when you touch it. Why in the world did I wait so long!

I finished up the sleeves and attached them to the dress. I'm not very happy with the way they turned out. They look okay from the outside (as far as I can tell) but they are actually rather messy with uneven stitching and such. It was a combination of the velvet doing it's thing and me rushing too much. I want to try the dress on first and see if I really need to try and re-do them. I also basted the collar in place. So I need to try the gown on before I can continue on.

June 3 - A Bit of Redoing

I tried my dress on this morning. It looks good but the sleeves need to be redone. I put them in a bit crooked (I was guessing because I neglected to put any notches on my pattern - um oops) so I need to take them out, rotate them and put them back in. Hopefully they won't come out as sloppy this time too.

The dress is undoubtedly lovely but I am unhappy with my lack of range of motion (hopefully moving the sleeves will help that) and how hot it is. I'm really worried I won't be able to handle wearing on a hot, humid Maryland summer day. Uuummm...

My plan "B" at the moment is, if the dress is indeed to warm to where to the Faire, I will save the Rohan for Twelfth Night and figure out something else for the Ren Faire...

June 9 - on to the fun bits

I took the excuse of some company over the weekend and not feeling well to lay my sewing projects aside for a few days. The interruptions turned out to be good timing, I was starting to feel a little burnt out on the velvet and needed a break.

I started back to work today. I had already removed the sleeves, rotated and re-pinned them in the correct position. I did that while chatting with my company. I took the precaution of double basting and keeping the pins in. It was great, the fabric didn't move at all. Yay! So the sleeves are sewed in and fit much better.

I also fixed the collar backs. Somehow I ended up with an inch overlap on each side… very weird but easy to fix. Those boring fixes out of the way, I moved on to the trim. I finished one half of the collar tips. I cut the trim so that when I laid it out there were no gaps in the gold. Looks pretty good I think, perhaps a little two-dimensional. If I still think so when all the trim is finished I will add some beading or embroidery. We'll see.

I am now in the handwork stage on this dress. Still left to do:
tack down the sleeve cuffs
hem the skirt
sew hook & eyes in back
apply trim to collar points
apply trim to dress collar
apply beads or embroidery to trim???

I think that is it. Close enough anyway.

June 12 - slight update
I don't have much to update, although I have been working steadily on the trim of the Rohan gown. I enjoy doing handwork but it is getting very tedious.

I finished the second collar point and have one row of trim attached to the neckline. There will be 2-3 rows of trim on the neck, so I have a way to go on that.

June 24 - Handwork Complete

I finished the trim and other handwork on the Rohan gown today. Yay! The first pic is of two rows of trim on the gown. I decided that wasn't enough so I added another row. Much better! To get the look I wanted I had to piece the trim. Yep, I had to trim the trim.

I decided not to turn back the cuff of the sleeves. I had one all pinned and ready to be tacked but found I didn't like it. That old silk against the velvet issue. I will just have to deal with sleeves that are 2½" too long. Oh well.

I put the gown on tonight so Bridget could mark the hem for me. These will probably be the last pics of me in the gown until Faire day. It's a rather exciting thought.

July 5 - belt progress

In the very earlier hours of the morning (being very hyper and not at all sleepy after all the fireworks) I finished my Rohan belt. The two used-to-be-silver belts are now gold and combined together. The belt is a bit dark compared to the gold trim but it works.

I thought of adding some color by popping off the round black stones and filling the space with faux stain glass paint. I've seen this used as a very pretty effect on homemade jewelry. I raided Mom's box of stain glass paints and experimented on some left over belt pieces. Can anyone say yuck? The paint did nothing for my belt, except to make it look very cheap. Oh well.

July 10 - possible changes to the plan
I finished the hem on the Rohan gown yesterday, which would mean the gown was completely finished except… I am not totally happy with the trim, never have been. The fact that it doesn't match the belt really bothers me so...

I'm about 75% determined to rip all that trim off and embroider it properly, as I wanted to do in the beginning. I say 75% because, I am having problems finding gold thread I like (and can afford) to simulate goldwork. I'm also having problems coming up with a design I'm satisfied with. I may just skip it. Ummm…

August 24 - a new plan for the trim

After much though and some research, I've decided not to attempt re-embroidering the Rohan. I couldn't find a pattern I adored nor thread that was a good substitute for goldwork.

I then wondered what I could do to tone down that bright trim so it better matches the belt. The answer? Paint the trim! I experimented with some paint tonight the the tests were very successful.

September 2 - painting the trim

The Rohan dress is now officially complete! Woo hoo! I just finished painting the trim. I love the finished look and it was lots of fun to do. As I mentioned before it was very easy but I took some progress pics anyway.

I thought it would be easier to work with the dress on Narcissa so I first covered her with a plastic bag. (Very stylish, don't you think? *hee hee*)

I took some slightly watered down black fabric paint and brushed it on to the trim with a craft brush. I then rubbed (pretty vigorously) the painted section with a rag until the color was even. I actually did this several times in each section, adding slight layers of color each time. Otherwise too much paint ended up on the velvet underneath and not the trim.

While I was working Nefret discovered that playing with the belt was fun. I took a pic before I took her new toy away. It's horrible that she usually cutest when she is being naughty.