A SECOND Snakeskin Knit Dress

A second ‘wearable toile’ – a dress in a snake skin print knit

A while back I got a bunch of fabric from my former teacher, and one of those lengths of yardage was this thin, snakeskin print.  I ended up making shorts, leggings, and a dress… most as “intentionally wearable toiles” – basically test garments in fabric that I’d like enough to possibly wear if the pattern worked out -but not so special that I’d be devastated if it didn’t.

When I got some free fabric from a former teacher, I put this snakeskin knit into the “to make toilles with” box – it’s always nice to have some knit that I don’t really love that I can use to mock up patterns with to test fit…

Burgundian V-neck Gown – pattern challenges

Cutting the Burgundian gown toile from blue chambray

In my previous post, I shared my initial research towards creating a V-neck Burgundian gown. Guided by my research, I started by developing the pattern.

Corset class – preparing your pattern

adding seam allowance to a no-allowance pattern

So, you’ve picked out a commercial corset pattern and have selected the size that you want to use – but wait!  There is a discrepancy between your measurements and the pattern measurements!

If you have ever adjusted patterns before, you know that it can be a frustrating task – that’s why picking a pattern that is as close to your size as possible to start out with is the best idea.  Making up your muslin will help with finer details, but before you start cutting out your fabric, you might want to make some of these adjustments now.

Tweed German gollar

Complete teal wool gollar – a German Renaissance capelette/collar

In early January I showed off a German Renaissance Gollar – a sort of cape/ collar/ partlet kind of over-garment/accessory. I made up my first version in teal wool suiting with black velveteen lining.

I wanted to try a different method for supporting the neckline, so decided to make a second version.

German split-brim hat – Historical Sew Monthly February 2017

My German Renaissance Split-Brim hat with grey ostrich feathers worn with my black velveteen Gollar and my Cranach gown costume.

In mid-January the SCA barony I live in celebrated the step-up of a new Baron and Baroness, who have German personas. To recognize their elevation in a symbolic kind of way, several of us planned to add German elements to our existing costumes. As I wasn’t entirely sure if I could pull together a new German gown in time for the coronet, I decided to start with accessories. First the Gollar I already posted about, and next a new hat.