A last-minute medieval dress

Ah, the joys of a last-minute idea. =) In my day job as a school librarian, I've gotten quite a reputation for my outlandish costumes. (Last week I was a different Dr. Seuss character every day!) This week was a special school fair, where we were highlighting our curriculum. So I thought, libraries. . .bookmaking. . .illuminated manuscripts! So I quickly ordered some medieval and celtic design rubber stamps so the kids could make their very own manuscript pages and color them in (a big plug here for Estelle's fantastic stamps at http://www.stampsmith.net/--she is fabulous to deal with and got them here in a big hurry). But how could I host a medieval activity without dressing appropriately?

So here is my quick attempt at something somewhat historical for our special event. I eBayed my last semi-historical medieval dress (the Simplicity pattern that uses 10 yards of fabric--good grief) and wanted to do this one on a budget--and a time limit! The underdress is quilter's cotton, the overdress is a linen blend from JoAnn's. The pattern was amazingly simple! It's based on the instructions from "T-tunic: the period way" by Lady Muireann ingen Eoghain ua Maoil Mheaghna. I was skeptical at first--how are all of these rectangles and triangles going to come together in anything remotely wearable? And only using 3.5 yards of fabric? But I tried it out, and am very pleased with the results! The underdress uses her Anglo-Saxon pattern layout, and for the overdress I eliminated the underarm gussets and used a sleeve design from Patterns for Theatrical Costumes. Hand embroidery was out due to time constraints, so I fired up the Aurora and chose a simple motif and mirrored it for the sleeve and neckline borders. It still needs a bit of work--I need to fit it a little better around my waist, the front gore is missing (everyone thought how clever it was that I left the skirt front open so you could see the white peeking through--ha ha) and I haven't hemmed the sleeve facings or the bottom yet.

After wearing corsets for other events, wearing early medieval is a dream! The pattern is comfy, the skirt is fabulously swishy but not overwhelming, and it really does make the most of your fabric. (Oh, and the belt I found in my sister's closet--she bought it at Walmart!) The kids loved it, and it made my night when one of them poked their head in the library and said, "I don't want to do the activity, I just wanted to come by to see what you were wearing!" =)