Wednesday, August 17, 2011

A Medieval Gown, For Sale on Etsy

This is a one-of-a-kind, ready to ship, fabulous medieval gown. I don't sell costumes very often, so snatch this one up while you have the chance! Click on any of the pictures to see them full-size. To purchase this gown, visit my Etsy store.

It's of a stunning mid-weight burgundy upholstery fabric with a gorgeous sheen--it used to have a watermark design in it, but I washed the fabric before sewing it and most of the design washed out. (Yes, this costume is machine washable!)

Gold metallic embroidery encircles the neckline and both wrists, and I finished them off with a hand sewn gold metallic bias tape binding for a bit of bling. Bright gold two-piece machine set grommets run down the back and are laced with a gold cord. A simple double strand knotted metallic gold cord belt draws the gown in to fit you perfectly!

Speaking of fit, medieval gowns from this era are not traditionally form fitting. My dressform is set to a 37 inch bustline, 29 inch waistline, and a 37 inch hip line. As you can see, this isn't tight fitting, and by leaving a gap in the lacing it could fit a variety of sizes. I included underarm gussets for ease of movement and visual interest. The sleeves are made overlong, so they should just reach your knuckles and gather beautifully along your lower arms.

The skirt flares out from the hip line from four inset gussets. This makes the skirt unbelievably full! It is also overlong, in the medieval style, so you can pick it up and walk princess-like or let it pool around your feet. The hemline is serged and double turned--you can leave it long, or have a local seamstress hem it up for you if you'd prefer to have it floor length.

Although this is based on a historical t-tunic pattern, there are some decidedly non-historic aspects to it. The metallic machine embroidery, metallic bias tape, and metal grommets are definitely not authentic to the time period. The seams are also serged for durability. (Can I do historically accurate? You bet. But I chose not to for this one.)

If you're looking for a stunning Halloween costume or a head-turning Ren-Faire outfit, this is it! Transform yourself into Rapunzel, Maid Marian, or Guinevere for the evening! Or add a pair of fairy wings and be the prettiest girl in the realm of the fae!

2 comments:

Laly said...

hey....the embroidery is absolutely gorgeous...where did you get the pattern?im trying to hand embroider this design on one of my medieval gowns, but i can't draw it evenly by hand..

Dintarmawen Design said...

Laly, it was an embroidery design that came with my Explorations software for my embroidery machine--I modified it a bit to make it more of a running border. The design number is PA262, and it was in the "Scrolls and Swirls" category. Hope that helps! (I tried to find it on the OESD website, but no luck--perhaps it's no longer available.)