FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Mab – Ruler of the Unseelie, Queen of Air and Darkness
(click images to to enlarge)
Outline the story …
When I was allowed to create a garment based on a literary character I knew at once that I wanted it to be a faerie, but also historical. I remembered Mab as she is depicted in the Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher; she is immaculately attired, always stunning, and styled in keeping with current fashions.
I found "The national garment cutter book of diagrams" on archive org which was published in Chicago (where the Dresden Files takes place) and as my absolute favourite historical fashion is the bustle era (or truck-butts as they've been affectionately titled in our house) I knew this was the direction I wanted to go in.
The only model I had reliable access to is my 6-year-old daughter, Willow, who very kindly agreed to become Queen Mab. She very much enjoyed being Mab, calling me 'peasant' a few more times than I would have liked!
I also wanted to keep this costume as eco friendly as I could manage, and everything save the buttons, the ribbon on the hat, and the ribbon lacing on the corset was either already within my stash or bought from op-shops.
I deliberately included some anachronistic elements to show that this character is somewhat 'out of place' in the mortal realm.
I wanted to use the competition as an excuse to really stretch my abilities, this was my first corset, bustle, bustle skirt, jacket, hat, and my second time draping patterns with only pictures of patterns designed for adult women for guidance.
Outline the construction…
Chemise: Upcycled linen pillowcase
Corset: Cotton chambray, ridgeline plastic boning, hooks and eyes from thrifted bras. satin ribbon, cotton lace. It took three or four mock-ups to get the right fit.
Bustle: Cotton chambray, ridgeline plastic boning, cotton twill tape, cotton ruffled lace. I don't feel completely happy with this bustle and look forward to trying again with stronger boning materials.
Petticoat: Single-bed sheet poly-cotton blend. I draped it over the bustle, gathering the back, then cut an even line and attached the ruffle.
Skirt: Cotton doona cover, quilting cotton, bed sheet, hook and eye. It was the trickiest to drape and I never felt that it was exactly as I wanted, but working with a small child you can only drape for short periods of time.
Bodice: Cotton doona cover, quilting cotton, bed sheet, hook and eye, plastic buttons, glass buttons. I stared at that cutting guide for a very, very long time. I draped a mock-up on Willow which was a basically what I ended up using as a pattern. There was no need for darts on Willow so I omitted them. I spent the longest time on this one item in spite of the ease of the mock-up fitting, it has so many pieces and this type of sleeve is completely new to me.
Hat: Cotton, ribbon, twill tape, shell bead, feathers from friend's rooster.
I was greatly helped by studying the cutting guide, and the videos of Costubers Angela Clayton, Costuming Drama, and Lady Rebecca Fashions.
Wonderful outfit. I see that your daughter takes the task seriously. 😊
Oh yes, she’s very happy to have made it so that I could share the outfit with everyone here. She also really, really, got into the queen thing. We had to go to the supermarket straight after one of the photo shoots while she was still in the outfit and she called me peasant the entire time! Hahaha
Ahhhhh your daughter is so cute!!! The way she has her head tilted in the cover photo is so perfectly 19th century. And I love the idea of taking Queen Mab and her fashion sense and setting her in a moment in the past. What a beautiful and well-made ensemble!
I agree, she is cute! Hehe Thank you very much!
Such a cute gown! And the silhouette looks great♡
Thanks! (^_^)
A lovely costume! And your daughter is the cutest model!
Thank you! She was such a good girl about all the fittings and modelling, too!
This is a lovely dress and the pictures are amazing. I really like the colours you chose.
Thanks! I wanted to choose icy hues without being too obvious, if that makes sense.
Your daughter calling you peasant, so funny 🤣🤣 You’ve done an amazing job of this, well done! 🥰
Yeah it was funny, still funny, pretty funny, maybe a bit much, then funny again! 😄
Thank you very much! 😊