FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
2nd Place
Auð in the Wood
(click images to to enlarge)
Other Credits
Photographer Neil Wickman
Outline the story …
Entry inspired by Auð Vesteinsdottir from The Story of Gisli the Outlaw: Gisli's Saga by Karen M.P. Carlson, Christine Haynie. When my cousin announced that she was going to have a Viking themed wedding, I knew that I would want to have an appropriate dress. Viking dresses had such clean, simple lines that it gave me the courage to start sewing, and I haven't stopped since. This is still the project of which I am most proud. I went from firmly believing that I couldn't sew, that any machine I touched would break, to having a completed underdress and dress in a few days between August 13-August 28. It fits me so well that I am not wearing any bra or other supportive undergarments in the photos!
My literary character is Auð Vesteinsdottir the witty, loyal wife from the Gísla saga. She tricks a man looking for her outlaw husband and then beats him up with the bribe money he tried to give her in front of his men which caused his men to leave him. She later fights by her husband's side in the final fight. In my photoshoot, she is sneaking out to meet her husband in his hiding place under the pretence of gathering wood and herbs.
In the photoshoot, I am wearing a real Viking wedding ring on my ring finger that I bought as part of a paired set to give to my cousin as part of her wedding present. The hair sticks are reproductions by SunCatDesigns of ones found in a Viking grave. I also used a scrap as a scarf in the photos.
Outline the construction…
The first thing I ever made was the underdress in unbleached cotton muslin following Annie Brahe's instructions: Viking Underdress Tutorial - How To Sew A Shift. I used a sewing machine and I used pinking sheers because I was nervous about fabric unravelling and unsure of how to stop it. I also watched Morgan Donner's tutorial on sewing gussets several times. The underarm gussets and getting the necklines correct were the hardest part requiring a late-night phone call to my seamstress-best-friend for advice.
Then I found some lovely red cotton fabric that looked like the type of wool weave that the Vikings were using. I was really excited to find this since it was much cheaper than wool while still being a thick, heavy fabric. I used this for the overdress and once again followed along with Annie Brahe's tutorial. I ran out of fabric for the gores and had to order it online, slightly delaying the finishing of my gown. I used my sewing machine for most of it but I did hand sew the hem with a whip stitch since an SCA page said that that's how they would have hemmed their garments.
I then got some bleached linen and used the water I had soaked black beans in, along with a small amount of alum, and used it to dye it a light blue. I decided to make this into a cloak instead of an apron dress due to fabric and texture.
Sleeve gussets are the WORST. This turned out lovely, though!
Thanks! They require way more 3D thinking than my brain likes to do.
Absolutely beautiful 🙂 I love the photos in the snow as well 🙂
💕 Thank you so much. The weather was very obliging.
Your poses are so expressive in your shoot, love it! This has a great fit, and that red is stunning! Great work!
Thank you so much! 💕💕💕
Feel’s medieval- great job.
Thanks!
I LOVE THIS FABRIC SO MUCH! and it suits you so well too! This is stunning!
Oh I love this!
I love the neckline of this! Great job 🙂
You look great! Love your expression in the thumbnail– and the clever backstory. The fit on this dress is remarkable! It’s hard to believe you are new to this work. Well done!
The YouTube video is very detailed and I think I had a good share of beginner’s luck and optimism. I’m glad I didn’t try to start with some of the Italian Renaissance looks I’d been sighing over.
This is so awesome! Superbly fit, very well constructed, I need to make one now for the upcoming Winter here!
Thank you so much! It is such a lovely, flattering style.
Beautiful! It makes me want to do more medieval and viking dresses. Beautiful job 😀
Thank you!
Love it! Now I want to do more medieval clothes.
Thank you!
This is so lovely. Well done on the sleeve gussets and the fit of the dress, it’s incredibly well done. That colour is gorgeous.
💕💕 Thank you so much! This is such a confidence boost!
I love this!! The color looks amazing on you, and the drape and fit are *chef’s kiss*.
💕💕 Thank you so much! 💕
This is so well-fitting and graceful looking. This silhouette is amazing and you should just wear this dress every dang day. It is beautiful. And who knew about the black beans! You’ve inspired me to try dyeing now, thank yoU!!! So so so so good!
Thank you! Yes, I just did another dyeing project and intend to make a linen version of this because after seeing these photos I realized that this is the style that I should be wearing.
I’m having a lot of fun (and driving my husband crazy) using food ingredients to dye fabric.
Oh wow, inspiring! This lovely, you make me want to start new projects! The overall look here is fantastic!!! And i love your choice of colors
Thank you so much!
This is beautiful – and the movement and drape of the dress is amazing! You could walk straight into The Vikings!
Aw! Thank you!!!
Lovely fit, viking dresses are the best!
Really beautiful. My favorite red! It does look ancient…
You look amazing! Love the colour!
It looks stunning! The texture of the fabric is very good too!
You did the thing! And it’s gorgeous!! So proud of you! <3
Gussets and Gores! Achievement unlocked. Well done tackling these elements of sewing that can make even the most skillful sewist tear up.
The Swede in me is now wanting to make something similar.
that fabric is such a wonderful color, and glad the cotton is thick – that snow must be cold!
Very nice! Beautiful lines and beautiful fabric, a lovely ensemble.
That looks fantastic!
I love the colors and the dress suits you really well!
Red and a light blue are used wonderfully here. I love how the dress flows on you. The cape is beautiful! Thank you!
Such a splendid job on so many levels. A great color. Bravo!
So beautiful! I love the medieval look of it, and the key is a nice touch, it really suits the outfit! Great job!
Hail fellow dottir!! Hope that everyone at Viking wedding appreciated your accomplishment.
Your method of creation is right on the money and suits you so well.
This is lovely! And something like this may become my next project!
I love your costume! The neckline is very nice, the fit and fabric are perfect, and everything looks beautiful!
The color and fit is so flattering. Not needing any undergarment support is the dream, makes you question why we wear metal under our bust line. Everyday??? Feeling inspired to try to make on myself!
Not only is this beautiful, but you look like you are having so much fun!
This is amazing. I love the bra-less fit, that’s a real goal. Also kudos for your character choice, Gísla saga is a great story!
Nicely done! Sleeve gussets can indeed be a pain, though all the construction is (IMO) a lot easier if you handsew. You could always do most of it with a machine and then stitch in the fiddly bits.
Not sure if you’re aware, but the paired brooches would normally be worn with a garment commonly called an apron dress (or pinafore, or hangerock, or smokkr). I have a handout on making one style here: https://www.builtfjordtough.com/sewing-classes and feel free to ping me if you want to talk about Viking clothing. I will talk your ear off.
You look amazing. Best of luck in the competition, and congrats on becoming a finalist!