FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Forbidden Love
(click images to to enlarge)
Other Credits
Ruth Miller- photography
Outline the story …
Graceful and timid as a deer, Ithrandia wove soundlessly between trees to the hidden glade where Lothorn waited. Each noise made her look around fearfully. The king had forbidden his elvish daughter's love for a human. If he discovered her disobedience, he would be furious. Even so, she was compelled on.
The competition theme brought to mind Ithrandia, a character in a story I'm writing. I wanted to capture her as a princess but not ornate. Something more simple but still royal.
The biggest challenge to the design was fabric constraints. All of the navy except the lace was taken from an old empire-waisted prom dress. Fabric was in small chunks, so patterns were sized to fit onto it while being creative about hiding inevitable seams. I enjoy working with recycled and found fabrics despite the limited yardage, and all the fabrics for this were stash. It makes designing more interesting and satisfying while saving money.
Ithrandia's outfit is inspired by Late Medieval Europe. I used key elements, like the bodice fitted over the hips and the white belt, to invoke that era. Altering the full skirt to overskirt panels gives dimension while saving fabric, and I was able to remake the original lining as an underskirt. Fitted sleeves with flared cuffs mesh with the historical feel of the dress. The wide collar with pearls and silver provides a hint of royalty and matches the white belt’s embellishments. A navy belt of braided chiffon strips adds texture against the satin.
Outline the construction…
The dress is made of polysatin and polychiffon. The lining is scrap cotton; the belt and collar are pleather. All seams are my own work; none remain from the original dress. It is machine sewn and serged.
The bodice is patterned from a commercial pattern. I created the biggest hurdle in this dress’ construction when I foolishly failed to cut the bodice panels as mirrored pairs. With not enough material to recut them, fabric limitations became fabric impossibilities. I nearly gave up, but I made myself keep going. I found ways to piece my missing panels back together invisibly. Each is flatlined to the cotton before construction, and bones are tacked under the seam allowance on the side and princess seams. It zips up the back.
The sleeves are self-drafted, which I usually fail at, but they went well this time. The overskirts are made from gored panels suiting the shape of the original skirt panels. The underskirt is made from twelve pieces, so I'm pleased that the seams aren't obvious. It pleats over the hips but is flat under the overskirts.
The braided belt is made from long strips of chiffon that are sewn into four narrow cords before being braided with more of the silver. For something so simple, it took a surprising number of days to make.
The white pleather has silver cord couched on before being embellished with beads. It is mounted onto a polycotton lining and tacked in place. The collar hooks at the back.
It’s turn ved or so well, I really enjoy the lace sleeves in this dress. And the colour is really pretty. Well done on making small cuts of fabric work into this beautiful dress.