FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Medieval Queen of Hearts
(click images to to enlarge)
Outline the story …
For the theme of “Once Upon a Time,” I wanted to choose a character who would be recognizable to most people, but who didn’t have a well-known costume from a movie or book. I chose the Queen of Hearts from “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll. After reading through where the character is introduced in the book, I knew I wanted to use the colors red and black, along with white and red roses to represent this character. I began to research the design of classic playing cards, and discovered that originally each Queen in the deck was representative of a Queen from history. The Queen of Hearts represented Judith of Flanders, the first crowned queen of England (843-870).
I settled on creating a fantasy/medieval style costume for the Queen of Hearts. I had been wanting to draft my own medieval kirtle for some time, and was inspired to use this project as my first attempt at drafting my own pattern! I also wanted to create some sort of fashion corset to be worn with the costume. My original plan also included a medieval style dress to wear over the kirtle, however it was not completed in time for the contest. I knew my main piece would be the kirtle, with alternating red and black panels and gores to create a “checkerboard” effect. The entire costume would consist of the shift, kirtle, and corset.
Outline the construction…
The shift is made from white cotton using Simplicity 8579. The pattern instructions suggested using French seams, which I had never done before, but was excited to try. I love the way they turned out, and was able to use this new skill on my kirtle as well.
For the kirtle, I wanted to try drafting my own pattern, another new skill. I used Morgan Donner’s YouTube tutorial to draft the front and back pieces. Fitting the garment was a challenge, especially to get the look and support I needed from the garment, but after three tries I landed on the perfect fit. I decided to use the canvas from my mock-up to flatline the kirtle, giving the bodice portion (made of cotton broadcloth) some additional structure. The front opening is finished with facings and hand sewn eyelets.
For the fashion corset, I used McCall’s M7339, with a few modifications. I moved the lacing to the front and sketched out the new top and bottom edge I wanted. I used black vinyl for the outer layer, red broadcloth for the lining and the canvas mock-up as interlining for structure. I discovered that the internal layers were too thick to use for boning channels as dictated by the pattern, so I added boning channels to the lining layer using bias tape. I used a vinyl “braided” trim to bind and finish the edges.
You look so happy at your accomplishment! I like the fact that your lining is sort of secretly wild; it suits the character very much!
Super fun! I love the lining fabric its a fun accent. I am a sucker for anything two toned.
Your cincher looks great! And this whole look is very flattering on you❤
That corset is so cool and gothic. I love it!
I love this! It’s really very well done! Thank you!