FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Nightingale Gown
(click images to to enlarge)
Outline the story …
The inspiration for my entry is the story of Beren and Lúthien, from J.R.R. Tolkien’s "Silmarillion". It is a beautiful story, and I knew almost instantly that I wanted to create my own version of the gown I imagine Lúthien wore. For this gown I drew from the beginning of the story, when Beren first came upon Luthien, and was enchanted by her as she danced under the moonrise, before disappearing from his site. Her raiment was blue, and golden flowers decorated her mantle. Her face is described as a singing light, and her glory and loveliness was “as the light upon the leaves of trees, as the voice of clear waters, as the stars above the mists of the world.” Seasons passed until spring approached, and near dawn, the Song of Lúthien released the bonds of winter. Beren called out to her, then, calling her Tinúviel (Nightingale, daughter of twilight). Luthien was the only daughter of the King, Thingol, who did not think Beren worthy of his daughter. Thingol set upon Beren an impossible task to complete before he would be allowed to marry Lúthien: to bring him a Silmaril from Morgoth’s crown. The fate of Lúthien was caught in that of Beren, and she shared in his mortality. After the task was completed, and Beren died, Luthien chose to forsake the Blessed Realm, and was allowed to return to Middle Earth with Beren to live out the rest of their mortal lives.
Outline the construction…
For the main fabric of this gown I used a beautiful blue silk dupioni, which I then embroidered. I made the gold flowers from gold lamé fabric. All of the techniques I used in the construction and sewing of this gown were new to me, so I utilized a variety of resources, including articles from Foundations Revealed, videos from various creators, and blog posts to gain a greater understanding of proper construction and technique. I used a pattern as the basis for this gown: V1722. The bodice is underlined with cotton and a lightweight interfacing, in addition to a blue cotton lining. The biggest challenge I faced while making this dress was understanding how all of the pieces fit together. To overcome this I made multiple mock-ups to practice the construction of the gown itself. The mock-ups also allowed me to make some modifications to the patterns. I lowered the waistline, and altered the front of the bodice for a better fit.
Looks very mysterious. Love it and great job
The flowers and the embroidery took my breath away. Absolutely amazing!
The embroidery is STUNNING.
It’s gorgeous, congratulations ! I also love the story of Beren and Luthien, and your dress really does her justice !
Gorgeous embroidery! Very fitting with the character 🙂
This is quite simply breathtaking.
Tinúviel was dancing there!! *hearteyes* So ethereal and graceful. And I love the matching mask!
Great job, that embroidery is beautiful!
So beautiful. Blues are my favorite colors. So mesmerizing! The embroidery is wonderful! Thank you!
Best Beginner entry including matching mask, thank you.