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No Coward Soul- An Emily Bronte-Inspired Dress
(click images to to enlarge)
Outline the story …
No Coward Soul is Mine is one of the most characteristic poems of Emily Bronte whose simple life and her sad death at a young age find echoes in this poem. It is about the relationship between the poet and the "God within her breast". According to her, this element of God is present everywhere. She imagines that there isn't just one sun and universe, but many of them, and one day they might actually cease to be, yet life, in a sense, might not end. She feels the presence of God in the sweeping moors near her home. Since the character in the poem is Emily herself, I wanted to make a dress that embodied her spirit.
Emily was a 'village' girl who was reportedly mocked for wearing 'unfashionable' clothes. She probably wore hand-made clothes or mended hand-me-downs. This dress closely recalls the image of Emily walking the moors while, perhaps, conjuring up the lines of this very poem. The poem invoked for me the picture of Emily wearing something simple and practical on her long walks that provided her the much needed respite from her daily chores .
All the while I was very conscious of how the costume must suit my cultural and climatic context in India where I can use it every day. Thus, I settled on this design – a cotton dress, just below the knee, and half sleeves- light, simple and free.
Outline the construction…
Disclaimer: I am a novice, I have made but two pieces of clothing before this (a skirt and pinafore - both massive learning experiences and unwearable). Challenges: Limited budget, limited cloth and unlimited amount of time. I do not own a sewing machine and can’t invest in one, as I am primarily trained as an Architect (that helped in patterning, a LOT). Patterns (for historical western dresses) are simply not available here, neither are patterning books (like Janet Arnold’s). But, thanks to the internet, I found a ton of resources even though I had to rummage around a bit. I looked at many, many images, found some patterns, some blog posts, and drew out a pattern So it is not historically accurate – just inspired. And I convinced myself, that I was making a dress, capturing the ‘spirit’ of Emily Bronte (oooh, I think she would like that, based on Wuthering Heights). My stitching has vastly improved from the start of this project, the lines are straighter, the stitches are tighter and smaller as they neared the end I haven’t finished the seams on the inside and the gathered white lining for fullness, was an after-thought.I didn’t have enough material to make full sleeves or a fuller skirt I tried to inset piping at all seams, however it seemed too difficult to do by hand, and I abandoned the piping after fixing it only in the back. I can wear it outside here, even if it turns some heads.
What an extraordinary achievement to make your own historically-inspired pattern. What an amazing dress!
Thank you so much!
Lovely! And so much work. Inspiring.
Thank you for your comment:)
I love this dress. Patterndrafting your own pattern is a wonderful way to make a very special dress like this.
Thank you 🙂
I absolutely adore this dress that you have made, especially the ruching detail under the bust. Great job!
Thank you so much:)
I commend you on how wonderfully you have interpreted the story, your intent, the design, and the materials available into a PERFECT dress to wear in India. BRAVO! (I have traveled to India a few times and this dress checks all the boxes for me.)
So glad to read your comment! Thank you:)
This dress is so lovely, and that fabric! Adore it.
Thank you:)
It‘s beautiful! I think both the fabric and the dress itself fit Charlotte very well – the fabric with the little plants or branches signifying her love of nature; but it‘s also a simple, white cotton (?) with no pretense about it, which is also very Charlotte. And the dress itself is indeed practical, but also has some surprising flourishes with the ruching in the bodice and the sleeves…. perfect!
Thank you:)
I love this dress! your choice of fabric is so loveley. and the touches of smocking at the arms and waist make the dress so special. a beautiful historybounding garment! well done. good luck from icarus!
Thank you so much:)
Wow! What a lovely dress! I think it is very impressive that you sewed the whole thing without a sewing machine! And also that you made your own pattern. Its cool that it is inspired by history, yet very wearable for today.
Thank you very much:)
What a great fabric. I love the subtle detail of the pattern turning 90 degrees between pattern pieces.
That was more due to the shortage of fabric than a design choice 😛 Still, glad you like it:)
Lovely dress! Very nice fabric.
Thank you:)
Such a lovely dress ♥️
Thank you very much😊
Thank you Shiva:)
So pretty! Love the design of the dress and the pattern of the fabrik- goes so well together! And loooveee the design concept and what it means to you. It’s super impressive that it was done by hand! ❤❤
Thank you Shwetha:)
Such a beautiful dress and love the concept / thought behind it. It is delightfully Indian yet ties in with character of Emily so well! Kudos to you for hand stitching such a beautiful dress! Absolutely love it
Thank you Priyanka:)
It is so pretty! I adore the textile.
Thank you 🙂
Very nice divya..you are a multi talented person. Very Well designed. my best wishes for your upcoming designs
Thank you so much:)
love, love, love this dress!
I am so inspired to make one just like it!
Very much in awe of what you have made, especially considering this is one of your first projects ?!!!!!
You already have such good instincts and an intuitive sense of design that can’t be learned.
I am sure your skills will only improve and your projects become greater successes!
Bravo!
Thank you so much! This is such a kind compliment and boosts my confidence a lot. Glad to have inspired some sewing:)
Beautiful dress! I think you captured her spirit well.
Historybounding at its best! All the 1840s influences are clear (that smocking!), yet it looks so chic and modern. And suits you so well!
Thank you:) Yay for historybounding!
The dress is so lovely divi ❤️
You interpretation with your own twist and the way you have put it into words is in a way very soothing to read
Thank you Deepu:)
Oh I like this so much! Very well done!
Thank you so much:)
So very nice! I am in awe of your talent! I love everything about this dress! I can imagine being an architect makes it easy to draft your own patterns! Thank you!
Thank you:)
Thank you:)
This dress is wonderful! I really like the fabric you chose.
Beautiful. I’m sure Emily would love it, and you can frolic around embracing your own piece of her 🙂
Beautiful use of a block print and a lovely pattern.
Thank you so much!!
Beautifully done!
Thank you 😊
I love your dress. You did a fantastic job.
Thank you 😊