FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
On chicken legs
(click images to to enlarge)
Other Credits
Photographers: Mom and Best Friend
Outline the story …
Entry inspired by Vasilísa the Fair by Alexander Nikolaevich Afanasyev, “In youth, Vasilisa the fair, the young hero of the folk story, helped save her family through magic. She kept that magic. In later years, once her family was gone and her magic was more powerful, she becomes the magical old woman Baba Yaga.”
The challenge in this outfit is not the construction, as that tends toward geometric pattern sections and straight seams. It’s the lack of patterns and information. The apron and sarafan are drafted based on similar garment pattern images found in Russian language sources. Additionally, no Slavic outfit is complete without protective, and magical embroidery. Motifs and techniques in the embroidery are traditional to both the period and location of the story.
I used the beautiful illustrations by Bilibin as my base and adjusted them, based on materials and embroidery designs available to me. In the illustrations, it looks like Baba Yaga and Vasilisa are wearing the same style of sarafan which gave me the idea above.
Vasilisa has braided uncovered hair, as proper for an unmarried youth and a neat apron showing off her embroidery. Baba Yaga has a head covering for married women, but worn “wrong”, backwards with hair down and sarafan hiked up with the belt for ease of running after intruders, if the house on chicken legs is tired.
Outline the construction…
Tunic dress is a combination of linen/cotton blend fabric and printed cotton. Printed cotton is used to give the appearance of embroidery. For the fabric measurement and cutting, I used traditional Russian hand measurement techniques to measure and make it. Simple braid cross stitch embroidery at the collar and sleeve opening. Sarafan and apron patterns were drafted, and I did one mock-up to check for fit and adjusted accordingly. I’ve mostly drafted kimono patterns before this. The gored sarafan is made with wool-poly blend main fabric. The hem is finished with red grosgrain ribbon to protect the bottom from wear, the inside is machine sewn and the outside is hand sewn. Red decoration is on-grain Kona cotton cut into ribbons and hand stitched on. It still needed some minor piecing in one gore section after the hem settled. Hook closures at top front. Sleeved apron was made with a densely woven white cotton, neck detail and front red panel is Kona cotton. Cuffs, bottom, and back embroidered panels are medium weight linen. Filet lace crochet based on a vintage pattern. Pin-tucks added for decoration and to correct the length. Simple construction helped. All embroidery was done before sewing using white cotton crochet thread or 40/2 red Normandy linen. For all the garments, main seams are machine sewn, then felled by hand. All embroidered sections and lace were sewn on and finished by hand. Accessorised with owned or previously made things. Skull lantern was created by husband.
You’re a stunning Baba Yaga! So thoughtful in construction and making. It’s like magic when a garment you construct has such a humble and meaningful backstory! ❤️
Thank you!
This is so fantastic! I love seeing Vasilísa brought to life. What stunning detail you added!
Thank you! The embroidery did take a while but was fun to do.
Wow! What an amazing amount of love and effort you put into this. All the details are amazing.
Thank you! It took a while. The embroidery took about 3 months to do.
Baba Yaga! wow yes, I see her in this outfit, definitly! it is so gorgeous! and the embroideries <3
Thank you for the lovely comment! I’m glad you see her in it.
beautiful!
Thank you!
Truly the feel of Baba Yaga, but still very lively and nice to look at =)
I’m glad you think so! Thank you!
I love this!
Thank you!
What a beautiful collection of garments. Well done!
Thank you for the nice comment!
Lovely work.
Thank you!
This is absolutely beautiful! I find the Babayaga legend so fascinating and you are showing her so beautifully!
Thank you! It is a very interesting legend.
Your embroidery is stunning. I can tell how much thought, care and time went into every part of this outfit. Very nicely done.
Thank you! I ended up a with a bit of a chicken theme (all the birds) with the apron embroidery to match the house on chicken legs.
I love this! It’s really very well done! I love the embroidery and details. Thank you!
I love the embroidery! It must have taken such a long time to do all those details, so well done, you did a great job!
Stunning! So much detail.