FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Shahrizai
(click images to to enlarge)
Outline the story …
"There is a fruit that grows south of Carthage. When it is green, it is poisonous. Only when it has fully ripened may it be safely eaten. I sampled it once in my younger days. There was a heady sense of danger in it. Once I'd eaten it, I craved more. [Melisande] is like that fruit."
Jacqueline Carey is my favorite author, and "Kushiel's Legacy" is one of my favorite series. When this year's competition theme came through, I knew who I wanted to bring to life. Melisande Shahrizai is the villain of the piece; a cunning and beautiful woman, confident in her own grace and intelligence. She is one of my favorite literary characters, and I knew that I wanted desperately to try to bring her to life and use this dress to do her justice.
When I sketched out the piece, I intended to start much earlier, but lack of funds, lack of spoons, and lack of knowledge held me up. In spite of that, I'm still very happy with what I've created based on my original design. Melisande is described as a woman with pale skin, midnight blue eyes and black hair. She is of a house of people who enjoy giving pain to others, and I tried to portray that dark beauty and seduction with my design.
Outline the construction…
My first step was my design, and I hung it on my office wall so I could see it. I was hoping that doing so would encourage me not to give up. I ordered Midnight dupioni from Silk Baron and coutil for the corset, matching bridal satin from a Los Angeles vendor, and appliques. The beads for the trim and the silver ribbon (as well as the crystal accent trim) were all purchased locally at Michaels.
When I drafted my corset pattern I quickly discovered that all my practice and learning had gone straight out the window with the lack of work during pandemic times. Thank goodness for the Foundations Revealed members and mentors that helped guide me toward a better shape from my mock-up. That done, I moved on to cutting and working on the final piece, including hours spent hand stitching every single bead fall onto the silver ribbon, and gluing each crystal on one at a time.
The skirt itself was filled with challenges. I bought ten yards of bridal satin, used some of it for the sleeves of the corset, and then set to work pleating. I also bought fifteen yards of tulle and had intended to pleat it into the skirt but after six attempts (yes, six) I gave up on the tulle and pleated the skirt directly onto the waistband instead.
All told, the entire dress took a grand total of 210 hours, including design and pattern sketching and numerous distressing mistakes.
Absolutely stunning! The color and hand beading are phenomenal. It fits Melisande’s grace and confidence perfectly.
Gorgeous! The color is breathtaking. I absolutely love the beadwork and designs on the corset itself, and overall I think the piece really gives off a great vibe of grace and darkness.
The depth of color, attention to detail, and way that this garment picks up the light are all exquisite! What a beautiful piece, and deeply appropriate to the character!
I love all the applique and beading work. And that colour is stunning! Lovely work!
Thanks so much! I got really lucky that the satin I chose matched the silk of the corset EXACTLY.
Dear Leora
your entry is stunning. So much attention to detail with beading, appliqué, crystals and pleating (oh I love your pleats and the way they capture the light). The character you portrait is well captured, beautiful and seductive. The fabric combination captures the light intriguingly and ad extra dimension.
Those pleats were a labor of love at 2 am one morning, because I -refused- to go to bed until I had them pinned right. XD Pleats are NOT my strong suit and I really wanted the skirt to lay exactly as I envisioned it. I’m sure you know the feeling. Thank you for your kind words. <3
The gown is so nice! The colour is stunning. The details are great.
Thanks so much! <3
Simply adore your applique-work! Stunning!
Oh thank you! Appliques are a reasonably new thing for me so I was very afraid. I’m glad they look okay!
Yep that is Melisande! Well done! You pulled off the dark and deep and mysterious but also the dangerous edge. The use of the texture in the fabric conveys the wealth but also that need for pain. Nicely done! As soon as I saw the picture I knew who it was without reading the title!
This is SUCH a great compliment!!! Thank you so, so much!
This is a stunning dress! The colour and the embellishments are wonderful!
Aww, thanks! I appreciate it. <3
YES!! This is the dress I will picture when I read this book again.
Oh my gosh, that’s such a great comment, THANK YOU! I really wanted to create something I had pictured her in that really personified the darkness and sultry beauty of her character. And, you know, every time I read the books again, I always sort of want her to win. 😛