FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Tori’s The Lady of Shalott
(click images to to enlarge)
Other Credits
Marirose Wufsus - photographer and editor
Outline the story …
My costume is inspired by “The Lady of Shalott”, a poem by Lord Alfred Tennyson and a series of paintings by John William Waterhouse. I memorized part of this poem for a high school British Literature project. I did my best to recreate Waterhouse’s painting from 1888 as the other part of that project. Back then, I remember enjoying the rhythmic nature of the poem and the imagery it invoked. Revisiting this poem now, I’m enjoying interpreting the same imagery through dress. My recreation now is of Waterhouse’s painting from 1894.
The Lady of Shalott was cursed to weave day and night. She had only a mirror to view the outside world, the magical Camelot. She saw so much beauty but felt such sadness. One day, however, she left her loom to gaze at Lancelot. Her loom crashed into her mirror. She accepted her cursed fate and prepared to die. Tragic. Expected to be found, she carved her name on a boat, sung her own dirge, and died. Downstream, the people of Camelot found her in the boat along with a note she wrote.
Waterhouse’s three paintings show the Lady of Shalott at different parts of the poem. His paintings foreshadow using sewing imagery. The lady uses shuttles to weave her loom. These look much like boats, which appear later to carry her away. She changes from a lively maiden wearing red to a memory flowing in white.
Outline the construction…
Since I’m an intermediate sewer, I was happy my subject wore Medieval garments. After doing some research, I felt comfortable making my own patterns. This project has taught me to bind my edges, bury my thread, and use bias stretch wisely.
First, I made a Medieval shift using heavy white linen. I accidentally cut the neckline too wide, but I’ve worn it a lot this winter. I spent the longest time looking for a dress fabric online. Silk or wool would have been ideal, but those weren’t in my price range. I found a white cotton blend corduroy, which was heavily discounted. I hoped the weight was heavy enough, and it didn’t disappoint. When the fabric arrived, I could hardly notice any marks. I drafted a tunic dress with three gores. Linen doesn’t stretch, so I cut it on the bias to reinforce my bodice. My bust fits comfortably, but my shoulders should sit further back. Regardless, this outfit kept me warm during my photo shoot this winter.
Lastly, I put on the finishing touches. I unpicked a few inches at the top of each side gore. These openings allowed me to manage the weight of the dress and to access pockets. I planned to wear a belt, but my editor advised against it. I bound the hem and pocket openings with cotton twill tape. I embellished gold bias tape and pearls across the neckline, so I most resembled Waterhouse’s painting “The Lady of Shalott Looking at Lancelot”.
The gold tape with pearls is such s nice toutch.
Love the shape of your dress! Simple colors are refreshing♡
The pearls are my favorite part because they’re so subtle but so well done. The dress itself looks so comfortable and breezy, too, and very much puts the poem in mind. Very nice work!