FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
The Sansa Gown
(click images to to enlarge)
Other Credits
Margaret Cowan, model
Outline the story …
“[...] clad in a maiden's cloak of white and grey with a direwolf emblazoned on the back...” - "A Feast for Crows", chapter 42, by George R. R. Martin. This was said by the character Petyr Baelish to Sansa Stark.
Outline the construction…
As the books are placed in a medieval/fantasy setting, I decided that while I wanted an overall medieval look, but I would take some liberties with the cut and structure of the garment. I used the bodice pattern from a dress that I belonged to my sister, then added basic skirt panels. For the fabric I used a medium weight linen, and I used a cotton fabric as a lining. The most challenging part of this project was the embroidery. Originally I had thought to embroider a wolf on the back of the gown, but decided I didn’t like the idea of it. Instead I decided to embroider a wolf on the collar and the cuffs of the dress. I also decided to add small maple-style leaves to the collar, as a reference to the Weirwood trees that are such an important symbol of the Stark family. Aside from the fact that this was my first time embroidering anything, one of the main difficulties was texture. I wanted the wolves to be rugged and coarse, and the leaves to be smooth. I ended up experimenting with stitches, threads and colors to achieve the results that I wanted. Finally, I added branches to the collar, to connect the leaves and the wolf in a way I thought looked pleasing to the eye. Most of this was experimental, but I was inspired by Michelle Carragher (GoT embroiderer) and her work.
This is a gorgeous dress, and the embroidery is simply exquisite!
Beautiful! I love the embroidery, and the work you clearly put into the function of each kind of thread. The overall style is immediately recognisable as Sansa Stark’s.
Good luck x
So gorgeous, that embroidery!
wow, this is very thematically appropriate for GoT, very North Maiden; the embroidery is stunning
Look at all the details that went into this!
WoW! Love the dress and especially the embroidery. Also love the attention to detail.
It’s stunning! I love the soft colors and textures with the embroidery. The little red maple leaves are so charming. It’s dreamy.
The embroidery work is beautiful !!
Elegantly rustic. So lovely!
Love the details, especially on the sleeves. Very lovely! Well done 🙂
The embroidery is absolutely gorgeous! I love the way you used the different textures for the wolf and the leaves, and the colours compliment each other so nicely, beautiful work!
Amazing!! The colors, the textures, the embroidered details, everything looks beautiful. Also, the scenery is breathtaking and magical. Congratulations!
The texture of the embroidery blends so well with the linen. It’s beautiful!
Oooooooooh! Just a lovely, well-constructed linen gown, and then that embroidery! *jawdrop* It has that dimensional quality that’s such a hallmark of Michelle Carragher’s work on the show, but delicate too. It’s like an innocent girlhood preview of her sumptuous and powerful coronation gown.
I love the embroidery! The embroidery was what I loved about the GoT costumes (I was lucky to see them up close at an exhibition) and I love yours too!
What an amazing dress! Your embroidery is inspiring and such a rich use of texture and color, beautiful job!
The simplicity of the dress and the intricate embroidery compliment each other wonderfully. I love this dress, thank you!
Wondeful and stunning work!
This is stunning. Love the inspiration and the beautiful embroidery. Also love your thought process around how you wanted to show the dire wolf in the collar, it’s so subtle but still so powerful.
Your decision to put the embroidery on the sleeves and neckline are spot on! It should be placed where it will be seen the most. You did a lovely job on the embroidery, the texture really stands out even though the color palette is soft and muted, and that hint of color with the red is a perfect balance. Very well done! I would love to see your sampler of stitches and threads if you made one, those are the things that make wonderful teaching tools and help inspire others. Wear this with pride!
I love your embroidery! Amazing job 🙂