FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Uprooted Dress
(click images to to enlarge)
Outline the story …
This dress is inspired by the book "Uprooted" by Naomi Novik. It is the story of Agnieszka a girl who lives in the village of Dvernik in the kingdom of Polnya. Her village is bordered by a corrupted forest that constantly encroaches on the village, kidnapping villagers and poisoning animals and crops. The one person who battles this forest is a magician called the Dragon but his protection comes with a price. The Dragon choses girls from the village of Dvernik every ten years to live with him in his tower Agnieszka is worried that her friend Kashia would be chosen by the Dragon. She is surprised when she is chosen and forced to live in the tower.
Agnieszka is a very practical girl and I was inspired by the plain brown dress that she wore during her stay in the tower. She is clumsy and would do her best to keep this one dress as clean as possible going so far as to wash and mend it herself. All the while the Dragon preferred that she wore fancy silks and satins using magic to dress her. She soon learns that the Dragon didn't pick her for her ability to cook and clean but for her raw magical talent that through practice and some luck she learns to use to save her friends, her family, and her country from the corruption of the forest.
Outline the construction…
For this dress knew I wanted to make it with fabric I already had, It would be hand sewn and that I learn a new technique. I used a brown linen for the dress, white linen for the liner and cotton canvas for the support fabric. For the apron I used unbleached cotton muslin, Christmas ribbon and left over trim from the brown dress. I started by using a pattern that I had made in order to make a simple peasants' dress. I changed the lacing so that it would lace up the sides instead of the front. I made a mock up to be sure that this change would not change the way it fits. The most difficult part about this dress was the lacing holes working through three layers of fabric is no easy task. I feel that I have gotten the hang of sewing by hand. I used both Abby Cox and Bernadette Banners advice of wearing a thimble and It helped once I got used to wearing it. The new technique I learned was smocking which I had initially intended on using for the neckline of an under dress but found that I didn't have enough time to do the brown dress and an under dress in the time I had so I used this new technique on a apron I made to match the brown dress.
Very pretty and well sewn. Excellent job!
i love the smock on the apron. And the result is lovely
The smocking is beautiful, and the ribbons add such a lovely detail to dress and apron!
Smocking is no joke, and you really nailed it! Great job, your piece looks lovely❤
Beautiful work!
I love this! The smocking is the perfect touch! Everything matches so nicely! Great work!
You did such a great job designing this costume. It matches perfectly. I love colours you chose.
I really like your dress! The colours all go so well together and the ribbons add a wonderful extra touch.
The smocking is such a fantastic element. Love the simplicity of this piece, and all the thoughtful design choices that went into the color, textures, and fabrics.