Making a Tudor inspired gown!

Recently I was asked to make a Tudor gown, but one that would be reasonably comfortable and not restrict mobility for wear as its for a photoshoot. 

Challenge accepted! 

First I built a supportive hoop underskirt to give the gown the fullness and volume required without a ton of heavy underskirts. 

Then I set out to make my fabric choices. The model has stunningly brilliant ginger locks, so I decided to contrast that with rich greens and soft golds. 

This is what I ended up with, though about half way through I abandoned the bright green ribbon in favour of more soft gold. 

From here I draped, pleated and pinned the gown to a waistband I quickly whipped up. 

Then I carefully pulled it off the dress form and returned it to my sewing station- surprisingly only getting poked a handful of times. I built in the waistband and gave it a fancy fold over hem with embroidered detailing. 

Next I draped and built the corset, it took me 7.5 hours from start to binding completion. 

The pattern matching across the front makes me especially happy with how this one turned out!

Next up was the half sleeves, which are elastic at the cuffs for comfort and to keep them up. 

Check out dark knits boutiques social media streams for photos of the finished gown on miss Maxine!