Yesterday was a full day of sewing.  Hubby and I were off to a costume party last night and needed some medieval-type garb.  Due to a date mix-up on my part, as of yesterday morning our costumes were just fabric pieces lying on the sewing room floor.  But it’s amazing what one can do with a sewing machine in 6 hours! 

Hubby got  a long grey tunic, based on McCall’s 3789.  The black cape almost didn’t happen.  I had the fabric, but not the time (or so I thought.)  But he seemed so disappointed that a cape would not be forthcoming that I did a quick Google search, discovered this tutorial, and had this little puppy done in 20 minutes (I think that must be a record!)  Now, it’s not up to my usual standards, as I left all of the edges unfinished, but for one night’s wear, it was perfect, and was a much-needed accessory for a thief.

I did a lot of Internet reading on medieval/renaissance dressmaking in preparation for making my costume.  I learned a lot about historical garb and fitting techniques that was truly fascinating, but for simplicity’s sake decided to make my costume from a pattern and chose Butterick 4827.  The dress is not 100 percent historically accurate, but it certainly suited our purposes.  I have to admit, I was a little worried about sewing this dress, especially with a short time limit!  I have never made a dress with princess seams before, had never had to hem a curvy train, and have limited experience with  grommets.  However, I was really impressed with the pattern instructions, and was surprised at how easy it all was.  I did have to make one change to the original pattern.  After trying the dress on, I had to add a centre seam to keep the front from gaping open.  It’s not ideal, but it worked for a quick solution and with the princess seams in front as well it doesn’t look out of place. 

The lacing in the back is one of my favourite parts of this dress!

So, although this is a bit more “craft” than “art,” I did spend almost the entire day sewing, and that is art enough for me!