SHANNON'Sdresses

MAKING OFGreen Elizabethan Dress

I was originally going to reproduce my pink georgian dress with the green fabric I am using for the skirt of this one, but found to my dismay that I didn't have enough for both a skirt and a bodice. I was tossing up between two or three different dresses to use this fabric for anyway, so I just have to go for plan B - an Elizabethan dress with a green skirt and a bodice of the most yummy green/pink/light blue satiny curtain fabric. I was first inspired to make a dress like this by the dresses of the ladies in waiting in the coronation scene in the movie Elizabeth. I wish I could make the whole dress out of the bodice fabric, but unfortunately I don't have enough of that either. So hopefully the two sections of fabric not big enough for a whole dress on their own will be able to come together to make something awesome.

For the bodice of my new Elizabethan dress I used the pattern from my pink Georgian - Simplicity 4092 - however, altered it a little. I straightened the neckline, and straightened the waistline seams, as before they had some curve to fit the shape of the waist, but an Elizabethan bodice needs to be straight as. I am also hoping this will help it fit a little better too.

As the sleeves for the Georgian dress only came to elbow length, I had to draught the rest of the pattern for it to come down to the wrist. I've never done this before, I hope it turns out alright.

...and yes, there was a lot of development on the dress before picture number three was taken. Here the bodice is all put together, the sleeves attached, and also the front of the skirt is attached also. I will attach the back of the skirt with pleats instead of gathering, and then sew the lining I've made to the bottom, and fold under and hand-stitch the neckline seam in. Am yet to decide whether to put some boning in, but I have my Elizabethan corset I made a few years ago which seems to provide a good base for the bodice, so I may not need to.

Here is a pic of the back of the skirt attached to the bodice. I examined the backs of the skirts in the movie Elizabeth and found that they were attached in a sort of box pleat fashion, so I tried my best to do this on my own skirt. I think it looks pretty awesome, and should look even more awesome with a bumroll underneath it.

Here I have attached the lining to the bodice. I sewed it to the bottom by machining through all three layers of the bodice, skirt, and lining, turned it right side out, and handstitched the seams to the top of the bodice. I am so grateful for my new machine, my old 1970s Toyota just wouldn't have done it. This dress is going to be pretty awesome.