A new Elizabethan

[madamemodiste]

So I've decided to make a new Ren dress this year out of stash fabric. I've had the same two for over 10 years and they are looking rather bedraggled. On the other hand, I'm glad I can still fit into them! Anyway, I recently acquired 3 yards of a pretty green cotton brocade with lions and crowns.





I figure it's enough to do an underskirt forepart and the sleeves. Then I have 10 yards of black cotton velvet for the overskirt and bodice. For trim, I have silver braid



I'm doing a combination of the new Simplicity 2589 and the "Shakespeare in Love" Simplicity gown pattern 8881. I noticed that the front of the bodice of 8881 (the long, rounded part) appears nowhere in Elizabethan portraits that I can find, so I want to eliminate that, but I like the shoulder and sleeves.

So it will resemble this dress of Elizabeth (click the link to see the portrait):

http://elitechoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/queen_elizabeth.jpg

And here's my sketch of where the fabrics will go:



Here's where I need some advice

I'm just not sure if I should use the "attach to skirt" method in 8881 (which looks actually cartridge pleated) and just reshape the front to a modest point, or the method used in 2589 (which claims to be cartridge pleated, but just looks pleated to me if we believe this person followed the directions in this dress diary).

And I want to use a fabric border at the front and bottom edges of the black velvet overskirt that I can put the silver trim over, but I'm not sure what. I have some purple taffeta?? Because I have silver trim, I can't use any gold colored fabric.

So let me know what you think about these two questions! Thanks, everyone!

Comments

[isabelladangelo.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I suck at cartridge pleating. :-) I just gather or knife/box pleat the skirts of my gowns to the bodice.

I'd go with just using 8881 and changing the bodice to a point though. I'd be a bit fearful that the two different pattern pieces fit together differently and would make the outfit not piece together right.