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Make it blue, make it pink! Medieval Edition

 Blue and pink is a common color combination you will find in Medieval manuscripts. It's not so common today, unless one is Disney-bounding Princess Aurora at Disneyland. Which is something I would do. Probably while singing “I Wonder” and “Once Upon A Dream”. Anyway, back to the topic at hand.  This outfit is partially new, and partially new-to-me.


The over dress and hood were made by a dear friend, and later passed to me. The Queen of my Medieval Fair made these two pieces so many years ago. They fit me pretty well, only a little bit big, so I have worn this ensemble to a few medieval and renaissance fairs. I had to wear a dress under it, of course. The only option I had in my costume wardrobe that worked was a cream dress. I made it for this costume, but I was never a fan of the look. So I decided I needed a new under dress.



I searched my fabric stash for a good option. Eventually, I found a good length of plain blue cotton. (I am happy to say that I have used most of the big pieces in stash.) I used Period Patterns No. 16, view III. I made an adult size small. The sizing is pretty generous, I would say. The small might even be a bit too big for me. But it’s definitely not unwearable. I serged each piece with a pastel variegated thread, just for fun. No one else will see it, but it brings me great joy to have such a clean interior. And of course, I had to add my personalized label.



This pattern includes gussets under the underarms. I have to say, I was most pleased with my work on the gussets. I did have concerns that the skirt would be too narrow for my taste. So I decided to check first. I sewed the sleeves and the gusset with a regular stitch length. Then, I sewed down the sides with looser basting stitches. I tried it on, and found that the skirt needed more volume to balance with the pink overdress. So out of the remaining fabric, I cut two matching long triangles. Then I ripped out the basting stitches and inserted them into the side seams. I am much more pleased with it now.



To finish this blog post, I have to tell a story about the last time I wore this out. I was at Scarborough Fair in Texas with my sister and some friends. I was walking around, minding my own business, perhaps heading to the joust? A young girl was directly in front of me, walking the same direction I was heading. We were fairly close together. She turned around and yelled “Peasant!” basically right in my face. Like I said, I was wearing this costume and clearly dressed as a peasant. She was so embarrassed that she “insulted” me and explained that she was talking to her friend. It was too funny.


Yours in hard work, creativity, and a dash of Pixie Dust


Sarah






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