Status: wearable
Year finished: 2017
To Do: n/a
Updates since last photo: n/a
Inspiration: an illustration I believe to be inspired by Anne of Cleves.

The sleeves are tapered strips of fabric, each lined and then arranged to overlap slightly. This allows the sleeves to puff out but retain fullness. This might be possible to achieve by butting each edge but easing the fabric of each strip into a narrower section behind the brocade.

The neckline is entirely on the grain, the curved effect is acheived through the shape of the armscye- it is so narrow at the front it can be used as a hinge to direct the bodice fabric towards or away from the font of the body.

There is a join in the linen lining across the top of the back of the bodice.

I used vintage saree with a true metal wrapped thread for the brocade. I used RIT colour remover to remove the dye from the rest of the fibres as it works on both silk and rayon.

The skirt was cut on the floor as an extended 4 gore skirt without much concern for perfect math with enough fabric to allow for pleats in the back half. The hem is stiffened with a wool guard inside. It was machine sewn where it would be hidden and hand sewn across the top.

The skirt guarding was fused in place first as I needed to piece so many small areas and to shape the guards into the curves. It was then whipped by hand.

As always, I whip the bodice waist edge to create a separate body and whip the top edge of the skirt to create a separate skirt piece then whip together both where there are no pleats and where there are pleats. This allows for flexibility to place pleats and to use whatever spare fabric is left inside the pleats.