This gown was created for our friend Marguerite when she was asked to join the Order of the Laurel. Her vision was for a beautiful blue late Tudor silk gown -- which Fiordelise graciously offered to pattern, cut, and assemble -- and I jumped at the opportunity to do some excessively beaded sleeves. While I had done some collaborative decorative work on clothing before, nothing this big or elaborate. I was gunning for the opportunity to really stretch myself on a project like this.

Marguerite's husband is a talented graphic designer and worked with my input to design the pearled outline for the sleeves. I had to get the design printed on oversize paper at a print shop in order to trace the design onto the silk with a fine pen. I also took pounds of these pearlized beads through the airport and let me tell you, TSA was not particularly impressed by that one.

Overall, I would estimate that this project took me forty or fifty hours to complete. I broke it up into coordinated pieces and worked on it for two or three hours a night but unfortunately I didn't take particularly good notes. I hope to take better notes on my work process for future projects.

To be noted: Marguerite is a wonderful jewelry fabricator and she created all the other jewelry featured on this dress including around the waist and the neckline. Additionally, all the under layers and accessories were fashioned by other friends of hers in the SCA.