Unexpected Surprises

Sometime over a year ago, I purchased many yards of gold silk from Silk Baron to create matching gold outfits. I had a real vision for some of the classic family portraiture I studied in AP Art History (an extremely difficult course I ended up not even taking the test for that required we draw every single slide from the textbook!) Although we did quite a bit of embroidery work for these outfits, I was never really sold that we were on the same page and the emotion for the project just wasn't there. Over time we revived it a few times, but the spark wasn't there and we'd kind of mutually dropped it.

Now that we have been discussing a different future path for our involvement in the SCA, my interest in this silk has been revived. So much so, today I received a package of six yards of gold pearled trimmed that I have no recollection of even ordering! 😂

A package with six yards of gold trim with teardrop pearls attached to be used to line a dress.

I do, however, remember seeing a close-up of a dress I sent to Fiordelise and said "I want to do THIS!" (And I think it was the first time she ever actually believed me when I said something like this.)

The dress was featured in this portrait of Catherine Carey, Countess of Nottingham, by Robert Peake circa 1597.

Portrait of Catherine Carey, Countess of Nottingham, by Robert Peake circa 1597 taken from Wikimedia Commons.

This dress is sumptuous, and stunningly elaborate, with a beautiful interplay of textures. That said, I primarily love the bodice and sleeves as well as all the jewelry work.

A close-up of the details of Catherine Carey, Countess of Nottingham.

I absolutely adore the floral and fruit motifs and the pearled line of the bodice as well as the hanging jewelry attached to her collar. The gold silk we have is lighter in color and this dress immediately made me think of the possibility of repurposing it once we have a solid bodice pattern nailed down again for Fiordelise.

I do think we would tone it down some. I don't think the skirts need to be quite that elaborate, nor the collar and veils, especially since this wouldn't be a strictly reproduction piece. But I would like to create a bodice or coat with this fruit design and couched gold cord lined with those teardrop pearls as trim along the top. I do remember that much, but these modern times make it entirely too easy to just click through, apply my credit card, and suddenly I've got trim showing up at my door with no real set plan on how to use it! 😂

I am, however, making decent progress laying down the base layer of backstitch for the Ditsy Dress. I did the whipping on a few of them as well as added the blue flowers for affect, and I am in love! There will also be yellow accents -- originally I was intending to do eyelets but I will at least do pistal stitch into the flowers and maybe clusters of french knots? I'm not entirely sure. This is the kind of thing where at a certain point, I feel it more than I plan it.

An in-progress shot of the embroidery I'm working on for the Ditsy Dress.

I can't wait to have the whole base layer done though so I can admire it as a whole and then get to work on the sleeves. I anticipate at least 2 more weeks though, especially since college courses started for me today. I kind of doubt my professors would be as accommodating of me crafting in class the way I did in high school (when I wasn't paying for the privilege of sitting in their classroom!)