I don't know what it is about me and janestarz together, but it works like magic. We set our minds to making a medieval dress together, and so we did.

anastaszia Helped me pick out the fabrics a while ago, which means of course that it was heavy, woven fabric that's usually reserved for curtains. First we found a cream-coloured fabric with a red and grey floral pattern on it. Wonderful for the accent in the dress. So we went looking for a warm red to match, which was basically a no go. The only reds we could find were either flimsy or scarlet, which is really, really not my colour. And then she drew my attention to a charcoal-coloured woven fabric that was just... to die for.

So yesterday, Jane started out by showing me how to make a shift out of some plain white cotton and while I cut out all the pieces, she drew the pattern for the medieval dress. Long, straight lines with gores to give it the right shape. She shift proved easy to build and we soon continued to cutting the the parts of the dress. The floral fabric would be adorning the front and back of the dress, while the charcoal would fill out the rest.

Jane showed me how to work with her Pfaff and it was so different from that time when my mother had tried to teach me to sow. No insecurity, no pressure, no feeling clumsy and stupid. Ok, I still don't know where the thread goes and there's way too many different stitches to pick from, but hey look! I can sew whole dress parts together! It was a very pleasant experience to see that I can make something pretty with my very own hands.

And with the right guidance. Jane is amazing. She drew the pattern, showed me how to cut it out economically so that I would have some fabric left for a matching doublet for Remco. She knew exactly which part went where and in what order. All I really did was check with her whether these parts go together and whether the machine was set, and then rrrrrrr.

And now I have a dress! We slaved for a day and a half and tadaaa! Dress. I know, pics or it didn't happen. Well, since my camera is dead, you'll have to wait for pics until Monday when woran comes over. Plus I might have to lock that post, to keep the dress a secret from nachtvisser since he's playing the groom and all...