Confession time

So, I am going to share photographic evidence if my misspent youth on the Internet. Please, take this as a cautionary tale. Also remember I have grown as a person since then, and please be kind.

Here is Jenn, wearing not just the first historical costume I ever made, but the first garment I ever made:

It's an ostensibly Tudor ensemble, made from a Simplicity pattern. Yes, it has visible lacing in the front. Yes, the stomacher has darts. No, there is no skirt attached to the bodice. But the sleeves are surprisingly accurate, even though I held the turn backs with buttons because I had not yet watched Six Wives of Henry VIII on a huge hi-def tv and seen that they were pinned.

I tried to make the gable hood from the pattern, failed miserably, and ended up covering a Juliet cap from the bridal aisle at joann fabrics. And yes, it's a completely non-period synthetic brocade, there is no shift or under sleeves, and it's trimmed with Venetian lace!

I told you I had a misspent youth.

The thing fit like a dream when I made it though. The back of the bodice in particular was serendipitous. There's no way it should have fit that perfectly on my first try. I was so skinny we had to overlap the grommets in the front and flat lace it! (Jenn is a different shape up top than me, and she's not wearing stays under it, so it's not a perfect fit on her. I also had a bum roll that she refuses to wear, but it gave the skirt a great shape.)

And there are a few redeeming factors. One, it is not burgundy! Back in the early oughts, every Ren Faire dress one saw was burgundy. In the costume contest that year there were five burgundy dresses, a purple velvet Elizabethan (which won, deservedly so), and my blue bodice. I think I came in second because of the colors. That and Bruce had a very nice waffenrock that coordinated. Second, the bodice trim is rather nice. It's gold net layered with gold and rose flat braid.

Here we both are with a lovely young lady who reproduced a dress from The Birgias. It's not often one gets to walk up to a stranger and say "I'm dressed like your mother!"

I just noticed my pendant is flipped over. Oh well. Also note the period-appropriate grease stain on my stomacher. I'd like to point out the two dresses on the right are from the same pattern, Period Patterns 42, which lets you know how versatile it is. I'd highly recommend it.

The turquoise dress is all one piece, no separate sleeves or chemise, though the lower sleeves were either leotard or I think legs cut off tights. And she was wearing a separate corset under. The skirt is gathered, like the costumes from the show, which, from doing my research, I'm not convinced was nearly as common as pleats of one sort or another.