sister_raphael | How. Just... how?

I really don't know how this even happened. I really don't. The original outfit was my size and cut down several sizes but my arms aren't freakishly long, so I was completely unprepared for the amount I'll be needing to trim from the sleeves!

I'm pretty happy with the rest of the fit though. The front is past her toes, so when it's drawn up over the belt like the picture, it comes to the ground at the front, and has a small train at the back. The colour is a pretty nice match too, though, of course, manuscript ink and fabric dye and not always sympathetically realistic. The blue is an achievable colour with natural dying, so I'm happy with that too.

It will have a little neck slit for a brooch just to make it easier for her to get off and on, and I absolutely will do a reinforcing strip around the neck as well, like the neckline from the Museum of London finds just to give it extra sturdiness for taking on and off.

The original artifact, shown here from the Museum of London, is on woolen fabric and has several rows of stitching which would have maintained the shape of the neckline and made a sturdy internal facing.

Although this gown I'm making is silk, it is not unreasonable to use the same tailoring technique for the same reasons.

The above image comes from the Luttrell Psalter, East Anglia (England) and dates 1325 to 1335. It's a very popular manuscript for historical re-enactors due to the nature of the daily life activities shown throughout its pages. (British Library, Add MS 42130)