Photos courtesy of Miyake Nobuhiro, all rights reserved.

14th C. Linen Gowns for Alfar & Ketiley upon their stepping down as King & Queen of the West

These outfits are based on the same premise as described by Dame Helen, utilizing her diagram for a 12 panel gown (Ketiley) and a 6 panel gown (Alfar). This method allows for a very full skirt and a nicely contoured torso, which can be complicated achieving with curvy figures, and is why I tend to prefer it over the Gothic Fitted Dress method, which relies on inserting triangular gores into the panels of the dress to create a full skirt. However, it is not as economical on fabric as the GFD method. Both gowns lace on the left side seam, through hand bound eyelets. Both are 100% linen, lined in 100% linen throughout. The sleeves are lined in yellow silk dupioni and the neckline and sleeve openings are bound in yellow silk dupioni bias tape.

I also relied on Charlotte's sleeve fitting tutorial for drafting the sleeves for both outfits. In a rare departure from my usual method of draping, I had to draft the sleeve patterns from their measurements as they were out of town attending Pennsic while I was creating the outfits. Both gowns feature a cuffed sleeve that can be turned back to reveal a yellow silk lining. Ketiley's cuffs are turned back and buttoned, and Alfar is wearing his down.

The gowns, Alfar's hood, and Ketiley's veil were all made by myself. Extra special thanks to my wonderful boyfriend, Francis, who made a bazillion little silk buttons by hand and helped me stitch them in place, and talked me down off the ledge numerous times in the week leading up to the event, and generally provided moral support and lots of delicious food, wine, and of course company. <3