Mistress Meadhbh ní Dhubhthaigh
and Lord Egan Smilebringer

I fell in love with these gorgeous outfits the minute I saw them, and I still can't believe that they were entirely sewn by hand. WOW!!! Meadhbh's work is truly awe inspiring, and you can read more details below the picture and see more photos from her elevation here.

This dress was originally made as an entry in Atenveldt's Kingdom A&S Competition, so I used period methods and materials where time and budget permitted. Every stitch was hand-sewn - including the chemise, corset, and drawers (ok, it doesn't hurt that I'm a quilter, so a running stitch is practically second nature!). For most of it I used silk, but where I needed extra strength, like the corset, I used linen thread. The cord used to trim the sleeve edges and make the netting on the shoulders and the filet was twisted by my husband using crochet cotton, and the "pearls" are glass. The outer dress is a polyester blend brocade that I found at a local fabric store, and it's lined with dark blue linen. The gold in the sleeves is polyester satin. The chemise is linen, with black linen bobbin lace trim. The lacings up the sides in the back are cotton lucet cord, and I'm wearing silk stockings that I made for the same competition.

The dress was a lot of fun to make, really! It was inspired by Bronzino's portrait of Eleanor of Toledo. I based the pattern on Eleanor of Toledo's dress from Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion book. I didn't have enough fabric to make the skirt the way that one was made, though, so I box-pleated it. If I had it to do over, I think the only thing I would change would be to make the netting on the shoulders wider.

Egan's doublet and waffenrok are also entirely hand-sewn using silk thread. It took about 3600 beads to complete it. The waffenrok is laced to the doublet on the inside with lucet cord. The outer fabric is a polyester blend brocade, and the lining is polyester blend too. I considered using dupioni silk but really couldn't afford it at the time. The "buttons" are really beads and jewelled tie tacks, alternating.

It was mainly inspired by the ooh and aah sounds Egan made the first time he saw Hilliard's picture of the Earl of Cumberland in his armor. Research led me here and there and it ended up being a blend of 3 late 16th to early 17th century pictures, a 1478 painting, and an extant 15th c. example of a waffenrok. I'm a little disappointed with the way it hangs, and the skirt should come together up the front - I may try again with a lighter fabric, something that holds pleats better, like linen. He's happy with it though! The hat he's wearing was the first hat made by Lady Bridgette, who kindly loaned it to him for my elevation.