Brigitte needed a dress for a Yule event, and after much fishing around in the scrap upholstery bins of discount fabric stores (ah, having a Renaissance person when you have no money!) we stumbled on the dark green fabric with little gold leaves, which she liked. We also scored a gold brocade table runner at the Salvation Army, and used about a quarter of it here. (The rest went into the next dress.) The bronze satin was donated as scrap by friends cleaning out their closets. Because it would be worn in cold weather, I made a partlet for it – the square collar with the high neck which tied on under the arms.

Here’s the dress without the collar on. I found some flat bronze clasps shaped like leaves, and experimented with using them for lacing anchors.

This dress has been expanded and contracted a couple of times, and I think it’s time for a bit of a contraction again!

The little brustfleck is couched with half loops. This is a technique I figured out a fast-and-easy way to do, and now I teach classes on it. I put this into much more serious effect on the next dress…