Sewing Fantasy Threads: Patterns and Progress on Medieval/Renaissance Fantasy Designs

Thank you! The bead strand is longer then it looks. The apron shoved them under the 'brooches'. I'm probably going to redo the apron in a thinner material at some point.

 

Perhaps she could have both - one for everyday, one for best....?

My Lusion (at the far end of the doll-size-scale from your little cuties) is patiently waiting for her Viking outfit in a similar style.

Teddy

 

I think I'm going to do that or just replace it. I just need to find a fabric I like in my scraps or stash. Or wait till I have enough avocado seeds to dye with again. Her under dress turned out such a lovely color from it.
You'll be able to get so much more detail into you Lusion! I'll keep an eye out for that project

 

I won't be making it - A reenactment firned who ahdn sews all her costume and is very into Viking events promised to make it for Diasy after I bought her a scaled down reproduction of a viking chair (made by accident due to a mix up in scale, but perfect size for a Lusion) that was on display at a reenactors' market.

But I'll certainly show it off when it's finished.

In the meantime, my poor Edith is patiently waiting (well, sitting beside my computer, glaring at me, actually) for me to finish the Italian renaissance gown I started for her in April.

Teddy

 

@Teddy thats so cool

 

@Teddy, you will still post a link to her outfit once its done, right? I'd love to see it!

Ryu

 

Thanks Ryu - I'll share pictures here.

Teddy

 

To revive this thread, & in case anyone's ever looking for design ideas & construction pitfalls to avoid, here is my recent project journal link. /threads/medieval-delfs-the-boys-need-clothes.826023/
Hope it helps others avoid the errors I've learned from.

 

The costumes are gorgeous and so detailed. I stand in awe.

 

I see it's been quite a while since I posted here, and I have added a few new guys.

First Eden, who's an Iple FID. His costume was inspired by Kevin Kostner's in Prince of Thieves. So, early Fantasy Medieval....


He's companion to one of my ladies, Yvette (Iple FID Yur)

 

Your outfits and photos are always so beautiful!!! I love the blue outfit especially, and how amazing it all looks in the snow!

 

Is his hood separate from his cape? I was curious about the construction.
It looks like hers is of a piece with her cloak?

 

@morganatron - Thanks. The blue cloak is velour, since I love how that drapes.
@MayBea - Yes his hood is separate from his cape. That way I can mix and match parts of his outfit. Her cloak has the hood attacked.

 

YES! Great mini tutorial here! Posted almost a decade ago and still fresh, love it!

 

Mmm...this thread has gained a new follower.

Wow. The outfits here. I have been sewing for as long as I can remember, but I got my real start in sewing making historical costumes when I worked at my first job at Renn. Faire in So Cal. Historical clothing can be a PITA to make, but it will always hold a special place in my heart.

 

Welcome! I've always loved Historical costumes, at least from certain periods - Tudor, Elizabethan, Rococo and Victorian. But what I really love are 'Historical' suggestions from films such as LOTR, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, Willow, etc. I find them way more interesting that authentic Medieval costumes.

So when my newest guy - Jude by SartoriaJ - arrived on Christmas Eve, I decided to make him a costume inspired by Braveheart....


and his love interest needed something matching....


I had run out of fine chainmail, so ordered some online from a shop in China. I only sew strips of it under sleeves and tunics, instead of making an entire bulky chainmail tunic. For me it's all about the 'look' as opposed to accuracy.

 

I finally finished a gown for my Miho. She was the only one of my Fashion sized dolls not able to attend any events at the castle since she didn't have anything appropriate to wear. I still need to make her a wig, and some wings for when she's a Fairy Queen, but at least the gown is done...

 

Gorgeous, as ever

Teddy

 

Your piped, dagged sleeves look pretty difficult. How did you get such tiny piping to stay flexable?
I think her hair looks great, but we can't wait to see your completed vision.
Beautiful, inspiring work, as is your usual, love it! Thanks for sharing!
Ps: that flower-filled urn on a pedestal is yummy.

 

@Teddy - Thank you. Its as quite the struggle, since the gown seemed to have a mind of it's own, and fought me at every turn.
@Valdemagra - Thanks. The edged of the dagged sleeves are not piped. That would be way too hard!! I did picot beading with black and gold beads around the entire edge, and then embroidered a row of purple chain stitch around the outer edge of that.

I'm going to make her a hard cap wig out of brown or black mohair with purple streaks. I have purple mohair locks the same colour as her gown. She will also get 'dragon' wings, which can be inserted into the pockets already sewn onto the back of her bodice.

 

@MB Lilac
Ingenious. It reads as perfect piping in the photo! I must remember : beading, chainstitch. (What do you mean by picot beading? Is it tiny beads threaded for trim specifically, or did you thread each bead? )

 

Picot beading is a technique where the beads form a dimensional lacelike edge rather than lying flat on the fabric base.

I Googled it and guess what was one of the first things to come up?
This tutorial from some website called Antique Lilac.

 

@Valdemagra - Yes, like @thessalyrose said. LOL. That's my website, and yes I have a tutorial there on how to do picot beading.



It can be labour intensive depending on just how much you want to do, but it's worth the effort. I do most of my beading in the evenings while listening to the TV. The first sleeve took three nights. The second one took even longer. There's also picot beading down both overskirt front openings, at the wrists on the sleeves, and around the neckline. I find it gives a nice finished edge without the fussiness of sewing actual trim, so I use it a lot.

 

Ohhhhh. Yay! I'm such a newb! I'm totally unfamiliar with this technique. Do I have the patience for such mastery? Of admiration, I have no lack! I'm gonna try it on something! Thanks all, don't forget the details, woot!

I have a pre-made trim that looks like the one in this horrible pic. Hand-sewn will last longer and be more petite and less 'thready'. Whew. I've a long way to go, lol.
IMG_20210609_175118_hdr by Dawn Coulombe, on Flickr

 

Stunning work as always. Thanks for showing a new technique for us lurkers to add to our libraries. I really want to give the picot beading a try!

 

I personally enjoy doing the beading, and find it gives a more flexible 'trimmed' look. It does look neater if you use good beads which are consistent in shape, but with the pandemic lock down I only had what was in my stash, so I had to make do with irregular beads.

For really nice edging I've used even smaller beads. This gold gown had the most beading ever, all with the smallest size beads, and it took me more than a month....

I find it especially helpful around the neckline, since it hides the thickness of the fabric.

 

@Antique Lilac
Wow, great tips for even greater details. Love your artistry!

 

I bet having all those beads makes the fabric fall more realistically, since it adds weight without adding bulk or stiffness. In human size these costumes are very heavy but you don't want heavy fabric in doll size.

 

They look amazing as always! I love his sword and belt buckle, too. Where do you find these things?

 

@Valdemagra - Thanks. And you're welcome!
@thessalyrose - No, you definitely don't want anything stiff for doll costumes. I always check for drape if it's going to be a skirt. I like velour for skirts since it drapes so nicely, but not for the bodice since for 1/4 scale dolls it's the equivalent of sewing a human size bodice out of carpeting. Beading does give an outfit weight, and helps things hang better. And I just like the look.
@Nyara - Thanks. I made his sword. he had been borrowing an aluminum one from one of my art figures, but felt he needed his own. I don't work with metal, so my husband made the blade out of hardwood, and I added the handle with Aves Apoxie, leather strips, various beads and metal findings.

The brass plate on his belt came out of my stash. I've had items like that for years, and the stores they originally came from no longer exist. The two small buckles on either side of that brass plate came from some sandals from the secondhand discount store. One time I needed some buckles and didn't feel like looking for them online, so went to Value Village, and bought a pair of sandals that had lots of buckles on them. It was a lot faster and cheaper than ordering any online. Plus I can see exactly what size they are.

 

Very pretty @Anita2006

Teddy

 

thank you a lot.

 

Lovely!! Love the Jaquard.

 

@Anita2006 I love the leaves in her headpiece!

 

My latest Fantasy gown. I decided to make FID Miho into Queen of the Fairies, and a powerful sorceress....

 

Thank you. It was for women hair accessories but I made for her like crown or tiara. It fits this outfit very well.

 

She’s powerfully perfect.

 

Oh wow, MB Lilac all your stuff has been huge goals and inspiration since I saw the Renaissance gowns you did in 2013. I am absolutely in awe of your skills and the tiny chainmail.

 

Thank you. I recently purchased some tiny scale chain mail from China. You can order it in 12" squares - Soft Stainless Steel Anti Cut Chainmail Screen - Buy Chainmail Screen,Anti Cut Chainmail Screen,Soft Stainless Steel Anti Cut Chainmail Screen Product on Alibaba.com

 

This outfit is beautiful!!! Have you done any outfits for a dark elven knight?

 

I don't think I ever posted photos of Lawrence in his coronation robes.....

 

I always show my boyfriend your work, as I'm grooming him to understanding. *wink* I enjoy hearing "oh, wow!"
He especially likes the weapon close-ups! Hehe.

 

@MB Lilac WOW! That's INCREDIBLE work! Fantastic job!!

 

Most regal

Teddy

 

@MB Lilac

Oh my lord, that looks like a movie set.

 

All the beautiful clothing and dolls takes my breath away! Very nice

 

@Valdemagra - It's always nice when one can share their hobby with their significant other.
@Answer42 - Thank you so much! I stressed over this scene for month trying to figure out how best to do it.
@Teddy - Thanks. That's what I was aiming for
@Victoria Victrix - Thanks. Funny thing is, my youngest son does own an immersive movie studio, and I asked him about castle interiors, thinking how fantastic it would be to be able to take doll photos in his studio in settings that would be impossible otherwise. Some day when I'm ready.....
@Mo2ianc - Thank you.

 

I really like the gown with the leaves on the hem. Is she a fairy or a princess?

 

That is my Iple JID Soa wearing a 'Mother Nature' gown with leaves and vines on it. I needed people for the audience so just gathered anyone who even remotely looked like they could fit into a Fantasy coronation scene.

 

Have you posted anything on the making and materials for that wonderful throne?

 

Just this - Making a Throne

 

I gave into inspiration and made Naomi a new, simpler 'everyday' gown for when I continue with her story....

 

I love how your dolls' "simpler everyday" gowns would be my dolls fancy occasion gowns.

Beautiful, as ever.

Teddy

 

LOL. This is about as 'simple' as I can get. It took some effort to not overdo with embellishing, since that's always my favourite part. But her gold gown was just too elaborate for everyday around the castle, so she needed something new. In the new year I'll be making several new gowns, since Naomi will be starting a dress shop in Fantasy/Medieval times, and I expect all my other dolls will want new gowns as well - starting with the Queen.

 

I love the colouring on it. The way the check of the over skirt picks up the colour of the bodice and the colour of the underskirt.

 

I love the color scheme of this gown as I am partial to purple, but the idea of a dressmaking shop has got me really interested. My memory is terrible but someone on this forum posted pictures of frogs and their dress shop that I loved. It may have even been you, as I say, my memory eludes me frequently.
I have off topic dolls that have dress maker's dummies and a bit of habadashery. I am looking forward to seeing how this develops.

 

@Crissaegrim - Thanks. That's why I chose those fabrics
@jhiggi - One of my mice had a dress shop, where she made outfits for my other Forest dweller characters. Maybe that's what you saw? - Forest Dweller Seamstress - Fav Photos 2021
Naomi, in the photo above, was a modern girl with her own dress shop - Costume Shop - Fav Photos 2021 , until she met a time traveling knight, and she fell in love and went back with him to his time. So now that she's going to need something to do, she's going to start another dressmaker's shop. The contemporary one was easy since I already had everything for that. A Medieval/Fantasy one will be way more work since my Medieval Fantasy dolls only have the outfits they are wearing. So it's going to take some time to make new outfits and props.

 

Yes it was the mice. That was so adorable and well done.

 

I'm working on new shirts for my three knights so they don't always have to wear chainmail under their surcoats. Baron's is almost done...