Started: November 8, 2009
Ended: November 13, 2009

This is a loose gown or frock, suitable to wear through most of the Tudor period. I normally wear this at late Henrician events, although it could be worn to an Elizabethan event as well.

The pattern is a modified Margo Anderson loose gown, that was modified to become much fuller in the body and below by expanding to full width of the 58", and adding in extra gores, too. I decided to do the period route, and not worry about matching any of the damask designs, and even flipped the gores upside down to make use of the full amount of fabric I could. They did not waste fabric during the Tudor period, as fabric was precious. The sleeves are a basic two-part sleeve that currently is too short and will be redone. I was able to make it from about 3 yards of 58" material, more or less.

The frock was made from a two-toned cotton/rayon blend damask fabric that was bought at a very low price. Sometimes the prettiest fabrics don't have to cost much. The color changes between a brown to a brown-purple to a peach color, depending on lighting and what part of the design is showing.

The lining is a polyester (gasp!) white minkee fabric I bought at Joanns. I wanted a warm gown to wear for winter events, and this is indeed very warm. I also wanted something I could easily wash off, as Kearney frequently rains and has horrible mud. While the lining is white, it won't be seen much.

For the facing that shows, I used a white faux fur from my fabric stash. It is viewable at the large collar which joins the revers/facing in the front. It is a warm white so it goes well with the brown damask, and is also washable.

Additional info can be found in my dress diary entries.