Easy Directions on How to Make a Renaissance Dress

Consider brocade upholstery cloth for your Renaissance dress.

These days, everything old is new again, so whether you're participating in a Renaissance faire, attending a costume gala or planning a Renaissance wedding, you'll be ready for your close-up dressed in a gorgeous dress that recalls European splendor. You'll need newfangled tools--like a sewing machine--to make your garment, but the rest of your sewing journey will rely on sheer inspiration.

Things You'll Need

• Pattern
• Art books
• Fabric
• Work table
• Tracing paper
• Tracing wheel
• Pins
• Pinking shears
• Sewing machine
• Thread
• Needles
• Trim and embellishments

Instructions

1. Browse Renaissance-inspired dress patterns on the costume pages of catalogs at your local sewing center. In particular, peruse Butterick, Simplicity and McCall's pattern books. Or visit Internet sites selling proprietary dress patterns for a wider variety of Renaissance dress styles. Don't discount eBay, as this website is home to more than 100 unique and unusual Renaissance-styled clothing patterns.

2. Decide which type of fabric is ideal for your Renaissance dress. Gather ideas by perusing books showcasing the artwork of Fra Angelico, Mantegna, Giotto and Botticelli. Consider rich brocades for your garment, but don't spend a fortune on high-end cloth, as you'll likely find the perfect material in the upholstery section of your fabric store. Check out the Internet for fabric if you're comfortable buying cloth you haven't seen or touched.

3. Prepare your work table. Smooth out the fabric and pin pattern pieces to the cloth. Use pinking shears to cut sections. Run a dry steel soap pad over your shears if you're having a problem cutting through thick cloth. Grab a tracing wheel and tracing paper or tailor's chalk to mark darts and other structural elements.

4. Thread the sewing machine and bobbin. Begin constructing the bodice of the Renaissance dress by stitching the darts and adding facing to the front and back sections. Insert a zipper if you're not going for authenticity. Install grommets up and down both sides of the bodice back if you want your dress to emulate the construction of dresses during this period. Feed lengths of ribbon into the grommets and crisscross the ribbon to lace up the dress.

5. Sew up the sides of the Renaissance dress bodice. Inset the sleeves. Turn the bodice right side out and hang it up while you gather up the skirt. Join together the skirt and the bodice to complete the major sewing portion of the project.

6. Hem the sleeves and skirt. Tack down facings, and let the handiwork fun begin. Use thin ribbon, gold bias tape or strings of tiny pearls to trim wrist cuffs. Add lace to the neckline--which should be cut in the shape of a modest scoop rather than a showcase for deep cleavage. Lavish the skirt with more bands of ribbon or pearl strings.

7. Accessorize your Renaissance dress with fashionable touches. Top an empire waist with a thin belt. Find a pair of chopins (platform shoes) at a costume shop to get your feet Renaissance ready. Don a chemise under the dress or--if you're not planning to eat at the event you're attending--go all out by adding a flat-fronted corset.

References

• All About Renaissance Faires: Costume Patterns
• Muse Angel: Renaissance Patterns
• Ilaria: Easy Italian Renaissance Dress