Project Specs:

• Materials: navy blue wool, trim, linen, cotton duck

• Pattern: Tudor Tailor Kirtle, adapted

• First event attended in it: Fall Coronation 2019

So I will admit that I'm an impulse shopper sometimes. I went to G Street Fabrics for black wool for my kirtle way long ago and I did indeed come home with black wool for my kirtle. But I also came home with a gorgeous dark navy blue wool as well. And boy did it not disappoint.

This dress was comfortable, warm, but not overwhelming, and made me feel pretty. I loved the way it looked and how the fabric felt. Unfortunately, the fit just didn't live up, and this dress has since been deconstructed for salvaged materials.

I made a muslin of the top and started pinning and adjusting it to fit better, and it actually does. The armscyes were almost in the right place this time! It was comfortable enough in the short term for me to not need to redo them. I also made the sleeves a size smaller, and am much happier with how those turned out.

This was the first dress made with the help of my dress form and boy oh boy was it a game-changer. The form isn't the precisely correct size for me, particularly in the shoulders, but having something to better approximate curve while pinning the skirt and sleeves made a HUGE difference.

Additionally, this dress was warm, but not smothering. Fall Coronation was a sunny day event, but the wool was breathable and comfortable. Alternatively, 12th Night 2020 was NOT warm, and this dress held up just as nicely.

Onto the things I didn't love about it.

• I did try to have it be a hook and eye closure, and I have decided to entirely give up on those. It didn't look right, didn't feel right, and I was happy I added eyelets.

• I also didn't center the pleats properly in the back. I wanted a smoother front with more body to the back but I didn't center them back there. That was just lack of detail orientation on my part but it works ok, so I left it was was.

• Last but not least, I found some gorgeous trim online and thought the dress needed a little spicing up, so that was added after the fact. Since then, I've learned better ways to attach trim.