I put together the first draft of the Van der Weyden gown a couple months back, but it got put on the back burner in favor of my own Pennsic sewing. Now that the war is past, I’m getting busy on it again (since it needs to be done in three weeks!). I am indeed using the blue silk taffeta for the gown, backed with a couple of different medium-to-heavy plain fabrics. The first draft of the gown was a little skimpy at the hem, so today I ripped out the side seams and added some gores to provide plenty of yardage down below. The gown should be long enough to just brush the ground, with a bit of train in the back. Practicality is not a big consideration for this one. I had originally attached the sleeves by machine (which I was using for all the long seams of the gown), but I removed them and reinstalled them by hand, which gave an infinitely better fit. The sleeves are lined with thin white cotton, with an addition lining of black velveteen for the lower three-quarters of their length. The sleeves are long enough for a four or five inch turnback at the cuff. All I have left to do now is the collar, front seam, and hem.
Sadly, I don’t have any pictures of the gown yet, but I do have one of the belt. It’s made of the same black velveteen on both sides, with a core of heavy wool stitched to a layer of cotton/linen to hold it in place. The buckle I picked up at war from Thorthor’s Hammer, and the buckle plate is made from a piece of sheet brass. The belt is 2.5″ wide and about 65″ long. It will get a matching brass end soon.
