Ridiculously simple elven gown

I had sheer fabric and nice trim that I wanted to use, so I made this really simple elven dress years ago. Basically it's one large piece of fabric sewn into a tube and gathered at the top, edged with trim and straps added. Beneath the bust the fabric is gathered at the front half and covered with sewn-on trim which is just tied at the back where the fabric is left loose. The fabric is see-through, so some kind of undergarment is required, and the seam is overlong and just the unsewn selvedge, all of which makes it perfectly soft and flowing.

Thanks to Roberto Fusconi for this perfect shot!

Elven ranger's outfit

Strange feeling, to stick to those typical fantasy character-classes from long time ago when your current characters tend to be mostly historic... Anyway, as the first and second fighter's outfit for my elven ranger were either inacceptably horrid (means not creative at all, apart from some embroidery) or torn, I felt kind of forced to come up with a new outfit. Quickly. Veeery quickly.

I went for a range of matching browns and greens for an under-tunic, a jacket and trousers. And to distance the elven style from normal medieval or other garments, I decided to make all the parts leaf-shaped to some degree - apart from the elvish embroidery that is to follow. My mistake with the first elven outfits was to stick too closely with average patterns and shapes. But to design garments for a completely different culture deserves some thought of the background and ideas for new shapes.

The under-tunic is from lightweight cotton in a warm, reddish brown. Front and back are roughly leaf-shaped, the point will show beneath the leaf-shaped side panels of the jacket. The sleeves are slightly overlong and cut straight. To fit them under the tighter sleeves of the jacket I sewed in narrow tucks up to the elbow which add to the extravagant appearance I want to create.

The jacket is based on leaf-shapes in general. The basis aren't front and back pieces, but two leaf-shaped side-pieces that overlap at the back where they are sewn together, and at the front where they close with braid fastenings. I even managed to make a cut-on standing collar just so. Amazing what I'm capable of once I'm stressed and can't afford time for thinking! :D

The sleeves are split into an upper and lower part. The lower part is cut in leaf-shape (surprise...) and rolled around the arm to be sewn together by hand. The pattern is my own design. Here it is, as well as one finished sleeve and the second one in the process of growing.

The upper sleeve part is just there to connect it with the body part and is therefore nothing special, just a short sleeve matched to fit the leaf component.

The embroidery of this jacket is a bramble-blackberry-design, as my elf once got caught in a bramble thicket (wearing her court robe; that happens if you put a ranger into a court gown and let her romp off into the woods, drunk!), so now it's a running gag between her and her companion that she has a special fondness for brambles... ^^

Silver-green elven robe

I decided that I need a decent elvish outfit. Well, actually it was decided for me, and my "partner in crime" and I left the fabric store shouldering a huge roll of pale green, silvery velvet, 18 metres of it, to be made into two elven robes and a dress. I decided to go for a waterlily-design on my robe, as the colour reminded me of a pond and corresponds perfectly with silver and pale greens.

The pattern of the gown itself is, once again, based on my all-time-favourite princess dress pattern that I slit at the front, added about an ell of train and almost floor-lenght sleeves. All parts are lined with very light green fabric. The robe got a hood because someone was of the opinion that a decent elven robe needs a hood. I haven't needed it yet, but it does look good - and it's one piece more to put embroidery on!

Embroidery was, to be honest, the main reason for this design. I'm working with six-threaded cotton yarn and slender metallic silver trim. All the water lines and waves are done in silver, the water-lilies in white and off-white, their leaves in pale green and light green. I use two colours aside each other and entwine them a bit to get a lively, natural mixture. The silver trim is sewn on in simple running stitch, the yarn runs along only at the surface and is whip-stitched to the fabric. The ends are pulled through and secured with a knot on the left side of the fabric.

Elven outfit

Due to the lack of time of a friend himself very talented with needle and thread, I designed and sewed this outfit for him. It is modelled after a few of Elrond's garments from LotR, but I decided not to stick to a particular one but to mix and match what looked best. From left to right in the picture: fabric for underrobe, robe, and lining.

The underrobe is made of olive green fabric, very soft and flowing, and BTW rather crappy to sew. Focus has been put on the sleeves, which are leaf-shaped. The yoke is modelled after Elrond's grey underrobe, and yoke as well as sleeves and collar are embroidered with gold thread.

The sash is the same fabric as the underrobe, with a narrower sash of the robe-lining in the centre.

The matching velvet robe is lined with reed-green-brownish fabric that has a wonderful, soft touch (hence would be ideal for an elven bathrobe *bfg*). Also here, the sleeves are leaf-shaped, but as long and wide as the amount of fabric I bought allowed (and I bought all there was left). As with the underrobe, the sleeves and the collar are embroidered in gold.