Yards and yards and yards...

It's official. Today while grabbing some back up thread for a sewing project I'm working on (soon to be Project 6), I hopped over to the pattern books and picked up Simplicity 2589 (to the right). Yes, I shall finally create my Anne Boleyn gown, finishing in time for Halloween.

I love Halloween, so much so that I have already been talking about what I wanted to be for about two months. Each year, it's a labor of love, slaving over a costume, always making it twice as complicated as necessary, and always without any idea of what I'll actually be doing on October 31 (last year I saw Jack the Ripper the ballet while dressed as the Mad Hatter. It was truly fabulous). I love dressing up, and I love twirling around in yards and yards and yards of fabric. The pattern calls for 8.5 just for the base of the gown (as seen as red in the photo). Yes!

So now the decisions and research begin. Shall I base the dress off of Anne's portraits? Do I go for accurate fabrics? Do I make the undersleeves with elastic like the patterns calls? Hrm, I just don't know quite yet.

Helpful link: Tudor dress: a portfolio of images
Great video: Tudor Costume: Anne Boleyn