Bayou Linen Dresses

I had 6 yards of linen in a shade of muted blue called "Bayou" which I absolutely adore - so much so that I've already got a Eura dress and a Skjoldehamn hood out of the same stuff.  I forget why I originally bought this particular yardage, but I've had it for years and hadn't done anything with it, so I decided to use it to flesh out my Viking wardrobe a little bit more.

First I made a new Viking apron dress - almost the same pattern I always use (more on that in a sec), with thin loop straps.  This one is full length instead of short, since I had enough fabric this time to make it long. (Nothing wrong with the shorter apron dresses; I just prefer mine longer).

It's also unadorned so far, since I didn't have anything to use as trim around the top of the dress.  I'm hoping to find some nice trim at the event.














In an effort to be as frugal with my fabric as possible (because I wanted to get a second dress out of it), I went looking for more conservative cutting layouts online. And I discovered something:  apparently the entire known world makes apron dresses with 3 panels and 3 gores!  I've been making them with 4 panels and 4 gores.  The heck?   I honestly don't remember where I even got my pattern, but I think I figured out what happened:

This is the standard pattern that it seems everyone uses - both halves of this picture are identical, except for the colors.  On the left is the three-panel pattern, on which the two smaller (blue) panels are meant to be seamed together to make a full third panel.

On the right is the interpretation of the pattern that I've been using, where the blue side panels are used separately as TWO side panels (blue and purple) - each a quarter of the dress, instead of being combined into a third of the dress.

Obviously, somebody read those side panels wrong.  Was it my mistake, or was that how the pattern was drawn when it came to me?  I really don't remember. It's just as likely to be either one, I guess. It really doesn't matter; both ways of patterning the dress are equally valid.  I just thought this was neat.  I kind of love being shown that I'm wrong or that I've been doing things slightly differently without knowing it, because it means I get to learn new stuff and try out new ways of doing things.

So, I tried the three-panel dress.   I have to say, I really like the way the skirt lies with this method. It's less full, because there's one less  gore to make up the skirt circumference, but it's a smoother lie, and it's still plenty swishy.  The way I cut it uses a little less fabric than my four-panel method, too - which is what I'd wanted in the first place. 

From the remaining 3y of linen I squeezed out a new smock. It's a plain rectangular-construction T-tunic with 4 gores like all of my smocks (inspired by the Birka  and Haithabu reconstructions).This one has a wide, oval neckline (almost a boatneck but not quite as wide) finished with a narrow edge binding in the same fabric. The sleeves are a little extra long so that I can wear my new bracelets over the fabric.

True, I've got a Eura dress out of this same fabric, and I really don't need two smocks in the same color.  But I hardly ever wear my Eura dress anymore, since it's too early to have been worn with the apron dresses we know and love (9th century, whereas the apron dresses are 10th-11th).   So this isn't a second smock in the same color, it's a replacement for the Eura dress, which I think will be relegated to life as  a nightgown, or maybe something to wear to the showers.   

What's Next?  

Q.  Whatcha doin', Mady? 

A. Destroying priceless heirlooms, you?