Meanwhile, other than my difficulties in braiding trim for the sides, progress continues apace on my Hedeby-based apron dress. I have the top and bottom hems sewn now; all that remains to be done are to sew on the front and back loops, sew in tucks at the sides from bust to waist, and sew on my braid and wool trim.
Tonight, I wriggled into the dress while wearing the tunic and shift I'm likely to be wearing it with, to see where to place the loops and try to figure out where to put the tucks.
The first problem I ran into is that the long straps I had originally sewn to go over my shoulders from the back are at least 12 inches too short (i.e., when doubled for sewing onto the dress, the resulting loops are six inches too far from the tops of my brooches). So I am going to have to cut and sew a new pair of long straps. Since I have plenty of linen off-cuts in neutral shades, this problem won't be hard to fix.
The other problem is that the "sides" of the dress do not fall precisely down the sides of my body. This is undoubtedly because I cut the rear panel wider than any of the other panels, but it does make it challenging to figure out where the tucks are going to go. (On the other hand, it also means that my pretty (?) braids, when they are completed and sewn over the tucks, will be at least partly visible from the front.)
Except for the waist area which is currently rather baggy, the rest of the dress is snug--at least around the top of the bust and through the hips and buttocks. I've decided that this isn't necessarily a problem (though it definitely limits the parts of my Viking wardrobe with which I can wear the completed dress). I kind of like the look--it's much more womanly than the baggy dress designs I've been experimenting with. Hopefully, I'll still feel the same way when it's completed.
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