Thanks so much for watching! The first 1,000 people to use the link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/vbirchwood09221 I hope you've enjoyed watching the making of my Victorian/Lord of the Rings creation 🥰
The outfit is amazing! What satisfaction it must give. Thank you for sharing the process and product. Signed up for the SkillShare offer. Hope you get credit
I love how you managed to turn a wrapper dress into an ethereal elven gown! I think the elves would wear wrappers - for eternity, one must be comfortable.
I love the look so much!!! It's gorgeous! The pre-Rafaelite painting probably depicts an Artistic dress, which was influenced by wrappers and did influence them and tea gowns very heavily later in Victorian Era. Pre-Rafaelite painting and Artistic dress being the inspiration for a Lord of the Rings ensemble is actually so perfect. Tolkien was heavily inspired by the whole counter culture movement that was born around the Arts and Crafts movement. One of the central figures of Arts and Crafts movement, William Morris, was one of the biggest literary and artistic influences on Tolkien, which he has himself spoken about in letters and such. Other interconnected movement were pre-Rafaelites, Artistic Dress movement and Aesthetic movement. Arts and Craft got it's start in 1850s, around the same time as Pre-Rapahelite Brotherhood (Rosetti was instrumental in both of them). Arts and Crafts Movement actually very directly gave birth to Art Nouveau so the embroidery works perfectly here. Arts and Crafts people were very into embroidery and if you look and their embroidery, you'll see they fit really well for your ensemble! Aesthetic movement was mostly literary movement, with it's most known figure being Oscar Wilde, but it did influence other arts too. It's main idea was that art is for art's sake and it opposed the Victorian ideas that art should be moral. It can be very easily seen in Tolkien's work, his beautiful use of language and his strong dislike of allegory. William Morris' writings are also considered part of Aestheticism. Arts and Crafts movement (and related movements) was very much ideological not just artistic. They were very much anti-capitalist, anti-industrialist (super apparent in Tolkien's work) and their main goal was to uplift traditional crafts and the craftsman. This can also be seen in Tolkien's work were magic often comes from craftsmanship (the rings, the silmarils, the elven cloaks etc.). They were medievalists (as obviously was Tolkien) and they drew from the medieval methods more than the aesthetics. They didn't want to recreate medieval art but continue crafts as living art. They also would use the crafts themselves, the construction, to give art it's aesthetic, rather than adding details, which is the very core idea in Modernist applied arts (they basically invented it). Arts and Crafts was mostly architecture and interior relates, but very closely related Artistic dress and later Aesthetic dress were specifically a counterculture fashion movement with the same principles. Artistic dress came first and it was more radical you could say. Artistic dress rejected the mainstream Victorian silhouette for a more soft ethereal look that was very much against industrialising clothing manifacturing. It was very simple, often relying on fabric manipulation, like pleating and smocking. Everything was handmade often including fabrics and dying (which only included natural dyes). Aesthetic dress followed in the same footsteps but it was often more elaborate and it was also more mainstream (though not mainstream). It would eventually end up heavily inspiring mainstream fashion in 1890s (it's where we get the gigot sleeves) though the anti-industrialist and anti-capitalist ideology obviously didn't get into the mainstream. Sorry for the long essay, I'm researching Arts and Crafts Movement for uni and I'm slightly obsessed with it as well as Tolkien and historical sewing and your video just brought them all together and it made me so happy!
Thank you so much!! 🥰 and I greatly appreciate the long essay! Though of know of the Aesthetic and pre-Raphaelite periods, my recognition of their connection to Tolkien’s work felt more intuitive, but that’s amazing to hear there’s actually a legitimate connection in many different ways! I really appreciated reading everything you had to say as it was super fascinating 😊
When I was younger all I wanted was to dress like the elves in the LOTR films. One of the wonderful things about getting into historical dress is now I've figured out how to wear full length garments in a way that looks "me" and is wearable, as opposed to a costume. It's not that my historical stuff is exactly elf like, but I feel a lot more elegant especially because the clothes I make fit my body in a way that nothing from the 2000s did
I also was inspired by lord of the rings elves style! A lot of my drawings were of people in elvish style outfits. (I didn't include it in my personal style back then, because I was trying very hard as a teenager to be "normal"... now I realize how important it is to be weird because it attracts the right kind of people and repels the wrong kind)
I am with you on the cosplay. I cannot justify the cost of the materials and the time spent if it is for a costume that I may wear a handful of times. While I don't sew historical fashion, I sew vintage fashion, so it's a bit easier to cosplay something. For example, Agent Carter is set in a vintage setting. I love how you were able to meld the concept of cosplay and historical fashion together. It's giving me food for thought.
Thank you so much! I love your solution of “cosplaying” wearable vintage fashions! That’s an awesome idea. I suppose some cosplays are perhaps more in the historical realm as well, like perhaps some video game characters hahaha which could probably be very fun too.
Thank you so much! 🥰 it’s definitely such a great moment to see unbound and raw edges on antiques. I’ll go back and bind these eventually, but I think the pressure to finish every raw edge is one that can take a toll on creativity. So it’s nice to know historically that finishing stitches would be skipped if time was a constraint 😊
💚💜What a gorgeous ensemble!💜💚 This is the gown I would have loved to have worn as a teenager. I experimented with various eras, but never thought to combine high fantasy with Victorian. The colour of the crown & the dress matching is a lovely detail.
Congratulations on another Skill Share sponsorship. Well done, you. I love that they've added the auto-translate option. Thanks to that, I was able to teach myself leatherwork (for some reason the leatherworkers on the YT are all in Korea or Ukraine). Also good for you for revealing the 'works in progress' aspect of creating. Sewing, unlike other crafts, takes time. More time than the biweekly schedule can easily accommodate. The dress, cloak, belt and circlet are beautiful. Well done. You always create such beautiful thing, Ms. V. - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi
Thank you so much Cathy! The auto translate feature is definitely a super helpful one. Leatherworking sounds super cool and I could see it fitting in very well with sewing ❤️
@@VBirchwood Leatherwork is "guy" sewing - so first you glue, then you saddle stitch. And yes, it's sewing adjacent and it's as fun as it looks. With the added bonus that I can make belts that actually fit me (short & curvy & busty - don't get me started on modern plus size clothing, because it's generally poly and horrible...). My ultimate leatherworking goal is to make my own version of a Hermes Birkin (thought process is something along the lines of 'aim for the king'... we'll see how many times it will be a swing and a miss, but I'll get there).
Absolutely gorgeous! Could you please consider making a video on how to properly sew hook and eye on a skirt? I cannot figure how to do it. On waistband it fits fine but lower in the placket hooks and eyes twist, come undone and generally look unsightly. I would be grateful for any advice.
Thank you so much! I can certainly make a video sharing my method, though I’d say in extant historical garments (at least in my collection) the hooks and eyes are usually the messiest part! Lol 😂 people really probably rushed through attaching them/were regularly replacing them so I don’t think they bothered to attach them neatly at all. My biggest advice with the hook would be to also attach a few stitches at the point where the hook starts to bend because then that will hold it in place and keep it from twisting and turning. I’ll still make a video at some point though! 😊
This is such a coincidence but I just decided yesterday to rewatch my LOTR trilogy DVD sets and then I see your video pop up. I grew up watching those movies and am a bit hesitant about watching the new take on these stories. Your outfit though is amazing and I have 4m of the same blush pink cotton that I'm now very inspired to make a long flowing dress with 😀. Thank you for another entertaining video!
Hahaha what perfect timing! I can definitely understand the hesitation! Thank you so much and that's super cool that you have the same fabric (isn't Amo the best? 😅) I'm sure your dress will be beautiful! 😊
The new series is actually a prequel that takes place a thousand years before LOTR but it's taken from other stuff Tolkien wrote about Middle Earth. It is the most expensive series ever made and was done in collaboration with the Tolkien Foundation so it should be pretty good.
This is so beautiful! 🥰 I love how you fused your love for the Lord of the Rings (taking inspiration from Galadriel) with your everyday style, bearing in mind things you would want to wear again. It's something I want to learn - there are so many styles I love but realistically wouldn't wear as my preferred silhouettes are very specific. Just as an extra thing - thank you for sharing your creativity and for being open about how hand sewing has been helpful and neccessary for you, it's so encouraging and inspiring - as someone who prefers historic / vintage to modern clothing and finds that sewing with a machine can be overwhelming (due to autism and sound sensitivity), I really appreciate what you share ❤ It's okay to slow down and really appreciate the beauty of making a garment - it's amazing how we lost that but I'm thankful for creatives like you who show it is possible (I know people hand-sewed for centuries but hopefully you get what I mean) (p.s. if you ever need to - take whatever time you need to finish a project / upload if you ever need to take longer or a break ❤)
The costuming from the Lord of the Rings trilogy was my gateway into all of the sewing and types of historical dress that interest me. The costuming documentaries are fascinating and cover such a breadth of inspiration. My extolling of LotR triology aside, I was pleased to see the construction method of the wrappers I have seen in prior videos. Actually understanding how different cuts of cloth are combined into a 3-D garment is one of the big appeals of construction videos to me.
That’s so awesome Erica! Makes perfect sense how LOTR costumes could be your gateway into historical as there really are so many similarities 😊 really pleased you enjoy watching these construction videos too!
I think the dress is everything you wanted it to be. I totally see that as an everyday dress for Galedriel to go out gathering wild herbs in. The cinematography and editing on your woodland reveal is just stunning!
I'm quite late, but I must say I absolutely adore this ensemble, it's so soft and ethereal. I do have a soft spot for green and pink together though so of course I couldn't not like it.
I love the layered video effect at the beginning of the reveal. The ensemble is so pretty and delicate, great job on the embroidery and wire work crown.
I think this is my favorite cinematic reveal of yours! You have very elven features and the ensemble was perfect! I got an elf crown for Renaissance Festival coming up, but I like yours better.
Awwww thank you so much! 🥰 I’m so glad! It was filmed super last minute because I was seriously running out of time on this edit lol, but it all turned out okay in the end 😅 the tutorial I used to make this crown was super easy if you have some wire sitting around. I put the link to the RU-vid tutorial I used in the description box 😊 it took maybe an hour to make
Thank you so much! It’s information I often want to know when I watch other people construct garments, so I assume people might want to know when I sew things too! 🥰
Ok I have watched 3 times so far and got completely lost in the magic of it all. The reveal is a dream! Love the beading it really highlighted your sinuous embroidery. The cape hangs beautifully cut on the bias and with the longer length. I imagine being unlined and lightweight it will catch the breeze and look wonderfully dramatic! Love the Millais painting and it absolutely looks like you were the model for it.
Hello, You did such a beautiful job on both the wrap and cape, and that adorable leaf belt! I know I complement everything - always sincerely- this ensemble really is one of my very favorites! I love the colors, and the embroidery on your fabric. The crown was lovely too. I am so thankful to you for showing your work, including some unfinished! It makes me happy and hopeful the way you are so authentic and open! I spend so much of my time trying to help people through their lack of esteem, unhealthy and unhappy views of themselves ( and others) and the consequences of the way a lot of people learn, believe and behave, and the very unfortunate pain and consequences caused by beliving in and trying to live up to an unrealistic view of themselves. I honestly think you offer so much wisdom, honesty, your healthy views on body image, and your constant desire to learn and share your values with out every putting another person down. You are a wonderful woman and you bring so much joy to my week's. Sincerely, Audri P.S. I actually have a question about sewing. I believe I heard correctly that the three "wrap dress" was made from the same pattern? They all look different especially in the sleeves. Are the from a pattern or did you draft them yourself? My favorite is the brown/ burgundy colored on , with long thin sleeve and a short little semi cap sleeve over it. Be well and happy, Audri
Hi Audri! Thank you so much for your beautiful comment ❤️ I really appreciate your kind words so much. Regarding the wrapper dresses, I did indeed use the same pattern for all three, it’s one by Laughing Moon (no.118). It comes with 3-4 different sleeve/collar variations so that’s why I was able to make such vastly different wrappers from the same base utilising slightly different sleeve/collar variations all available with the same pattern. It’s one of my favourite patterns honestly! I hope you’re well 🥰
@@VBirchwood Hi Vasi, Thank you for the valuable information. I appreciate you very much! I am so excited to make a couple of wrap dresses. With hope for your happiness, Audri
Thank you so much! Such a cool pattern right!? It’s become such a go-to, and the best part about working with the same pattern again and again is that every time it gets easier because it becomes so instinctual and you can avoid prior mistakes haha
This is so beautiful! I love how delicate and ethereal the final look is. The embroidery and rose gold crown are nice touches. I have also worn works in progress in the past and likely will again.
This dress turned out really beautiful! The cloak too, but the dress I think I could actually wear, even though I don't wear historical clothing. Your handstitching is inspiring, V. I also want to handsew clothes, but I feel overwhelmed just to think about it... Therefore, seeing you making yours by hand encourages me very much. Thank you for sharing! ✨
Thank you so much Kamilla! I promise that hand stitching seems more overwhelming from the outside but it gets so much easier when you’re on the inside doing the hand stitching in the moment. 🥰
Dear V, This outfit is masterful. Your crown makes the ensemble--You look so fetching in it, I think you should wear it out and about. I love the dress pattern you used and admired the plaid version you wore in your interview for the 500 years of Scottish fashion. I thought the embroidery turned out well! I hope you do more of it in outfits to come.
Thank you so much Beth! I will definitely wear this outfit out and about when it gets warmer again, as now the weather would be far too cold for the thing and drapey cotton 😅 it’s funny how the weather turns so fast. I also have many more plans in the future for embroidery as I’m currently learning tambour as well for a specific project. I’m excited to share it all on the channel! 😊
It's so true that the different fabrics that you used made it look so different to the other wrapper dresses! The voile was so soft and flowy and really matched!
What a beautiful adaptation V! I absolutely love every single detail. I’m in love with the leaf belt!!! Beautiful work and the reveal was stunningly made. PS: I love your hair!!!
This is a lovely interpretation. I have made a couple of these crowns as well! I like to merge my fantasy with 70s hippie style for a lotr vibe that suits my personal vintage fit preferences.
Mad respect for your embroidery! I picked up a thrifted Tshirt for a dollar that had an anatomical heart on it with the intention of turning it into a patch... Six months or more and countless hours and not touching it for weeks at a time later and I've FINALLY finished it. It's not perfect but I am super proud of it, and I've definitely learned some lessons. 1. 6 inches doesn't look like much but holy cow does that use a lot of thread. Next time go smaller.. much smaller. 2. T-shirt fabric was not intended for embroidery 3. I don't have as much free time as my craft goblin brain seems to think I do. Don't expect to finish 'quick little projects' quickly
I love this so much! I love that you’re so creative and came up with your own twist on the LOTR and made it Victorian! I think its so fun and neat and you did very well! It gives such good elvish vibes, while still definitely being Victorian as well!
@@VBirchwood I imagine that others have asked; are you considering doing a longer film for us sometime? I mean, with a simple storyline progression, but, more than a few minutes?
@@catherinejustcatherine1778 I would absolutely love to! I just don’t think it’d perform particularly well at the moment due to having a view count that gets very much determined by the algorithm, but this would absolutely be my dream down the line, to produce a historical-related short film of some sort that’s like 7-10 mins.
Just subscribed to your channel; I really appreciate your authentic presentation manner. What a beautiful ensemble - well done and keep up the great work!
Wow ! Fantastic creation, and surprisingly succesful blend of styles & eras. the combination of the organic-ness and airiness of the fabrics and embroidery with the opulence of the 1860s silhouette is endeed peak Preraphaelite. I'm as much a fan of your project as I loathe Amazon and how they treat the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Well i am currently reading the Lord of the Rings (i have never watched the movies or read/finished the books haha). But i absolutly love the asthetic and wanna create some outfits inspired by it. Also...embroidery is something i wanna learn as well. Thx for remembering haha! Btw Congrats on gaining such a follower base and sponsors! I always knew that this channel has so much potential (as someone who subcribed in under 5000 follower)! ^^
Awww thank you so much Pati! I really appreciate your continued support of my art and my channel 🥰 it’s been really beautiful to see how much it’s all grown. I’m sure your Lotr outfits will be beautiful as well!
Remember my dear, one can always cut down and use the extra for a reticular or hat. Or to add ruffles or a bustle. Extra length and a small train ::wink:: can easily be removed whereas adding them requires trim.
Oh! And you can evilely press your hem and then stitch it down adding beading to keep it down without adding any other hem stitch when in a time crunch. ::innocent look::
This is a super cool idea! I’ll have to look more into it 😊 since I didn’t learn beading or embroidery growing up, I’ve had to really figure it out on my own or with the help of online learning platforms haha. I really want to try tambour beading/embroidery!
@@VBirchwood Much of what I have done is look at pictures in books and figure it out. This is what many of our ancestors would have done as well. Try taking a small scrap of fabric and playing with it. Or make a bag and decorate it or make a doll outfit or or or
The whole ensemble really captures the elven spirit. Lovely! What did you think of the 1st episode? I have mixed feelings. It was beautiful to look at, but I’m a bit disappointed they didn’t accurately tell the story of the Noldor’s flight from Valinor. I will of course continue to watch as I love all things Tolkien (except those Hobbit movies. Those were terrible!)
@@rivergalen4020 I just read that Amazon does not have the rights to the Simarillion, only the appendices. I guess that explains the inconsistencies there. I will continue watching as it really is a feast for the eyes.
Thank you so much!! 🥰 I haven’t gotten to see the series yet but will watch it over the weekend. I’ve essentially done nothing but my day job and editing/sewing this project the past few days so I had no time 😅 reviews really seem to be mixed so I’m curious how it’ll be!
Update: I finally watched the first episode and I really liked it actually! The costumes were beautiful and I felt the dialogue had a lot of deep and poetic meaning. I’ll see how the rest of the episodes go!
What an awesome video! I recently stumbled across your channel and am so excited to find someone sewing early Victorian clothing. The wrapper and cloak are gorgeous! For the wrapper, where did you get the pattern?
Wow Vasi, this dress is TDF!😍😍 Absolutely beautiful. ❤️❤️❤️ I have a bit of a confession, I have not seen the new Rings of Power series. Truth be told, even though I love Tolkien, after the Hobbit trilogy was such a lot down, I have my reserves. I'm on the fence about it. I have heard that if your keep an open mind when you watch it and dont go in expecting to see Tolkien specifically you wont be disappointed. However I have not read the Scilmarillion so i'm not overly familiar with the second age. I recently reread the Hobbit after watching the trilogy and having the feeling that something was off and some characters that didn't exist in the book were added to make for a really bad storyline. I guess I will have to go in with an open mind. After seeing your dress and the gorgeous fabric you chose for it i'm feeling inspires to at least give it and episode. I guess i'm just feeling apprehensive after watching Amazon's adaptation of the Wheel of Time. I felt like they put Robert Jordan's creations and sent it to the butcher. But again your beautiful dress and cape have left me feeling inspired. I was just discussing the other day with my duaghter making a victorian wrapper with a matching bonnet to wear out to the weekly homeschool play date. I told her that all her friends would know right iff the bat who she was. She said they would think she finally list her mind. But the fabric you chose has me thinking maybe we should make matching wrappers. Especially since some of the moms were talk I g about taking pictures of themselves wearing the prairie dress from Target while they were out feeding chickens or working the garden. I jokes and said if I was going to join that challenge i would do it wearing a full on Victorian wrapper complete with matching bonnet and an apron. I would even wear all the Victorian undergarments with it. I guess its time to put my money as where my mouth is, lol. Since someone else already bought one of the cameos I had saved, it guess I will buy the laughing moon pattern I've been eyeballing for a while. Maybe I will come up with something as pretty and functional as yours. ❤️
Thank you so so much! ❤️🥰 I finally watched the new series tonight (the first episode) and I actually really liked it! The storyline had a lot of poetic meaning and metaphor and whilst sure it lacked some of the Tolkien edge, I felt like the characters and deeper meaning of the dialogue made for a great and inspiring watch, though I know the series has had super mixed reviews. I think going in with an open mind and not expecting it to be like Tolkien’s written works is definitely a great mindset to have, as I think it is a series that could be appreciated stand alone. Perhaps even just Tolkien inspired rather. I absolutely love your idea about the wrapper and bonnet too! I think everyone will love your creation and I’m sure you’ll make an absolutely gorgeous ensemble ❤️🥹
Omg I absolutely adore this whole thing! I'd totally buy the whole ensemble in a heartbeat if you had it available. Also what's the source for the awesome music at the end?
