Absolute minimum fabric required for court/noble gown?

[gem]

I have found the *perfect* fabric for the gown I'm daydreaming about. It was even on sale!

...But it's been discontinued, and they only had 4 and 2/3 yards, at 54".  Is there a frugal cutting method that would allow me to get a c. 1560s gown (bodice + split overskirt + shoulder rolls) out of that much fabric?  I'm on a frantic hunt for more of the stuff, but just in case...?  

I'm 5'4" and about a mundane size 8/10. I know it takes less than a yard of fabric to make a bodice in my size, and I could do guards on the bottom of the skirt to save yardage. Sleeves and forepart would be different fabric altogether. Anything else?

Yes? No? Give up and find something else?

Gramercy!

[operafantomet]

It might be possible. But you'd need to use all the tricks in the book, I think...

Triangles in the skirt to create width, instead of rich pleats in the waist. No train, obviously. As square and small as possible panels for the bodice, maybe similar to the grey/blue Pisa dress, to use a yard as effectively as you can. If you have a front and back seam you can cover it with trims. It might not be easy to tell from this picture: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/extant/IMG_7204.jpg but this bodice has a seam in front, and the shoulder straps are attached in front. In effect it shows a bodice which was made of square, small pieces. I would think they did the same for the back, though the hypotetical construction shows it in one piece. You would probably want a bodice with a lower neck line, and in total this could give you a bodice made with less than one yard.

Construction wise, all the Pisa dresses + Eleonora di Toledo's funeral dress in Florence depend on straight panels for the skirt. All the noble garbs has triangles inserted between side and back panel, while the grey/blue dress is all straight. The latter is considered a house dress, so this different construction makes sense. But inserting triangles is a good way of making skirt fuller while still saving fabric. You can see how Eleonora's funeral dress have four straight panels (two in front, two in the back) and four triangles inserted in between. This skirt had a lot of width. You can probably get away with one panel in front, since you want a split, and two in the back, plus triangles.

FUNERAL DRESS: http://realmofvenus.renaissanceitaly.net/workbox/extwomclo2.jpg

English fashion seems to have been even more conical than Florentine fashion, which is great for such triangle construction. The front split also helps!

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

the least I have used for a Court gown is 6 yards. That includes sleeves, simple waist, and shoulder tratments..

It's the outer skirt that takes up most of the gown. 3 panels at 54" needed to get the neeed cartridge pleating to work. Sleeves can be made from a  different fabric that matches the forepart on the underskirt.

Less than 5 yards is cutting it close, no pun intended.

[gem]

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of! LOL

I know that the Renaissance Tailor made a gown from 3.5 yards of fabric, but I don't have her experience, confidence, or math skills, I'm afraid! I suppose I could try the cutting layout she shows, and replace the extra length strips with guards for the skirt... and try it out first on some mockup fabric.  But I think tracking down more of the fabric is a better option!

[dleighb]

There is absolutely no way I could do a gown with this little fabric. Heck, my skirts alone usually have four yards in them. Of course, I cartridge pleat and there is no frugal way to cut with that method. Although, if you were to cartridge pleat and you lined the inside of the fabric giving it extra thickness, you might could pleat up 3 yards and be all right assuming you are short enough (or the fabric is long enough) to pleat on the selvage edge with 1/2 inch pleats. Then a yard for your bodice.  You would have to make your sleeves completely out of a different fabric though and your skirt may not be as full as you would like.

Yes, Gem, periodically, I do visit this board.   I'll have to get used to your RF.com handle, but I recognized your picture.

[gem]

That sound you all heard was my SQUEEEE! over dleighb visiting this board! LOL She's a longtime online needlework buddy of mine from another BB... and an amazing costumer. 

[Lady Caroline]

Hello all, it's been almost two years since I've been on the boards...... and I'm just catching up now.... will probably take a while.... but this post reminded me of the the dress I made with only two yards   Obviously not H.A., but it WAS only 2 yards!!

http://www.renaissancefestival.com/forums/index.php?topic=3017.0