Brannon J. - Ohio, USA

Eowyn's Green Gown

For my version of the Green Gown that Eowyn wears in The Two Towers, I used the old standby: Simplicity pattern #9891. Using View C, I made everything as the pattern suggested, omitting the sleeves. I instead opted to use the sleeves from Butterick pattern #3552, View B. For the "underdress" I used a simple A-line skirt pattern that had an elastic waistband. This would show underneath the front panel of the gown and appear as if I had an underdress on.

For the fabric, I choose a medium weight faux suedecloth that had a nice drape to it. I would have really liked to use velvet for this, as I think that it looks more refined in the finished product, but I was on a budget. The fabric for this was right around $3.00/yard. Not too bad, even if the color is a little light! I am extremely happy with the fabric I found to line the sleeves and make the "underdress" out of. It was a very lightweight, loosely woven blend fabric, in a scroll-y, almost paisley pattern.

For the pattern on the yoke, I used a gold bullion thread, digitized an embroidery design, and using this BEFORE I cut out my pattern piece, I did an all over embroidery. When my embroidery was complete I then cut out my pattern pieces. This was probably what took the most time to do, and I lost count of how many spools of thread I went through to do this. I think maybe 8?? I applied a gold braided trim around the seam where the dress meets the yoke by couching over it with an invisible thread on my machine.

For the front panel on the dress, I left the two front princess seams open, starting right at the belt. At the time I made this, there still wasn’t really any good explanation to how the panel is help up, so I decided that when I wore this, I would simply hold this up in my hand. It worked out pretty good. Now when I wear it, I gather it, pull it to one side, and pin it. Either way is fine!

Now the part that could make or break it:

The Belt!!! Thankfully I am blessed with a genius of a husband, who totally understands the importance of details. To construct this he carved a mold out of a block of wood.

He then used an untold amount of solder to make the front pieces of the belt. (By this I mean the scroll-y part… if that makes any more sense!)

The back parts (the solid piece with 4 holes in it) consist of a pvc cap (one that would be used in plumbing to cap the end of a pvc pipe). He cut off the very end of the cap, and using a hole saw, cut the 4 holes into it. The front piece is layered over the back piece, wired together and more solder added to hold it. After a lot of sanding, sanding, and more sanding, it was painted with a metallic gold paint. It is linked together with a gold colored wire (heavier gauge) I love it!! Want to guess how many hours this took??

OK - The things I would change:

The entire weight of the gown hangs upon the seam that joins the dress to the yoke. This produced some major wrinkles that I wasn’t happy with. If I ever decide to redo this, I’ll be looking for a way to change it. Also the sleeves were a bit bulky near the top, so I would probably partially line them to reduce this, or cut them down…

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This page was last updated 11/21/09