13 Blue Linen Dress with Embroidered Sleeves (7th C Sasaian/Persian)                           This project is a blue linen dress. It is a reconstruction of 7th Century Persian Noblewomen’s dress. The sleeves are embellished with embroidery. The entire dress is hand sewn using undyed linen thread. See below for more details on the embroidery. The cut of the sleeves is based on two 7th Century sleeves I have studies at the Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum’s  Textile Study Room. One sleeve is listed as Persian or Egyptian, (see all the way at the bottom), the other sleeve is listed as Egyptian. The embroidery, for the above blue dress, is based on a 7th Century Persian sleeve and a 5/6th C piece of embroidery(labeled Egyptian or Mesopotamian) that I have been studying at theVictoria and Albert Museum. The border wave design is taken directly from the extant embroidery (see below). The original piece is only 1 1/4“ tall. However, I have made each of the three sections 1” tall to make it easier to embroider. I have changed the colors, from yellow, red,  purple, pink, and green to red, green and yellow. I have also changed the elements on which each color is used. This piece uses wool chain stitch, as in the original. I feel confident using this piece as an example of what would also have been done in 7th C. Persian, as the Persians controlled much of Egypt and Mesopotamia through the 5th-7th Centuries. Both sleeves, the blue (above) and yellow (next page), are cut in the same shape and proportioned to fit my hand and arm. The sleeve closes around the wrist with a cloth button, made from the same material. Both dresses are completely hand stitched. The sleeves are finished with a double fold hem as the extant example. It is unclear if the V&A sleeve was finished by conservators or not, but it is the best evidence I have to go on at this time.       As you can see they are cut straight down then at an angle. There is another 7th C Egyptian sleeve that still has a cloth button intact at the end. I will use two different interpretations of this sleeve in my reconstructions. The yellow linen dress will be left open and will have the button closure. the blue linen sleeve will be sewn together all the way down. This is for two reasons. First of all the documentation on this sleeve does not state if it was completely sewn up when it was found or if it was found as is, so I want to try both methods to see the result. Secondly having one sleeve button, will allow me to more easily wear both dresses together and adjust the sleeves so that both pieces of embroidery show. This is the outline for the second blue linen sleeve. I have used yellow linen thread for the outline, which will not be seen when the sleeve is done. this does however retain the scroll design while I am filling in the red and yellow! This also allows me to fill in the bottom, complete the center and then fill the top without losing the border design. The outline was done over a paper pattern pinned to the fabric. Once the outline is completed the perforated paper pattern is pulled off the fabric. I chose this method so that the end product is a consistent design. As you can see in the above picture this provides a much better design to work from than my free hand, as I am not good at drawing! Here is the sleeve with the first half of one border complete! I'm really excited to be this far along. I can't wait to have it done and wear it, perhaps to Viceroy Tourney! This has taken several weeks to complete, but mostly due to the fact that I have to take a few days off in between. If I embroider too much in one night or too many nights in a row leaves me with a variety of aches and pains. I am committed to finishing this project soon, so that I may focus more on my weaving projects. I've finally completed one border! I now need to draw in the ivy, fill the middle and then do the second border! I had hoped to have this finished for Viceroy Tourney, which is about a month away. I also need to get some rigid heddle weaving done for prizes for the A&S Competitions at Viceroy. I seriously doubt that I will be able to get both projects done in time! I still have a bit of hope though. I am very pleased with how this is turning out so far. I think it will be a very good representation of my work!