Gold Kirtle Worries
I really need to stop trying to wing it for my dress hems. I finally adjusted my gold silk kirtle to the point that it fits fairly well and my hem (done hours before Crown) is distressingly short. I did as well as I could -- a scant 1/8" hem backed with bias tape worked really well, but seeing the pictures from Gryphon's Ball I noticed a distinct highwater quality. Normally I wouldn't stress out too much (I'd just make sure I have decent footwear, and call it middle class wear), but I was hoping to wear this with an overgown, and I think the gap will be stupidly obvious.
My first thought is that this is an opportunity for guards, but I'm kinda lost as to what exactly I should do. I have strips of black velvet lying around, but it's a heavy upholstery fabric, and I'm really not sure it'll work well with the lightweight silk. I have identically woven silk fabric, but not in a matching or even coordinating color (it's white). Other than that my stash is of very little help.
In considering this, I'm also reacquainting myself with my inspiration portrait:
and I've been fairly seriously considering fringe. Black Fringe might end up working pretty with the shown tufts around the neckline, or maybe even something like this. Fringe doesn't seem to be a good long-term solution, though, since fringe after being washed (even carefully hand washed) seems to thin out and disappear after not a lot of time.
Barring that, I'm halfway tempted to just start over with a new kirtle in the white silk. It'll still go well with my blue overgown fabric, and for some reason I feel better about putting gold embellishments on that than white guards on my gold dress. The gold can still be used for something else -- maybe the German dress I've been thinking on for ages.
My first thought is that this is an opportunity for guards, but I'm kinda lost as to what exactly I should do. I have strips of black velvet lying around, but it's a heavy upholstery fabric, and I'm really not sure it'll work well with the lightweight silk. I have identically woven silk fabric, but not in a matching or even coordinating color (it's white). Other than that my stash is of very little help.
In considering this, I'm also reacquainting myself with my inspiration portrait:
and I've been fairly seriously considering fringe. Black Fringe might end up working pretty with the shown tufts around the neckline, or maybe even something like this. Fringe doesn't seem to be a good long-term solution, though, since fringe after being washed (even carefully hand washed) seems to thin out and disappear after not a lot of time.
Barring that, I'm halfway tempted to just start over with a new kirtle in the white silk. It'll still go well with my blue overgown fabric, and for some reason I feel better about putting gold embellishments on that than white guards on my gold dress. The gold can still be used for something else -- maybe the German dress I've been thinking on for ages.