But I promised you a DIY renaissance festival princess dress and that you shall have, warts and all.
I started with a sketch after pouring over my favorite Elizabethan costuming books working backwards by buying the fabric first and coming up with a dress design second. I like to work the other way around.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJx-_qbpxo5yb-74i2yPubWFRjYHcm7mN1JQWBGtJ1MbVv-NEkGmFTwvgPOfV8bUzfL3gGKZgLbkAfFVVwcgCWcH5F9crAff7SVvU40_1AoHHssgOdRbeHtBSD3UMwDzGzH_yvqxS2-LAr/s1600/renaissance+noble+princess+dress+sketch+1.jpg)
Disclosure: affiliate links appear in this post for your convenience.
I started with the overskirt and underskirt (forepart) first. I attempted hand embroidering the brown velvet trim but didn’t liker my test pieces, not to mention that kind of hand embroidery means an extra year for construction I didn’t have.