Here I present the "Pomegranates of Persephone" dress. It earned this name even before it was constructed. When I saw the fabric in the store, I was instantly drawn to it. You know that moment where all the other fabric bolts around become non-existent and the fabric just calls to you. I know there are people who know what I'm talking about. It's a magical moment :P
Anyway, Sir Knight was with me when I was getting the fabric cut and he mentioned that the pattern looked like pomegranate seeds. I just love pomegranates, they're my favorite fruit. I knew instantly that whatever I created from this fabric was going to be named after them.
Persephone, of course, is the Greek goddess of springtime and wife to Hades, god of the Underworld. She's daughter to Demeter, goddess of agriculture (her Roman name, Ceres, is where we get the word 'cereal') and one day she was kidnapped by Hades, and taken to the Underworld to be his bride. Demeter furious that her daughter had been taken from her petitioned Zeus, King of the gods, to allow her to be returned. Zeus decreed that if Persephone had not eaten any food from the Underworld, she would be able to return.
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| Source: http://www.artrenewal.org |
Hades tried his best to tempt his newly taken bride with delicious foods. None of which she ate. It wasn't until she was presented with a delicious pomegranate with it's juicy, tart seeds that she finally partook food of the Underworld. She indulged in six seeds.
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| Pomegranate...YUM! (source: http://rubyredpomegranates.co.uk) |
Meanwhile, in despair for her daughter's absence, Demeter had withdrew all her gifts of abundance to the world of men. The world became cold, the crops sparse and produced no food. No flowers grew and the trees were bare. Finally Zeus decided on a compromise...for each seed that Persephone ate of the pomegranate she would have to stay with Hades for one month then she could return to be with her mother.
With her lovely daughter returned to her, Demeter restored the bounty of the fields back to the Earth. From then on, when Persephone was forced to return to the Underworld, her gifts were withdrawn again...year after year.
This is how the Ancient Greeks explained the seasons. It was the first Greek myth I learned back when I was about 11 years old. It's still one of my favorites to this day.
Back to the project, for this dress I used BurdaStyle magazine's 02/2011 #101 (dress with gathered rectangle skirt and cap sleeves). Very simple pattern. I like it cause it only prints out the pieces for the bodice. The skirt is very easily constructed by cutting out two rectangles using the measurements they give in the instructions.
I cut a size 12 which was way too big. I'm still having some fit issues. I think I added too much of a seam allowance as well. A very simple fix but I just couldn't wait to post it. I can definitely see myself making this again in the future. I also think a good idea would be to attach a different skirt to the bodice. I think I might have some fun with that.
Sorry for the poor quality of the photos. Cold temperatures are still keeping me inside.
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| The sun came in making it look lighter than it is. |
I love how I can put tights, boots, and jacket and it's perfect even for cold weather. As it gets warmer I can wear it with sandals and it's ready for warmer weather. I love trans-seasonal garments! :D
Hope everyone has a great weekend! Anyone working on any sewing projects?
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