In 2014 I attended Phoenix Comicon for the first time. The entire reason I was there was pretty random, so the fact that my costume is here today is even more surprising to me! I only heard about the Comicon because it was briefly mentioned at a book reading I attended. It sounded a bit interesting and I happened to have the days off. So on a whim I decided to give it a try. While there I just happened to attend a panel “Dressing of the Court of Henry VIII”. It was there that I first met FIRE (Friends In Recreation & Education). I had never really sewn before, had never been much into costuming, but their love of history and enthusiasm caught my attention.

I tracked them down a few weeks later. After attending a few meetings and getting to know them a bit, I decided to give it a try. It was time to find a portrait. Some group members started with the outfit and then researched the history. Being a lover of history, I chose the person first and then found the dress. I was thrilled to be able to represent someone I admire. I had it narrowed down to a couple of amazing women, but I settled on Katherine Parr for several reasons; She was a notable although lesser-recognized queen of Henry VIII, she was an educated woman for her time, quick thinking, and even a published writer at a time in which women were extremely rarely published.

Once I had decided on the person it was time to decide on the dress. Luckily Katherine Parr is well represented in surviving paintings. While this gave me options; it also made for a hard decision. I spent many nights analyzing portraits and in the end….. I chose the Jersey Portrait. It hangs in the residence of the Earl of Jersey and is no longer available to the public. However, there is one photograph of the painting found circulating on the internet.

Originally the concern was the forepart and foresleeve fabric would be hard to find. Surprisingly it was located within days. This confirmed to me that I had chosen correctly. Sewing the dress was another whole adventure since I was completely unskilled in sewing. It was definitely a group effort! Over the course of about four months, up to six people worked on this dress at any one time. My friend’s mother made the French hood. My mother helped a lot on the jewelry. Everyone else jumped in wherever their skills could be helpful. Since I am a night shift nurse, there are moments when things go right and everyone is asleep, so pieces of it even came to work for hand stitching. The other nurses have taken such an interest in this project that they have demanded to see pictures every step of the way. Even a patient has asked for pictures.

Then, in May 2015 I was in the same panel at the Phoenix Comicon that I attended the year before. Oh how things can change in a year! I learned a lot but still have a ways to go. My work is not done on this dress and it is definitely not done on costuming in general. Next, an early dress of Catherine of Aragon.

This has been a journey that has been quite unexpected and great fun. I look back now and am amazed at all that I have learned and done since this chance meeting in 2015!