Friday, March 21, 2014

March of the Shieldmaidens: Barbie style

Hwæt! March of the Shieldmaidens is upon us! This was the perfect opportunity to sew a fun ensemble for this cute Nordic looking Barbie I stumbled upon at the thrift store. Disclaimer: There are many historical inaccuracies here. It's purely for fun.
The outfit begins with a simple underdress in a spring green. I think this color was a reasonable one, that would have been easily obtainable in Norse times. The fabric is a rather unfortunate polyester faille, but Barbie's skin doesn't need to breathe. The pattern I used (Simplicity 8333) is a peasant top, which I lengthened into a dress. I also added a drape to the sleeves, which is pretty, but probably not very practical for your average Shieldmaiden.
The second piece is her Viking apron. This is made of an earthy brown linen. It is just two rectangles sewn together at the sides. I left long vents below the hip for easy mobility, should Barbie need to do any sword play.
The broaches are decorative beads. I like the simplicity of them. I gathered the neckline of her underdress with some anachronistic elastic. There's a bit of velcro back there, too.
I added a leather thong tied in a square knot for some waist definition.
And of course, our Shieldmaiden needed a Shield! I made this one out of a picture I printed off the internet and glued to a bit of cardboard.
Then all semblance of historical accuracy flew out the window, as I really wanted to sew her a leather corset. This is the same pattern as my last post, but made from a rayon bonded leather from fabric.com. I love it over her underdress.
But it's even more "fantasy Viking wench" over her apron! I'm loving how these pieces work together, and despite the historical inaccuracies, I think I did a better job than Mattel. Have you seen Viking Barbie??

18 comments:

Melanie RG Handmade by The See said...

tee hee! So adorable!! I mean, fierce, go shieldmaiden Barbie!

Katie Deshazer said...

*giggle* I mean, Off to battle!! ;)

P E Hudson said...

Wow!! You did a fantastic job Katie! Literally, this is the best barbie costume I've ever seen!

Kyle Burkhardt said...

the corset is AMAZING!!!!

EmSewCrazy said...

Bwhahaha, your's is MUCH Better than mattel's version! I was hoping to make a fantasy piece up but things have gotten in the way so all my Shieldmaiden March is happening vicariously!

Kathleen Cooper said...

This is wonderful

Heather Bee said...

Haa haa I love it. Barbie will be ready for her next costume party.

Maris Olsen said...

Too cute! And we Olsens approve of all things Viking! ;-)

ladykatza said...

Its BARBIE-Rella!

Annette said...

Love it!

Katie Deshazer said...

Thank you!!

Katie Deshazer said...

LOL! Well, if anyone can do it, Barbie can...

Katie Deshazer said...

:) Thank you!

Katie Deshazer said...

One does have to keep one's wardrobe stocked with these essentials...

Katie Deshazer said...

Thank you!

Katie Deshazer said...

Thanks! I'm pretty thrilled with it!

Katie Deshazer said...

Thanks so much!

Joy said...

I love this! Your ensemble far outstrips that of Mattel's Viking Barbie!