Metung local Sharyn Tagg is a hand towel designer and you can find her almost weekly attending the local farmer’s markets with her beautiful towels.
But what Sharyn does not reveal is her vast experience as a designer dressmaker.
Last year, for the Bruthen Medieval Festival, Sharyn created a beautiful reversible velvet coat using upholstery material to keep her model, Cosette Murphy, warm through the night.
For that event the reversible velvet coat was used with the silver side embedded with palm tree leaves, fastened at the front with four silver buckles, decorative silver buttons attached to the V shaped sleeves with a reversible hood.
This year, at the Bruthen Medieval Fire Festival, you will see the smooth blue velvet side, fastened at the front with silver braiding and decorative silver buttons. The only giveaway to the coat being reversible is around the collar/shoulder area, to make it easy to reverse the hood, another trick of the trade Sharyn used.
“It was a great challenge due to the thickness of the material and being reversible, but I really enjoyed making it, sometimes we need a bit of a challenge, so for this year I’m going to create a light medieval dress using black velvet and blue chiffon for Cosette to wear under the blue coat,” Sharyn said.
Cosette said it was “a privilege to wear this exquisite coat last year, it is a heavy coat about 3kg, but it’s beautiful to wear, did keep me warm”.
“I am looking forward to wearing the coat and the medieval dress that Sharyn is making just in time for this year festival,” she said.
“So come along and mingle with the locals at this year’s Bruthen Medieval Winter Fire Festival on June 21 starting at 3pm with family games, slaying of the dragon, lantern lighting, flaming sword fighting, costume parade, local music, food and drinks and a great bonfire to finish the night.”
The Bruthen Medieval Market will be held on the same day starting at 9am through to 3pm showcasing local crafted products proudly made in East Gippsland.
