seasons of the witch - beltane

I am very happy to introduce you to my newest witchy incarnation, just in time for Beltane.
If you are new here, I would recommend going back to the first post of the project, which I started in October 2021. My goal is to create a new version of my ideal witch for each one of the big 4 pagan holidays: So far, I have covered Samhain and Imbolc, and today I can reveal what I came up with for Beltane.

Beltane marks the midpoint between the vernal equinox and the summer solstice, it is the beginning of the warm season and it celebrates light, fire and lust. Bonfires are kindled, maypoles erected (the symbolism is obvious) and flower wreaths are wound. It is the time to please the spirits, as, once again, the veil between our and their world is thin this night. It is also the night of the witches in Austrian and German folklore (Walpurgisnacht): They gather at the Blocksberg to celebrate their sabbat with a big fire and fly through the air on broomsticks.

With all this in mind, I decided to bring my own vision of the May Queen to life: She is clad in green, decorated with flowers from top to toe. It’s all about lushness and luxuriant greenery and bursting blossoms. My green-witch needs a full skirt, that twirls around her as she dances and she needs something comfortable, so she can enjoy her time without any restrictions. She should look young and youthful, but not as innocent as my version for Imbolc - she has to be wild and free.

The big focal point of this season’s project is without doubt the embroidered vest. I have been hugely inspired by these tiny, folkloric vests for quite some time now and wanted to make one myself.

I decided to go for seasonal florals with the embroidery. Lilacs, daisies, lilies of the valley, violets, as well as a lot of made-up, filler blooms. The fronts are not mirrored or symmetrical, I wanted it to look a bit random - similar, but not the same. The back needed a bit more consideration and a more thorough layout, as it is just this big, empty space. So I went back to classic Beltane imagery: The sun, with the moon incorporated (like the alchemical marriage) and the antlers, symbolizing the Horned God. Stitching it all out kept me company in the evenings after rehearsals and on lazy Sundays, while watching a series or listening to audiobooks. It was nice to have something to work on that did not require the sewing machine, so I could either work on the dress or the vest, whenever I felt tired or bored of either of the two.

The vest is made out of a mid-weight linen - not too fine, so it still looks good with the thicker embroidery thread, but also not too coarse and rustic. I chose to sew the darts and princess seams first and then embroidered over the seamlines - it would have been impossible to get a cohesive look if they were stitched up later. Also, my method is very intuitive and I changed my mind about the composition several times during the process, so mapping it all out beforehand would have been counterproductive. I was only really careful about mirroring the antlers, as I wanted them to look as symmetrical as possible, so as not to distract from the image as a whole.

To bring the whole concept to life, I needed a dress that complimented the vest. Something that would have enough character on its own, but not too much to take all the attention. I decided on a loose babydoll silhouette, with a shortened bodice and a huge, gathered skirt. The ruffle at the bottom is made out of 4 different fabrics in matching green tones - I wanted to connect it back to the first dress of the series, which also featured a ruffled hem, though differently constructed. The fabrics are all classic Dirndl prints in 100% cotton and are overstock from local companies. They vary a bit when it comes to density and drape, but as the weight is similar, it was easy to combine them into one garment.

An additional feature of the dress are the dropped shoulders with their crescent-shaped sleeve heads and the tiny, gathered sleeves. They almost give me 1840/50 vibes, without all the frills and odd proportions. The armholes are quite a bit wider than those of the vest, so the sleeves do bunch up a bit. Same with the bodice - It is a lot looser than the tight-fitting vest, so there is some unevenness in the waist seam when both are worn together. It does not bother me when I wear it, but it can look a bit messy in photos. Maybe it was not the best idea to combine these two items together, but I love the tiny vest with a babydoll silhouette and wanted a looser dress for once. So I think all is good in the end, but maybe something to consider for next time.

To finish the ensemble, I made a flower crown out of vintage fabric flowers and buds, finished off with dark green velvet ribbons and a lighter coloured rickrack (this one was also used on the vest). I also made a multi-strand necklace using a variety of glass beads as well as semi-precious, facetted malachite beads. Most of the glass beads came from my stash, it was good to finally use them. To add more depth and layers, I also wore a few different gold necklaces underneath, which looked really nice with all the green.

This is already the second to last witch for this project, so I savored every minute of working on it. It also made me fall back in love with embroidery, hard, and so I am planning to do more embroidery-focused projects in the future. It was good to see where my current abilities are and to re-introduce myself to my process. Makes me excited for more!

all images © Lukas Jahn
location: Schönbrunn Gardens, Vienna
jewelry: We Are Flowergirls, gifted items
shoes: 2ndhand Superga sneakers

The last witch will be coming on July 31/August 1, so stay tuned.