Hi! I was looking on your blog to try to find a pattern for Merida's green "casual" or "riding" dress, and you said that you had made a custom pattern that worked well that you'd be willing to share. I'm a beginner-level seamstress, so I don't know how well I'd handle a hard pattern, but I'd really like to try :) Thanks!
I think there has been a little bit of a misunderstanding, I am not the original author of the ‘Character Costume Analysis: Merida’s Dresses’ rather the original author kennadeek. I merely reblogged it. Find the original post here here. You'll have to ask her what custom pattern she is referencing.
That aside, personally I am working on Merida’s dress, her everyday dress, and got a bit of help from a follower who does Ren Fair. If you don’t want to buy the historically accurate patterns for the cottee, I would use Simplicity 2573 Look A, just the “underdress”. The rest of the pattern is a bit of hot mess—I think—except for the veil and surcoat. For this you might want a linen fabric or a muslin depending on your weather.
For a base for her outer dress, Butterick B4827 is the way to go, a lot of the Ren Fair people say that the Simplicity medieval cut overdress is a pain, and looks pretty easy. You’ll need to alter the neckline for the v cut out and grommets though as well as the sleeves.