Final push #3

The camera is back in working order.  We had left the battery charger plugged into a hotel wall last October, and had forgotten all about it.  So we had no way of recharging.  Thanks to "you can find anything at Amazon.com" we got a replacement kit, and are now all "charged" up to take pictures.

Back tracking.  I can't remember if I covered the Farthengale problem.  I am wearing one with this dress.  That is not period for Italian, but to give this dress the fullness and line I like, instead of making a heavy full Kirtle, I decided for the hoop.  I have used this farthengale many time. I made it several years ago.  For the hoops I used spring steel.  This was a 75 foot snake from HomeDepot.  I simple snipped off the end and cut to lengths.  In order to protect the material from the edges, I incased the steel in water tubing, the kind you buy for ice makers in the refrigerator.  The hoops are held together with brass fittings. Works great, has lots of support for the heavier fabric, and is light weight. 
So the problem was that the hoops showed thru the velvet.  I have never had them show up before.  I can only think that this was because the velvet skirt is so heavy it is "laying" against the hoops.  My solution was to make a padded overskirt for the Farthengale.

 

I finished it with white satin blanket binding.   These pictures show it with the bottom edge unfinished. 

The Parlett is finished.  I may make another one, now that I have the pattern figured out.  The Parlett is based on a portrait in Moda...   It is very frilly, as I said before.  My version is simplier, not as many rows of frill.  I wanted the blackwork to show thru, and the frills would block that.  But I pinned extra rows of the frilly trim onto the Partlett and Liked it.  So I may make another with more frill, but will need to find more of this trim at another JoAnn's before I can do that. 

The dress is now 90% completed.  The Chemise is all together.  I put it under the dress to see if the arms were long enough when Plucked thru the sleeve spaces.  I made them 12 inches beyound my finger tips.  Seems to be OK.  I also made the Chemise extra long.  For no reason, just because I have lots of fabric.  But the Bottom is not wide enough to go all the way down.  So I am going to have to shorten it, or Split the side seams open.