A Little Crazy

Work proceeds on the Bodice Top.  There is a lot of detail work that needs doing.  I have finished sewing in the lining.  The Bodice is front closing.  I used hook and eyes for the closure.  I have seen this done in Janet Arnold's books, and also Eleanor of Toledo's Corset was closed using hook and eyes.  To get a tight fit I have used 20 Sets of Hook and Eyes, "A Little Crazy".  They were tough sewing because they had to be very accurate as to spacing and depth.  Too close to edge and bodice has a gap, to far from edge and it overlaps. Also had to be directly across from each other, or they would pull.  They were also very tiny to hold in place. Only had to resew a couple to make me happy.

The front closure is nice and tight now.  I'm a little concerned about actually hooking them when I put the dress on.  It will be a case of patience I'm sure.
I have sewed on 5 lacing ring to each side of the shoulder/sleeve opening.  The sleeves will be tied on with ribbons.  I purchased some very decorative tips for the ribbons, but ended up being short two, so need to get some more from Guendilina.  I went from thinking of doing only 4 per side to doing 5.  After reading some posts on Margo Anderson's chat regarding a person who wanted to attach some sleeves to an existing bodice (small world) most of the good responders advocated 5 rings, the fifth being center shoulder.  That made sense to me. 

I next need to sew in the ribbons to the sleeve tops.  Next the sleeve panes will be held together with buttons.  I had debated between silver button or jewels in mountings.  Since the sleeves width is more then I want now, I am doing the buttons which will not separate the panes as much.  Now to figure out how and where - spacing - to sew the buttons.

The bottom of the sleeves have now yet been cut to length, I was waiting to fit them into the bodice first and see how they fall. 
There was a lot of finish work on the bodice.  All the small details should add up. 

Bodice top

I have piped the top with a lighter rose color.  I debated about doing this.  What I have found is it has actually made the top larger.  The way I have sewed the piping on there is not a full 1/2 seam.  It looks good.  This may be a good thing.  I really did not allow for the Italian chemise I am wearing (to be made) under the dress.  Since this will be gathered and large, this will hopefully take up the little bit of extra width I am experiencing. 

The lining has been added to the bodice.  Next I piped the outer arm holes.  Then the lining was hand sewn in.  
The sleeves have been finished.  The paned sleeve heads are done.  The paned sleeves panes have  been hand sewn to the inside top of the sleeve heads.  There are three seperate pieces for each sleeve.  They fit perfectly to the sleeve heads.  Hurray, I figure and figure, and when it works you go yeahhhhhh.  I will now add ribbons for ties.  I am thinking of four ties on each bodice side. These sleeves are heavy.  I am adding rings to the inside of the bodice arm holes to tie too.  These sleeves can now be removed for hot days.

My mind is now working on the Chemise.  I would really like to smock the top, but since I have never smocked this may be too ambitious for a first attempt.  Simple gathering is what is commonly seen in portraits.  The pattern I have is from the "Realms of Venus" web site.  This style will be easier to fit to the gown. 

The other project will be the Partlet.  For some reason my mind wants to do a pure white lace partlet.  I want to do the Eleanor of Toledo Gold and pearl partlett, but feel it will not go with this gown.  The gown is Rose velvet with silver toned trim.  Will spend the afternoon looking at pictures and going to Lorraine Fabric's and imagining different finds as to how they will look as a partlet.  FUN, YES. 

The skirt needs to be done.  This will be mostly a straight forward project.  Cut panel, add gores, add trim, make Cartridge pleats, add to bodice.  Still a lot of work, by not mind bending.  I have over 8 yards of velvet left, so there will be lots of skirt.  The Bodice is strong, and hanging that much material onto it, I will need to reinforce the lower Edge of bodice some.  Maybe pipe it also.  ????  Will cross that bridge when I get to it. 

Fall start

Fall has arrived, and with it and attempt to get sewing again.

The last several weeks have been spent helping a fellow SCAdian make a dress. She is making a Tudor period dress for her "Hand fasting". She was given 10 yards of a nice cream linen, so that is the base for the dress. Her finance is having an outfit made in purple. They have this purple with gold trim that will be on both outfits. Her dress is loosely based on an Princess Elizabeth dress from when she was 13 yrs old. The turn back sleeves are the same color as the dress, the under dress and under arms are of a beautiful gold fabric, and the dress is trimmed in that Purple/gold trim. Christine sewn before, but never something this hard. She is learning to do hand sewing, whip stitch and button hole stitch. Seeing how the pieces go together she has difficulty. So I do a lot of showing her this, but make sure she does the actual sewing. I have a problem not taking charge and just doing doing it, but that does not teach her. So I make sure it is her work, not mine. I don't think she truly understood the amount of work these dresses require. She has dreams of finishing the dress, making a French Hood to match, and making a Chemise for under it all before 9/22. At this point just getting the dress done on time will be an accomplishment.

The last few rainy days I started back on my dress. I have debated over to Pipe the edges or not. I have looked in Janet Arnold's books and piping seems to have been done in Period. You can see on the edges of many of the existing pieces what looks like edges. In a couple of pieces this was twisted pieces of silk, stitches to edges and slashed. Some look like cords. In Margo Anderson's documentation she clearly states that there is no clear evidence as to whether or not they did or did not use piping. I finally decided to Pipe for looks. I stitched the lining onto the edges with Piping and without the piping. I like the clean look of the edges with Piping. This has added an entire extra layer of sewing to the outfit, but the looks is outstanding. What I have found though is by adding the piping the piece is actually larger, as the piping sticks out. So have to adjust.

 

 

 

The top picture shows two pieces of the panned sleeve, left has piping the right does not.  One of the things I learned was that the piping actually makes the piece wider.  So I have to adjust.  The bottom photo shows the pane sleeve top being assembled,.  This is being made following Margo Anderson's pattern.  In the Pisa dress you cannot see any padding.  But in the dresses in Moda a Frienze you can clearly see padded shoulders.  It could be theorized that the padding has disappeared through time, or never existed in the first place.  I had decided to go with the first argument and this design.  It looks good when held up to the Bodice,  and with all the work/time I've invested, it's a go. 

 

 

 

What I am attempting to create.

I have been asked.  "What are you making"  a legitimate question. 

This is know as the Red Pisa Dress, Early 1560.  It is cut in the style of Eleanor of Toledo.  This dress was not found in the inventory of Eleanor's dresses when she died in 1562.  It is thought to be one of the dresses made for Eleanor's Ladies in Waiting (13 of them) on the occassion of the ceremonial trips to Siena and Rome in 1560.  Most likely they were made in the workshop of her tailor, Mastro Agostino, and mostly he followed the same pattern and techniques as the court gowns he made Eleanor.  The gown had been donated to an Adjacent Convent, San Matteo, where it was on a wooden Statue of the Virgin May.  This gown has now been restored and is on display at the Museo di Plazzo Reale in Pisa.

This is a petticoat.  In Italy the Petticoat would have been worn under the gown.  But in the period of time between 1540 and 1560, when Eleanor was preeminent, the petticoat came out into it's own or out from under the gown.  In the late 1560 it again moved back under the gown. 

http://aneafiles.webs.com/renaissancegallery/extant.html

The above site contain many of the existant Italian pieces, and more detailed information can be found here. 

This dress can also be found in the book  Moda a Firenze 1540 - 1580.  It is often shown with Eleanor's funeral dress, which was able to be partially restored.

What I am doing same/different from this dress.

First I am making a front closing Bodice.  Dispite being an Lady in the SCA, have a dresser is not always available. 

I have worked on the Bodice and Sleeves so far.  I do not have enough trim to effect the double row of trim effect.  But the Trim I am using is wide, and gives a fair representation.  The petticoat is in Rose Cotton Velvet.  The trim is commercial, but accents the Rose color.  The dress is being lined in White Duck.  There is evidence that these dresses had interlining.  Janet Arnold mentions this in her Book "Pattern of Fashion 1560-1620"  A coarse Linen was believed to have been used.  The White duck will provide the strength and form I believe the dress needs. 

The sleeves are paned.  This design is from Margo Anderson's  Patterns.  Looking at the sleeve, and knowing by ability, I decided I could obtain the same look by making these.  I need to modify the top of the Panes now to encoporate the open tabs that can be seen. 

"And so it begins"

The sewing bug has finally bit.  Hot steamy weather has sent me to the cellar sewing room. 

Bodice.  Worked on the fitting some more.  Was not happy with how the shoulder connected.  Ended up attaching the should straps of the white structure material by laying on top and over sewing.  I then used it as a guide and cut out a new velvet bodice piece, and new lining piece with the shoulder straps as part of the front.  ( for clarity purposes.  Bodice is composed of three pieces. 1) Velvet outside.  2) white duck structure  3) pink lining material-should be silk but is poly for price reasons)  After I did all that I discovered I had misjuded the Velvet bodice back, and cut it too small.  Had to recut that piece also.  Waste of velvet.  '
First I worked on the trim for the front and back of the bodice. 

After this was sewn on, I flatlined the structre material, which has the boning channel in the front sewn into it, to the velvet, then I sewed the Bodice together.

The back came out looking to angular, but it follows the straight line of the trim from the shoulders down.  And is equi distant from the side seam,

Next I were the Paned Sleeves.  I made these out of three layers, Velvet, white duck, and pink lining.

see and so it begins take two for the rest of the story.

"And so It begins." take two

I was unaware that the other version had saved, I thought I had lost it, but will keep both. 

Began working on my new dress.  The hot steamy weather has sent me to the cellar sewing room, cool and quiet. 
Day one I worked on the Bodice.  I had the Structure layer, of white duck, pinned together after the fitting.  I had sewn the boning channels for the front into this layer already.  I took this apart and transferred the changes to the other two layers.  I did not like the way I had cut the shoulder straps as seperate pieces from the front bodice.  So I reworked the structure layer to have the shoulder straps with the front section, and recut the Velvet and Lining layers.  Now no shoulder front strap seam.  I also discovered that I had layed out the Velvet bodice back using the wrong mark  thus it was two inches to small, this also was recut. 

With all the correct pieces now on to assembly.  First step was trim. 

Careful edge stitching attached the trim to the Bodice.

Second was flat lining of the White Structure to the Velvet Bodice.  After that I Sewed the seams together, except for the shoulder back. 

Second Sewing Day.   Started work on the Paned sleeves.  These sleeves will be in three layers, like the bodice.  Velvet, White duck, and pink lining.  I decided to pipe the edges.  This will give them a crisp edge, and something for the buttons to be sewn to. 

These are going together quickly.  Found I needed to use my old sewing machine for the piping.  It is doing a much cleaner job then the fancy new(erish) machine.  I have ordered a piping foot for the new machine.  It's not new, most likely 20years old, but newer then the other.  The Old machine is still a trooper.  It is a all metal case machine, with a knee throttle.  You can't kill this baby.  I digress.
The panel are mostly assembled.  Length and top edge need to be worked on.  I want to do a band at the top of trim.  Now need buttons.  Figure I need 42 or more to connect the panes.   Might have to wait until Pennsic to find what I want. 

Next to decide If I want to pipe around the Bodice. 

welcome back to me

Has been a while since I updated by diary.  After finishing the gown and coif, I took a break.  One of the reasons was I Took a wonderful trip to Italy.  Spent a couple of weeks clothes shopping and doing prep work to go, then went for 14 wonderful days.  I would go back to the Tuscany area.  My interest are more there then in other parts of Italy, but did enjoy seeing all the various areas, Amalfi coast, Pompii, Capri, Rome, etc. 

Since then I have been in the planning stage for a couple of items.
1st,  Bob's outfit.  I know I promised him the next outfit.  So I went shopping and found all the material I needed before I left for Italy.  That project is still just sitting there.    I did start on his shirts embroidery.  Since this was to be a Henry the VIII outfit, the painting shows his shirts embroidered in Gold.  So I sent away for 5 skeins of antique gold silk thread.  I started to do work on some evenweave linen from Jo-Ann's   I was not happy with the amount of slubs I found in the fabric.  So I spluged and got a piece of nice even weave fabric from Nordic Needle.  This fabric was much nicer.  Doing it on 32 count.  Maybe should have done it on 40, but the scale on this looks right.  It is A acron and cross (X) pattern from,  "Bands from Hans Hofer's New Formbuch'len Augsberg 1545 Lots 18"   Charted and plotted for reversible stitching by Linn R Skinner.  According to the author Hofer's books were printed using woodcuts and were illustration, not instructions.  The author has adapted them into reversible patterns.
2nd  My master work. 
I have cut out the top for my Master work gown. The fabric had some water damage on it from the flood and I had given up on it. I found that I was able to rescue most of it, So I am off, at a snail pace. I have fitted the bodice structure, but it sits there in needles. I need to comitte to the fit and start sewing.  The bodice is always the hardest part.
Had several people over laterly to do sewing, or get ideas:
Loaned a sewing maching out to Josh, so he could make Pennsic clothes for his little daughter and wife.  He's a good kid.  Gave him some basic sewing lessons a few years back.  He caught on quickly.  He not making fancy stuff, just needful.
Evelyn (Kristen) continues to work on a tunic for husband.  It is tough for her to find the time to come over.  I said she can work on it on her own, but she doesn't feel confident enough yet.  So the project linger.
Deb Ross wants more tunic and pants for Pennsic.  She is willing to make a couple of Kirtles also.  We went over the basic patterns, and went cloth shopping at Jo-Ann's.  Now she needs to do cut out and sewing.  Time is her enemy.  She needs to put this on a front burner.  She has two dress, two pants, and several tunic. 
Christine Woods came over last night.  She wants to make a Tudor Dress for her Handfasting in September.  The dress is a cream linen.  She has a beautiful Purple trim.  She has sewn before but has never tried to do something this complicated.  We went over various patterns/styles.  Looks like Early Tudor, Jane Seymore style.  Finding the underskirt, and arms parts to compliment/match will take a couple of shopping trips.  Looks like Puple and Gold fabric.  A trip to Loraine fabic is in the future.  OH Boy  :)

I have promised Bob a fishing trip today, but the weather does not looks like it will cooperate.  So will go out and find something to do with him.