Doublet Drafting
I collected a variety of pieces and parts to do the first draft of the doublet pattern. Clockwise from the upper left of the first picture, the pieces are: The partlet from the Flemish dress. It was too tight across the back and never really got worn, so it's being sacfrificed to the great machine of patterning. I can always use its component parts to make a new one in something better than cotton broadcloth. The back of the orignal bodice pattern from the silver gown. The front of the orignal bodice pattern from the silver gown. The front of the kirtle pattern. The second picture is the first draft of the doublet. It looks plausible, but only a test on a fully-dressed model will show the truth. I'll put together a mock up and wait for my chance to strike...
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One Last Update
I cut out a mock-up of the doublet and got it basted together. Hopefully I'll get a chance to try it out tomorrow. I cut it out of some burgundy cotton that I had lying around (it turned out to have been sewn into a chiton -- no big loss to take it apart). If it fits, it'll make a perfectly serviceable lining. I'll probably line the sleeves with acetate if I still have some around, just to avoid friction when putting the thing on.
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For The Record
In the interest of full disclosure, I just wanted to mention that the farthingale was sewn on the machine. Anything that experimental is bound to get screwed up somehow, and I didn't want to waste a whole lot of hand-sewing time on it if it did. On a less confessional note, I should say something about the ropes I used for hoops. I had a hem measurement of 108", and a ballpark waist of 40". With six tucks in between, the math was fortuitously simple: 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 inches for each of the intermediate ropes. I added 4" for overlap on the ends. Each rope is made of three twisted strands, so I spliced them by cutting four inches of one strand from one end and two strands from the other. Then I twisted the two ends back together and wrapped the splice in duct tape. I could have used some better binding method, but tape was quick and will be hidden completely, so I don't feel bad about it. If I do this again I may try another method.
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Kirtle Again
I put the hooks on the kirtle. It's still a little gappy at the waist, but I don't think there's much else I can do except let out the back seams. I'm not going to worry about it. I managed to finish the farthingale, and it definitely improves the line of the skirt. It's got some issues of its own, though. It's easiest to see in the picture of the farthingale itself: there are a few big waves in the hoops. If anyone knows of a good way to get rid of them, let me know. For now, I've got the whole thing hanging up from a hook. Maybe gravity will do the trick. Next on the list is drafting the doublet pattern.
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Kirtle
The kirtle is done except for the hooks in the front. The "chemise" in these pictures is actually a shirt of mine that is obviously in need of repair. There's a gathered skirt underneath to act as a petticoat, which gives the pleated kirtle a little more fullness at the hips. I'll probably add hooks to the slit in the skirt as well. I'm not very happy with the visible corset straps; I'm contemplating just cutting them off. They don't really do a whole lot. I'll probably try just narrowing them first. Once I get the hooks put on, I'll do another fitting and try to fit the doublet. I'll draft a pattern and see how close I get the first time. The more I look at these pictures, the more I want to try making some sort of farthingale to give the skirt some shape. I've never really done it, and I think it would help the final look a lot.
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Farthingale
I got started on the forthingale this morning. I started with the old drawstring skirt that I'd been using under the kirtle. It's a simple rectangle, which will make laying out the tucks for the hoops very simple. The shape will add more bulk at the top, but that's something I'm looking for anyway. Fortunately, the hem of the skirt is exactly the right width/ The original skirt was only 36" long, and I'm looking for about 39" of total length. I added a 12" strip to the hem, which should give me enough length to work with even after I make all the tucks. I'm using 3/8" sisal rope for the hoops, and a 3/4" tuck seems to be just right to hold it. I should be able to put 6 total tucks in and make the length just right. I put the bottom rope in already, and even with just that it stands out all around.
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A Good Start
I spent most of yesterday at a little sewing circle with folks from the old barony. I cut and test-fitted the pieces for the bodice in the morning before I left home, and whiled away the afternoon socializing and stitching it together. I got it all finished except for connecting the straps, and even got a chance to work on a few buttons for the doublet. Not a bad day's work. My fingers are slowly remembering how to sew again. Today I'll go ahead and connect the bodice straps and work on the guards. I may go ahead and put the skirt together if I have time, but I'm not terribly concerned about that yet.
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Color Change
Somehow, between looking through piles of fabric downstairs and coming up to the computer, my mental image of the color got thrown pretty far off. The new sketch has the actual material scanned and color corrected as best I can. The green is also closer to the correct color, and the doublet has the slightly grey cast added. Now that I look at it, I think I like this color better than the original sketch anyway.
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Guards
I got the guards sewn on today, after getting the straps in place. I've never put guards on a bodice before, and I'm quite pleased with it. Using the wool made it very easy, as I didn't have to finish any edges and could just cut it willy-nilly into the correct shape. I'll post pictures the next time I get a chance to put it on the model. Next: the skirt.
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The Plan
Okay, so here's the sketch. I may go back and swap the colors for actual fabric scans, but this is pretty close. The kirtle is a medium weight peachy-orange cotton. There's nothing particularly spectacular about it. The front opening will close with hooks and eyes, and the guards will be easy-to-deal-with green fulled wool. The skirt will be cartridge pleated to the bodice, with either a gathered petticoat or a rope-hoop farthingale underneath. I'll try it with petticoats first since there are several old gathered skirts lying around with nothing to do. I may have to add some lacing holes to the corset to keep the petticoat up. The doublet will be the same white cotton velveteen that I used for my tailor doublet, though I don't plan to pink it. Tabs at the waist and shoulders, narrow sleeves, nothing real wild. The doublet will eventually close with thread-wrapped buttons, but I may put more mundane ones on to start with. The hat will be more of the green wool, with a good stiff brim. One of the nice things about this outfit is that, even though it's three layers, it's all front closing so she will be able to get in and out unassisted.
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