So no picture to be had

A) I forgot....

B) I was not happy with the final outcome. Too loose, didn't finish eyelets (those I started were too small) and front hem was too long. *sad panda(

So with that being said my project will be to adjust all those things and maybe start attaching the appliques. Still debating the sleeves. The armsceye of the sleeve was bigger than the bodice, so at the very least that needs to be recut, which is fine because I think the sleeves were too long. So an inch or two in the length to recut the armsceye is acceptable in my book.

When I make the proper fitting support kirtle, I've decided on a purple. I think that will be a nice contrast. Plus I think that will work well with the other few GFDs I own.

But! I definately need to redraft my bodice pattern before I attempt this again. It was just hard to do so before this weekend because I had no one local who could measure me properly, so I winged it with what I had.

It's all a learning lesson, right?

Dagging...

And the Muse works again...

I just have to learn to let my mind free and not over think things when I am in the creative process. As you can see from this photo it took several attempts to measure and draft the circular dags on the end of my bell sleeves. After several failed attempts, I just took a deep breath and let my intuition take over. Sometimes, it just simply works and I amaze myself that pieces just fall together.

I do have a disappointment however. The sleeves on the manuscript are quite larger and the dagging more pronounced due the larger cuff size and the “flame” design of the dags. My justification is thus:

1. Upon laying out the sleeve pattern once the dags were drafted, there is * just * enough fabric for each sleeve, lining included. So I would not have had enough fabric for any larger of a bell
2. I chose the roundel shape because when sewn, it could aestetically resemble a crescent, the primary charge of my arms and match the applique embellishments I plan to add along the base of the dress at a later date. (Subsequently while writing this out, I have also considered that I may buy some of THL Justina's silver metal-thread crescent appliques, typically used for Caidan badges, to add to the center of the roundels for an added texture, but I'll test how that looks if she merchants at Crown.)

One additional thing I have to consider now is that due to the curvature of the roundels being so small, I will have to hand sew the cuffs. Blargh.... no way to avoid it though. Machine sewing that fine of a detail would be difficult for me & it may gather or bunch in an unattractive way.

Getting there! T-minus 4 days....

OMG I hate sleeves!

So in the way back machine when I was apprenticed to a Gothic costuming Laurel we drafted two basic type of sleeve patterns for me to use and I've never had to redraft them in the last 12 or so years. I've been rather dull in my variations of cotehardie sleeves, I usually only wear a fitted, buttoned kirtle sleeve and a short cotehardie sleeve maybe with detachable tippets. B-O-R-I-N-G, right?

Well I knew that using a bell sleeve was going to test my limits and dagnabbit, I DID IT!

Not without ruminating on it for several days and lots of google-ing mind you. I mean, I remembered the basics from that pattern session with my former Mistress. The top of the armsceye was convex and the armpit was concave and the entire flat pattern width of the armsceye was the circumference of the arm hole made from the bodice pattern... clear as mud, right? I recalled that. But.... I knew the sleeve needed to be seamed up the back of the arm and somehow needed to show a visible width difference from the armsceye to the wrist. Ponder, ponder, ponder.

I needed a visual though. I just couldn't grok the shape. So I used the almighty interwebz, that magical tome of collective knowledge. I stumbled upon the website of Master Chas. de Bourdon and contained therein is a document written by an associate of his, THL Amalia Zavatini of Ansterorra entitled "The Transitional Tudor Gown". How, why? I searched the term bell sleeve pattern and her document appeared. On the very last page was a diagram showing the over-gown of a Tudor lady. But, Tudor? Yeah, its the shape and appearance of what I desired to emulate from the  French illumination Tacuinum Sanitatus (I found the name of the illumination I referred to in my previous post about this dress). So the image above is the mostly finished pattern. I still need to dag the wrist-line.

But for now, this is a good accomplishment. 'Bout tore my hair out too....

SUCCESS!

Heraldic Cotehardie Begins!

Initially my design for this cotehardie was to make it side lacing with dagged angel-wing sleeves as I had seem a similar in this document of French origin.

I will still make the sleeves as shown, provided I can sucessfully draft a pattern, but I have decided against side lacing for one major reason: eyelets! I am an utter newb at eyelets and the idea of two rows of eyelets per side is extremely daunting. While I really wanted the smooth front bodice to increase the visage of a particolored cotehardie, I am instead going to spiral lace it up the front from chest to a bit below the navel. The thought of a back-lacing dress is absurd to me as I rarely have someone available to help me dress.

Alright, being that I've lost almost 20# since I moved to Los Angeles and that I had no one with sewing acumen near me to help me draft a pattern, I used the German bodice (I brought with me to hand sew) as a rough estimate. I had to adjust the bosom area as it was about 1.5 in. too large, but added those measurements back into the waist of the cotehardie for seam allowance.

Don't you love the sock monkey fabric I obtained for pattern drafting.... I am tempted to use it as my lining also (akin to what Master Gareth of Caid does for his gambesons). But I'll most likely use linen... *sad panda*

The pattern needed a bit more ease so from the first pattern off the German bodice, I made a second bodice pattern, as seen here.

I didn't take a picture of what the drafted bodice pattern looked like on me, but when I assessed it in the mirror, I determined that the armsceye was too large so I decreased the shoulder width and increased the curvature on the front bodice and trimmed it a bit on the back panel.

So now that I think I have a good pattern drafted, I laid out the pattern on the red linen selvedge to selvedge. I realized when measuring the added length from the waist to the floor to create the skirt that all these years, I'd been adding the measurement from the side of the panels rather than straight down the front. I don't know why but all of the suddon it occurred to me that the measurement would be more accurate there. After measuring from waist to floor, I added 1.5 in. to the hem for a rolled hem. (OMG, it's gonna be a huge task to hand sew the hem! But honestly, it really does lay better.)

Now in this photo you can bare see the hem line, but beneath that I added another 4 in. so the back panel will trail a bit. I really do want this to be a showpiece dress. (Let's hope my sewing prowess appropriately reaches the potential of my internal visualization!)

One I cut the hem and the curved side, I realize a mistake I made, although thank goodness before I cut anything else. I should have laid out the dress using the back panel because the neckline is higher and the armsceye smaller, then it would be easier to trim the excess for the front panel. So I carefully cut those two areas larger and then applied the back panel to one of the cut pieces and trimmed and the same for the front panel.

As with all my pattern placement, there is enough along the folded edge of the fabric to cut the side gore. Nothing like fabic efficiency.

I think I'm gonna get the black linen cut out tonight also, but the front/back gores and the drafting of the sleeves can wait until tomorrow.

Patterning for Dummies

So I went in a totally different direction with the patterning process of this wams than I originally drafted.

In my first attempt, I took Lady Syele's pattern and just redrew it. Well, tonight I decided that I wasn't happy with the way that it looked and started over. The measurements that I requested from Lady Syele weren't exactly what I needed, so I winged it using the concepts from the Tudor Tailor book and bits from the recesses of my memory and own research. Those pieces combined with an hour long call to my good friend David/Master Gareth in  LA, well... kids, I'm not sure how I did it, but I redrafted the pattern and it looks great! At least it does on my dressmaker's dummy.

I'm suspecting that it's a wee bit too wide in the back and the waist maybe a bit high for HRH, (it sits at the natural waist not the modern waist line), but the armsceye looks great and the curve of the front opening is almost spot-on.

I wish I knew where my digital camera is. it would have been better to take pictures as I was measuring and cutting, but of course I think about that after the fact! That and just moving puts things in wonky places.  At any rate, I'm pleased.

The shirt is almost done, just some hand-sewing to do and I need to draft the sleeve pattern.... but it's late and I have to work overtime tomorrow.