Pictures forthcoming

I haven't posted in a few weeks. Sending a big 'sorry' out to everyone who follows my posts.
But I've been busy-ish with crafty things since my last post, so I bet you'll forgive me.

I finished sewing the neck facing to my linen under-tunic and changed it to a square neckline to wear with my new Elizabethan type dress. I finished this at Crown Tournament minutes before my escort arrived at my campsite to take me to the opening procession. I still needed to finish he bottom hem, but that didn't need to be done right away since it is hidden under to outer layer. I also need to tack the extra sleeve length up into the inside of the sleeves before I can call it done.

I bought a lucet at Crown Tournament to make laces for the Elizabethan dress. This will replace the polyester ribbon I am currently using

I hemmed a square of what used to be a poly-cotton pillowcase to use as headkerchief.

I started cutting out a long grey/green linen tablecloth into a new under-tunic. This one is using the same generator that I used for my green cotton under-tunic, and is meant to replace said garment. My original cotton one has a irremovable stain at shin height, and I'd like to start moving away from using cotton.

And I've been drop spindling lots of wool. I need both mittens and socks before it gets cold again (not that it has warmed up yet.)

You will get pictures of these things soon. I promise to make this happen early next week, as I'm heading off tomorrow to June Faire for the weekend.

My under-tunic has decided to be Irish

I think my linen under-tunic has decided to masquerade as an Irish léine.At least an interpretation of a léine.

I've found pictures of this type of sleeve that people have been making a léine with:

Since my sleeves are much too long for my arms, I think the pleats will work great. 

I do feel a bit badly about making a garment without clear documentation. I'd hate to perpetuate a long line of unfounded conjectures. 

I think I'm going to go through with this, and my next wool purchase will be for a Shinrone Gown. The Shinrone gown is an extant wool gown found in an Irish bog near Shinrone, Co. Tipperary, in the 19th century. It has been dated to the latter part of the 16th century. It is currently held in Dublin at the National Museum of Ireland. 

 

So, my dear readers, have you any evidence that validates the pleating of léine sleeves? Would it be too much of an evil to wear this conjectured garment? 

Thankful for audio-books

My library card finally arrived last week! Yay! The best thing about this library is that they have an online collection of downloadable books and audio-books. Listening to audio-books makes the cutting and sewing go much quicker.
The french seams make the construction take so much longer. On my past garments I have always just used a running stitch and reinforced stressed areas with a backstitch. For this garment I have been using a running stitch for the first pass of the french seam and then backstitching when the seam is turned on itself. That, along with using a double strand of thread throughout, should make this garment pretty darn durable.
So far, I have both sleeves stitched, the shoulder seams finished, and one gore partially installed. I would like to have all four gore pieces stitched in tonight. This means I could be on to the side seams tomorrow! I'll be only left with hemming in no time!

The linen is cut!

I cut into the linen last night. (eek!) I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the lessons I have learned from my muslins were all I needed to know.
I finally settled on making it a knee-length garment, in a men's style. It will have a rounded triangle neck, like that of the Skjoldehamn Tunic. I have made the triangle almost as wide as it is deep, so if I need to change the opening style to a keyhole, square, or rounded it is easy to accomplish at a later date. The sleeves will be uniform width along their length. I have left the sleeves too long for myself. Right now I am still debating whether to just turn back and tack down the excess length, or to leave them their full length and install a drawstring at the end. I decided to leave the length there at any rate, mostly so that this could be an actual men's garment someday. The triangles from along the sides of the fabric will form 4 gore pieces, while the triangles at the bottom of the fabric will form 4 more. The rectangle between the bottom of the dress and the gore triangles will be the sleeves.

No progress on the linen

I made up another muslin of the linen under-tunic last night.
Lets just say that there aren't any pictures.

I seriously thought I had more talent than this. I just keep making dumb mistakes, like not including enough ease for french seams. And trying to taper in the waist, without thinking about how I would fit it over my bust with no lacing opening. I think I just don't quite have enough fabric to do exactly what I want to do. Another half-yard and I'd have the perfect amount. I think I may just settle on making this a knee-length garment, in the style of men's tunics.

On another front,I have been researching more on the two Hans Holbein the Younger's paintings; "Lais of Corinth", and "Venus and Amor", painted 1524-1526.

HANS HOLBEIN - Venus and Amor, 1524

I have looked through countless databases of early 16th century portraits, but I have not been able to find very much evidence of this type of chest slashing. Holbein was visiting France during the time that these were painted. I was thinking perhaps he took inspiration from the clothing of the locality. I have found a different chest slashing in the portrait of Jeanne d'Halluin by Corneille de Lyon. She was a French Lady-in-Waiting to Catherine de Medici. 

CORNEILLE DE LYON - Jeanne d'Halluin, 1547-1557

I realize that both of the Holbein paintings are not actual portraits, and that they could very much have fantasy elements, but I would love to find contemporary evidence for this dress.

Does anyone know of any portraits that I could be missing?

New linen, and the beginning of a tunic.

I had planned to make an entry here last night, but then I got carried away in the sewing room and it was nearly 2AM when I emerged.
My friend gave me a cut of 60"x70" linen in a natural sand color. I know it's not quite enough for anything proper, but I have been working on piecing together something that resembles an under-tunic.

My new linen, a coarse woven sand color.

My current plan has me cutting the fabric along the length; into two 30"x70" rectangles. Since my bust is 42", I can easily center a 22" half measurement on the 30" width of the doubled fabric.
This is a very very crude drawing on my plan:

My very quick drawing on some scrap paper from the sewing room.

Notice the 16.5" mark on the sleeves, that is going to be a problem very soon. I wanted my sleeves to be cut 16.5" in total, that should make this measurement 8.25". Good thing I am making a muslin.

Here is me first noticing that the sleeves are wrong:

You would have thought that I'd notice this during marking.

This muslin is so riddled with errors, it's ridiculous.

Anyway, I'm off to go photograph some of the fitting problems, and draft up some changes. Maybe by the wee hours of tomorrow I'll actually have cut into my linen!