New Years Resolutions
Yeah, um, this blog has been relatively dead.
I have no real good excuse. I could pretend that my sewing machine was getting worked on since my last post (gasp, that was on OCTOBER 16th!). Which is a lie. But not a complete lie. It did spend about a week at the sewing machine store for its yearly checkup...still, 1 week of no machine does not pardon me for almost 3 months of no sewing... Sewing again sounds like a good new years resolution, doesn't it?
Something to placate the masses (the masses which probably gave up checking this about 3 months ago...). Here is adam's cloak fabric: He decided on a dark green. Its woefully synthetic velvet, but damn, it feels divine, and the price was right. I'll be couching this bad boy. The black beside it is the silk that will be used in much of the rest of the costume. I need to find a cheaper black to line the velvet with, cuz i can't afford to use my beautiful black silk on the INSIDE of the cloak.
Here's my little confession: This project came to a screeching halt when i realized I had NO idea how to draft a man's doublet/jerkin/jacket/whatever-you-prefer-to-call-it.
I tried. Really I did. I had about 3-4 goes at it. Then I gave up. I tried enlarging and altering a pattern straight out of PoF, but it didn't quite go as planned. For one thing, I accidentally enlarged what was a CHILD's pattern, and then we had to really REALLY enlarge it. Oops.
Then, on top of my inexperience with men's garb, my hubby is an...interesting...shape. He is a little barrel of joy. Which is to say that his shoulders and stomach and hips are all about the same size round. The standard conical kinda pattern drafting did not work for him. And I was having a lot of troubles with arm scythes and collars (his neck is so SHORT--yup, barrel of joy).
Anyway, I've made up my mind to progress as follows:
I'm going to do a big old practice round. This means a new blog, as it will be a completley diff costume. I'm gonna work up a "simple" flemish man's garb, just to get a handle on sewing for a man--general shapes, etc.
The bonus is that he will have a get-up to match my flemish, and that I already have all the fabric I could possibly need for this (big swaths of linen as well as dirty/peasanty colored wools and stuff). So it will be "cheap".
I also think i'm gonna just bite the bullet and buy a commercial pattern to start from. I think it'll be easier to alter this and make it period than to come up with my own pattern from scratch. I've "been there". And I was quite unable to have "done that".
In the meantime, I feel perfectly capable of starting on his green velvet cloak. I have a lot of couching to do. And well, cutting out a circle cloak shouldn't be TOO difficult. Knock on wood.
I have no real good excuse. I could pretend that my sewing machine was getting worked on since my last post (gasp, that was on OCTOBER 16th!). Which is a lie. But not a complete lie. It did spend about a week at the sewing machine store for its yearly checkup...still, 1 week of no machine does not pardon me for almost 3 months of no sewing... Sewing again sounds like a good new years resolution, doesn't it?
Something to placate the masses (the masses which probably gave up checking this about 3 months ago...). Here is adam's cloak fabric: He decided on a dark green. Its woefully synthetic velvet, but damn, it feels divine, and the price was right. I'll be couching this bad boy. The black beside it is the silk that will be used in much of the rest of the costume. I need to find a cheaper black to line the velvet with, cuz i can't afford to use my beautiful black silk on the INSIDE of the cloak.
Here's my little confession: This project came to a screeching halt when i realized I had NO idea how to draft a man's doublet/jerkin/jacket/whatever-you-prefer-to-call-it.
I tried. Really I did. I had about 3-4 goes at it. Then I gave up. I tried enlarging and altering a pattern straight out of PoF, but it didn't quite go as planned. For one thing, I accidentally enlarged what was a CHILD's pattern, and then we had to really REALLY enlarge it. Oops.
Then, on top of my inexperience with men's garb, my hubby is an...interesting...shape. He is a little barrel of joy. Which is to say that his shoulders and stomach and hips are all about the same size round. The standard conical kinda pattern drafting did not work for him. And I was having a lot of troubles with arm scythes and collars (his neck is so SHORT--yup, barrel of joy).
Anyway, I've made up my mind to progress as follows:
I'm going to do a big old practice round. This means a new blog, as it will be a completley diff costume. I'm gonna work up a "simple" flemish man's garb, just to get a handle on sewing for a man--general shapes, etc.
The bonus is that he will have a get-up to match my flemish, and that I already have all the fabric I could possibly need for this (big swaths of linen as well as dirty/peasanty colored wools and stuff). So it will be "cheap".
I also think i'm gonna just bite the bullet and buy a commercial pattern to start from. I think it'll be easier to alter this and make it period than to come up with my own pattern from scratch. I've "been there". And I was quite unable to have "done that".
In the meantime, I feel perfectly capable of starting on his green velvet cloak. I have a lot of couching to do. And well, cutting out a circle cloak shouldn't be TOO difficult. Knock on wood.
posted by Julebug | 1:15 PM
5 Comments:
Yay costuming. Ok, so with regards to the commercial pattern for doublet, I can tell you what I used. I used Simplicity 5574. I think maybe I adapted the collar/shoulder-thingies or something. I don't remember exactly. And I left out their awful sleeves. But basically, it's not that bad. And it's very simple parts, so should be an easy start. Let me know if you want me to send it to you. Actually, it's been cut out in a medium, and I don't know what Adam wears. But let me know anyway if you'd like it!
I did pick up Aaron's shirt blackwork this weekend. I should just finish the dumb stuff so I can proceed to something more fun.
Although what I'd really like to do is a middle class doublet dress with that gray fabric I bought in MD. You know, as practice for those Spanish court dresses we're doing this year, right? I've a yen for a farthingale.
Yes, its a pity, but drafting patterns for man has beaten me. I'm used to the "squish" factor in women's, where if its not quite right, you just have more cleavage....that doesn't really work for men, eh?
I am looking into the doublet simplicity patterns, and a few others that are available online (i know i've seen other historic pattern sites). Adam is not a medium, so no worries. I can always pick up a $1 pattern at JoAnns.
I also "consolidated" my fabric stash over the holiday. I've found that I have a bunch of extra green velvet (the same one from this post, since I miscalculated yardage), and that greenish grey linen/cotton blend that was the flip side of my flemish. Course, i'm kinda thinking that would be good for a middle class Tudor. Dark velvet bell sleeves and a pale puke green dress. Sounds divine....
4 for me, 1 for him. 4 for me 1 for him. FIVE for me, 1 for him. Mwahahahaha....
Seriously, it looks like adam will get two this time round. One flemish peasant man and one elizabethan/spanish black and white deal. I am starting now on his. That way I can maybe squeeze a little something in for me before faire season. Spanish? Tudor? Elizabethan? That pink and green Italian I've been lusting after? So many choices! German? But yes, a farthingale WOULD be fun. I need to think more!
I think you have a point. The corsetry is what makes women's fitting so much easier. After all, you only really have to do it once.
In my rummaging yesterday, I rediscovered 3.5 yards of golden brown wool, supposedly destined to be a modern coat for myself. I'm thinking, though, that this might be kind of nice for Aaron's outfit. Brown wool, lined with black linen, accented with bits of dark red. And then I can use the red cotton velveteen for his cloak. Perhaps lined with....I dunno..some linen, but at any rate, with golden brown wool appliques. And the wool doesn't seem to be prone to fraying, so I could pink the heck out of it. Hmmm....this requires thought. One of my sticking points on Aaron's outfit was not liking my materials. But I think that wool, linen, and velvet might work. I'll have to put together the brown, black, and red. But you know, I think it might just be weird enough to work. I'm not sure how fancy-pants I want it to be either. I'm generally just indecisive.
Ah. Costuming. So I broke down yesterday and ordered PoF. Can't stand not owning a copy. Mind you, I also checked out the library's copy *again* for until it gets here.
I also ordered this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0875351263/002-7107580-5264013?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155
Hispanic Costume: 1480 - 1530 - I can't wait. I'd still like to do that Juana dress, but can't figure out how the bottom part is put together. This'll take a month or so to get though, as it was special order.
Oooh! A busy girl, you are! It sounds like you're definitely gearing up. I think that the brown/black/red sounds pretty nice, actually. And wool for pinking sounds REALLY nice....
A big Huzzah! for new costuming books. You know, of course, that I'll be expecting to look at your Hispanic Costume book the next time I see you...
On the news front, I think I've found a manly pattern I'd like to get for adam. Its kinda $$, but damned if that one you used from Simplicity isn't on their site anymore....All they've got now are the peasants and kilts
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