So much accomplished and it just doesn’t look like it. *sigh* Spent all weekend sewing, and, go figure, it would be the last, icky-hot weekend of summer too. But the result looks like actual clothing and is in a wearable state.
First, there was a lot of fussing with the lining. And that darn neckline. I tried the bodice on over a shift and corset, and realized that, yes, the neckline really did need to be lower. The high “U” neck looked neither historically accurate nor attractive, so big ol’ broad scoop neck it is.
Much more flattering and resembles the 1610s V&A miniature, and also the neckline in these effigies that look 1580s-90s (but are oddly inscribed as 1559!).
My neckline won’t be as low as this effigy of 1589, but that seems awfully revealing. I often wonder if some of those were real or there’s artistic license going on, especially in the early 17th century. Paintings can show an amazing amount of flat chest, like, of questionable anatomical realism without having nipples popping! But that’s a research topic for another day 🙂
Then I worked on the tabs, which I’d patterned out and begun sewing during the week. Drew the sleevehead wings too. Started the fiddly sewing of these things in, which required a combination of machine- and hand-sewing. At the same time, I inserted lacing strips into the armscye (Mom graciously made sets of lacing strips with the eyelet hole stitch on her fancy embroidery machine, whew!).
I’m a little annoyed, ok, more than a little annoyed with this project. It’s been surprisingly difficult for something that looks so basic, now that it’s essentially finished. But I have to remind myself that this is, I believe, the very first garment I have patterned all by myself. I draped the muslin on my corseted dressform all alone, nobody helping me. I didn’t start with any kind of commercial pattern. I didn’t scale a pattern or diagram up from a book. Nobody draped this on me either.
Sarah came along later and changed the shoulder seams and the side back seams a little. But I did 95% of the pattern myself, which has never happened before. And it’s a good, solid, basic, pattern that I can use for many things. So yeah, not thrilling but practical. And a good learning experience.
Next up, sleeves. Easy-peasy — I’m making the basic Elizabethan sleeve from Hunnisett, which I’ve made several times before. Although I couldn’t find my scale-up of the pattern, drat, and had to make another one. Done and fabric cut. But it’s dinner time.
