Clarice Gown Finished!

For the IRCC I have been making two coordinating gowns that I can mix and match with.  One of the gowns is based on a portrait of Clarice Ridolfi Altoviti painted by Cristofano dell'Altissimo in 1550-1555 at the Galleria Palatina in Florence.

Since the portrait is from slightly above the waist, I had to imagine what the skirt would have looked like.  I chose to make a split front skirt based on the pattern of Eleonora de Toledo's burial clothes and have a strip of the slashing/pinked design down either side of the center front.  Here is my interpretation of the gown:

getting help with side back lacing

Front view

Back View

The most challenging part was designing the layout of the pinking/slashing design because on the sleeve and the bodice it tapers from top to bottom.  As far as the most time consuming part - it is a toss-up between the following:

• making the petal-shaped cuts larger by folding the fabric twice and cutting with scissors
• sealing all the cut edges with a fray guard
• stitching the beads on the bodice and sleeves

Doublet with hanging sleeves and spiral sleeves complete!

My doublet with hanging sleeves and spiral sleeves based on a woodcut of a Neopolitan woman for the IRCC challenge is finally complete!

Since my sedan chair and bearers were not available, we had to make do with a chair in my parent's garden to take photos!  I'm very pleased and believe that I have captured the look of the woodcut.  Below are additional photos.

detail of hanging sleeve and spiral sleeve

buttoned part way up

buttoned closed

back view

Taffeta Skirt

Me and my daughter in Pisa gown

A month before the IRCC was announced, I made a brand new bodice, skirt and sleeves based on the Pisa gown.  For the IRCC I planed to make several interchangeable pieces that would require a burgundy taffeta skirt.  As it turns out, the Pisa gown fits my daughter and she needs new renn garb, so I plan to give it to her.
So, I needed a new burgundy taffeta skirt.
Hancock Fabrics carries this taffeta (they call the color cranberry) in plain and in a pin-tucked version.  I used the pin- tucked in my compass cloak and as accent strips on a set of sleeves.
For my new skirt, I decided to use a strip of the pin-tucked fabric down the center front of the skirt and another band at the hem.  Since the fabric is so lightweight, I decided to use three widths of fabric in the skirt.  I have made several skirts based on the Eleonora de Toledo di Medici burial skirts with the gored sections.  However, this once, I decided to do something the easier way and just use three ungored widths of fabric because I did not feel like dealing with the curved section of the gore and the pin-tucked band.... After all, everyone has to take the easy route some time!
I cut the center font pin-tucked band 5" wide.  I split two sections of the fabric in half lengthwise - one for the center front addition of the pin-tucked section and anther so I would not have a seam in the center back.
Well, I made one thing easy, so I had to complicate something else.  I am PARANOID about the safety of my ID and other valuables while at renfaire.  Therefore, I like to have a non-period zip pocket hidden in my skirt since I KNOW that I will NEVER loose my skirt.  So... where do I hide a pocket????
How about right behind the center front pin-tucked section?  I sewed an invisible zipper into the right hand section of the seam between the two fabrics.

I used one width of fabric for the front and two for the back.  Other than the decorative pin-tucked strip down the center front, the front section is double box pleated and the back is triple box pleated.
After I got the waistband attached - my friend Molly  marked the hem for me and I cut it level before attaching the lower band.

The bottom band is cut 6.5" wide out of pin-tucked and plain taffeta and a 2" wide taffeta bias strip pressed in half.  The bias strip is sewn between one end of the two long strips.  After the seam was pressed open, a narrow strip of horsehair braid was sewn to the seam allowance.  The pin-tucked side of the strip was attached to the right side of the skirt with a 1" seam.  The seam was pressed towards the plain taffeta skirt and then the skirt fabric was pressed down over the seam.. 


The center front of the bodice would add to the disguise but it need a little more....  I used fingernail polish to paint the zipper pull burgundy and hand stitched a coordinating trim down the seamline.

hiding the zipper pull with nail polish and trim

Then a row was stitched where the pin-tucked fabric met the skirt fabric while horsehair braid was pushed into the tuck.  The tuck was pressed down over the pin-tucked band. Finally, the bottom bias strip was snipped and hooks were added to the wasitband.

Inserting the horsehair braid while sewing the hem tuck.

Update - the skirt needed to be a little longer.  So I took out the tuck, removed the band and re-stitched it with a 5/8" seam allowance instead of the 1" I had originally done.
The tuck to hide the raw edges is a very easy and neat way to finish the bottom of a skirt.

Hanging Sleeve for Doublet

 This image is from Moda A Firenze and the caption says it is a Neopolitan woman.  I am making hanging sleeves similar to hers - the design elements I want are the horizontal and vertical opening as well as the picadills at the wrist opening.  To draft the pattern, I took the undersleeve pattern (based on page 114 in Patterns of Fashion) widened it by 1" at the lowest point of the underarm, and 1" at the top of the sleeve head, lengthened it by 5", and added a bulge in the seam similar to the hanging sleeve on page 123 of patterns of fashion.  Then is cut the pattern in half vertically and cut a horizontal line about 4" lower than the underarm seam.  The fabric I am using is a subtly striped taffeta that is pre-quilted.  For the picadills at the wrists, I cut a piece of plain taffeta 5" high by the width of the sleeve piece.  Folded the 5" in half lengthwise and stitched up 2" from the wrist edge to form the tabs.

 From right to left we have:

1. right side of fashion fabric, picadills stitched
2. right side of fashion fabric, picadills stitched and excess fabric trimmed
3. picadills turned right side out as seen from the wrong side of fashion fabric
4. picadills turned and pressed

Next, I stitched up the vertical elbow seam, cut off one seam allowance, and  flat felled seam by hand.
Then I bound all raw edges (except for the arm hole opening) with bias cut taffeta.  Stitch folded taffeta on the right side, fold to the back, pin, stitch in the ditch.  The I applied braided trim next to the taffeta binding and across the top of the picadills catching the lining fabric. Then tack part of the horizontal area and a short portion at the top of the sleeve together by hand.  Now it is ready to apply the lacing strip.

 I will use three beads for buttons at each wrist to match the bead buttons on the center front of the doublet.  Since the hanging sleeves are decorative and will not be closed around the wrists, I think I will stitch through all layers and omit button holes or loops.  Can always add those in later if I change my mind!

Doublet Baragoni Woven Mockup - Second Attempt

Neither the 3-part nor the 4-part braided baragoni mockups looked like the portraits.  Time to come up with another concept.  I discussed it with some of my sewing, quilting and costuming friends.  Thanks for your suggestions Molly, Angel, Peggy and Liz!  Years ago we had done a Christmas ornament project with the children that involved weaving folded strips together into a heart shape like this:

Here are the complete instructions for the Danish Christmas Heart  It is a great craft to do with kids.
I revised the concept just a little  to use only folded strips and in stead of butting them right up to each other, I left a bit of a gap.  To simulate the bead holding the straps together in the top portrait, I stapled the interwoven strips together.  To simulate the puffing - I cut a plastic bag and pulled sheer plastic puffs from between my construction paper strips.  For the grand finale, I taped the whole thing to toilet paper tubes to simulate how it could drape around small shoulder rolls.  And viola - I think we have a workable mockup.

This mockup brings a whole new meaning to recycling, doesn't it?  We costumers get ideas from all sorts of different places and tend to make do with what we have on hand if possible!
Since I still have several other things to complete for IRCC, I may not make these until after IRCC is over - the doublet will look good even without them and I have several other things that still need to be done first.