I'm thinking it's finally time to build the sleeves for my Botticelli dress:
(http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL417/1033223/17691164/316520959.jpg)
...Which was inspired by this portrait by Botticelli (http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL417/1033223/17480040/321237253.jpg).
I'm making a butter yellow damask overgown, inspired by this Lynn McMaster's gown (http://www.lynnmcmasters.com/miditalianoverdress.html). I've also been admiring the overgowns (forgive me, I don't know the plural of giornea!) in the Ghirlandaio frescoes (http://cadieux.mediumaevum.com/GHIRLANDAIO-web.jpg), so I'm thinking I want to make full sleeves, reversable between the brown linen and the yellow damask.
I have a pretty sizable collection of patterns and costuming books, and I was really just wondering if anyone had sleeve pattern/construction suggestions for me! I haven't made sleeves before, and I only have one pair of lightweight tie-on sleeves, in the "upper and lower cuff" sort of look (these (http://www.sofisstitches.com/catalogue/ProductColorModule/102.jpg).)
I don't want to *overthink* this (overthinking is why I'm not sewing at the moment!), but I don't want to dive in without *some* planning.
Advice? Suggestions? Cheers to motivate me?
Gramercy!!
ETA: If I make the sleeves reversible, from one layer of linen and one layer of damask, will I need to (inter)line them? And what should I do that with?
For this style of dress, I would make narrow(er) and plain sleeves. Although, plain doesn't necessarily mean dull, you can add slashes various places, and have decorative tie-ons on the shoulders. What I mean is that you don't need lots of width and a fancy fabric to create smashing sleeves:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/renaissanceportraits/firenze1/ghirlandaio1490.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/renaissanceportraits/firenze1/credi1487.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/renaissanceportraits/firenze1/gozzoli1491kopi.jpg
Such slashes will show a bit of your camicia as well. I like the following painting detail very well, as it even shows a seam... It seems like the sleeve is sewn together down to the elbow, and then buttoned/gathered at two places to create nice "camicia puffs":
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/renaissanceportraits/firenze1/ghirlandaio1486e.jpg
Jennifer Thompson has made a variant of such sleeves, here:
http://www.festiveattyre.com/research/15thdiary/page1.html
Oh, and check out Marie Chantal Cadieux as well, she has one with the sleeve laid flat so you see the construction:
http://cadieux.mediumaevum.com/florentine.html
http://cadieux.mediumaevum.com/florentine3.html
Thanks, Anea!
Those narrower sleeves were exactly what I was thinking. I found a dress diary where the costumer had used McCall's 4696 (http://www.mccallpattern.com/item/M4696.htm) to make Florentine sleeves, and I actually have that pattern (although I suspect it will run a little large, and I'll have to do some trimming down). I've also been looking at sleeves in PATTERNS FOR THEATRICAL COSTUMING, although the sleeve cap is weird on that pattern (cut to reveal the camicia instead of covering the shoulder).
...Anyway, I think I'm off to a reasonable start. I need to figure out the skirt for the overgown before I start cutting sleeves, but I think I'm heading in the right direction.
I'm a *little* apprehensive, since I've never worn sleeves before, and I'm not 100% sure how they should fit. I'm also not sure how I'll be doing attachments and closures and such--my thought was to make them reversible, so I think that would mean decorative buttons are out. Hrm.
As a theatrical costumer, I'm not so much period as practical. (If it looks sort of right, the audience fills in with imagination!) I don't know whether reversible sleeves were done at the time, but you can have reversible sleeves, and use your decorative buttons, if you construct them with loops at each of the buttoning points and stitch two buttons together, to use like cufflinks. Or, if you are fruagal with the buttons, a decorative button sewn back to back with a plain button. One side for formal, one for everyday!
Luck to you!
Aunty Lou
Aunty Lou, that is a great idea! My concern about using decorative buttons was that they might rub/press into me when the sleeve was reversed... but I'll poke around the button wall and see what I can come up with. I'm thinking something with pearls, to coordinate with the pearl clasps on the gamurra.