Suggestions for some type of a top???

[Auryn]

Hi guys.
well as usual, the first weekend of faire is 2 days away and I'm scrambling with garb.

my character is a ranger archer.
Green cloak, green suede like (moleskin) long pants, brown boots, leather bracers, a few daggers and my bow of course.
Last year I wore a really cool leather corset that I made.
For this year I made myself a really cool leather pauldron to wear on my left shoulder.
When I was sizing it last night I realized that I'm not going to be able to wear it on bare skin because it will chafe and be overall uncomfortable, plus it would make no sense for my character to have bare arms. (If I'm stalking around in a forest its inevitable I would get scratched up on branches and brambles).

So I need to make a light long sleeve top. The sleeves need to be relatively tight- no poofy sleeves.
I want to use the front of the top that comes in the simplicity pattern 4962 (you can see a pic of it here  http://i3.iofferphoto.com/img/1160290800/_i/14550908/1.jpg)

but I don't know what to do for the sleeves,

This is the corset and bracers.
I am open to wearing the corset over the shirt, or wearing just the shirt.


this is the pauldron before I dyed it- it was 1 in the morning, I think even my camera phone was tired thats why its so fuzzy.

[Manwariel]

If I were you, I would make sleeves as loose/tight as you want them, and give them a long sort of cuff that laces closed with eyelets for a close fit, sort of like the sleeves of the white under dress on this page: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/BrielleCostumes/638907/

[Taffy Saltwater]

Your best bet is what my son calls a Jesus shirt; i.e., a basic tunic open at the neck w/long narrow sleeves.  You might be able to find one at Goodwill or Salvation Army & add a little trim to the neckline.

[Adriana Rose]

I would take a long sleeve tshirt and chop it up to fit and then add some extras to make it look not so tshirtish

[Blue66669]

*drops jaw*

??

Ok! I wonder dearest, is it only that it's to uncomfortable? Because I have a bit of a solution if you'd just like to wear your pauldron on bare skin- use some contact cement and adhere it to the backside of each level of the pauldron. That way, you don't get the rubby rubby or the scratchy scratchy. In seeing your garb, I think that shirtless with the bodice and bare arms looks the best, plus a cloak of course.

[gem]

I think you should definitely wear your corset top.

As for what would *look* best?  Eventually you might want to do something Eowyn-like, with the little puffs near the shoulders, and the lacing to keep the sleeves snug (obviously not the long trailing bits).

But for this weekend?  Why not pull together a very simple tunic (*gads* of instructions online), out of some "homespun" looking off-white or green fabric?  If you have a Hobby Lobby, they have some nice homespun cottons in their quilting fabrics.

Alternately, you could sacrifice a snug-fitting mundane shirt in your closet--cut off the opposite sleeve, cut down the neckline so it's not visible, etc.  That way, you'd keep your bare-arm look while still protecting your skin from chafing.  Another alternate plan would be to put felt backing on the leather pauldron pieces.

[Anna Iram]

I have to agree. I like the look of the shoulder piece and bodice with bare arms. I figure while your character does spend alot of time in the forest she's taking some time off and visiting a faire so she might not need to be fully protected though she'd still have her weapons at the ready just in case.

Anyway, if its mostly a matter of protecting your shoulder from the rough new leather, there's got to be some kind of foam sheets available at a craft store. Something soft like moleskin even would work. Or you could construct a removable sleeve set. Something that would just be laced in at the arm pit area so you could wear them if it gets chilly and remove them if it's warm. Then you could just wear the one on the arm under the pauldron. Eventually you may find the leather forms enough to your shoulder that it no longer is uncomfortable. At least that's what I was told once by The Goblin King when I tried on a bodice with similar shouldar pieces.

Here's a site that might help in the construction of  sleeve.

http://vintagesewing.info/1940s/42-mpd/mpd-04.html

[Auryn]

thanks everyone.
I think that because of time constraints for this weekend I'm going to go with the suggestion of just backing the pauldron pieces with some fabric. Mainly its cause the back of the leather is still basically raw- its got those pill like bits going on and the screw posts that hold the pieces together on my shoulder stick into me.

And then as time allows work on a really nice shirt with the tightened forearms.

I was leaning towards keeping the arms bare because I want to do a really large celtic henna tatoo that goes from my neck down my chest and arms.

thanks for the eowyn reference gem, thats a great idea for sleeves- minus the flowy bits Unfortunately no Hobby Lobbys in south Florida.

Anna Iram, thanks for the sleeve link- ive just saved it to pdf for future reference.

Blue66669, whats the look for??

[Taffy Saltwater]

I like the bare arms look, too.  & the corset - yowza!  You might want to bring a top of some sort w/you in case you start to develop a raw spot from rubbage.  Beautiful work!

[Tammy]

I agree with the shirtless advice.

That corset is incredible!!

[Auryn]

you guys are awesome, thanks.
and thank you for the compliments. That corset was the first thing I ever made in leather. Its all stitched together from many different pieces of leather- kinda like a patchwork quilt. I stitched it all by hand- I lost the feeling in the tips of my fingers for about a week by the time I was done.

I finished dying the pauldron last night, I will take pictures of it tonight when I put it all together.
I've decided to glue simple cotton fabric to the back of the pieces to prevent itching and scratching on the bare skin.

[gypsylakat]

You might consider just like adding straps on the cotton and just attaching the cotton to your arm that way if you change your mind it's not permanent... Kind of make like a T-shirt sleeve that belts or ties on or something...

[Auryn]

Just wanted to give you guys an update.
I ended up going with bare shoulders.
I didn't even feel the pauldron on the entire day.

Thanks for all the help.

Here is what the final look was.

[Taffy Saltwater]

Wow - beautiful work & beautiful you!