Gallery of In Progress Projects

[sealion]

Cool! The doublet looks great and the "paned" process sounds so much easier than slashing!

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

The slashing or pinking method works best with silks. I tried a piece of corduroy and ended up doing the doublet the way I did. I also stitched close to the piping to hold it down. When I put the pieces together, I whip stitched underneath about 1 1/2" down from the shoulder and bottom waistline. The Buttons are spaced 3 1/4" apart. Time consuming, but cleaner to get the same effect.

[operafantomet]

That is very lovely.  You french! 

Or Italian. Those Florentine lilies embroidered on the sleeves caught my eye! LOL

Doesn't the Florentine lily have some extra flowers between the petals, compared to the French fleur-de-lis? Or are they overlapping in look? (heraldic symbols isn't my forte....)

The trim looks like French fluer de lys but the embroidery on the sleeves seems to have the "extra flowers". http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v680/HappyStamper/stick_fleursaph.jpg

Aaaah, I see. Thank you!

[operafantomet]

In December and January I worked a lot on a new project, a Florentine dress in the style of the 1550/1560s. I used Janet Arnold's "Eleonora di Toledo's funeral dress" as main pattern, although I moved the lacing further to the side as seen in many contemporary paintings.



However, the project was a failure from day 1.  The skirt caused me a lot of issues, especially the pleating. I eventually changed it into gathers instead of pleats, and that helped a lot. The back of the skirt is very nice now, but the front still looks like a mess. Grrrr!

The bodice became too wide, which meant I had to cut off a strip with already-inserted grommets, another grrrr, on each side, and then insert new grommets. This helped a lot, but the bodice is still too high in the back. So in short, I like the skirt in the back, and the bodice in the front, but I dislike the bodice in the back and the skirt in the front... I'm not very happy with this project so far.

Last, but not least, the silver trims are soooo pretty in person, but looks rather dull on the dress. I want to change them into narrow navy velvet ribbons, in an arrangement similar to this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/renaissanceportraits/firenze3/zucchi1565.jpg

So.... more to come.

[Kate XXXXXX]

That is so pretty it would be a shame to give up on it.  Try putting the skirt on the stand and pleat it standing.  It looks like those front pleats aren't quite at the right angle for the skirt to hang as nicely as one would wish.

And for the back...  Can you trim it down a bit across the back, or is it the wrong shape as well?

It's a pig having to redo things...  I had to shift the poppers and redo the end of a collar several times last night...  Collar was half an inch too long at one end...  Because of the way the LACE was, not the collar itself!  (Victorian job, with collar poppered inside neckline of bodice)

[Tixi]

In December and January I worked a lot on a new project

I absolutely love that color on you

[Adriana Rose]

I donno if this might help with the gathering on the fron of the skirt.

I have taken about a 8 inch bit of the front of the skirt and then I pin it flat against the waist band then I gather it from the end of the flat pinned spot to the opening in the back.. that way the skirt lays flat like you want it to and then you get the nice gathering in the back.



I hope that helps a touch..

That gown is way to beautiful to scrap!

[LadyShadow]

This is my latest project.  I should have been done already.  But I have had more time for everything but sewing.  This is eventually going to be a new Doublet for Lord Shadow.

[DonaCatalina]

This is my latest project.  I should have been done already.  But I have had more time for everything but sewing.  This is eventually going to be a new Doublet for Lord Shadow.

Are the button loops giving you fits?
I tried doing one that way and eventually gave up and used bridal buttonloop trim.

[LadyShadow]

Not yet.  I am not to that point yet.  If so I will definitely be asking you for help then.

[operafantomet]

Thank you for all the good advices and nice feedback. I won't give up on the dress just yet, but it probably won't be finished until next year sometime. Right now I'm sick and tired of it... 

[DonaCatalina]

In December and January I worked a lot on a new project, a Florentine dress in the style of the 1550/1560s. I used Janet Arnold's "Eleonora di Toledo's funeral dress" as main pattern, although I moved the lacing further to the side as seen in many contemporary paintings.



However, the project was a failure from day 1.  The skirt caused me a lot of issues, especially the pleating. I eventually changed it into gathers instead of pleats, and that helped a lot. The back of the skirt is very nice now, but the front still looks like a mess. Grrrr!

The bodice became too wide, which meant I had to cut off a strip with already-inserted grommets, another grrrr, on each side, and then insert new grommets. This helped a lot, but the bodice is still too high in the back. So in short, I like the skirt in the back, and the bodice in the front, but I dislike the bodice in the back and the skirt in the front... I'm not very happy with this project so far.

Last, but not least, the silver trims are soooo pretty in person, but looks rather dull on the dress. I want to change them into narrow navy velvet ribbons, in an arrangement similar to this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/renaissanceportraits/firenze3/zucchi1565.jpg

So.... more to come.

It looks like you are cartridge pleating which the burial dress did not have. Janet Arnold shows that dress as not pleated in the very front and staggered box pleating towards the back.
(I know I'll get some argument)

[operafantomet]

It looks like you are cartridge pleating which the burial dress did not have. Janet Arnold shows that dress as not pleated in the very front and staggered box pleating towards the back.
(I know I'll get some argument)

You're absolutely right! Problem is that I originally box pleated the skirt, but it just didn't look good. It looked horrible! And then I went by "the Pisa dress", which the "Moda a Firenze" authors argues is made by the same tailor as Eleonora di Toledo's funeral dress. Main reason is that cut and construction is almost, though not entirely, identical. So when I already made the lacing of the bodice like the Pisa dress, the skirt felt right to adapt as well. A side shot of the Pisa dress can be seen here:
http://dazeoflaur.livejournal.com/103756.html#cutid1

I guess it's impossible to tell by these shots, but they should show that the Pisa dress has a gathered skirt:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/pavonazzo/1560pisa2.jpg
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/pavonazzo/pisadressback.jpg

The back of the skirt became rather good after adapting gathering instead of box pleating. But the front (which I should add is only pinned on in the photo) has been re-arranged probably 8 times already, and... Meeeh. I'm just not liking it. So I'm putting it on hold for a while, and I will return to it later.

[Taffy Saltwater]

This is for the Steampunk/Girl Genius invasion on All Hallow's Eve at TRF.  The following is the inspiration:

http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080425

http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080604

My rendition of Mamma Gkika's skirt - all that's missing is the waistband & fox skull swag (gotz my own built-in bustle):





The corset is on hold till closer to fair - trying to lose a pound or 15.

[LadyShadow]

Looking good