The Raven and the Writing Desk

On Thursday got asked if I had any pieces of largesse I could take with me to KA&S. I did not, but I did some brainstorming with falashad about what I could make on short notice. After looking through the stash and my usual selection of references, decided I could probably throw together some coifs.

The women's coifs will be Elizabethan, based on the various extant pieces described in Janet Arnold 4. The men's coifs will be based on two boldly patterned silk taffeta coifs belonging to King Enrique of Castile (c. 1203-17) and his brother Infante Fernando (1189-1211), as described in Dahl, Camilla Luise and Sturtewagen, Isis (2008). "The Cap of St. Birgitta", in Medieval Clothing and Textiles 4: 99-142.

I started from the patterns in The Tudor Tailor and The Medieval Tailor's Assistant (men's) and Janet Arnold 4 (women's) and scaled them up onto my trusty yellow plaid practice fabric.

( It's an obscure project; you probably haven't heard of it. )
( I liked this project better before it got so mainstream. )

Previously
Bought a bunch of fabric last weekend, some of which was even wool. Once washed, the navy blue wool had a very strong smell sort of like a newly sanitized outhouse. Better obviously than a very strong smell sort of like a used outhouse, but still not especially desirable. Wet wool should smell like, well, wet wool. On suggestion from Demetra ap Samarkand (and endorsed post facto by Missy M) soaked it in vinegar before drying. Seems to have had some positive effect.

Friday
Read through Patterns of Fashion 4. Had previously intended to make two new shirts for camping that did not have any embellishment, since am not especially enthusiastic about blackwork. This book did not help. Came up with a plan for a fairly simple embellished shirt using blue embroidery and another using inserted lace. However, all this is academic at this point, since still do not have white linen.

Saturday
Visited Three Star Fabrics and bought silk broadcloth in coral and light blue for lining of camping suits. Also bought gold trim for olive green camping suit and needle lace like stuff for chemise. Also visited Fabricland and bought navy blue and grey cording to make own trim for navy blue camping suit. This camping gear is going to end up involving way more handwork than I meant it to. Oh well.

Sunday
Spent most of afternoon cutting out pieces for trunk hose for green and navy suits. Of course, green and navy fabric are not the same width as each other, and neither is the same width as the interlining. Also, spilled the pin container - would not be a true sewing project if I had not. Blue wool is a little wider - each leg will have the inseam panel (half the width of the fabric) plus one full width panel, making a ratio of approximately three to one at the waist. Green brocade is not as wide - each leg will have the inseam panel (half the width of the fabric), one full width panel, and one half width panel, for a ratio of probably 3.5 to one.

Made a fair bit of progress on sewing in the evening, all by machine, which took a surprising amount of thread. Have constructed canions so they will lace up the back - this is not shown in any of the three examples in Janet Arnold, but it was an emergency fix I had to do on the blue and gold trunk hose and I ended up liking the fit. Am still debating whether I will have the trunk hose fasten with a button fly or with lacing points and a codpiece - my weight fluctuates a lot so the lacing points are probably a better bet if I want them to have an adjustable fit. Am planning to cartridge pleat the legs to the waistband, as I liked the result better than the pair that I pleated into the waistband.

Thursday night: Got waistband attached to trunk hose. Tried on trunk hose, with blackworked shirt, existing doublet(s), and stripey socks. Spent several minutes admiring self in mirror.

Friday night: Cut out collar pieces, binding strips for waistband (2 inches wide), and tab pieces (12 tabs at finished width of 3 inches at the top, each). Had forgotten what a pain tabs are. Got started sewing collar pieces to doublet, sleeve seams, and tabs. Tabs are a pain.

Saturday morning: Finished sewing tabs and sleeve seams. Ironed everything. Tabs are a pain. Sewed doublet (with collar) to doublet lining, then basted sleeves in to check fit. Shoulder seam a bit too long, and sleeves a bit wide, even with most voluminous shirt underneath. Packed up sewing to go over to falashad's place for Doctor Who marathon.

Saturday afternoon: tried on doublet again for benefit of committee - resolved that sleeve width and shoulder seam should both be reduced. Re-sewed sleeve seams, then picked out the old ones. Attached binding strip to waist and fly opening of trunk hose. Sewed bottom of foundation breeches to top of canions, with raw edge inside. Trunk hose now finished except for lacing holes and fly flap. Started sewing trim to tabs. Tabs are a pain. Hope I have enough trim for the whole project.

Found Doctor Who very entertaining - I had never watched any of the classic series although of course I was familiar with the setup. falashad had a good group of people gathered to watch and we had a good time watching, discussing, and suggesting items for a drinking game, and identifying tropes. kaerran will be pleased to learn that several episodes feature Ominous Latin Chanting. I also noted several examples of Not So Different, and if I may be allowed to quote the love-to-hateable Dr. Rodney McKay (Stargate: Atlantis), of Captain Jack I wish to say, "Oh my god, he really is Kirk!"

Edited to add:
( Favorite Quotes )

After much fiddling around, which I expected I would spend a good part of the evening doing, I figured out a good way to do the darts. One side is now done. Very dull details inside so I can hopefully remember what I did for the next go round.

( Details inside... )
Now all I have to do is make one more exactly like it, except in mirror image!

Despite not having AutoCAD ;) I altered all of my pattern pieces and moved on to cutting my fabric out. This is usually my least favourite step but tonight I didn't feel too bad about it (usually it feels like it's taking forever). To my irritation the linen look is about 8 inches narrower than the wool blend, meaning that I had to cut the panel pieces for the trunk hose at different widths for the outside and the interlining. I got everything cut out except the collar, shoulder wings and tabs, which I usually leave for later in the process anyway. I will be lining and interlining with the linen look.

Fun fact: one of the sets of trunk hose in Janet Arnold has a button fly! I barely got enough buttons to fasten the doublet for this go-round (if I can just remember where I put them), so this suit will just have the front fly lace closed, but maybe next time...

Confusing fact: For the same pair of trunk hose, Janet Arnold says in one place that they are pleated in to the canions, and on the next page talks about darts. Not the same thing at all! Has anyone tried this? Which works better? Obviously pleating would be much less work.

Facts you don't care about: After looking at several portraits from this time period, I have decided I can get away without wearing a hat or a falling band, but may have to make the later style cuffs. Also, either all the pairs that had portraits painted didn't have canions (it's true, one of the pairs in Janet Arnold doesn't), or else they are wearing their canions inside their hose. Hope my socks are long enough!

Edited: I have lots of fabric left. Hmm, maybe a cloak and another pair of sailor pants?