October 8, 2010

Maroon Elizabethan Dress Diary Part 3

Wednesday night Mistress Arrienne stopped by to help wrangle the skirt panels onto the now finished bodice. A had made a new hoop shirt with a 3.5 yard bottom circumference. It is sortof my training- farthingale. Arrienne had me one with a 5.5 circumference, but I think I need to work my way up to that big girl farthingale.

Tragically we discovered my skirt panels must have been originally cut for a lower middle class dress without farthingale. But over the spring I had collected some snazzy trim and taffeta linings, so that bumped it up to a more upper middle class-low noble status dress--farthingale required. This can be fixed with some guards--I have a small length of black wool i just need to dig around for. So I was was rather sad that even with a sewing frenzy Thursday night, it would not have been near ready for Saturday. Besides, Indian Summer is in full force, and it will be 80F on Satuday. So wool might not be the best thing to wear that lovely day.

There are 3 more local events in 7 weeks, so there will be more opportunities for the dress to make its debut. That gives me more time to redo the undersleeves, the matching forepart, make an underskirt to attach the forepart to, and possibly mail order a custom tall hat.

Last night I worked on a pair of Elizabethan venetians for The Boy. Lets just say 12 year olds are not thrilled with having things pinned on them sewn, put back on, and so forth. I took a shortcut with these--at Goodwill I found a pair of black ladies petite capri pants. I dont think they were even worn--the front pockets were still basted shut. Most important they had no back pockets so, but the front pockets were easier to hide in the pleating. So all I had to do is make a casing around the bottom hem, ran a ribbon through, and I think these should be good for a couple years. I had to take the waist in a bit, but they can be let out as he grows. Major score--$5, 30 minute boys Elizabethan pants.

With it, he can finally wear last year's Goodwill experiment of a $7 ladies linen blouse, which I shortened the sleeves, took the buttons off, butted the front seam together, covered the button holes with machine embroidery, and embelished the front of the blouse with more machine embroidery. He can borrow one of dad's flat caps, and I got some girls black knee socks, and he is ready to go. I just wont tell him ALL his clothes began life in the ladies and girls department. :)

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