Creative folks to spark off
Jul. 30th, 2008 12:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
abendgulesOur guests more than paid their way by the advice and input they offered both Robert and me on crafts.
I showed Bastian my frustrating non-working soapstone mould and we tried it together. B observed that our pewter was very very different from his own - very brittle, very grainy. He said he wouldn't be able to snap the pewter sprue the way we can snap ours.
He also suggested that our moulds were possibly not getting hot enough - that the pewter was cooling too quickly, and thus blocking the edges of the mould for the rest of the liquid pewter.
So we have a couple of options to try to remedy this:
- a new mix of pewter that needs a higher temp to melt, and (thus)
- a different arrangement for heating and pouring.
These solutions will have to wait til we can invest in the kit.
But I was much encouraged. My mould should work, and I've done everything possible to help it that I knew of - no obvious oversights or mistakes.
It was a boon to talk tolacedwaist about an old costume (literally - bought it from an amateur theatre) that I'd hoped to convert into a more passable Tudor or Elizabethan piece. I've already changed several parts of it, but I know it is still improve-able.
This time, I was clever enough to take 'before pictures' of all the parts!
Current plans are:
- reshape the neckline to squarer shape
- trim the waistband of the bodice and add a small gusset to improve fit - it fits very well for an 'off the rack' purchase, but I'm now ready to fiddle with the fit to improve it, which I was reluctant to do before
- remove metal grommets, stitch in eyelets
- remove the small sleeves and turn them into shoulder puffs
- possibly add laced-in sleeves of different fabric
- rework the petticoat with a smaller lower-profile waistband, so I have less bunching of fabric around my waist
- replace hooks and eyes with eyelet strips, to lace together the skirt and bodice. Right now the hooks and eyes dig into my tum and back
- add guards to the outer skirt
I'll also need a longer-sleeved shirt, and a better headdress, to go with this gown - not sure I have the right weight of linen for this. I already have a stomacher and partlet, patterned by![[info]](https://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
maredudd1066 for me.
We spent some happy time looking through Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion and the Tudor Tailor for ideas.
I hadn't realised how simple (in cut!) many of the Eliz' sleeves are - not as closely shaped as my cotehardie sleeves. I'm sure there's still shaping to do, but the drawn shapes shown in TT looks straightforward, not scary.
Anyone got tips for shaping laced-in (non-puff-and-slash) Elizabethan sleeves?
I showed Bastian my frustrating non-working soapstone mould and we tried it together. B observed that our pewter was very very different from his own - very brittle, very grainy. He said he wouldn't be able to snap the pewter sprue the way we can snap ours.
He also suggested that our moulds were possibly not getting hot enough - that the pewter was cooling too quickly, and thus blocking the edges of the mould for the rest of the liquid pewter.
So we have a couple of options to try to remedy this:
- a new mix of pewter that needs a higher temp to melt, and (thus)
- a different arrangement for heating and pouring.
These solutions will have to wait til we can invest in the kit.
But I was much encouraged. My mould should work, and I've done everything possible to help it that I knew of - no obvious oversights or mistakes.
It was a boon to talk to
lacedwaist about an old costume (literally - bought it from an amateur theatre) that I'd hoped to convert into a more passable Tudor or Elizabethan piece. I've already changed several parts of it, but I know it is still improve-able. This time, I was clever enough to take 'before pictures' of all the parts!
Current plans are:
- reshape the neckline to squarer shape
- trim the waistband of the bodice and add a small gusset to improve fit - it fits very well for an 'off the rack' purchase, but I'm now ready to fiddle with the fit to improve it, which I was reluctant to do before
- remove metal grommets, stitch in eyelets
- remove the small sleeves and turn them into shoulder puffs
- possibly add laced-in sleeves of different fabric
- rework the petticoat with a smaller lower-profile waistband, so I have less bunching of fabric around my waist
- replace hooks and eyes with eyelet strips, to lace together the skirt and bodice. Right now the hooks and eyes dig into my tum and back
- add guards to the outer skirt
I'll also need a longer-sleeved shirt, and a better headdress, to go with this gown - not sure I have the right weight of linen for this. I already have a stomacher and partlet, patterned by
maredudd1066 for me.We spent some happy time looking through Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion and the Tudor Tailor for ideas.
I hadn't realised how simple (in cut!) many of the Eliz' sleeves are - not as closely shaped as my cotehardie sleeves. I'm sure there's still shaping to do, but the drawn shapes shown in TT looks straightforward, not scary.
Anyone got tips for shaping laced-in (non-puff-and-slash) Elizabethan sleeves?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-07-31 09:12 am (UTC)Cheers, Snorri. (an old foundry spectroanalyst).
no subject
Date: 2008-07-31 12:46 pm (UTC)To date, we've stopped casting when we can't hold the mould anymore w/ gloves on, for obvious reasons! But we should probably work close to that line a bit more.
However, looking at B's pewter samples, his pewter had obviously different characteristics, esp. shininess. I think a change of pewter, and of heating system, will help a lot.