abendgules | Entries tagged with sewing

As mentioned previously - finished refitted gown.

The pics show the neckline pinned into place at the back, but after putting it on I had to get Robert to repin the layers - once wearing it, the top layer sat differently than expected, and you can only find it out by trying it on.

I always seem to have crease up around my middle - can't get a smooth fit there, and I don't know if I'm asking too much from the fabric from the stretch, or if it's just a feature of the gown. Since all the gowns I've made wrinkle there I'm sort of resigned, but if it's a cutting flaw I can fix I'd love to know.

18004

This gown served as the kirtle for the 16th c gown I wore at coronation, finished to the 'first stage'*. Hopefully

liadethornegge will post pics I asked her to take of the full splendour.

*Stages of completion - Lady Isabetta from Nordmark defined these as
first stage = you can wear it;
second stage = finished as planned,
third stage = improved and embellished...or something to that effect.

At any rate, it was finished enough to wear, but I had to stitch myself into it, and it wouldn't stand up to any close examination! After I'm back from the colonies, I hope to finish the lining, restitch the pleats more firmly and finish the hooks and eyes.

Current Mood: satisfied

One of my earliest medieval clothing (well really costuming) experiences was with velveteen - I was charmed by the prospect of making a 'push 'n shove' (basically an ahistorical low-cut bodice that would show off my assets), and made it in red velveteen.

I used one layer of fabric, and the pattern was based on a cotehardie pattern that

buttongirl had made for me. I knew nothing of lining, edge finishing options or any other related skills. I stitched light boning casing to the seam allowance (already clipped).

I remember Helly saying, 'what lining are you using?' and me saying, 'lining?...' in a puzzled tone. It's astonishing I emerged with anything wearable.

Anyway: at the time, I shared a cream-coloured flat with Cat: cream walls, cream/grey carpet, cream linoleum, cream everthing. The red flecks of velveteen got everywhere; finally C asked me nicely to run the vacuum as her cat Mittens looked like she was breaking out in some kind of pox. (I was going to anyway, but I'd hoped to put it off til I was fiinished sewing, and do it just once.)

This experience warned me off velveteen for nearly 15 years, til Anne and I made my big German gown, with mucho velveteeno: skirt, bodice and sleeves are all cotton velveteen (donated by

thorngrove, made beautiful by Anne).

But honestly - I do not remember the acres of velveteen for that gown shedding even a fraction as much as the 1m? 1.5m? I've been working with for the past week. Both the silly hat, and the binding for the gown, are velveteen - leftovers of the German gown, in fact.

In case you're wondering, cutting up offcuts of velveteen into 3cm strips and stitching them together into one mondo binding strip is absolutely the most effective way of spreading velveteen flecks across the greatest area: lounge, kitchen, bedrooms, loo. Harley has velveteen lint in her toes.

This combined with the lint from the beautiful wool is creating industrial-level dustbunnies. These guys are ready to unionise, and are already holding meetings in the stairwell.

I was thinking of Cat, Mittens, and that velveteen bodice a lot this weekend, as I vacuumed velveteen lint for what felt like the n'th time...

The other b****er of working with black velveteen is that you cannot sew it after sundown. Our lighting is fairly good, but diffused, and I can't see what I'm stitching anymore without natural light.

It's similar for scribing - I try not to finish any painting by artificial light alone. I don't know if it's just light levels, or what quality it is about daylight, but I see all the mistakes in daylight that I can't see in indoor lighting.

I've only rarely handled real silk velvet (cotton velveteen is the affordable substitute). I'm suspicious of the 'silk' velvets in the shops, partly because they seem underpriced, partly because they feel so plastic-ey.

I understand that most items sold as silk velvet are either silk fabric and rayon pile, or vice versa (can't remember which way round).

Does anyone know where you find real, honest to goodness silk on silk velvet? I'm mostly just curious - after this project I'm off piled fabrics for another 15 yrs I think! - but I'd love to know what it really handles like, and how it's different from cotton.

Current Mood: aargh

...because even early 16th c clothing is a journey of many many steps, when you're trying to follow pattern instructions.

Should look splendid, if I can find enough hours in the day to do the hand finishing. I spent all free hours over Jubilee weekend on this gown. I'm beginning to hanker for t-tunics.

However: one awesome aspect has been using cross and dot pattern paper for the first time - not just scrabbling together cardboard and recycled paper, but large sheets of paper printed with crosses and dots like giant fill-in-your-own graph paper.

It made drafting the bodice, back, sleeve and bonnet patterns crisp and precise (two seam edges meet, and match in length! who knew it was possible? parallel lines, for real!) than previous saved-muslin patterns. I'm totally sold on this stuff (even in its non-optimal metric gauge).

I think playing with paper patterns for trousers primed me to tackle medieval-clothing patterns with paper, and doing it with enthusiasm.

The pink gown is finished and even documented with pics, to be posted.

Have I taken a single photo of the amazing beautiful overgown? Of course not. Sigh. I'll never make a real blogger like

liadethornegge.

Current Mood: hopeful

As promised - photos of refurbishing a gown.

This pink linen gown was always a fitted undergown, but was originally made to go under my fine purple wool gown, c. 14th c. I knocked it together quickly to wear at the first coronet tourney 2 years ago.

Unfortunately, I chose 2 lightweight linens, rather than one heavy and one light, or two sturdy ones - and even the two together do not provide enough support for me to wear comfortably. It looks...ok - but I saw a pic of myself wearing it last year, and decided it was no longer 'fit for purpose' on its own.

Inspection...

...judged acceptable.

Lined w/out sleeves.

But how to fix it? (implied requirements: easily, cheaply, quickly, etc - the old saw being you get 2/3 of these, but never all three).

The final decision was to do much as I did on my first refurbished gown:
- cut out the front lacing
- add a lining

Cutting out the lacing is always gutting, because it's a lot of handwork to replace. But that's the part that is holding together the two layers. Without it, you can manipulate the fabric as you please.

Gown with lacing cut away - see strips of lacing, waving goodbye to the gown.
New lining is of a cotton twill, very thin, very hard. If I could find linen canvas at a price I liked, I'd buy it, but this twill has served me very well in another gown.

I'm using my trusty old fitted gown pattern, that is effectively just the bodice part: I usually add skirt length to it when cutting a gown, and then do a muslin for the sleeve. This length provides support to about hip level.

I added this layer between the two linen layers, because I still wanted a fairly finished-looking interior of the gown.

At this point, I discover just how much the linen has stretched since I made the gown - the gown necklines, all cut the same shape originally, now have three different shapes, and I'm not able to predict exactly how each one will stretch to fit. So I settle for basting in a vague front neckline, and leaving the back open, til I can try the gown on and see how the fabrics sit together.

At that point, I got Robert to pin the three layers together around the back neckline; I'll probably trim to whatever shape all three layers can agree on. This step still TBA.

I can, however, match the front edges, and redo the lacing holes - once more under supervision:

While lacing holes are a PITA, I do use them a lot...so am now quite quick, and can do about 8-10/hr - so the lacing was finished in one sitting.
Next step: finishing neckline, trimming, edge finishing and test lacing.

Current Mood: pleased

I thought getting a new mgr would relieve the load, but I seem to be doing just as much now! But it's a cheerier atmosphere, and a relief to know that in theory, someone else's butt is in the line between mine and everyone else's.

Good sewing weekend, both modern and medieval. At one time I'd be glad to have finished the fitted gown with all its lacing holes (about 20 per side, 5/8" apart - done in one sitting!)...now it's just the undergown!

Photos to follow

Current Mood: busy

Happily Robert has started a new job this week, with an actual office to go to - short commute by bike to Clerkenwell. This is a relief both financially, and getting out of the startup he'd been contracting for. Just listening to Robert talking to the startup boss made me realise that some grown men, even accomplished ones, cannot hear good advice when it's given them.

More pleasantly, April included a weekend chez

jpgsawyer and

edith_hedingham to help paint their pavilion, which promises to be splendidly medievally gaudy, and a fine couple of meals in good company with them,

maryf and Fionn, and Master Paul.

In my gradual return to activity, I've been doing some modern sewing following a pattern(!) - I've made myself trousers for the first time, following a pattern, plus the advice in Pants for Real People.

This is essentially an all-new experience for me: I took a stab at pattern-based sewing when I first got a sewing machine in university (now, effectively, a generation ago) but just couldn't get excited about it, with all the 'extra' steps I couldn't see the point to. Making medieval stuff was fun, but making work clothes was, well, work.

Now, as a more experienced sempstress, I see the value in taking 'extra' steps in setting up and finishing work; adding things like interfacing is no big deal, whereas at one time it was a saga. I also now know enough when to follow instructions, and when to ignore them. And I'm resigned to some ripping out, reworking, unpicking; it just happens as part of the creative process.

The fitting method in the book tests the pattern in tissue first carefully, then modifies the pattern, then cutting fabric, followed by testing the pinned-together trousers, before committing to sewing up, and gives a lot of tips that I wish patterns came with (ie. not just 'do this' but 'why to do this').

And the whole point of the book is to demonstrate how to tailor modern patterns to fit your shape; if the paper pattern is doing X (sagging, pulling, not covering you!) then you need to change Y to improve the fit.

It also has lots of mods: adding assorted styles of pockets (trousers without some place for your phone and pass are a PITA), changing waistband styles are just the easy ones.

And the book's models are frankly more Rubenesque and asymmetrical than me! which is heartening.

The only drawback is the plugs for the authors' proprietary products in the book - their own multisize patterns, graph pattern paper, narrow interfacing, Scotch tape, etc etc. OTOH...well, they do this for a living.

While I was laying out trouser fabric, Robert spent part of the long weekend bashing at an old steel clamshell gauntlet of mine, to make it into an absolutely bombproof C&T hand protection for a crosshilt sword (latter also bodged together with a rattan hilt on a Hanwei practical rapier).

The gauntlet was never quite the right shape for me for armoured fighting, but looks like it will serve very well for C&T.

I was uneasy persuing C&T further than authorisation without decent hand protection - and alarmed at the crappy light hand protection other people were using for C&T at Double wars last year - basically padded gloves and prayer. I value my hands more than that.

So now I'm partway there - one hand ready, one more to go.

Hoping to hear soon if there's to be any fencing at Coronation in Arnimetsa, and if there is, can I squeeze both my Tudor outfit and fencing kit into one suitcase?

Current Mood: productive

Ben Hur on TV, while spring-cleaning and trying to put a dent in the UnFinished Objects pile - particularly those promised to other people.

Excellent success on the shoping front -

goncalves 's doublet will, someday, be too sexy for him, in the wool that Lady Anne and I found. It's a rare quality. And we found brillant tawny wool for gowns, suitable for waiting on early-Tudor royalty. The new Queen's Servants is brilliant - highly recommended for those interested in late 15th and early 16th c clothing.

I have clever plans afoot for reducing, reusing and recycling an existing undergown into a kirtle for early Tudor use. Will see if it comes to fruition.

And, of course, I've been sick on the holidays. Never fails - stress + event = sick.

Current Mood: calm

Robert made a new jupon for the Uffington Castle event last weekend. It still needs a bit of finishing, but I think it looks sharp.

Evidently Harley is a big fan as well. After one wearing, she buried her nose in the armhole for a snuggle. She was absolutely intent on some delicious smell coming from the jupon.

The fighting at Uffington was by all accounts very fine - 8 fighters, 12 folk total, met at Uffington castle to fight a Canterbury roll tourney, and then try some small-group melee tactics. It was blessed by bizarrely warm and sunny weather - southern England and Wales is having record-breaking heatwave weather this week.

They fought til early aternoon, then retreated to the pub.

Uffington is a Bronze age hillfort, adjascent to the White Horse - there are several white horses in the chalk downs, but this is the one most people know of.

West dragonshire has some new fighters, and one of Thamesreach's newer fighters also took part. Robert handed a torc to the Romano-Brit gent who presented a very cool challenge , which was very apt.

ETA: thought it was Jon who organised the day - in fact, he's the one who's set up a second fight practice nearby (in Reading, for all those CBC listeners) - and made a cool challenge. The consequences of not being there!

Fight practice on an ancient historic monument, then afternoon at the pub - what's not to like?

I spent the weekend sewing, unpicking, and resewing. The princess' sideless surcoat needed some love and mending at the shoulder seams, where several pounds of black velvet and brocade make their views known.

With the hang of the fabric, the plain-line fess between the sable and azure has sagged, so it looks like the demi-sun is actually curved downwards. Per fess sable and azure, a demi-sun droopy Or?

I'm also puttering with adding some shoulder shaping, so it hangs better on me - without permanently altering the surcoat. At a minimum it has to be in better shape for the Far Isles event this weekend.

Current Mood: amused

...free largesse!
Yesterday we received a package from Fru Johanna aff Hukka - beaded necklaces, and tokens to mark our drinking cups - kind of like wineglass charms, but they'd pass for rosary beads. It also came with a handwritten note, which was very sweet. What a thoughtful lady.

Brain is swirling with 14th c ideas of clothing and hairstyles. There's a definite dearth of ladies wearing frilled headdresses and a coronet at the same time...but no shortage of wimples + coronets, happily.

Increasingly, I'm wondering how you cut a gown, with or without sleeves, to get a very flat horizontal neckline, and still have it perch on your shoulders. Many of the early-to-mid 14th c gowns really do look off-the-shoulder entirely, which makes it difficult to provide any internal bust support, unless you use bust binding, and don't use the gown for support at all. Either that, or else the style was limited to lissome yooff only. Which is possible.

Increasingly I'm noticing that the very fitted styles are on carefree dancing youths, rather than dignified rulers. There may be fitted gowns under the full rich gowns, but there's no way to know under all the folds.

While my head is full of largesse ideas and pretty 14th century gowns, my hands have to crack on with a new dress to wear for a coming wedding, several centuries' style later. Planning to haul the fabric, lining and pattern out this evening.

Current Mood: thoughtful

...and we'll be back to Raglan, our favourite event.

I've made pretty good progress on planned items.
- After something of a layoff from scribing, I ploughed through 3 scrolls worth of callig yesterday, and planned out one more with Robert. More perg-cutting to come this evening; then illumination Tues or Wed.

- The new floorcloth is painted but not yet sewn, and still needs a bag. Stupidly ambitious patterned design will have to wait. Finishing sewing to come.

- I managed to draft sleeves and add them to an existing gown, though they're a bit big, and I've debated fixing them (which of course would mean a lot of unpicking...). So far, laziness has won out over insistence on perfection. The easing to get them to fit is less noticeable when I'm wearing the gown!

- the sideless surcoat is *almost* finished - I'm down to the neckline, and the hem.

For such a simple gown, I've spent a lot of time on this sideless surcoat/cyclas. I'm trying to get the Luttrell Psalter look - low, near-horizontal neckline; open armholes that are long, rather than deeply cut into the front/back of the gown; a generous hem.

I used my existing herald's cyclas, taking a pattern from it, then drawing out another version, and making a muslin of the neckline and armholes.

This wool frays something wicked - it's a beautiful colour, and drape, but a nightmare of threads dropping from raw edges. So I needed French seams on all the seams joining two pieces.

The curse of French seams is that they make you think you're working on the outside, when in fact you're on the inside of the garment, and vice-versa. I'd almost gotten all the way through my French seams on this item without having to undo any seams - usually I have to 'pay' with at least one seam done twice - and was feeling really pleased with myself....sigh.

Robert salvaged my surcoat at midpoint when I discovered I'd very carefully stitched the lining to the wrong side of the outer fabric - complete with clipped seams and curves.

I find unpicking really disheartening, especially after a hours of work. My sweetie picked it up from where, after several loud Sewing Words (bit like Computer Words) I'd dropped my surcoat in frustration, unpicked the offending lining pieces, and pinned them all back on the correct side. Bless him.

...in my blog. Should have just trusted google
rolled hem

http://slightly-obsessed.blogspot.com/2008/10/rollin-rollin-rollin.html

...and knife pleating
http://slightly-obsessed.blogspot.com/2006/12/taking-stab-at-knife-pleating.html

Current Mood: annoyed

Our cheap Argos-sourced iron has patches of Teflon wearing off the ironing surface, and it's catching on my fabrics. I've cleaned it off, but it keeps on sticking. There's also not a lot to distinguish between low and high settings.

Does anyone know what to look for in a good iron?

I have no useful means to distinguish different irons except price, and it baffles me that they range from £10-60 for no apparent reason.

I'm mostly pressing natural fabrics, with occasional forays into blends, and the occasional shirt/blouse for work.

Any guidance gratefully accepted.

Current Mood: hopeful

Been lying low, mostly concentrating on getting to and from work, getting as much work as I can focus on done, and finishing projects in time for Double Wars. Head still not fully back into work mode, just trying to get stuff directly in front of me done, so as to be moderately useful. Higher planning faculties are still on hiatus...( Read more... )

Current Mood: counting the days!

Lovely Master Bertrik sent me a CD of pics from the January event, including this one, which shows my refurbished gown best:

I'm really pleased with the way the fur trim turned out - it really changes the way the gown hangs, and draws the gown hem straight down - and the sleeves. They look a bit looser than I intended, but I'd prefer them loose to uncomfortably tight.

Also happy with the headdress - now just have to find the nicest example from the Luttrell Psalter or similar to support it!

Best of all, Robert likes the whole outfit - he hadn't seen it all assembled before I went to Dance Moot, so this is its unveiling all over again.

Current Mood: delighted

This is a very informal look at these beautiful formal gowns, posted by the folks who embroidered, beaded, fitted and sewed them.

http://byzantineimperial.blogspot.com/

Current Mood: amused

This was the plan, and this is how far I got:

Scrolls x 4 - ended up doing scrolls x 3, thanks to a change in requests, but successfully finished.

Largesse list
- Veil pins - old favourite - nope, not in the mood for beads this season
- - Finishing pouches
- sewing
- eyelets
- braiding or plying cords
- assembly
~~Cards with Romanesque~~ ~~initials~~: lots - am now set to gift the next three reigns as well as this one, and not burned out. Very pleased.
~~- Handkerchiefs - hemmed~~: got one done
~~- leather pouches~~: several
- cutting
- braiding

Also: A couple of small belts for demoisels in the shire - a last-minute addition, that resulted in Robert doing most of the hard work

'Me' list
- ~~Finishing current fencing hood - hemming~~: done
- finishing new fencing hood - pressing, cutting out, sewing, hemming: ho ho ho...Merry Ambitions!
- new fencing gowns - pressing, cutting out, sewing, hemming (still debating weights of linen to use - still don't have a punch tester nearby): more ho ho ho ho...

- refreshing plum gown: in progress
- new neckline - drawn
- reworking eyelets, possibly without heavy facing - not doing all of them, just the ones that need it
- lining sleeves, possibly with fur - now adding a fur hem - lining sleeves may or may not happen before end of month

The fur is courtesy of two fur coats, that Robert sweet-talked out of a charity shop some years ago.
I think they're both rabbit, but honestly don't know: I don't have a lot of experience with furs. One is 3/4 length ladies coat of mostly brown, arranged in horizontal bands (pale at the top, getting darker towards the bottom of the band).

I've taken apart two of the bands,and found that together they will more than do the hem of the gown (measures 130" at bottom, but probably less 5" up from the bottom). The plan is to run a piece of cloth tape along the top edge, and attach that to the gown, but it'll depend on how long it takes to attach the cloth tape.

Also: more piecing on the undergown, so the hem actually sits evenly: in progress
Also: a pair of fake sleeves, to tack to the undergown, to save myself the work of actually adding full sleeves to the undergown: in progress

If the fur edging works, it'll be the most luxurious gown I own (after the Cranach).
None of the following - just idle holiday dreams!

- finishing 16thc shirt
- finishing 16th c doublet
- lightweight partlet
- finishing wool cap with brim stiffener

I did do more knitting - but ripped out at least as much as I knit. DROPS have tricksy ways of explaining their patterns; they make sense, but it means a lot of thinking for yourself.
Following the instruction 'make a second side front, mirror image to the first' isn't as clear as you might think.

SO: all in all, some progress, but more slacking than anticipated.

Current Mood: satisfied

Christmas is Robert's and my favourite time to Make Stuff(tm) - uninterrupted blocks of time to work on projects.

This year's list for me is a mix of old favourites, repairs, and making new stuff.

Scrolls x 4 for 12th night

Largesse list
- Veil pins - old favourite
- Finishing pouches
    - sewing
    - eyelets
    - braiding or plying cords
    - assembly
- Cards with Romanesque initials
- Handkerchiefs - hemmed
- leather pouches
     - cutting
     - braiding

'Me' list
- Finishing current fencing hood - hemming
- finishing new fencing hood - pressing, cutting out, sewing, hemming
- new fencing gowns - pressing, cutting out, sewing, hemming (still debating weights of linen to use - still don't have a punch tester nearby)
- refreshing plum gown
    - new neckline
    - reworking eyelets, possibly without heavy facing
    - lining sleeves, possibly with fur
- finishing 16thc shirt
- finishing 16th c doublet
- lightweight partlet
- finishing wool cap with brim stiffener

Non-SCA
- knitting bolero cardigan

Robert has a whol' heap of casting to do - Sir Vitus is hoping plenty of PCS holders will join him on the field at Estrella, for which he needs tokens; my sweetie now also has commissions.

Current Mood: creative

As the autumn nights draw in, my heart turns to sewing projects ~~pile~~ artfully scattered around our warming ~~combi-boi~~ flagstone hearth.

If you, like me, enjoy a seasonal fossick in Shepherd's Bush's fabric stores, I'm headed there this Saturday, 16th October, starting from Shepherd's Bush (Central line) station at 11am.

Shepherd's Bush Market is a gold mine of fabric shops good for the SCA clothier. I can show you our old favourites, and maybe you'll find a bargain remnant.

These are not chain stores, so a small amount of haggling is tolerated well; they're always glad to see me!

Expect prices from £4-8/m on linen, and mostly £6/m plus on wool, but can plummet to £2/m on occasion. Silk is in abundance too! but I can't tell you off the top what to expect in prices. Cash machines nearby, but all shops now take plastic.

If you'd like a guided tour of our these fabric treasure houses, please drop me a line and let me know to expect you. I'll meet you outside the barriers at Shepherd's Bush. Wear comfy walking shoes, and charge your phones.

Spectators welcome - if you're not certain what you want, or just enjoy the vicarious pleasure of watching other people stretch their credit, you're most welcome.

Warning WARNING Warning!
Much of the transport network is offline this weekend, esp Central, H&C, Overground, and bits and pieces elsewhere. Please CHECK your route!
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/livetravelnews/realtime/track.aspx?offset=weekend

Our fabric shop rundown, on the Thamesreach website - scroll down to 'fabric':
http://thamesreach.org/visitors-info/shopping/

Current Mood: excited

Thanks for your encouraging remarks about the gown.

maryf and

kirieldp commented about the undergown. I'll be honest, I don't know if German noble ladies wore undergowns as a matter of course.
The idea developed with milady Anne of Wokyngham's help, as she was the more knowledgeable of the two of us about 16th c. clothing, but she's the first to say she knows English, not German, clothes.
But there's a good argument based on her research. 16th c. English folk very reliably wear linen underclothes, and then two layers of clothing. The terminology isn't consistent, but 'kirtles' (underneath) and 'gowns' (over top) are used by the Tudor Tailor authors.
The kirtles tend to provide the support and shaping, the gowns provide lush layers to display. This convention goes back to previous periods, at least in England.
Looking at paintings, 99% of women wearing this style had a white underlayer, that showed up the lacing across the stomach. (There's one portrait where it's black.)
So what is the visible white bit? The options are:
- a chemise: in which case there's only one layer of gown providing support and shape, and the German ladies are exposing their tummies to the elements covered only with linen or silk.
This struck me as unlikely. For one thing, chemises are puffy and ruffly, and these ladies tums are uniformly smooth, whereas the puffy and pleated parts of their chemises are clearly illustrated quite beautifully. If you wore an ordinary chemise under a gown that had an open space around the tum, surely it would puff out between the lacings?
- a kirtle or petticoat with a white bodice, possibly with the heavy cartridge-pleat skirts attached. Lady Anneke suggested this option to me, and it makes a lot of sense. A doublet over it, with the odd bust-band, would then be decorative, not supportive.
If I did this gown over, I think I might go this route - though then I'd have to find a way to keep the doublet from riding up, because it's cut quite short and snug.
- a kirtle or petticoat of any colour, with a white 'stomacher' pinned in - like mine. English ladies wore assorted parts of their gowns pinned together (stomachers, partlets, sleeves, skirts), so the pinning is quite plausible.

What clinched it for me is some paintings by Cranach featuring the woman caught in adultery, dated around 1540s. There are several, with the same basic composition, and the woman is always wearing a peach or vermilion gown that is unlaced, though the details vary - sometimes the angry crowd around her are in armour, sometimes in civilian clothing.
(Notes from the Met Museum say there are over 15 versions - must have been the hit of his corner of Germany.)
Christ and the adulteress, detail, Cranach elder, 1532
Same image, full image
ETA: found one source, it's in the Met.
Christ and the adulteress, Cranach the elder, 1540s accession no. 1982.60.35
(small copy is in my scrapbook, but go look at the Met Museum site, you can zoom brilliantly! Very cool).

The adulteress has presumeably been hustled straight from the offending bed, with no time to even lace up her gown.
Her chemise is, I think, showing as a ruffled layer across her bust, and then there's a white triangular space between the two sides of the gown, that has loose lacing over it. I'm not certain if the line around her neck is a dark necklace, or possibly a finished edge of an extremely fine translucent chemise or partlet, as fine and see-through as her veil.
But if that's the chemise, what's the ruffly bit over the boobs?
In the Met zoomed version, you can clearly see boobs through the ruffled shirt.
AND you can see that the white bit extends around her shoulders, just short of the black edge of the outer gown.
(You can also see the beautiful delicate blackwork in her veil - it must have looked like it was just floating free over her face, unattached to anything, the linen is so fine.)
This white line, to me, suggests that the white bit between the two 'lapels' of the doublet isn't just chemise, but is a layer of gown, one that continues under the orange one. So increasingly, the white kirtle is looking like a good option.
This adulteress' gown doesn't seem to include a bust band - either styles had moved on from the Saxon princess era, or the lady was swept from her room before she could grab it. Not certain!

So: that's why I'm wearing an underdress for this outfit. YMMV.

Current Mood: pleased

I'm finally coming close to finishing a late-period clothing project that has dragged on for years. As much as I'm pleased with it, I don't think I'm making something like this again any time soon! Cote hardies are sufficiently complex for me.

Robert agreed to take pics of the several layers of this gown. Please ignore somewhat grumpy expression: I thought my face was more neutral than that!

Also, unfortunately this isn't a true representation of the bold red colour in the skirt - it seems very variable depending on the light source.

The slashed 1520s style shoes are from a reenactor merchant - very reasonably priced, and very cute.

Items remaining to complete outfit:
- hooks to hang skirt to bodice
- fitting again, to decide how to attach bustband to bodice (hooks & eyes, or stitch one side and pin/hook & eye)
- hem about 15 miles of skirt
- make a beaded snood
- possibly make a fine pleated partlet to fill the neckline
- find plied cord to lace sleeves to bodice, or ply more
- reshape hat 1.0 so it actually stays put

	smock, hose and shoes with turban to retain my modesty
	undergown, with lacing on each side Linen, lined with calico and linen in bodice.
	underdress side view
	underdress back view cartridge pleating at back, wide knife pleats in front
	adding white linen facing This is a sort of flat 'stomacher' pinned in place, to give a smooth white front to go under the gown and lacing. The vast majority of the gowns appear to have smooth white surface under the top layer.
	added skirt This is the cartridge pleated velvet skirt, lined with linen. It actually sits above my natural waist, and will hang from the doublet by hooks and eyes, to keep the doublet in place. It's very heavy.
	laced bodice and separate lower sleeves Bodice hooks to the skirt. Lower sleeves are separate, and slide on, loosely laced over puffy linen chemise. Have to find the lacing cord I plied up for this purpose.
	side view of bodice and sleeves The cartridge pleating actually forces the skirt out from my waist quite sharply, as you can see.
	bustband pinned into doublet Requires fitting, after finishing skirt+doublet
	hat and choker Hat 1.0 is too small and requires work. Choker is by thorngrove, gold trim mounted on silk velvet, and beaded with pearls and garnets.