Ramblings on the Tudor outfit late at night...
I can't sleep. I am stuck in my desires in sewing, do I or don't I do a small bit of piping around the major openings.
My reason to do so is to add more black all over the garment, not just at the hem. I want to do piping in silk around the neck opening, across the top of the placard, around the armhole, down the split front, and at the edge of the gown sleeves.
My reason for not doing so is that some of that piping will be disrupted, like at the shoulders, which would disrupt the clean line of the piping. I would want to do the piping once the shoulders are set in place, but I cannot as it has to be fitted and sewn together after everything is in place, or it will be too large there.
I am also not sure if such piping would be period appropriate. My mind doesn't remember this little detail, so I am online at this late hour looking it up. Simon Benning's Golf Book (fourth row, first item) should help with the details, I hope. It's where I noticed the black hem guards and welts on the various ladies gowns. Sadly most English portraits of this time frame doesn't show such hem details. I do remember Princess Elizabeth's red gown has either piping or binding along her gown edges, but that is 1545, vs. my chosen time frame of the 1530s. Ah, reading the book info, this was probably done in the 1540s as well, and alas, not much in details around the neck area other than an obvious black or other colored lines that may be the kirtle beneath, or something else.
Looking at Elizabeth's closeup image, the piping/binding is rather obvious, as is the fact that there are no shoulder straps, which I chose not to go with. I am not that comfortable with showing off that much of my upper body, as unlike the fair princess, I am not a blushing maiden of 12. And looking over other images I am working from, like some of Holbein's stuff, I am not seeing piping at all. Ok, so that settles that, no piping for my gown, and now, hopefully, my mind can rest and I can get some sleep.
In other thoughts, I do love sewing the wool gaberdine. It cuts like buttah, and sews like a dream. I need to make more wool garments. I also need to get my machine into the shop for a tuneup once this round of sewing is done. I thankfully have a number of backup machines just in case, but my machine is starting to skip stitches. Thankfully, only on the auto tension setting at this point.
Before I go, follow this link, or see below, for a few photos I uploaded tonight of the kirtle and gown in progress. The photos are raw, unprocessed, so its a bit dark, and some are sideways. And the ones you actually see me in, realize I am hot, tired, and rather sweaty at the time; not the best time for pretty photos. Long hair really can get in the way of fitting, which is rather annoying. Must remember to put hair up next time before fitting.
Goodnight, I hope.
My reason to do so is to add more black all over the garment, not just at the hem. I want to do piping in silk around the neck opening, across the top of the placard, around the armhole, down the split front, and at the edge of the gown sleeves.
My reason for not doing so is that some of that piping will be disrupted, like at the shoulders, which would disrupt the clean line of the piping. I would want to do the piping once the shoulders are set in place, but I cannot as it has to be fitted and sewn together after everything is in place, or it will be too large there.
I am also not sure if such piping would be period appropriate. My mind doesn't remember this little detail, so I am online at this late hour looking it up. Simon Benning's Golf Book (fourth row, first item) should help with the details, I hope. It's where I noticed the black hem guards and welts on the various ladies gowns. Sadly most English portraits of this time frame doesn't show such hem details. I do remember Princess Elizabeth's red gown has either piping or binding along her gown edges, but that is 1545, vs. my chosen time frame of the 1530s. Ah, reading the book info, this was probably done in the 1540s as well, and alas, not much in details around the neck area other than an obvious black or other colored lines that may be the kirtle beneath, or something else.
Looking at Elizabeth's closeup image, the piping/binding is rather obvious, as is the fact that there are no shoulder straps, which I chose not to go with. I am not that comfortable with showing off that much of my upper body, as unlike the fair princess, I am not a blushing maiden of 12. And looking over other images I am working from, like some of Holbein's stuff, I am not seeing piping at all. Ok, so that settles that, no piping for my gown, and now, hopefully, my mind can rest and I can get some sleep.
In other thoughts, I do love sewing the wool gaberdine. It cuts like buttah, and sews like a dream. I need to make more wool garments. I also need to get my machine into the shop for a tuneup once this round of sewing is done. I thankfully have a number of backup machines just in case, but my machine is starting to skip stitches. Thankfully, only on the auto tension setting at this point.
Before I go, follow this link, or see below, for a few photos I uploaded tonight of the kirtle and gown in progress. The photos are raw, unprocessed, so its a bit dark, and some are sideways. And the ones you actually see me in, realize I am hot, tired, and rather sweaty at the time; not the best time for pretty photos. Long hair really can get in the way of fitting, which is rather annoying. Must remember to put hair up next time before fitting.
Goodnight, I hope.