Thoughts oh LJ Pin Posse
With thanks to marymontsews, I like her term for the collective LJ sewing community who reads her sewing journal. So, I with thanks I am snagging her term.
So, dear LJ Pin Posse... my big April project, which is due at the end of April... is my 1590s Elizabethan outfit, from the skin out.
I have the linen for the smock, the canvas for the french farthingale, the linen & silver lace for the big standing ruff & cuffs (the lace is much thinner than in the portrait), the silk for the effigy stays (thanks to sarahbellem when she was selling her stash a few years ago), the material for the main skirt in black & white (thanks to cileansdreams for parting with a roll of her stash).
I am now stuck on figureing out which fabric to use for the main bodice and sleeves (which must be white), and the fabric for the petticoat & hanging sleeves (which must be in black). I want silk, but I want to breathe since our April can range from the upper 80s F to nearly 100F. Do I go for a silk satin, a silk duchess satin, or a 60/40 silk/linen blend (light-medium weight)? I am thinking of ordering enough of the white to use for it all, and dyeing the parts I need for black. OR I might get an inexpensive black silk charmeuse for the petticoat, for the satin look near the hem, since it peeks out at the bottom. The petticoat for the most part won't otherwise be seen. Then just get a few yards of the duchess satin for the bodice and main sleeves. Not sure what to get for the hanging sleeves. Your thoughts?
Oh, looking at the portrait again... I think the hanging sleeves are velvet, probably to match the cut velvet of the b&w skirt. Weellllll.... I don't think I want to do black velvet, considering the heat issue. I've also come to realize that while I would love to do up all the fine details of this outfit, that most likely will not happen. If it gets close, that will be lovely.
Anyway... suggestions from you all on the fabrics (the questions in blue above)? Is there another fabric type you would use instead (except dupioni, which is too slubby for my tastes).
So, dear LJ Pin Posse... my big April project, which is due at the end of April... is my 1590s Elizabethan outfit, from the skin out.
I have the linen for the smock, the canvas for the french farthingale, the linen & silver lace for the big standing ruff & cuffs (the lace is much thinner than in the portrait), the silk for the effigy stays (thanks to sarahbellem when she was selling her stash a few years ago), the material for the main skirt in black & white (thanks to cileansdreams for parting with a roll of her stash).
I am now stuck on figureing out which fabric to use for the main bodice and sleeves (which must be white), and the fabric for the petticoat & hanging sleeves (which must be in black). I want silk, but I want to breathe since our April can range from the upper 80s F to nearly 100F. Do I go for a silk satin, a silk duchess satin, or a 60/40 silk/linen blend (light-medium weight)? I am thinking of ordering enough of the white to use for it all, and dyeing the parts I need for black. OR I might get an inexpensive black silk charmeuse for the petticoat, for the satin look near the hem, since it peeks out at the bottom. The petticoat for the most part won't otherwise be seen. Then just get a few yards of the duchess satin for the bodice and main sleeves. Not sure what to get for the hanging sleeves. Your thoughts?
Oh, looking at the portrait again... I think the hanging sleeves are velvet, probably to match the cut velvet of the b&w skirt. Weellllll.... I don't think I want to do black velvet, considering the heat issue. I've also come to realize that while I would love to do up all the fine details of this outfit, that most likely will not happen. If it gets close, that will be lovely.
Anyway... suggestions from you all on the fabrics (the questions in blue above)? Is there another fabric type you would use instead (except dupioni, which is too slubby for my tastes).