[AKA The frog princess]  Under Construction.

Updated 9th April 2004

Trimmings will probabably be around the hem, possibly up the front of the split skirt. 
28/12/04  Decided on closed skirt, with stripes.

Of course, one must have a smock.  I've copied a blackwork design in the Victoria and Albert embroidery collection, from a sampler dated 1633 by someone named Mildred Mayon.  To spare my eyes, I did the blackwork twice the size that she did, so Mildred, if you're out there, I hope it was worth it.  Heck, she was probably about 6 years old.  Anyway, here's the picture.  The mini ruffs attached to the collar and cuffs were stiffened with flour and water, and pressed.  Hopefully they will act as miniature supportasses when the proper ruffs are made and attached.  The date of this whole outfit is sliding toward the "bird that swallowed a plate" era of ruffs, and I'm fighting it, but planning for every contingency.

Doublet

I mocked up a pattern based on the doublet in Pattern of Fashion (p.107) , transferred it to card.  I then worked out the pattern.  This was transferred to the green taffeta (synthetic, because I'm not made of money) and stiff net backing fabric that I had strapped to my embroidery frame.  I then started attaching braid, way back in December 2003.  The front panels took about 90 hours each in total, the back a little more.  After the main body had been finished, I did the skirts of the doublet (4 pieces), the collar (2 pieces) and the sleeves (11 pieces each).

Embroidery

The panels consist of stripes of cotton velvet bordered with braid, the spaces in between arranged to look like interlaced strips of embroidered cloth.  In the pictures the white basting thread is holding down the velvet, because I discovered that it frayed, making it very easy to pull away from the braid.  I've already had to replace one strip because of this. Despite the internal lacing, I am still slightly worried about the amount of tension that the taffeta is under.

Building

When the pieces were finished, I started building the thing.  I interlined it with heavy cotton, in the ugliest shade of green I have ever come across: "1970s kitchen green".  It was to this layer that I sewed the casings to for the bones.  I am using plastic ties for the first time, so this is a test.  They seem quite flimsy, but I figured it was relatively safe, as the braid means that the doublet is relatively bullet-proof  before boning, and my corset is very heavily boned.

It was lined in fine silk, and the collar was attached, with an extra layer of heavy cotton inside.  There are fine spring-steel bones at the centre back, and near the front on both sides, which cross the neck seam, and hold the collar up and relatively rigid.  The top edge is finished with a line of braid and a double folded layer of the silk satin.  I intend to clip this, but considering the way everything else has frayed, I am going to wait before doing this.

The skirts were basted to the bodice, then hundreds, thousands, millions of braid endings were attached together, then the lining was sewn over.  I'd rather not talk about it, actually, especially after I stuck the needle under my thumb.  Traumatised for life.

There are two strips of lacing holes in the shoulder, and sewn down the front through the lining to the ugly green layer,  so that there is less tension on the taffeta.  The two sides are closed with hooks and eyes, and the two dozen covered buttons that I made are down the front.  The buttons are actually false, as I couldn't attach large enough loops for the front to meet to my satisfaction.

Sleeves

The next stage was to create the sleeves.  These involved more building than usual- I prepared a padded form, quilted a thin layer of polyester batting to it, and tried it on.  At this point the plan as to have "hollow" shoulder treatments, but I had to add cotton additions to get the right shape and even with quilting, they would not hold their shape.  So I stuffed them with yet more polyester batting.  I could have used more authentic wool (which I don't have) or cotton (too heavy and felts easily) so icky polyester it was.  When I had finished I had to keep "the boys" apart, because together they looked like a pair of falsies!  I then stretched a layer of gathered black silk satin over the shape and over that attached the strips of embroidery.  The pattern on these is slightly different from the main body, because they looked quite bare without the central filling.  I am regretting this slightly; I think they might have looked fine after being attached.  They were also backed with the fine silk lining, and the whole was then stuck to the main body.  In some places, even with trimming, the arm seam is about a half inch thick, and I decided to make it all more difficult by putting in a line of velvet piping. 

Skirt

In the interests of authenticity, I suppose I should have made a kirtle, but the doublet was already suspiciously tight, so I didn't want to risk it.  The skirt has an un-period waistband, three stripes of velvet down the front and around the hem, and rolled pleats.  It is lined in black cotton.  The hem stiffening and the rolled pleats give it a pleasing triangle-ish shape, even without a hoop.

Ruff

I planned to do wrist and neck ruffs, but in the end I think that I will only wear the neck ruff.    According to various better internet costumers, it is more 'period' to gather into a neckband and then stretch to the figure-of-eight, so that is what I have chosen to do.  There is a narrow bank of lace on the edge, and I have put in one or two stitches to hold the '8s' in place.  I used this as an excuse to try out rice starch, which seems to work well.

Finally: the Hat

Ohhhh, it's glorious!  I wanted one of those delicious tall hats to sit at a saucy angle, with curving feathers and all that.  I played around with cardboard to get the right shape, and finally ended up with an oval brim and a circular crown.  I then used Sempstress' experience and then spent a weekend sticking everything together with bits of paper and a gluestick.  The outside was covered in fleece to soften the line of the cardboard, and the inside and underbrim had a layer of cotton glued on.  I had to work out the order of work to try and make sewing such an awkward shape easier. I lined the crown (black satin), covered the outside (green taffeta) and pleated it down.  Then the top of the brim (green taffeta) was sewn over the pleats, and the bottom (black satin) was sewn to it at the edge of the brim.  The last seam was inside, at the join of crown and brim, and then hidden by a 'hatband' of bias satin.  The decoration is a strip of velvet twisted with braid.  And feathers, of course.  I think that I am going to have to rig a strip of elastic to sit it securely at the aforementioned saucy angle.