[AKA The frog princess]  Under Construction.

Updated 28th December 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 contingenc

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 embroidering, 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.




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.

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 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. 

There are two strips of lacing holes sewn in the front sewn through the lining to the ugly green layer,  so that there is less tension on the taffeta.  The two sides will be closed with hooks and eyes, and the two dozen covered buttons that I made will be put on the front (somehow).

Attaching the skirts

The fabric was sewn together, 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.

Next: Confessions of fudging.





Sources  (I'll organize the supporting information later)

Since my paranoia about copyright is in full flow, I'm just going to put in links to the relevant websites.  That way I can sleep at night.

Sleeve treatment:  (The amount of dithering I had over the sleeves...)

Paned shoulder treatment, probably with some kind of padded support to achieve the final shape, which will echo the shoulder rolls of the Patterns of Fashion.  Appears rather French,  as seen in the portrait of Isabel de Valois (1560) and Jeanne de Halluin (mid 16th) .  The fashion for puffs was also sometimes more sharp-edged, as seen in the portrait of Margaret of Parma (1562) or incoporated into the sleeves as in the Pheonix portrait (1575). 

There were also loose gowns which have the puffed sleeves, leaving the doublet to have simple  flat tabs (Jülich, Princess of Cleve and Berg).  These loose gowns were also partially closed and fitted, as shown by Eworth's Unknown Lady (1565-8).

Giovanna Feltria (1560's) is also a source.  Note the not-too-small not-too-big ruff, and the slightly loose sleeves.
 For the braid pattern we turn once again to Patterns of Fashion, but also Walter Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, something that I'm sure a great many women did to him during his time.
The 1580's-1600 saw shoulders with padded shoulder rolls, such as the doublet in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nurenberg.

^1. Arnold, Janet.  Patterns of Fashion: the cut and construction of clothes for men and women, c1560-1620.  London: Pan Macmillan, 1985.
            Margaret of Parma.  Antonio Mor 1562.  p.10
            Elizabeth I The Pheonix portrait.  p.9
            Germanisches Nationalmuseum doublet.  p. 107

^2. Dynasties: painting in Tudor and Jacobean England 1530-1630.  Edited by Karen Hearn.  London: Tate Publishing, 1995.  Published for the exhibition at the Tate Gallery, 12 October 1995- 7 January 1996.  

            Unknown Lady.  Eworth 1565-8.  p.72