Cheating with a sari

[frualeydis]

I'm making another 12th century bliaut. I am even going to make it fitted at the waist, ignoring the fact that I'm way too fat for that style. From a period perspective I mean - I've seen lovely ladies larger than me looking stunnign in bliauts. On the other hand, just being this fat is un-period ;) And surviving a hole where the duodenum connects to the stomach, which I did one year ago. So I'll just give up on any tries to be perfectly period here :)

Anyway, I have already tried out the the contested bliaut-with-a-waist-seam-theory once, and while it was very pretty and worked well I would have preferred a rectangular cut without waist seam and a skirt that widens with gores this time. Unfortunately saris don't come that wide, and since I'm going to use a purple silk sari I will make it with a waist seam.



The fancy part with lots of gold will somehow be used to make a border around the neckhole, but I haven't figured out how yet. For now I'm just starting with sewing the skirt together.
Unlike my green bliaut (linked to above) this one will not have straight panels for the skirt, but slightly gored pieces. Like this:



If anyone wonders why the skirt pieces are made with an upward curve it is to compensate for the fact that I can't curve the skirt at the hem if I want to keep the gold border.
I think it will be pretty. Or maybe handsome, because while the hanging sleeves aren't that common on men in illuminations this is pretty much a unisex style.
St George, looking saintly unkempt in hair and beard, but very fashionable otherwise.

Comments

[starlightmasque.livejournal.com]

Beautiful plans!

[frualeydis.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I finished the skirt while listening to a couple of chapters from "Harry Potter and the goblet of fire" tonight, and I hope to be well enough to tackle the bodice and sleeves tomorrow.

/Eva

[kareina.livejournal.com]

How wide do saris come? My old blue and red bliuat was made with rectangles and triangles from fabric only about 70 cm wide (twice the width of my, admitidly, narrow shoulders).

That said, I think it will probably be prettier using that fabric with fewer seams than I used in mine...

[frualeydis.livejournal.com]

It's 110 cm wide, which absolutely wouldn't be a problem if I didn't want to use the side borders as hem. So I'm using it in the "wrong" direction.

Period silks were much narrower only 30-50 cm wide, or thereabout.

/Eva

[kareina.livejournal.com]

So, just because I am curious, if you had instead chosen to cut off the side borders to use as a an attached hem, how wide would that have left the middle bit?

[frualeydis.livejournal.com]

Mayne 90 cm, but the thing is that the whole fabric has a pattern with gold woven in to it and that pattern has a direction, so I had to wear the fabric in the direction thatit was intended to be worn.

/Eva

[kareina.livejournal.com]

That does complicate things!

[merastra.livejournal.com]

Oooh, that's going to be really pretty! I like your idea to curve the top seam so as to keep the bottom border. Clever. :-)

[flummoxicated.livejournal.com]

Seriously lovely stuff there.

[jillwheezul.livejournal.com]

I'm looking forward to seeing it!