Tudor dress update pictures

[frualeydis]

My tudor dress, based mostly on the Holbein sketch of the More family is almost finished. What remains to do is to re-hem the kirtle that I shortened and make the plastron/stomacher and sew it to one side. I also need to buy some good reproduction brass pins to pin the sleeves with and so. Anyway,here are some preview pictures of the dress without the plastron a.k.a. the pregnant look.



The kirtle is a little big and won't keep my breasts compressed and lifted. For the non-pregnant look I will wear a corset under it so it won't be so noticeable, especially not with the plastron on top of it. But I couldn't wear the corset for the pregnant look. That's why it looks a little wonky on the sitting picture. And I have a pillow under the kirtle.

Comments

[frualeydis.livejournal.com]

I also think they wore normal clothing. I had a bit of a discussion on that earlier in my LJ. The dress laces to a V, closed at the waist and c. 15 cm open at the top. The plastron that isn't worn will be whipstitched ot one side and pinned to the other when the wearer isn't pregnant. The seam in front is opened more than it would be if the wearer wasn't pregnant and that's really the only differences. I probably should have made the sleeve holes smaller on the gown, that would have made the sleeves sit nice, but they aren't as tight on the earlier gowns as on for exampel Jane Seymour's.
But really. everything would have looked much better if teh kirtle had been tighter over the bust area and as I said: I'm tired of fixing the bodice of that kirtle. I will probably make another one instead. The kirtle is laced at the sides which gives flexibility for pregnancy while still being closed in front. Here's (http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/aleydis/costume/redkirtle.jpg) a picture.

I actually think the construction is correct and the problems are caused by inadequate sewing/fitting skills. And laziness. I will probably _have_ to fix the kirtle, but that means redoing all the lacing holes _and_ attaching the skirt again. By hand of course.

Unfortunately the velvet is only printed, but it looked so good I couldn't resist it. I see this as my "trial tudor". I will wear it to SCA events because it's pretty, but I will make another one later.

Eva

[myladyswardrobe.livejournal.com]

Is the kirtle stiffened at all? It looks from the additional picture as though its laced as tight as it can be at the bust which implies that its certainly too big there anyway. I can't tell if there is any buckrum or other stiffening in it.

Ninya has a great selection of different fabric swatches at Kentwell OD a week or so ago. One set was REAL buckrum which is stiffer than board! It was great stuff! I'm thinking of making a bodiced petticoat from it with minimal boning and see what happened with that!

Fabric WAS printed then - or painted though not sure it was as early as the More girls. Its very pretty though.

[frualeydis.livejournal.com]

No, it only has stiff linen in it. But the main problem is that it's too big. I have made several self-supporting 15th c. dresses and they look just right. I guess I just have to face it and take it apart. The thing is that you don't notice it with the corset under it and the plastron on so I don't feel as motivated as I should. Especially since I don't plan to get pregnant again.
You know how it is, you'd rather make something new than change stuff.

They had printed fabric even in the 13th century, I've seen some great examples, but I don't know about printed velvet in the 16th c.


And thank you for you kind and interested comments.

Eva

[myladyswardrobe.livejournal.com]

I know - sometimes its way more effort to take something apart than to make something new from scratch!!

Could the velvet pass for stamped velvet?

I'm ordering "REAL" stiff buckram from Whaley's. Ninya has swatches of it at KW open day and I was amazed at how stiff it was. It was like a board! I want to use it for my middle class kirtle and see if I can have a bodice that has minimal steel/rigilene boning in it.

Mine will be side laced as well - I want to be able to get into it easily without having to rely on Edmund to dress me all the time! After all, that what MOST women would have done. Its only the gentry and nobility who would have had huge amounts of help!