DISTRACTION!!!!

I got my copy of Seventeenth Century Women's Dress Patterns yesterday. SQUEEEEEEE! This is just an amazing book. Once I finish the IRCC, my next project is a jacket to wear with my embroidered coif. This book is going to help with that. Its got gridded patterns of 4 different extant jackets with copious detailed pictures of the embroidery and line redrawings for clarity, charted patterns for the lace, construction sequence, conjectured pattern layouts, x-rays of the garments so you can see non-visible interior details. Etc. Etc. There are 33 pictures of the Layton jacket alone. Swoon.

That's just the jackets, by the way. There is also a slashed satin bodice, knitted waistcoat with knitting diagrams, an embroidered linen mantle, a linen smock with lace insertions, a linen and lace hood, an embroidered coif and forehead cloth, a linen band and cuffs, an embroidered linen and partlet and sleeve panels that mimics the look of a jacket work under a dress, a linen kerchief, embroidered linen gloves, and embroidered leather gloves all dated from between 1600-1630. All get the same super detailed treatment. I already was dreaming of attending The School of Historic Dress. After this book its become an actual priority to get my skills to the level where I could take a summer class in a couple of years. Wow. Just wow. This is just the first volume too. There's more in the works.

So, that's what I spent the day doing. I drooled over my new book. Started an apron as well though. Should finish it today and you'll get to see it tomorrow.