Pracrastination and indecision have taken their toll again. While I have been making nice progress on the stuff that has no deadline, events where I need something to wear are pointing out that they are around the corner. I have nothing that fits. Neither does my husband. We are going to Solstice on December 12th, which also happens to be our 12th anniversary. He hasn't gone to a court event in a few years and everything he owns is at least 7 years old, worn out and sized for a man whose metabolism hadn't become acquainted with his 30's. I haven't made myself anything new in at least 2 years and have had a gastric bypass. I'm 90 pounds lighter than I was this summer and very oddly shaped. Thus, I have 18 days to make 2 outfits from the skin out.
I've considered and discarded at least 4 concepts over the last few weeks. Since I haven't jumped at doing them, I'm moving on to something else. This portrait by Bernardino del Conti caught my eye when I was searching for what to do for IRCC 5. It is kind of quirky, has high contrast color, and drips with tassels. Thus it screams my name. I purchased 25 yards of tasseled trim in a pinky red and gold at Home Fabrics for a ridiculously good deal last spring and got some gold silk taffeta from
Golden Silks when she had her taffeta and dupionis for under $5 a yard last summer. I'm reminding myself of that fact so I hopefully won't worry too much about using them and/or having any sewing accidents due to the limited time frame.
It is a pretty early dress, so I draped a short bodice. It is hard to tell how long the bodice is in the portrait, but the time period tends to demand the shorter ones. Likewise the trinzale (hair cap/scarf deelie) points to this being Milanese. I'm using this engraving of a Milanese lady to inform the patterning. There is also an
amazing terracotta portrait bust by Gian Cristoforo Romano held in the Kimbell Museum in Texas that is playing a part in this.
The early look seems like it will be a lot of fun. And hopefully at least a little less fussy to make than the later heavily structured dresses. The only major stumbling block is that my husband really would prefer to wear a later men's look, so we won't be matching. Not the end of the world there either. I think I'm just going to make him something non-specific. I previously made him a doublet and Venetians using the Margo Anderson pattern (
hey look, proof that his clothes are really only 4 years old, not 7.) I think knocking out another version in better materials (
so I don't have the really awful gaping and cheesy gold trim) should have him looking dapper. I have a lovely red wool that should be a close enough coordinate to my dress. Red is his favorite color as well, so we can be slightly Christmassy in our choice of fabrics.
I've considered and discarded at least 4 concepts over the last few weeks. Since I haven't jumped at doing them, I'm moving on to something else. This portrait by Bernardino del Conti caught my eye when I was searching for what to do for IRCC 5. It is kind of quirky, has high contrast color, and drips with tassels. Thus it screams my name. I purchased 25 yards of tasseled trim in a pinky red and gold at Home Fabrics for a ridiculously good deal last spring and got some gold silk taffeta from Golden Silks when she had her taffeta and dupionis for under $5 a yard last summer. I'm reminding myself of that fact so I hopefully won't worry too much about using them and/or having any sewing accidents due to the limited time frame.
It is a pretty early dress, so I draped a short bodice. It is hard to tell how long the bodice is in the portrait, but the time period tends to demand the shorter ones. Likewise the trinzale (hair cap/scarf deelie) points to this being Milanese. I'm using this engraving of a Milanese lady to inform the patterning. There is also an amazing terracotta portrait bust by Gian Cristoforo Romano held in the Kimbell Museum in Texas that is playing a part in this.
The early look seems like it will be a lot of fun. And hopefully at least a little less fussy to make than the later heavily structured dresses. The only major stumbling block is that my husband really would prefer to wear a later men's look, so we won't be matching. Not the end of the world there either. I think I'm just going to make him something non-specific. I previously made him a doublet and Venetians using the Margo Anderson pattern (hey look, proof that his clothes are really only 4 years old, not 7.) I think knocking out another version in better materials (so I don't have the really awful gaping and cheesy gold trim) should have him looking dapper. I have a lovely red wool that should be a close enough coordinate to my dress. Red is his favorite color as well, so we can be slightly Christmassy in our choice of fabrics.
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