Pictures of me in my underwear

Underwear is almost done! I have given up on getting the knitted stockings done in time, so I'm going to make a quick pair of linen ones and I need to finish up my camicia, but I'm getting close to being able to start the dress. I'm so excited!

For still unknown reasons possibly having something to do with recent weight loss and my general squishiness, the corset came out far too big. I trimmed off  6 tabs total and reassembled it and it is much closer now, but could probably stand to be taken in more. Right now it is super duper comfortable and I'm thinking I might want it a bit tighter. Especially since I'm losing weight right now and don't plan to wear the dress until December.

 
I made quite a few adjustments from the Effigy stays. I moved the seams to the sides since my body couldn't take the extreme shaping from the back seams. I also cut the back low instead of the high racer back of the Elizabethan bodies in order to work with the low back of the Venetian style. The long straps curve around to sit on the bottom of the shoulder. I know many people solve this problem by doing away with straps altogether, but I felt I needed the support. They're pretty much where I want them to be, but a little more fussing might be necessary after I saw what happened when I turned to show the back.

I'm really happy with how the petticoat turned out. It is flame orange dupioni silk lined in dark peach linen. The guards are the same canvas used in the corset, and they are edged in red grosgrain ribbon to echo the pigskin binding on the bodies.  Vecellio mentions farthingales being used in Italy in the 1590's and I did consider making one since the dress is such a late period style. I also had planned to do rope or wool felt in the hem at the very least. After I got the guards on, however, I decided the 5 rows of canvas and 10 rows of ribbon had given me enough stiffening. Additionally, I'm thinking about making matching sleeves and wearing this under a jacket in the English style as Laura Mellon mentions here and shows here.  Getting an extra outfit seemed like a fine idea and I love the color of the petticoat so getting to show it off is fun.

 My camicia from last year is far too open for this, so I'm cutting out a much less full one tonight and starting on that. I do think I'm going to do another lace inserted one though. I have a plain camicia but I always seem to wear this There's just something about the lace that makes me feel great.

I still need to decide on stocking color and if it will match the petticoat or the drawers. Might go with the former because the knitted stockings are blue and I will eventually finish them. Just not in the next month while sewing a dress.

Sent in my update for June

I kept hoping to finish more to have it to report so I've been procrastinating my update to Bella for the IRCC II but I finally just bit the bullet and sent it in today. Figured I should do some updating here too. Most of the last week has been spent working on a pair of Effigy style (ish) bodies for the petticoat bodies. I drafted them correctly the first time with the long angled seams in back, but it wasn't working with my body so I adapted the back from my side back lacing bodice pattern and put a seam at the side, then kept the shape of the Effigy from there forward. It doesn't have the dramatic shaping from the back seam, but since most of my intent is for smoothing and structure I think this will work just fine.

The fabric choices are kind of funny. I've been dithering over what I wanted to use and have gone shopping several times and come home empty handed. I actually pulled this canvas from my junk pile for use as a mock up. It was a $1.50 table find. I made it into a coat awhile back, but it has issues with fading when washed. Since the corset and silk skirt won't be washed in that manner I think it actually works great for this project. The firey orange silk was a gift from Maestra Bianca da Ravenna a couple of years ago. It's one of those fabrics that doesn't quite go with anything so it has been sitting in my stash, but it somehow matches the crazy red and orange of the canvas. I'm going to do wide guards to tie it in further. I've got the stays boned (130 bones/two packages of 36" duct ties later) and am cutting the binding now. I'm using a really soft red pigskin suede that I had originally planned to make embroidered Rus boots with. That keeps getting back-burnered so I decided to go ahead and use it rather than hoard it and replace it later if I got around to the boots. Working on the binding is this week's project and then I'll move on to stitching the far too many eyelets for the front lacing and the points at the waist tabs to tie on the skirt.

As you can see, work on the fan continues. I pulled off the clay ring from the bottom and intend to replace it with an eyebolt screwed into the wood armature so it will be more sturdy for hanging. I got the Apres sculpted in in the center medallion and blocked in the gryphons on the side. I've been fiddling with the Amazon a bit, trying to figure how to make her work on the back of the handle rather than just being plopped down on the front. The last attempt got pulled off, but I think I'm getting closer. The armature is just too wide, but it is too late to fix that so I'm adapting to it.