Still fussing with it, but it is a dress at this point.

The skirt has been on for a few days now, so I technically have a dress, and I've been trying it on and fussing with fit and the way the train drapes. Today's project is to take off about two inches from the top of the shoulder strap. While it technically fits if I stand very, very straight, I think trimming them will be more comfortable in the long run. The straps are individually finished and then whip stitched together, so it shouldn't be a big deal to make the adjustment.

I'm also considering another row of trim on the bodice both for looks and to further anchor the lacing strips.

The biggest issue is the drape of the train. I don't know if the petticoat is not full enough or the hem isn't stiff enough, or what the issue is, but the train just seems a little blah. The skirt is basically the shaped layout of the Eleonora Pisa dress (Thanks once again to Katerina de Brescia for all her fabulous online information at Purple Files so I didn't have to take sketches from Moda di Firenze and figure it out myself.)  I knew I wanted more fullness, so my panels are larger to allow for deep pleats. There is about 7 yards of 60 wide fabric in the skirt.  Which is why I can't figure out why it feels so skimpy.  I'm going to add a bit more stiffening to the hem and perhaps try a farthingale/bumroll.  I know what you're thinking, "Italians didn't use them." Not true actually.  Vecellio mentions them in use in 1590. While they weren't in use earlier, in this late style I could utilize one.  I feel like I'm already wearing tons of individual pieces though and already plan to add partlet, ruff, and shoulder ruffs, so I'm hoping a little more stiffening will get me what I'm hoping for.

Sprinting to the end

I've changed my mind multiple times on my project for the Artemisian Costuming Challenge and hemmed and hawed about what I was doing. Back and forth between Russian and Italian and in the process time has run out on me. The deadline is in basically a month, so I'm going to have to buckle down and run to the end.

Since my IRCC dress would actually count for the ACC according to the rules of the challenge, I decided doing another Italian would be the best idea since I could fill in with pieces of the IRCC ensemble for things I don't get done. I'm going to do the Lotto gown, as I've got the hat pretty much done already, the mantellino in progress and a few other bits and pieces in process.

I also made the soccaccia, a couple of girdles and other bits of jewelry, and have the muff almost done. Since I'd like to get back to posting on a daily basis, I'm going to wait and show those one at a time and talk about sources and such separately rather than putting everything in a pile today.

So, today's project is a tassel bag. I wasn't really happy with the IRCC one, so I've been working on doing a better version this time around. I'm pretty happy with this one. The picture also gives a glimpse of the fabrics I'm using for this project. The dress will be orange and blue instead of the orange and green of the portrait. I'm using a smoky/frosty blue dupioni and the rosy orange dupioni silk that I used to line my red dress. Both are stash fabrics and, while not as nice as a taffeta, are a step up from the cotton brocades I'd originally thought to use. I splurged and spent $14 of my $100 budget on a half yard of upholstery fabric for the muff and this bag. Not that easy finding something to match my crazy fabric choices, so I was happy to find it.

The tassel bag is an attempt to make a tasseled round bottomed drawstring pouch worn on long strings over the dress. It hangs low on the skirt. There are two portraits in Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion showing this. Illustration 40 is Parisian and 52 is Dutch and I've found a few in other portraits from a variety of countries. Here's a French example from 1581. This print by Jacques de Gheyn II is from slightly before 1600 (de Gheyn stopped engraving in 1600 and was active from the 1580's.) It is a lower class individual, but it has the flap top in addition to the rounded drawstring purse shape.

Album Amoricum of a German Soldier dated 1595 has a number of them pictured, including this lady and this one.

Bags and purses seem to be much like modern ones, with shape size and preference shifting a bit according to the whims of the wearer. I wanted something with a bit more structure after my plain unstructured tassel bag. Looking around, I took inspiration from this German bag made in 1596 and this French tasseled bag from 1595
Although this is later (17th century) I liked the tassels and feel of this Italian coin purse at LACMA

I knew I wanted some structure, lots of tassels, a covered opening, and to be able to use the nifty metal mount I had picked up at a garage sale awhile back attached to a really sad pouch with an elastic opening. I cut the flap to match the mount and then tried to figure out how to give it some structure as I didn't have a purse ring. What I ended up doing was cutting a thick piece of leather that stiffens the back section even with the width of the flap. It also helps the bag hang nicely rather than droop. Then I cut two wide tear drop shapes from my fabric and lined the bag and flap with a blue linen that I'll be using as the lining for the dress as well. I placed buttonhole slits around the top edge and inserted a drawstring. It's a plain piece of grosgrain ribbon with a sliding bead to tighten it. I finished the bag off with little tassels made from the fringe I'll be eventually edging my parasol with and beads left over from my girdle. At present I'm planning to attach a short length of chain to each side of the stiffened section and bring them up to a single attachment point that will attach to another longer piece of chain that attaches to either a pin or my girdle directly. I haven't sewn the chain on yet as I'm going to have to buy the long chain for this and it might not match my short pieces. Or I may change my mind as I dig in stash a bit further since I'd prefer not to spend any of my budget on that.

Anyway, I'm back working on this and determined to finish by the New Year's Eve deadline.

This amuses me

I was up late last night (early maybe?) after being awoken by my younger son and was browsing portraits when i came upon this one and then had to stay up until I figured out what in the world is going on in the right corner. What is that attached to her girdle? It's not a zibellino. What IS it?

The title I found it listed under was doing nothing to help me; just a standard "Portrait of a Woman." This one is by Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo. After a bit of hunting I found a further title. "Portrait of a Woman as St. Margaret." That opened it up. Its a dragon. This is an allegorical portrait of a woman as St. Margaret of Antioch. Martyred in 304 AD, she is another virtuous woman of Old Rome put forward as an ideal to be emulated. The dragon is one of her symbols. I seem to keep finding these type of portraits and falling in love with them. The Lotto gown I love is also an allegorical portrait of a famous virtuous woman. Also in a strange pose. Margaret here has a furrowed brow and that great turn of her arm that makes her look so tough, while Lucretia has that "masculine pose." For more on the furrowed brow, check out this interesting article by Clare Renkin.

I really like the quirkiness of these and the fancy dress/dress-up aspect of them. The layers of meaning while still getting to wear something fashionable. I'm sort of tempted to find my own woman of historical virtue and define her allegorical dress as an exercise. Or maybe just make a stuffed dragon to wear attached to my girdle.

Sorry, I got distracted

I was hoping to have good progress pictures of the mantellino by now.  I spent much of last night sewing together the lining and its really yummy.  My partner in craft/crime Davey came over with lunch yesterday and brought the most beautiful chocolatey brown shearling hide.  He'd bought it for vague projects.  I instantly stole it and decided I should use it to line my muff and make a Russian hat.  After a few more thinks I decided to line the mantellino in it too.  I cut out the mantellino lining right then which took most of the hide so now I need another for the muff.  He's been sent back to the leather store (not that he wouldn't have gone anyway.)   Its just buttery soft and lovely and a pleasure to work with.  I'd never seen such a pretty color of brown either, being more used to the goldish and white that is usually seen.  I now want to line a silk caftan in it.  Yum, yum, yummy!  Not to mention, with his wholesaler's discount, its actually cheaper than many fabrics.

Anyway, the new lining had me re-think the embellishment on the mantellino.  I decided to not do the flowers and do some cutwork instead.  So, the silk is becoming an intermediate layer between the shearling and the velveteen in both the cape and muff.  I'm shaping the cutwork to be basically the krin symbol.  I've seen some cutwork that is basically floral and stylizing the heart and fleur motif wasn't too difficult   I'm just doing it as a border around the edge rather than over the whole cloak.  I got the shearling sewn and attached to the silk and 8 of the cutwork motifs cut.  20 more to go around the bottom edge. 

Today's plan was to finish cutting and start the hand sewing of the shell to the lining and silk.  Instead, I lost my cell phone and got distracted by pockets.  I wear skirts by preference and rarely have pockets in them and thus have a tendency to hold my cell phone in my hand and put it down on random surfaces.  Then, my 16 month old son has a tendency to pick it up.  That's when the trouble begins.  So, I've been thinking about making some tie on pockets to wear with my everyday clothes.  Goofy, I know, but practical.  Then, I found this giant database of hundreds and hundreds of pockets of the 17-19th centuries.  So that has been what I've been doing instead of cutting and sewing.  I've been drooling over embroidery and patchwork and applique and all sorts of beautiful and plain pockets. I'm a total patchwork addict and many of my skirts are patchy so those are my favorites.

I'd say I'll get the mantellino done tomorrow but I'm eventing over the weekend, so who knows.  It is a handwork project, however, so I'll at least pack it with the very best of intentions of working on it.

Starting the mantellino

Went playing in my stash to find something to wear over the dress. With something as bright as my orange and blue that's a bit harder than it sounds. I found a lovely thick dupioni that I've had for years in a really nice copper penny color that I decided would make a good lining since I just don't have large enough pieces of fur to line with that. Then there was the issue of what to use as the outside that wouldn't fight with the oranges. I finally settled on 3 cotton velveteens; a charcoal, a deep brown, and a black. The black was discarded as being too "Halloweeny" as much as I liked it. The charcoal just didn't pop, so my mantellino has become sort of harvesty in brown and copper. After this search and seeing what I have in textured bottomweights, I think the muff is going to be in the brown as well. As much as I wanted blue, all I've got is a fine wale cord with a rather blah color, the fabric I'm using in the dress, and a navy silk that's got a gold and green open plaid. Nothing suitable at all. I guess this way I get something that goes with more things however.

Now I've just to to settle on the decoration. I know I want to tie some frogs for the fastenings but am not sure on the color. I'm thinking about using some of the flowers and lotus buds from the salvage operation and maybe couching a pattern around them in gold cord. The other option is to do some cutwork or pinking and show off the lining. Lining is cut and the collar is on, but its just sitting here until I decide what I want to do. Guess I'll sleep on it.

Lotto Gown Master List

I've been making a list of the accessories and new things I'd like to try for this gown as well as the things that won't match from the other gown.  I'm sure I'll add and subtract from it as I go along, but I figured it was best to have a starting plan.

Mantellino-- The gollar type.  Watching Siwsan with her cuddle fur and Fiametta with her gollar in the evenings when the bugs come out and the temperature drops has convinced me that I need one of these.  I don't normally think of myself as getting cold, but that may well be because I've usually got multiple layers (veil, dress, collar. and coat) wrapped around my neck.  Having a little extra to cover the neck and shoulders seems like a fine idea.

Loose gown/zimmara--  I started one in blue and gold with a pomegranate pattern in the print.  It was supposed to be an Elizabethan style one, but it really has a lot taken from Italian engravings.  I've been making all the trim and dozens and dozens of threadworked buttons and sort of stalled on it.  Its been begun within the year so it meets the challenge requirements.  I think it will work okay with the dress colors and I need the deadline excuse to finish it.  It has sleeves and the decoration is much more complex than the one I threw together for the IRCC.

Muff-- I just love the envelope style type with the buttons.  My other one is red and this one could be blue.  That's my entire excuse.

Flag fan-- I adore the elephant one that Cara (Hannah) made for the IRCC as well as the one Aurora (April) made that had the lyrics to a song printed on it.  I'd like to do something similarly interesting for my fan this time.  Possibly something heraldic since heraldic display is an a&s category and thus I could get some bonus points (yes, I am a dweeb.)

Stockings-- I really like my green ones, but the loose weave linen I used has already needed to be darned.  I want to make a more heavy duty pair.


Garters--  Seems a good excuse to practice my tablet weaving.  I also like the buckles that Marguerite put of Serafina's garters.  Its hard to resist buckles.  They seem so much nicer than knots for some reason.  Also I just love the blue and orange combo (they're my two favorite colors) and want more accessories in it.

Shoes-- I'd like to do a pair with hand stitching and of a little heavier weight than my rather fragile slippers.

Zoccoli-- Maybe a shorter pair of plainer patten type overshoes that are more wearable and less ostentatious.  That's a big maybe though, I'm really not sure how motivated I am on this one.

Dress-- pretty self explanitory

Petticoat-- I'd like another one.  Less full and heavy than my cartridge pleated, heavily lined underskirt of doom.  Don't get me wrong, I love, love, love it, but I'd like other options.  I'd also like to experiment with more cording and do some decoration.  Maybe even play with some trapunto quilting or some applique.

Camicia-- I'd like to have a back-up plain one.  I get a bit nervous about spills since I only have the one.

Soccacia-- I was just blown away by Aurora's embroidered pocket in voided work.  I'd like to do something a bit more fun than my plain brocade one.  Also, I made mine rather small (It's perfect for keys and my cell phone) I'd like to make a larger one.

Needlecase-- I want to take another run at this.  I've been thinking about what I did wrong the first time.

Drawers-- I may try doing the embroidered ones I didn't get around to the first time.  Again, this one is iffy and depends on just how motivated I get.

Hat-- whatever we're calling it.  I'm leaning toward capigliara..

Partlet/scarf thing-- much less structured than the one for the Camilla dress.  This is going to be something I'm going to have to purchase fabric for.  I just don't have anything close to being right for the fine sheer gold it is.

Necklace--Since this is such a distinctive piece I wants it. Obviously, I'm going to have to sculpt it myself however.  Aine http://zibiesjewelrysewing.blogspot.com/was telling me about a metallic powder she's been using lately that anneals to the clay and gives a more metallic finish than other things she's used since it actually is metal.  It seems much easier than the precious metal clay I was looking at so I may give it a try.

Earrings-- none in the portrait but I'll probably do some anyway since I love earrings.

Bracelet-- considering something

Gloves-- I have a pair cut and would like to finish them

Parasol-- I fell deeply in love with Christa's heraldic parasol she made for the IRCC and I adore my fringey one.  It was so fun to go walking with it at Coronation, so I think I'd like to try painting one.  Since that means I'm going to have to order some silk I'll probably do some banners as well.  We'd talked on Garb Girls (an informal facebook sewing group with a lot of the kingdom seamstresses on it) about doing some banners for the Kingdom.  The Province could use some new ones, and I want some.  Buying the larger amount of silk should make the stuff I use for my parasol either scrap or at least inexpensive enough to go into my budget nicely.

Handkerchief-- I did drawnthread work on Serafina's towel and have been wanting to do something for myself since so this seems like a good opportunity.

So, here goes.  Time to get started.  At least my research time is going to be significantly less this round.  I hope.

Lots of string, not much progress

I've been wrapping chopsticks in wool yarn and baking it in a low oven and making curls.  I've also been boning the inner layer of the bodice.  Like I said, lots of string and not much progress.  I figure I have about a third of the curls I need, depending on what I end up using for the foundation of the hat.  It would be going faster if I had more chopsticks.  I'm doing them 10 at a time.  Had to stop for today and wait for evening since even a low oven is making the house unbearable.


I've got most of one side of the front of the bodice boned.  I didn't have the thick hemp so I'm doing multiple strands of a heavy cotton cord.  Not so sure its going to substitute since I have such a squishy shape, but I guess I can always make a corset for underneath instead if it really goes poorly.  At least that's what I keep telling myself.  I really don't want to go buy cable ties.  Not for any particular reason, I just want to make this dress a "free" one from entirely stash materials.  My September personal challenge is to not buy any crafting materials.  It really shouldn't be hard since I have a large stash of stuff, but there always seems to be something I just don't have.

"Her eyes, brown as fir cones in autumn, scattered laughter."

I think I have a new hero. Isabella d'Este, the Marchesa of Mantua. How can you resist a woman called "First Lady of the World?" Sure, her husband had Lucrezia Borgia for a mistress, but Isabella was known far and wide for being a more competent ruler. She was the fashion idol of Anne of Brittany, twice Queen of France. On top of it all, she invented a hat.

She created and promoted the zazara (at least according to Paola Tinagli in Women in Italian Renaissance Art: Gender, Representation, Identity.)  I'm still in preliminary research mode on these, but they seem to be the large balloony type of headpiece, often sort of shaped like pumpkins, even down to the ribs.  More totally round than a balzo, they don't have the shape that starts close to the head and projects back into the characteristic bulbous shape.  Here are a few more for good measure.   

My only issue now is, due to a lack of research and true definition, I can't decide if the frothy confection of curls and bows Lucretia is wearing on her head is a zazara, a balzo, or something else entirely.  That isn't going to stop me from making it.  I've got wool yarn coiled on skewers baking in the oven as I type this, getting ready to play with.  What it IS going to do is add another dress to my "must make" list.  I'm going to have to make something with a clearly defined zazara and possibly one form one of Isabella's portraits.  I love the Ruben's portrait, as well as the Titian I've got there at the left (painted when she was 60, she forced him to repaint her with a young face-- her own version of plastic surgery.)  I am SO getting sucked into this Italian.  Total slippery slope here folks.