Last pearl is finally stitched on the mantellina

I've apparently been getting the word wrong. I originally ran across the article of clothing at Mistress Belphoebe's site.
From there I dug a little and found three portraits in the Realm of Venus' selection of portraits. Two are by Licino and the third by Catena, all of them in the 1520-30's.

They remind me a great deal of modern fur stoles, especially the Licino ones which are squared in the front and have interestingly shaped hems.

I didn't have enough fur around to make something this full, but Davey had picked up a beautiful chocolate brown shearling hide to play with. He brought it over for me to look at and I swiped it and cut out the mantellina right then since I had the outer cut from brown velvet. The ones in the portraits might be velvet, might be fur. I really can't tell. I ran across Katherine's mantellina and her discussion of the mentions of them in Moda a Firenze Kat lists wool,taffeta,satin,and velvet with ermine lining. Red is the most popular color listed. Embroidery of gold and decorative frogs are also mentioned. As I don't have a copy of Moda (yet) I haven't done my own reading. I'm really grateful for her summary of options other than the dark and plain ones in the portraits. Not that dark fur isn't beautiful on its own, but I like playing with embellishment.

It's gone through a few design changes. There was the moment of peach flowers. Then I moved on to trying some cutwork to expose one of my favorite flaming orange silks. I designed something that I hope looks like my Krin/fleur on a heart, but isn't so detailed that it is out of style with cutwork designs.

The velvet has a bit more stretch than would have been ideal, especially with the curved shape having most of the mantellino on the bias. When I clipped the krins, it sagged out of place and refused to lay nicely. I didn't interface the velvet or treat the edges. It was a conscious choice, but I wouldn't do it that way again. In trying to come up with a solution, I decided to add some pearls to further decorate the points where I tacked the cutwork motifs in to place.

I'm mostly happy with how it ended up, but it was another of my harebrained decisions. In adding the pearls, I could not use a glover's needle that would have made it easier to put the tacks through the velvet and silk in to the leather of the shearling. I needed a small pair of needle nose pliers to pull the embroidery needle through the leather after awhile as my fingers got cramped and full of holes. I ended up bending about 7 needles in the process of putting the 351 pearls in place. It's not that many pearls, but it certainly seemed like more.

Originally, I had a collar on this, but the curve of the mantle was sitting too far up on my neck once I finished it. I took it off and re-cut the back neckline. I was going to add the collar back on, but decided to keep it closer to the portrait shapes. The largest reason for this is the general lack of collars in the 1530's dresses/partlets/etc. After spending some significant time looking at partlet styles over the last couple of days, a collarless mantle seemed more correct. It is also more in keeping with Katherine's mention of the wearing of mantellinas under other coats for additional warmth. With the oversized baragoni of the dress, trying to stuff more under the zimmara didn't seem like much fun or at all comfortable.

I'd toyed with some gold frogs or edging the mantel in a gold lace, or maybe putting a flat gold braid on the inside of the cutwork, outlining a border. I'm afraid it would further downplay the cutwork and the contrast from the orange. I'm open to suggestions, however, and to be contradicted since I want this to pop and look as finished as it can, especially after all the time spent on it so far. In the meantime, I added a subtle antiqued bronze clasp I've had in stash for a couple of years. It has vaguely heart shapes in the filigree and the color blends nicely in to the velvet. I'm declaring victory and moving on.

Colds stink, but at least I get to go shopping

I did not, in fact, get the mantellino done yesterday. Grumble, grumble, blargh! I didn't get much of anything done at all. Big kids stayed home from school sick and everyone was stuffed up and whiny. Especially me.

The mantellino was all bunchy and sat badly in the back, so I drafted Davey to help me re-mark the neck curve as well as help me figure the waist for the petticoat. He was kind enough to pick up leather for gloves for me and dropped it off, then I ambushed him for assistance. Poor guy gets caught up in a lot of my schemes.

The curve is MUCH lower in the back than I would ever have guessed. It makes sense, I suppose, since the entire point of the "baby mantle" is just to cover the cold spot made by a low cut front on the dress. I'm re-cutting it today and pushing forward with the last few pearls. I still need to decide if I'm going to add further embellishment. Maybe some gold trim along the edge. Deciding on closures for the front would help that decision a great deal. nothing has jumped out to be something I adore. Maybe I'll tie some frogs. I suppose I could do hooks and eyes and not have a decorative closure.

Looking for closures is on today's shopping agenda. As is buying Sculpy and some chain to do the necklace in the portrait. I stripped one of my belly dance pendants in an attempt to come up with another option for making the pendant and am going to fiddle with that as well. We'll see what develops. Cable ties for bodice boning are also on the list along with thread, possibly something for the partlet, and a few other notions. Why yes, it is payday.

I did another couple of inches of blackwork on the garters and Davey brought over buckles when he brought the leather. We're driving down to my mom's Christmas party Saturday and will be out of town all weekend, so I plan to get some serious work done on them in the next couple of days as they are the best traveling project I have.

So, in general, progress continues. I am a little worried that its going to have to stop again so I can work on my kids' Christmas presents, but we'll see how that goes.

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.