To start the fitting process, apply some sort of lacing rig to the side seams. I've used safety pins. I've also used just a cord machine stitched down the armhole edges and twine to lace it up with. Do this first as it's much more awkward to do with the front and back...
Now that you have a proto pattern civilized from the duct tape, and starched fabric, it's time to quilt the fabric layers together by machine. This is a machine approximation of hand pad stitching. Before you can quilt you need to take a look at the fabric you have on...
My lady wife Morgan Staghold kindly generated cutting diagrams for me for this project. With 52 individual pieces out of the cream velveteen and another 52 pieces out fo the black velveteen, having a cutting diagram was crucial for the most efficient use of my...
Now that you have pattern pieces, it's time to begin fashioning the inner structure, "the guts", of your bodice. There is no set-in-stone rule for this. If you are of a slight build with an A cup, you could get away with two layers of quilting cotton, starched and...
For this 1490s Venetian underdress, I choose a lightweight-- almost tropical weight-- teal wool from Pendleton's. This wool was purchased as two 3-yard remnants. I found a lovely jacquard trim on Etsy to compliment it. The trim came in the same pattern in two...
To get from feral tape double, to a useable pattern, we need to civilize it. I start by cutting it apart at the seams lines, and further removal of excess at armholes and below the waistline. Once I have the pieces in question laid out, I take a good look at them and...
Venetian bodices, within the entirety of the 16th century, are at the very least moderately supportive, to highly supportive and figure-shaping. The proper fit, small enough to compress and mold the body where it should and large enough for comfort, is critical. In...
The detail above is taken from the Vittore Carpaccio painting The Departure of Ceyx. While the painting is assumed to be dated 1502-1507, the styles of dresses worn by the women within this painting are clearly of the 1490s decade. A complete outfit at this...
Doesn't look like much now, does it? This is the beginning of the Great Floofening! This is 8 yards of very light-weight pale pink-peach silk taffeta that is cut into panels and hung up to keep it safe from my cat Minimew. The joining of the inner layer panels was...
The pattern for the overdress is the same as the underdress but the front is not cut on a fold and instead has a deep U-shape at the center. I started with 2 layers of cotton duck for both bodice fronts, the bodice back, and both straps. I then machine-quilted these...