It's loosely based on the 1550's Italian styles. It did look rather cute with my beaded belt I got at Pennsic a couple of years ago. The bodice is one of my own patterns (I forgot it's a Venetian styled bodice pattern so there is a gap in the upper back - whoops!), and the skirt is nothing more than your typical rectangle (I did the hem funny so it would lay straight), and the sleeves are trapezoids.
However, I did try something new with the sleeves. I added ribbon loops that are sewn into the top of the sleeve so I could have buttons on the bodice straps rather than ties.
It worked pretty well, actually. I need to fix one loop since it's too big but the look was rather nice. Or I think, at least!
The dress itself is out of uncut corduroy - you can get it at Joanns for about $6 a yard if you have a coupon, if not cheaper. It has the look of suede or velveteen which is nice. It's also warm! The forepart is out of poly taffeta flocked with black velvet damask - not my typical type of fabric but it looked pretty. :-) The actual skirt is out of a dark gray/black linen I got at Wally World for $1.50 a yard! Woohoo! And I still have a lot more.
With that project done, I'm on to the next. I'm working on a Robe a La Francaise that I'm not excited about after finding some great trim this weekend.
The color is off but you can see the bolt of silk taffeta (it's really a lovely shade of teal; just like Madame Pompadour's famous gown) and the gold lace with mauve trim. I need to find some matching ribbon for the stomacher.
Last night, I fixed my stays (sorry, no photos yet!) since I had ripped them at 12th Night. We went over a speed bump and the thread broke loose on one side. It was an easy fix and I re-enforced that seam now. I also re-enforced a lot of the other seams to prevent that from happening again.
I cut out the pocket hoops using the Period Impressions pattern. The pocket hoops are out of this cotton:
It's really sort of a sea green color. I have plenty of hoop boning to hammer out these hoops. I can then, at least, start on the petticoat. I plan on doing a mockup of the gown in the next couple of days.
In preparation for the trim of this Francaise, I found a pair of pinking shears! Ones that aren't sawtooth!
I really hope these work on fabric well. The edge they are supposed to do looks awesome and should be cool for the 18th Century. The one review looks promising and they are cheap enough that I won't cry if they don't work. We'll see!
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