Calontir Clothing Challenge - end of Nov 2020 Update

As with last month, most of my time has been taken up with SCA officer commitments, and the Challenge has been temporarily put aside. I have finally decided on a specific mid-sixteenth century Italian noble lady’s gown, and I will now be using blue cotton drill fabric.

Add cPaolo Caliari (Veronese), 1561: Detail from fresco at Villa Barbaroaption

The pale coat I have already cut out will work well with the blue dress that I am planning, especially as white cutwork sleeves and decorative elements on the bodice and sleeve head will work well. I managed to obtain some white cotton to line the coat, and that has been laundered and is waiting to be cut out and sewn.

The collarless white linen partlet that I have already made will go perfectly with the dress I have chosen, but I have also cut out another in white cotton voile with a lozenge pattern. It has been sewn up with enclosed seams and is waiting for hand hemming.

  Cutting out the partlet pieces

The design on the voile fabric

Partlet pieces waiting to be sewn 

The partlet ready to be hand finished and hemmed

 I would also like to make a net partlet out of ribbon, but that is likely to be time-consuming and the voile partlet will be a good stand-in if I don’t get it done in time. I am considering using grey or silver net instead of white (as in the original portrait) because my dress fabric is a darker blue.

 I got an aqua blue underskirt cut out and partially sewn. It has been flat pleated into a band. I wanted volume without too much bulk as sometimes I wear several underskirts at once. The first lot of pleats I used were too big, so I pulled them out and did the pleats half as small again, which looked much better. The skirt is hanging to let the fabric drop, and will be hand finished and hemmed next month. I am considering adding a heraldic element also; possibly seahorses around the hem.

  Underskirt fabric ready to be cut

  Seams ready to be hand sewn 

Marking out the gathering lines 

The first pleats were too big

Smaller gathers made nicer pleats

Pinning pleats into place to check how they look

 I was happy with the pinned pleats