An Elizabethan (not-) Farthingale, finished

Well, it may not be a farthingale as you'd expect it, but it was a great experience being able to make Alcega's pattern four centuries later.  As I was feeling rather guilty about the lack of boning I decided to handstitch the rest of the of it; from the 4mm gathers at the waist...

to the closure at the back...

the four metre hem, this took nearly 5 hours last Sunday afternoon, and the waistband, with inch wide gosgrain ribbon ties (to match the bumroll).

If I do wear it as part of the outfit, I will wear it under the corset and bumroll but I couldn't resist trying it on over the bumroll again; I just love the shape it creates! 

The Tudor Lady's Wardrobe

Once in a blue moon the simplest things can be a wonderful surprise, and so it was when I spoke to Paul of Paul Meekins Military and History Books.  I don't know what I expected when I called, but I certainly didn't expect the immediate connection, the easy camaraderie, the utter pleasantness of the few minutes that I spent placing my order for his final copy of Margo Anderson's The Tudor Lady's Wardrobe.  I thoroughly enjoyed my long-distance purchase and it's such a rarity to be able to say that!

And so, as promised, I got my copy of the patterns in the post this afternoon and have been happily browing.  Of note is the 100 page guide, which is essentially a pictorial instruction manual with detailed notes about fabrics, trims and construction methods.  With time and care, almost any level of sewer could make an outfit following these instructions; they are extraordinary in their detail.

On a side note, I have returned the narrow gauge hooping; I could carry on as planned but my gut says that it would be a waste.  Also, with the benefit of a couple more days looking at it, I can't help but be concerned about it's size...  a 4m circumference makes it pretty interesting trying to move about my little cottage!  Back to the drawing board and some more research on the Alcega Farthingale I think.

The Elizabethan Farthingale, adding the boning

Sunday afternoon I pinned the first layer of ribbon casings to the hem of the farthingale and sewed them in place.  

I didn't intend to have any more time than to do that, but as it happened the lovely Mr & Mrs B were watching the end of the football and I had a willing assistant in the boyf - we decided to try out the infamous narrow steel gauge hooping.  After that, I couldn't resist trying it out on Miss G for a quick peak at what the final article might look like.

 

I just love the way that it sits on the back of the bumroll, such a wonderful shape!  There is a slight problem with the hooping though... I don't know if it's that the narrow gauge is too weak, I won't know till I've sewn the other rows in, or if it's just not a good idea!

It's certainly a striking shape, even with it's very wonky hem, but just to take these photos I had to rearrange the dining room!  The Alcega Farthingale is a wonderfully interesting project but I think that it's going to need a little adjustment if it's also going to be practically wearable.  I have plenty of drill leftover and can easily make a second skirt if needs be, so for now I'm going to continue as instructed,  I've also decided it's time for some more patterns... I'm going to order the Margo Anderson Tudor Ladies' set.

Happy days and flat fell seams

I lost my sewmojo this week.  In theory I could have started on the seams for the farthingale as I'd wanted to do but I just wasn't feeling the love.  As the boyf packed his flip flops and jetted off to sunny San Diego, I was planning on a quiet weekend a deux, just me and the Megs, walking and resting and generally behaving ourselves so that there would be not repeats of wonky-T week.  None of my online purchases had arrived, I was going to be seriously boring, walk the dog and watch TV.

But instead I have had a lovely, busy day.  I got the jobs done; clean bedding, hoovered and dusted and not an unironed piece of clothing in sight. I found paint in garage and finally freshened up all our walls, a promise I've been promising myself for about 6 months now.  My dear friend GG stopped by with his wife and boys, as did JB and her two offspring.  GG's wife would like chooks so we had a quick Chicken 101, the girls behaved beautifully, apart from a little accident down my trousers!, before piling indoors for tea and biscuits.  Five children, four adults, three chooks, Megs, Rascal and a rogue hamster... it was glorious chaos for an hour or so but lovely to have a house full of happy toddlers and laughter.  As they left, the postman arrived, with all my parcels including gorgeous new jeans that fit like a glove and my supplies for the farthingale, more later.  I spent my afternoon at the antiques market, browsing and talking.  Cold weather brings out the chat in people, in between picking up a set of shelves for the 10yr old I heard a ghost story, some gossip, and got a great lead on some antique cabinet knobs; four of which I will be putting up on the bedroom door as hooks.  I even got myself a freebie; a lovely doorknob, once brass, but now grey and blue with age.  Too "poor" to sell, to lovely to leave... we compromised and I've given it a good home.  One winter's walk in the woods with Megs later, and Iwas  finally happy to settle and sew.

I ironed all of the seams (six in total) on the farthingale flat.

I then trimmed one side back to 2-4mm from the seam.

I then folded the untrimmed side back over the trimmed side to cover it, tucked it under the trimmed edge and pressed.  I slip-stitched it in place. One flat fell seam.  Due the way the pattern is cut, three of the seams, as per the one shown in the pictures, had selvedge edges.  These I did not tuck under, and neither did I slip stitch them... I cheated and machined them instead.  Mixing the old and the new...? Ok, cheating, but 132" of slip stitching was enough, I didn't want to double it if I didn't have to!

Now, back to my deliveries.  My parcel from Vena Cava arrived and at first I thought it couldn't contain the boning for the farthingale, it was too small.  But, it did.  When they described their new boning as small, they meant small.  When I read 2.5mm wide, I should have had my eyesight and my brain checked!  How I thought that meant something approximating 25mm I just don't know... classic fail! And then I'd ordered 35mm ribbon, to use as a "snug fit" casing for the boning, I'm afraid I got the giggles.

All that said, it is beautifully light, but strong.  I love the brass connectors.  The ribbon will still work, I will just sew a narrower channel in it for the boning... my oops can become a detail.  And most importantly, it's here and the seam are sewn; I can get to work and see if this boning really will do want it needs to do.

In the meantime, the promised snow has arrived.  I am tucked up in bed, dobe asleep at my side (currently chasing rabbits in her sleep I think), watching it fall.  Sweet dreams everyone.

An Elizabethan Farthingale, the hoop bones

The 10yo helped me measure up for the hoop boning for the farthingale this evening.  If I order it tonight I might, just might, fingers and toes crossed, have it by the weekend so that I can get on making whilst the boyf is off in San Diego.

I followed the farthingale instructions but, as I'm taller than the height that the pattern is designed for, I have bought extra boning so that I can add another row if I need to.  The boning is designed to sit in rows 6" apart and I decided to keep to that density but I don't want to lose the effect that the farthingale is designed for because there is too big of gap between the top row of boning and my waist line.  

I've chosen a new product from Vena Cava designs, narrow gauge steel hooping with brass connectors and 35mm gosgrain ribbon to use for the boning channels.  23m of steel I've ordered, 23m for a single clothing item... this is going to be fun!

An Elizabethan Farthingale, part one

The boyf went this weekend, on very short notice, to Fort Collins, Colorado; leaving the dobe and I alone for a whole day and a half, until the 10yr old returned and we all went back to school/work.  It seemed the perfect time to start on the farthingale. 

I wanted to make a farthingale based on Juan Alcega's pattern (below) as I knew, as soon as I learnt that it was from 1589, that I couldn't turn down the chance to work with a pattern so old!

There is a great deal of study of the Alcega pattern available, from Janet Arnold's interpretation to more modern ones, including research of the instructions/measurements and their modern equivalent.  However, having now read the TT, and in looking closer at the pattern draft, I went with Drea Leed's instructions as they seemed to based on the most sensible interrpretation of Alcega's drafting.  Tudor tailors created and cut patterns which minimised wastage as best they could.  Alcega's pattern, whilst creating a design that uses bias to strengthen the garment, has very little wastage when made following Drea's instructions.  In my case, approximately a foot square from 2.6yds of 60" fabric. 

Photos of the cutting and construction, to date, seemed a little pointless as you would see nothing more than me wrestling with a huge amount of black cotton drill!  There is no pattern as you mark and cut the fabric directly.  What is of note is that I went with 60" wide fabric as Drea comments that the amount suggested by Alcega is more suited to a much shorter woman and, to maintain the desired shape, I would require more width in the pieces.  Once there is shape to pieces I may talk more about the detail, but for the moment I am faced with huge black panels that will not photograph well!  The great shame is that I do not have enough of the cream cotton twill left for bone casings, which sit on the outside of the farthingale and are often decorative, but I think I will either make then in drill to minimise their appearance altogether, or play, as the Tudor's loved to do, with tonal blacks and use a satin or gosgrain ribbon.