it's like the eye of a duck

After looking and debating and dithering for almost 3 weeks, I'm finally calling this done! Photos below (previous entries: 1, 2)!

( final results with commentary )

Learning experiences:

• If I had it to do again, I would have used real leather. I still think the PVC looks, well, like plastic, but none of the test scraps I tested with gloss and leather dye gave any noticeable depth.
  
• Sometimes there is no substitute for hand sewing. Teflon foot + wax paper just pulled/stretched too much.
  
• Indeed, all of the straps were assembled by hand, with a twill tape core to diminish stretch. They are the main reason it took 6 months to make!
  
• Yes, I am THAT lopsided :P
  

Crossposted to dressdiaries

Got the first draft of the pattern and muslin done over the weekend.

( The original, for those not familiar with the series )

( first pattern )

( draft one )

Next step: putting front and back together and trying on, and seeing how well I can fit things on myself with minimal assistance :P

Crossposted to dressdiaries

Today I finally had a time to edit/upload more fencing doublet pix:

( piccage )

Full gallery from work in progress to completion.

I also got off my butt and made my golf ball target for sport foil (and to a lesser extent, smallsword) point control practice - damn but that thing is hard to hit, and hence, good practice!

Easy to make though, once I drilled through the golf ball's crunchy exterior to get at the mushy middle (we are a two Dremel tool family - this pleases me :))

Today I huddled up on the sofa with "Chamber of Secrets" and "Prisoner of Azkaban" to make a final long-winded "push" on the doublet. I have largely succeeded :)

All of the buttons are now on, all of the buttonholes are now finished. I may add one additional button near the top to make sure there are no blade-friendly gaps, but even so, all that remains would be that button and hole and hooks and eyes for the collar (the buttons are round beads that might feel "choking" if pressed into my neck by the mask).

Pictures forthcoming, hopefully including me in full kit with Vera once my over-the-knee socks arrive :)

* No exaggeration: each button and hole took about 3 yards of thread each. I used up almost 2 spools of 110 yards each on this thing!

In a fit of dedicated sewing, I managed to cut out, assemble, and baste in place the tabs/"skirts" for my fencing doublet. I took a couple of pictures, and have some questions for anyone who's made men's Elizbethan/16th century before:

( pix here )

Background: I'm loosely basing this on Janet Arnold's research of a fencing doublet from 1610, with some alterations: I'm using linen instead of kid, and the front is pointed because my navel lies below my waistline.

My concern: despite their resemblance Arnold's drawings/proportions, these tabs look too large to me! I didn't pad with cotton batting because I didn't want to add bulk (the batting is sparse enough I didn't think it would add much stiffness), but these look like a row of droopy dog's ears! Am I perhaps basing my opinion (incorrectly?) on the smaller sized tabs seen on women's stays and bodices from the same time period?

Short version: Is this how it's SUPPOSED to look? If anyone can answer I'd appreciate it - given the layers of fabric I'm sewing on by hand, I'm reluctant to wear out my hands a stitch further until I know this is right.

With my sharp new machine I actually have enough memory to open photos and play with them, so I point you to the fencing doublet gallery! Some commentary:

This doublet is loosely based on two ca. 1600-10 leather doublets believed to have been used for fencing practice that are included in Janet Arnold's The Cut and Construction of Clothes for Men and Women c. 1560-1620. I say "loosely" because of the changes I've made: chiefly 1) the outer layer will be teal green linen canvas, not leather, and 2) instead of silk/cotton padding over the chest area, I'm compensating for the fact that I'm girl-shaped by boning the bodice (albeit with hemp cord, not boning) for support and protection.

These pictures are of the interlining (working from the inside out). It's two layers of cotton canvas, boned with hemp cord for a balance of support and flexibility. I've tried it on and it does move fairly well, albeit with a "crunching" noise from the cord :P Shem draped it on me back in February, and it does fit very closely - narrower across the back and with a much smaller armhole compared to modern fencing gear or outerwear.

It's also fairly thick without being heavy - I did some target practice against it while it was on my dress mold and it stood up well, even against the broken blade I saved as a stress-tester - I think I'm going to be pretty safe in there :)

The seams are on the outside so as to keep the bulk of the seams on the inside where they won't rub me (I will be wearing t-shirt, "hubcaps" and likely underarm protector underneath). I plan to line it with some green cotton sheeting that I've been sitting on for years.

The sleeves are going to have 3 layers as well - one of the outer fabric, one of canvas, with cotton batting sandwiched in between (that's 100% cotton batting - polyester would be too hot and perhaps not dense enough).

Current status: I'm padstitching the batting to the sleeves, and the torso is draped as seen here on my dress mold for target practice :P

I hadn't originally planned to make matching breeches, but after seeing jdulac and lucianus1's presentation on doublets and talking to them a bit, I'm thinking I will. If it's historically accurate I may go for a codpiece as well - the shock value might be valuable on the strip someday :P