--- Althea Turner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Hello,
I've been asked to help with this costume. 1544 http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/l/lotto/1531-/070pola.html I will likely use the de Toledo pattern for a basis. I've made a couple gowns with it before so I am familiar with it. I'm thinking it's a brown wool/ or silk with silk velvet ribbon appliqued on. I understand the chemise. But I don't really understand the wrap and head covering. Does anyone have an idea of what/ how it's made? thanks! Althea Turner [EMAIL PROTECTED] Althea, This isn't really an area that I'm very familiar with, so I'm going on what I can see in the portrait. As far as your base fabric goes, wool or silk sounds fine. But as far as the pattern on the fabric goes, I think that you're wrong about velvet ribbon. I agree that the pattern is most likely appliqued, but I don't think it's ribbon - I think that it's cord. Do you have, or can you look at a copy of 'Historical Costume in Detail - the 17th & 18th Centuries' by Avril hart and Susan North? ( Yes, I know the painting is dated 1544 - bear with me :-) ) If you enlarge the portrait ( click on it and go to 100%, any larger and strangely it seems to lose definition ) and look at the edge of the Laura's right sleeve at the shoulder, you can see the profile of the cord above the fabric. I think that I can even make out a twist in the cord, too. Anyway, there are a pair of sleeves, made of green silk, featured in the book, which are decorated/patterned with cord which has been couched on. ( Description on p.28, picture on p.29. There is an even larger picture over pp.10 & 11. ) When ! I first looked at this portrait closely, this form of decoration and these sleeves leapt straight to my mind. As far as the partlet-collar-shawl-thingy goes, my first thought was that it looked like chenille! e.g. http://www.cocochenille.com/2brdichbe.html http://www.home-decorating-co.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=THDC&Product_Code=arabo_toffee_649720&Product_Count=&Category_Code= http://www.minkydelight.com/chwr-110.html http://www.fabric.com/home-decor-fabric-upholstery-fabric-chenille-upholstery-fabric-chenille-fabric-br-diamonds-taupe.aspx Most of these designs are probably too big, but you get the idea. On closer inspection, I have no idea, really, but I think you could probably make a good approximation of the design with this technique: http://www.quiltbus.com/chenilling.htm Or use something like Rya stitch. The headgear is odd, but it certainly looks as if it is the same fabric as the partlet-thingy. Perhaps it is a close-fitting cap or coif, rather than a wrap or headband? Sitting over braids wrapped around the head, which give it that bulgy/padded look? If you made the cap of your base fabric and then added the 'rosettes' to it after you had the shape right...... no, I went back and looked at the picture again, whatever the fabric is, it was woven that way - you can see the partial rosettes on the edge of the partlet and on the front of the headgear, just above Laura's right ear. Well, that's how the original is, but you'll probably have to reproduce the fabric by some kind of embroidery, so my first suggestion is still valid, I guess. Whatever you decide, good luck with your project. Post some pictures when it's done, please? My 2 cents worth. Joannah _____________________________________________________________ Sluggy.Net: The Sluggy Freelance Community! _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
