April 15, 2004 - I have started another project on top of my Cranach gown, though I will try to continue to work on both at the same time...This time my inspiration is the painting to the left by Bacchiacca (I dunno WHY I thought this was Rafael. *sigh*). I am making the gown for my sister because she needed something a bit finer than her old faire-wear! You can see my design sketch to the right.
The camicia will be 100% finely woven cotton (because it is cheaper than linen) with a tiny bit of blackwork at the neckline. The dress and bell sleeves will be a rose red silk taffeta. So that the dress is a bit more versatile, I am making a second set of tighter undersleeves out of a soft pink velvet. Accents will be done with hand sewn pearls. Yay for being over-ambitious!
So, last night I began the camicia. Another view here. It gave me no trouble and I am very pleased with how it's shaping up.
April 18,
2004 - I so scored on ebay tonight! I was planning on ordering my fabric
from Denver Fabrics like I usually do but I stumbled upon this silk with only
20 mnutes left on the auction. I got six yards of the stuff for $22 including
shipping! It looks like exactly the right color and I can't wait to see it
in person.
May 5, 2004 - I really have been working on this project, I swear! I finished off the camicia and began trying to work out the redwork for it. I'll try to get a picture of it but white doesn't go well with a flash. Meanwhile, I drafted the pattern for the bodice, cut it out of pink linen and boned it wth hemp cord. Meanwhile, the ebay fabric is beautiful (a bit more coral than the picture at right so it really is perfect!) although it's actually a linen/silk blend. Ah well, it's still perfect for the price!
July 21, 2004 - *looks sheepishly at the date* You'd think that being out of school for the summer would mean I had MORE time to sew! But my September 18 deadline is rapidly approaching so I got my butt in gear and finally just worked on this. I cut out the remaining pieces for the bodice and laid down the front and back guards. I am cheating and using red velvet ribbon satin stitched to the right side of the bodice. I've also decided that the dress will be reversible so that I have an excuse to make even more work for myself. At right, you will see the obligatory costumer's cat. More tomorrow, I promise!
July 22, 2004 - It's well past midnight but the guards are sewn down, plus the skirt and one set of sleeves are cut out. Pictures as soon as my camera's done charging.
July 23,
2004 - Well, good gracious, it's a dress. The lining needs to be sewn
in but what you see here is a pretty close approximation
of the finished product, sans sleeves. I am SO pleased with how this gown
is shaping up, I can't even describe it to you. I've also started sewing the
guards down on the bell sleeves and hope to have those and the main dress
part done by monday. We'll see if it happens. Oh yeah, I also made a necklace.
July 24, 2004 - Tonight I finished the bell sleeves and I'm pretty pleased with them, all things considered. I completely and totally made them up without a pattern but it worked out pretty well. Here is a view from the side and another view from a 3/4 perspective. I apologize for the horrible quality of these photos. However, it looks like I am on track to have this entire project done by next week, barring disaster or laziness.
July 30, 3004 - To the right is the dress with sleeves. My good friend Kate was gracious enough to model for this picture even though the dress wasn't made for her. This picture is also a little closer to the actual color of the dress. I couldn't be happier with how this came out!
November 3, 2004 - And here's my sister wearing the Florentine gown with just the under sleeves and a group shot!
