peteyfrogboy

So I spent yesterday (and I mean all of yesterday) making my new camicia. ( Details )

I'm trying to decide how I want to make my new cioppa. I want to make the body pleated all around, like my old one, though I'll add more panels, and/or flare them more. The big question is what I'll do with the sleeves.

( Rambling About Sleeves (with pictures!) )

Some time ago, when I was doing the last revamp of my 15th century kit, I went looking for evidence for belt pouches. I found virtually nothing, at least in Italian sources. I did find a few over-the-shoulder satchels, so that's what I ended up making for myself. It's terribly useful. I've been seeing a few more while doing my cioppa research, so I figured I'd put the links somewhere where I could find them:

St. Lawrence Distributing Alms
Fra Angelico, 1447-1449, Vatican
Here there are two satchels, both with open tops.

Scenes From the Life of St. Francis (scene 1)
Benozzo Gozzoli, 1452, Montefalco
This scene shows a satchel with a flap, almost exactly like the one I made (even the same color!).

Unrelated link:

St. Sebastian (detail)
Liberale da Verona, late 15th century, Verona
I just noticed the shoulder seams on the boy's giornea. No big surprise, but I don't think I've ever seen them before.

More progress on the boy's clothes:



The sleeves on the shirt are rolled up and I'm not sure if I like the way the neckline is sitting, but everything fits (and should for a while). Next up are chausses, once I finish cutting out another set of hose for me out of the wool.

Speaking of my hose, I've got the first pair done:

This is here mostly for my own future reference. This is a fresco from the Schifanoia Palace in Ferrara, painted from 1476-1484. In the center is a man wearing an unbelted giornea, with the fabric falling in natural folds. On the left is a man wearing a giornea with the small tubular pleats that are typical of the style. This indicates to me that this depiction of pleats is not just artistic license, but an accurate portrayal of the style.

ETA: This painting (Botticelli, 1483) also shows different styles of giornea. The man in the foreground, the man in the center with his hand raised, and the man on the right all seem to have giorneas with natural folds, while the man in red (right next to the horse's nose) has rigid pleats that start at mid-chest. Looking at the form of outer garments at the end of the century, I would guess that the rigid pleats are going out of style at this point and are being replaced with more unstructured garments. Either way, this bodes well for future Pennsic wardrobes. :)

Rather than keep pointing people back to my old defunct blog, I'm making this post to collect my references and pictures for my 15c. Italian pleating technique.

( Conjectural Pleating Technique )

The pourpoint is finished, and it seems to fit well. The hose, shirt, and drawers are all from other old projects. I put 9 buttons on the center front opening (I decided not to put any on the skirt, though I could add those later). The buttons are wooden beads covered with black acrylic felt. It's very comfy, and I can sit in it with no problem whatsoever. Next will be the doublet...

It's nice to get back into a sewing project again. So far I've gotten the pourpoint all but finished, with only the buttons and buttonholes left to go.

( Details )