My Own Grandpa

Flemish Peasant Picture

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:58:46 GMT

Thanks to Runolfr for getting a picture of my (semi-)new Flemish outfit. It's not an ideal angle, but it shows all the parts. The shirt is one of my old (pre-neck-gusset) 15c Italian linen shirts with the collar cut off. The coat is the one I made several years ago for the first version of this outfit. The hose you've already seen. The doublet is made of the green linen I got earlier this year, with two layers in the body and one in the sleeves. It closes in the front with three points. All the points are strips of elk hide, though I may replace them with something a little sturdier, as some of them broke and they're a bit tricky to get through the eyelets without aglets. Since the forecast was for cold weather (it snowed!) I also wore the stockings I cut down from the red wool hose that didn't really hold up very well (not everything should be fulled!). The shoes are my Revival 15c shoes, which are a tad too pointy, but were able to accommodate all the layers of hose better than my usual snug 16c shoes. I still don't have a good belt, so I just wore a mundane belt that I cut the loop off of for that authentic flippy-strap-end look.

Like A Glove

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:12:23 GMT

I finished the eyelets on the Flemish peasant doublet last night, so all it needs now is sleeves. I just cut some leather points and tied the doublet and hose together to see how everything fits. It's so comfy! I have plenty of range of motion, no reported baggy butt, and no obvious stress points yet. I need to move the codpiece eyelets about an inch and a half inward, but other than that everything seems to be a go. I'll get pictures once I fix the codpiece, put sleeves on the doublet, and repurpose one of my old 15c shirts. Barring catastrophe, I should have it all ready to go well before Magna Faire.

Hose Progress

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:46:26 GMT

I finished putting the codpiece together tonight. The pattern was largely built of guesswork and hope, since there was no way to really know how it would fit until the whole thing was built and attached. The seams are only basted together, but it all seems to work and is quite comfortable. It's a bit bigger than strictly necessary, but not out of line with period examples. Pictures of the hose with codpiece installed below the cut.

Codpiece Pieces

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:18:17 GMT

I started on what I'm calling the "birdnester codpiece" last night. I'm building it out of one layer of heavy wool blend for sturdiness, one layer of squishy fulled wool for smoothnes, and a layer of the blue linen to cover it all. There are four pieces total: two in the center for the crotch and the front of the codpiece, and two for the sides. You can see some of them in various stages of construction here. After taking this picture, I noticed that I had made two left sides for my codpiece. This will be remedied. :)

Codpiece Research

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:36:02 GMT

I stayed up late again last night working on the feet of my hose. I took the legs in at the heel a bit and attached the tops of the feet. The entire edge of both feet is finished and ready to attach the soles. Once the feet are done I'll start working on patterning the codpiece. I may mock up the doublet body first so I can see how the hose work when tied up.

I want to use these hose for both early 16c Italian upper class clothes and later 16c northern European peasant clothes (e.g. Bruegel and Beham peasants), so I'll be looking at both sources for details. A lot of these will look familiar, as I've linked to them before.

The Peasant and the Birdnester - Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1568

This one is a jackpot right off the bat. The seams on the codpiece show a multi-piece construction very different from the one-piece vestigial codpieces found on trunk hose. It also has triangular flaps to hold it up, which makes me happy. This is also an interesting example of what appears to be a drinking vessel suspended from the belt.

The Fight Between Carnival and Lent (detail) - Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1559

Totally unrelated, but this shows some nice masks.

Wedding Dance in the Open Air (detail) - Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1566

More codpiece shape, though not as much seam detail. I'm not going to go as long and pointy as the piper's, but that's an interesting data point.

The Land of Cockaigne (detail) - Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1567

Some nice attachment detail here.

The Miracle of the Newborn Child - Titian, 1511

Kind of hard to see what's going on here, but the basic shape of the yellow codpiece seems similar to the Bruegel ones, if a bit less pronounced. Still has the little flaps at the top to attach it, though it looks like it may have a less complex construction.

Scenes from the Story of Joseph: The Search for the Cup (detail), Bacchiacca, 1515-1516

The Martyrdom of St. Catherine, Jan Provost, 1520s (before 1529)

A strangely enormous and high codpiece with a clear front seam, and lots of lacing details at the waist. I don't know how much I trust this one for construction, though.

Christ and the Adulteress, Titian, 1508-10

Some detail on the codpiece, but not as much as I'd like.

So, from a cursory look, it seems that the codpieces of early 16c Italian and later 16c Flemish peasant hose are strikingly similar. I think this is justification enough to try the "birdnester" construction method, which I think will make the best looking and most comfortable shape.

Hose Progress

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:25:12 GMT

So, when last we left the story, I had built a short foundation for my full hose. I tweaked that until it fit better, then took it apart and adjusted my pattern to match it. Or so I thought. I cut two legs from the lovely stretchy Pennsic linen and did my best to match it up with the green linen foundation. Nothing really matched up right, so I just made it fit as best I could and basted things together, letting the extra flop around until I was sure what needed to be cut away. I sewed everything up and tried them on.

Of course, it didn't fit right.

I pushed and pulled and tested and figured out that the main problem was that the crotch was cut too low. I drafted an addition, made up a couple of lined pieces in that shape, and stuck them in. Putting the hose on again, I found that the fit was much improved. There are a couple more seams now, but those will be gone on future versions. The waistline was too high in back, but that would also be easy to fix. I looked in the mirror and... my butt was lumpy. It turns out that the foundation that I'd spent so much time making and matching up completely ruined the stretch of the linen in the back. I cut out big chunks of it and what was left at the seams was still making them look atrocious. I knew I'd have to take those seams apart and cut out the rest of the foundation. This destroyed my momentum and I didn't work on them for several days.

Tonight I finally picked the hose up again and started tearing them apart. Again. I cut out most of the foundation, leaving only reinforcing strips at the waist and center front, and in some sections through the crotch that don't affect the look of things. I put it all back together and saw that the rear seams were better, but still needed some adjustment to lay flat. I marked and nudged and adjusted for a while, until my butt was declared free of lumps.

I took apart the min seams once more, and laid one leg out on my pattern to mark the final shape. Back together again (machining the major seams), and I started flat felling and binding everything. I slipped into the meditative trance of hand sewing for a few hours and got everything squared away. Many of the seams have raw edges inside, though they are flat felled and cut on the bias, so I'm hoping they won't fray too badly. All that's left to do is one pair of eyelets at the front, eyelets at the waist, adding the feet and figuring out the codpiece. Hopefully all will go smoothly, but you never know.

Sewing Weekend

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:45:47 GMT

Today was a very productive day, though most of it didn't come from me. My student Serafina made the long drive down to visit today so I could help her get a chemise started.
You may recall a while back that I mentioned helping someone start their first dress. The dress made its debut at Red Tower (some pictures here) sans sleeves, and had the sleeves on at MGT. It's machine constructed and hand finished, and I think it turned out very well. I also got mom's very similar dress done in time for her to wear it at MGT as well.
So the last part of Serafina's outfit left was a chemise that actually matched the neckilne of the dress. She is using the method I've been playing with lately, finishing the edges of all the pieces first and then sewing it all together at the edges. It's faster to finish the edges by machine, but it's hard to get the machine started on the corners. To alleviate that problem, I suggested that she turn the corners of each piece by hand, and then turn the long edges on the machine. It seemed to work quite well. By the time she left all the edges were finished and some of the gores were installed, so she should be able to crank out the rest of it relatively quickly.
adelavanbrugge was also very busy today. She's been working on a new pair of shalwar to wear under her Persian. She took the pattern off the pair I made for her ages ago, and decided to build it all by hand as well. There's certainly something to be said for being able to sew while lounging on the couch watching TV rather than being shackled to a noisy sewing machine.
I even managed to do some sewing myself, though really it was only patterning. I took my most recent pattern for separate hose and hybridized it with the foundation from the trunk hose I made for the red suit. I crossed my fingers and cut a mockup pair. To my surprise, it seemed to fit pretty darn well. I pinned a couple of tweaks I need to make, but so far the pattern shows promise. I think tomorrow I'll try to make up a foundation for the upper section (from the waist to just below the crotch, where the mysterious thigh seam is) and see how well I can get that to work.

More Research Images

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:21:17 GMT

I'm still looking for good pictures of the early 16c style. Right now I'm hunting for evidence of points holding the hose and doublet together. They may just be hidden under belts and sashes, or tied on the inside. There's a possibility that they're pointed to a foundation garment of some sort, but I don't want to go that route unless I have to. I'm also expanding my search to contemporary clothes from other areas, especially Germany.

Triumph of Caesar (detail), Andrea Del Sarto, c.1520

The guy in the center, leaning over the railing, has two-piece hose. There doesn't seem to be any method of joining the top and bottom halves together, though it seems to possibly correspond to the upper leg seam I was looking at before.

Scenes from the Story of Joseph: The Search for the Cup (detail), Bacchiacca, 1515-1516

A detail of an image I looked at before, showing the leg seam. It's clearly a double line, though still unclear exactly what it represents.

Crucifixion, Hans Baldung Grien, 1512

A contemporary German image. The man in the lower left hand corner shows the two piece hose (no evidence of a method to join them) and also points and lacing holes at the waistline. Not an Italian image, obviously, but points at the waist are in evidence in Italy both before and after this period, so it's reasonable to assume that they are in existence at this point as well.

The Scourging of Christ, Alejo Fernández (between 1496 & 1545)

The date of this Spanish painting is unclear, but the style of clothing seems to be in the late 15c/early 16c mode. The men with the scourges have some interesting hose, and there seems to be at least one clear point at the center back on the man on the right. He also seems to be wearing a tank top-style upper garment, perhaps some form of pourpoint.

The Mocking of Christ, Matthias Grünewald, 1503

The man on the right shows a lot of good hose details. Points and lacing holes, seams, and lots of big fat wrinkles. That makes me feel much better about myself.

Halberdier, Jacopo Pontormo, 1530s

A somewhat later style, but still skirtless doublet, wide sleeves, and full hose. Points can be seen at the waist and CF opening.

The Martyrdom of St. Catherine, Jan Provost, 1520s (before 1529)

A Flemish image in a similar style. Lots of details of points and doublet lining.

Flagellation of Christ, Jörg Ratgeb, 1518-19

This German one is just plain weird. The man in the green doublet and red hose is shown conveniently from both sides. The hose seem to attach to the scalloped doublet with a single zig-zag cord. The doublet itself is sleeveless and seems to button on the left side under the arm (there appears to be no opening on the right side). Obviously, there's a lot of allegorical stuff that may be happening here, but these details are very interesting.

Deposition from the Cross (detail)

I've linked to this one before, but it's worth pointing out again for the fringey two-part hose.

Christ and the Adulteress, Titian, 1508-10

No visible points here, but some other nice details, including what happens when your hose aren't pointed up.

Flagellation, Unknown Master, Hungarian, 1514

Man, I'm getting a lot of mileage out of flagellations. This is another weird one. The man on the left has the two part hose, again with no indication of how they're kept together. The front of his hose seem to have a diagonal closure. The full, pleated hose on the right are interesting as well. I saw some others almost identical to those earlier, though I'm not sure if I linked to them.

Seams

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:37:10 GMT

So andrevarigaldi was looking at the pictures from my last post and pointed out a line at the top of the leg in many of the pictures of hose. Here are some examples:

The two men on the left
The two men on the right
The man on the right

In dicussing it with her and greetpg, it seems most likely to be a seam. This is especially supported by the striped hose in the first picture, where the stripes are vertical below the seam and diagonal above. Perhaps it allows the legs to be cut on the grain and the top of the hose to be cut on the bias to allow for extra stretch in the butt? At any rate, it's worth experimenting with, if only so I can test the top part of the pattern without having to commit a whole leg's worth of fabric.

Doublet Survey: 1505-1525

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:57:29 GMT

I'm taking another look at a style I haven't really considered in years and years. The low, square necklines come into fashion during the first quarter of the 16th century in Italy, along with voluminous sleeves that contrast with the extremely tight sleeves of the tail end of the 15th century. Outer garments are somewhat shapeless, and not strictly necessary, at least for certain classes of people. This style appeals to me for summer wear, with its open neckline and potential for fewer layers.

ANDREA DEL SARTO
Portrait of a Young Man
c. 1517
http://www.wga.hu/html/a/andrea/sarto/1/youngman.html

Fitted body with square neckline
Voluminous upper sleeves, narrower (but not tight) lower sleeves
Body and sleeves different colors
Nice hat
No view below the waist
Closure unclear

BACCHIACCA
Scenes from the Story of Joseph: The Arrest of His Brethren
1515-16
http://www.wga.hu/html/b/bacchiac/joseph2.html
http://www.wga.hu/html/b/bacchiac/joseph4.html
http://www.wga.hu/html/b/bacchiac/joseph3.html

Fitted body, square neckline
Large upper sleeves, narrower lower sleeves
Lower sleeves can be pushed up?
No skirts on doublet
Very wide sash, covering any points
Simple codpiece
Big cloak
Slashed hose with contrasting lining
Tall boots with slashing

BARTOLOMEO VENETO
Portrait of a Bearded Gentleman
1508-10
http://www.wga.hu/html/b/bartolom/veneto/portbear.html

Big coat w/fur collar
Pleated shirt w/trimembroidery

BARTOLOMEO VENETO
Portrait of a Gentleman
c. 1512
http://www.wga.hu/html/b/bartolom/veneto/portgent.html

Fur lined coat
Checky!
Blackworked shirt w/ruffle
Medal on hat

CAPRIOLO, Domenico
Portrait of a Man
1512
http://www.wga.hu/html/c/capriolo/port_man.html

Parti-colored
Front closure w/points
Wide paned sleeves w/green lining
Nice hat
Wide shirt sleeve at wrist

CARIANI
St Sebastian between St Roch and St Margaret
http://www.wga.hu/art/c/cariani/sebastia.jpg

Nice sleeve details
Hose, stockings (boots?) w/closed slit at ankle, and shoes
belt w/pouch

FRANCIABIGIO
Portrait of a Man
1522
http://www.wga.hu/html/f/franciab/port_man.html

Open doublet front
Higher necked shirt (w/smocked collar?)
Shirt opening offset
Skirt on doublet?
Perhaps too far to the late end of the style

LOTTO, Lorenzo
Susanna and the Elders
1517
http://www.wga.hu/html/l/lotto/1511-20/04susann.html

Wide robes on elders
Pink doublet w/front opening, blue lower sleeves
Front opening above codpiece on yellow (slashed) hose
Black garters
Trim on doublet

LOTTO, Lorenzo
The Martyrdom of St Stephen
1516
http://www.wga.hu/html/l/lotto/1511-20/03barto3.html

Wide variety of hose, doublets, gowns/coats

RAFFAELLO Sanzio
Double Portrait
1518
http://www.wga.hu/html/r/raphael/5roma/5/04double.html

Low neckline on doublet
Two doublets? (white/black)

RAFFAELLO Sanzio
Portrait of Agnolo Doni
1506
http://www.wga.hu/html/r/raphael/2firenze/1/31doni1.html

Wide sleeves, tapering to cuff
Quilted body
Higher, round neckline
Decorative eyelet closure
Skirt on doublet
Different colored body/sleeves
No apparent cuff on shirt sleeve

RAFFAELLO Sanzio
The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple (detail)
1511-12
http://www.wga.hu/html/r/raphael/4stanze/2eliodor/1expuls1.html

Very low square neckline
Second doublet underneath? (black edge)
Paned sleeves w/large cuff
Very long pleated skirt
Sash
Possibility that these guys are Swiss guards, not Italian

ROMANINO, Girolamo
Portrait of a Man
1516-19
http://www.wga.hu/html/r/romanino/manportr.html

Fairly loose body
Wide sleeves
Fancy brocade
Skirts
High shirt w/blackworked collar

TIZIANO Vecellio
Man with the Blue Sleeve
c. 1510
http://www.wga.hu/html/t/tiziano/10/21/01bluesl.html

Quilted sleeve?

TIZIANO Vecellio
Portrait of a Musician
c. 1515 or c. 1545
http://www.wga.hu/html/t/tiziano/10/21/05musici.html

Possibly too late, though it seems to be the earlier style

TIZIANO Vecellio
The Miracle of the Jealous Husband
1511
http://www.wga.hu/html/t/tiziano/01_1510s/11padua3.html

Particolored garment w/skirt, apparently over a doublet

TIZIANO Vecellio
The Miracle of the Newborn Child
1511
http://www.wga.hu/html/t/tiziano/01_1510s/11padua1.html

Several examples of skirt lengths and layers of garments

An Interesting Chemise

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:14:26 GMT

I'm sifting through images from the first quarter of the 16th century, looking for new summer clothing ideas, and I came across this interesting woman's chemise in a painting by Vincenzo Catena:

http://www.wga.hu/html/c/catena/judith.html

The neckline has a small pleated ruffle, but that's not the interesting thing. The lower part of the sleeve has been pleated down tight to the arm. I've never seen one like this before. Granted it's an allegorical subject (Judith), but it seems an unusual choice for a fantastical garment. Given some of the sleeve shapes at the time, it makes a certain amount of practical sense.

Boy Clothes and Old Projects

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 13:35:34 GMT

I'm calling the boy's clothes finished. The first field test went exceptionally well.

I also finally got some pictures of vox8's Milanese loose gown I made back in 2006. She wore it this weekend with the chopines from 2007, and reported that they weren't too hard to walk in once she got used to them.


From 1570s Milanese Gown

Sewing Progress

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:44:42 GMT

I got the skirt guard put on the green dress. It's standard cotton velveteen I got from JoAnn (yay 40% off coupon!), over a strip of that coarse wool that has made so many appearances as interlinings. I also got one of the hooks put on the skirt openings, which I had totally forgotten I wanted to do until I looked back at my last progress update. Yay for writing things down!

I also started working on an outfit for the boy. I don't want to start him out in boring old t-tunics and pants, so I'm going to do a 14th century kit with braies and chausses and a wee tiny coif. Still working on patterns for that one, but I did get a belt made.

Dyeing With Mud

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:16:02 GMT

The velveteen I used for the gamurra sleeves is the last bit of the stuff I dyed with red clay back in 2003. The rest of it got used in adelavanbrugge's coat of plates. Just in case anyone wanted to know how to get that shade of orange. :)

Okay, Mostly Done

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 21:28:12 GMT

Well, the green gamurra isn't quite as done as I'd hoped. The skirt turned out a touch short, so I need to put a guard at the bottom. I also need to add a couple of hooks and eyes on the little flappy plackets on the skirt openings. But at least I have pictures now!

Done!

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 02:54:08 GMT

The green wool gamurra is done! Once I get a chance to put everything on adelavanbrugge, I'll get some pictures. My sewing finger is numb now. I still have another lacing cord to weave, but that shouldn't take too long.

Italian Showcase

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:25:49 GMT

The red suit is being featured over at the Realm of Venus Italian Showcase. One of these days I need to make a new set of 15c stuff and/or get some decent pictures of what I already have...

Walking In Chopines

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 19:15:34 GMT

For those of you who may be planning to make chopines, here is what Caroso has to say about them in Nobilta di Dame (1600) (translation by Julia Sutton):

Some ladies and gentlewomen slide their chopines along as they walk, so that the racket they make is enough to drive on crazy! More often they bang them so loudly with each step, that they remind us of Franciscan friars. Now in order to walk nicely, and to wear chopines properly on one's feet, so that they do not twist or go awry (for if one is ignorant of how to wear them, one may splinter them, or fall frequently, as has been and still is observed at parties and in church), it is better for [the lady] to raise the toe of the foot she moves first when she takes a step, for by raising it thus, she straightens the knee of that foot, and this extension keeps her body attractive and erect, besides which her chopine will not fall off that foot. Also, by thus raising it she avoids sliding it along [the ground], nor does she make any unpleasant noise. Then she should put it down, and repeat the same thing with the other foot (which follows). In this way, and by observing [this rule], she may move entirely with grace, seemliness, and beauty, better than the way one walked before; for a natural step is one thing, but a well-ordered step is another. By walking this way, therefore, even if the lady's chopines are more than a handbreadth-and-a-half high, she will seem to be on chopines only three fingerbreadths high, and will be able to dance flourishes and galliard variations at a ball, as I have just shown the world this day.

Now, this is from the perspective of a man who likely never had to wear chopines himself, but one who had to teach many women to dance in them, so I am inclined to give his instructions some weight.

Chopines

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 02:29:31 GMT

I just finished my first pair of chopines, based on these instructions. I pretty much followed them to the letter, except I didn't glue the sides down, and the vamps were attached after the bases were complete. I also didn't pre-awl the holes, but just went at it with a leather needle and an occasional pair of pliers.

The person I made these for (vox8) bought two pairs of platform flip-flops a couple years back for this purpose, so the bases of these are rubber, not cork. I cut the flip-flops down with a band saw and glued them together , then shaped them with a coping saw and various power sanding implements.

I broke the eyes out of a few leather needles while putting the soles on and wore my right hand out with all the stitchery, but there were otherwise no major problems. The first time I attached the sides to the sole on the second one, I started in the wrong place and the seams didn't line up right, so I had to take it apart and start over. At least all the stitching holes were in the leather already.

They haven't had a proper test run yet, but they seem to be as functional as chopines can be so far.

Mid-16c Flemish Gown

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 19:44:38 GMT

I started researching a new dress to make for the wife, but I can't find the portrait I was looking at. That'll teach me to not save my links. It was a wide portrait of a husband and wife and about a million children, with the husband holding a big wine glass. I did find a somewhat similar image here:

Portrait of the Van Berchem Family, Frans Floris, 1561

The other one was much much better though.

EDIT:
Aha! Randomly shuffling through bildindex.de found it for me:

Pierre de Moucheron (1508-1567), Merchant of Middelburg and Antwerp, and his family, Antwerp School, 1563.

German Child's Dress

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 23:51:42 GMT

The girl has needed a new dress for quite a while, so I finally got around to making one. It still needs a few hooks in the front, but all the heavy lifting is done. I also need to make some sort of head covering, and maybe a petticoat and/or apron.