cleves redo

I am remaking my linen Cleves/Cologne dress into a simple kirtle. To do this I removed the half length sleeves and turned the seam allowance under. I over handed the red linen and canvas layers to the canvas layer, then turned the seam allowance of the black linen lining and overhanded the edge to the previously turned seam allowances.

I also unpicked my overhanded waist seam to move the overlapping skirt edges to line up with the fastening end of the bodice.

I will need to cut down the neckline as the high curve is after 1550, while a slightly dipped square neck is more appropriate pre-1550.

Otherwise it’s very much the same- perfectly round waist, skirt fullness directed to the back. Side seams that appear to be in line with the back of the arm, very stable neckline.

Later the bodice appear to lengthen a little but it’s actually more to do with a more vertical bodice line- once you pull the body in tighter the bust is raised and the neckline creeps up. Narrower shoulderline completes the apparent lengthening.

Ideally that is 🙂 In reality bodies resist most extreme changes so I ‘m going to remove the hooks and eyes and add lacing rings so I can leave the kirtle open a little in front to soften the torso shape.

The skirt front gets an additional pleat that points to the back to reflect some of the artwork in costume books of the time.

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crafty cleves christmas

These times of the year are both intensely personal and about community. Today I will be spending time with my mum and with friends. And we will create 🙂

So far I have taken a pattern from my woolen kirtle to remake with a linen lining- this is based on on the extant kirtle in Patterns of fashion as it is very comfortable and I am going to try and see how to lay it out for best fabric use.

I also made a basic outline for my schaube, mainly to check I have enough fur to cut all in the same direction- it seems so.

 

After spending a day yesterday sorting out some of my many old Frazzled Frau files. I still have about 1000 distinct images to sort, I am going to see what pearl designs I have that can be used for my new Cleves cap. It will also be used to decorate a brustuck (oh.. oh! I think I have something to follow up here.)

So I need to set up my frame. I think I will want the full frame up so I can possibly pearl several pieces in one go. Or just my little ones… let’s go see.

 

Oh! And my linen bleaches super fast suggesting that yep it really is linen 🙂

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What next?

I’m feeling a little overwhelmed by health and trying to finish any project at all right now. I have a few projects I feel I should finish before starting anything new. But the reality is I have stalled on them for the same reason: health.

This doesn’t make it easier, it feels like more pressure. More pressure to do something really great before I can’t at all. More pressure for each event I miss because I fear I’ll still miss the next. This isn’t FOMO like we know it, this is real, this is genuinely not seeing people I care about due to predicatbly unpredictable health issues.

So what would that be. Do I want that to be a project I have been working on for 10 years or start something new that might be easier or more fulfilling.

I have most of my projects in one place, but I also have the clay and plastic and paint stuff out of sight as it’s winter and my workroom is not fun in winter. Especially not mow!

So Maleficent? Ahsoka? Sunburst? Spanish silver ensemble? The Mina? Elissa… Elissa could work. I finally bought another 10m of netting for the support. Just have to figure out where to put it! Probably another layer of short ruffles. I think that makes it 40m of net in total! And then Maleficent horns. Then it’ll be warm enough to go out and work on Ahsoka. I need to wait until my rib heals before even thinking of The Mina as It really feels like the end of the bone of the rib is exposed.

Do I want a break?

I do want to get my Cleves perfect so I am about to sit up in bed and get warm and watch Netflix. I need to clip fabric from the haube as it’s too bulky and I want to also line the neckline jewels properly. SO happy with how beautifully I finished the gown and sleeves 🙂 Might just do some tidying of the shirt sleeves though.

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Cleves approaches

I was going to do a lot of machine sewing to get her ready for Coronation so I instead took the time I had to sew by hand. Some of it went really welll, some like the haube is fiddly because the accessories are just not the way we are used to. I need to make my haube tie and also make sure all the gathers are near the crown. I may wind up pleating on my head form instead.

There may even be time to get pearls on the partlet. What is weird is I have a very long neck so I can wear my collar and show the full band of gold.

 

Okay, I now have my second lot of antibiotics 9note, not for the flu but for the secondary bacterial infection I have had since day two of the flu!)

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Cleves gown made

My Anna von Kleve Julich & Berg gown is done aside from some hooks and eyes in the skirt.

The bodice and sleeves fit nicely but I am ver narrow, and after the flu moreso… so today I get to hunt for all the wool shoulderpads I can as I will need enhancement.

The hanging sleeves are finally hemmed, woohoo, and the chemise just needs a button and some seam finishing (the sleeves were french seamed originally and so I need to just tidy a few inches between the cuffs and up the arm. I really want to take some excess linen out but will leave that until I’ve worn it a few times. The sleeves look so pretty though and will make a lot of garb look really good. And I know what my nest two frocks are 🙂 So excited.

So it may be that I will have to use a lot of cunning machine work in my velvet Cologne so that I can actually get her done 🙂

And I may be able to get my documentation for her up fairly soon. But I want the Spanish stuff up first as a handy practical guide 🙂

And I’d like to get all my garb patterns webified especially with so many lovely extant patterns out there now to use as references and (please buy these!!!)

 

I do have my haube. I may use my machine and then hand stitch over the top. That’s how I did my belt. The machine acted like basting which is hidden by gold braid. So I’m just waiting to hear back from some people who want to see this in the next few days and then I can have a proper rest and start collection info for my final workshop 🙂

Oh and my jeweled neckline. That’s a lining. Same with my frontal decoration on my stickelsche.

 

Ah yes. The three panel skirt pattern too.

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Cleves updates

Firstly some headgear progress 🙂 Becase my pearlwork is so dimensional I need a flat brocade front, and then am able to have a flat but slightly more texture brocade for the haub.

Then we have the brocade for the collar and neckline. Yep, pressed the brocade into a curve! Ditto for the piece above actually 🙂

I’m super happy about the collar 🙂 I keep readjusing the neckline though.

 

I have tried it all on and I think I’ll just do some judicious padding of my inner layers as I am rather not as wide across my chest.

The skirt has a flatlining, and I kind of wish I hadn’t but it would require some serious careful unpicking because I used a triple stitch. This makes the diagonal seams as strong as if I had used a backstitch- I’ve had side seams pop a few times and the weight of this hem would definitely do that!

And yes, I have been working on her distinctive partlet 🙂 Pearling is not going to be fun but what the hey?

 

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insta-blogs

#anneofcleves hem has to be done by hand. As I can’t tell when I’ve overdone things I am just making myself stop after 4m. So I have done 4m today which is 1/8 of the gold hemming. Then need to do the wool guards.

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