| Brown Wool Robe A L'Anglaise .: 18th Century :. |
| 6.08.07 Well this project is well underway to becoming started, so I figured that I would put it up now. I got the fabric (about 7yds of 100% wool gabardine - I've heard that gabardine closely resembles 18th C "serge" so it's close enough for authenticity for me right now) in the Fall of '05 for a cloak that I didnt make. It was though, an ugly tan color so I dyed it brown over last summer. My second dyeing experience, and I like the way it turned out. I used the "Brown" Jacquard Acid Dyes that are available from DharmaTrading.com. I also have a couple yards of a deep red (rust) linen that I'm going to use for a p'coat and a matching stomacher if I have enough left over. The pics to the left are the only ones I have of the fabric, the top one is closer to the actual color, although its rather bright (flash). And the fabric has both of the colors from the top and the bottom one ... so I put them both up. ;) I'm using the Mill Farms pattern for a Robe 'A La Francaise (pleats aren't sewn in the back, they are left hanging) and a Robe 'A L' Anglaise (where the pleats are sewn down). I haven't done a mock-up yet, though it is on the to-do list. Since I'm really going for a good authentic ensemble, I'm also going to have to make good undergarments. I'm planning on getting a good amount of handkercheif linen (enough for some other undergarments too, Elizabethan & whatnot) for a shift. I'm also planning on making a couple of under p'coats though they might be made out of cotton. Oh, and while we're on authenticity, my other goal for this project is to have something entirely hand sewn. I've hand sewn little things and I have to say that I really enjoy it ... it's fun. So, while mock-ups and things that won't be in the final are going to be done on the machine, the rest will be done by hand. :) I have silk thread from WoodedHamlet.com and it looks lovely. I also need a decent pair of Colonial Shoes, which is only a problem cause they're rather expensive, and I've had a little trouble finding them in a size 11 without being incredibly expensive. Eventually, I want pocket hoops and a new set of stays cause I will need them for Liz's Gold Gown, but that's going to have to wait for now. Anyway, I dont think that it would be entirely appropriate for me to wear pocket hoops to a battlefield. In other words, I dont think that ladies/campfollowers would have worn pocket hoops around a campsite. That all being said, I am on my way to making this, more than I have been. I put my old Colonial Dress on my dressform cause I was bored. It was partly a trial run through because there is lots of shifting with the stays, soon I'll take it off the form, put it on me, take measurements & such, then it goes back on the form (with correct measurements) and then it'll stay on until I get the mock up done. Then, I'll be able to start sewing. That's all for now ... but I think I would work better with a deadline ..... 04.15.08 Ha. It's almost a year later, and I was just going to come back here and say that I'm really ready to start working on this. Though I have a good excuse this time - I decidede that I really need a better shift and, well I was thinking about making a new pair of stays, but I dont think I'm going to tackle that quite yet. But a new shift is definitely in order. And, I bought some handkercheif linen specifically for a shift, and it came. Yay! So, once this sewing for Prince Caspian is done, this is next in line. *crosses fingers* at least I hope ... I've certainly waited long enough for this one to be done. Besides, I really want to become more involved in re-encactments. . So that's all for now. Haven't forgotten about this one, and hopfully I'll have some progress to post next time! |
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