New projects

Two new projects to show you today.

Firstly the C14/15th peasant costume, it needs tweaking and altering a little (you can see I’ve cut down the left hand side overdress on the bust).
These historical costumes never quite fit as the dress form is a modern size 10-12 and not a form based on a boned and corseted female figure. 

Question is - would the underdress (kirtle) have laced up the front or back?  
If you had a servant you could wear back lacing clothes as you had someone to do the lacing.  
My pattern says back lacing.  I’m not convinced.  

This Northumberland peasant is unlikely to have had a servant.  
So are the kirtle and overdress both front lacing?  Can’t be for modesty…… maybe the kirtle is side lacing? 
Or maybe it was very loose and no lacing front or back or sides?  Just lacing the strap to the front.  Mmmm…. that seems more likely. 

Anyone like to offer any suggestions before I go any further? 

The next stage will be making up using the dyed scrim and muslin.  I will show you as much as I can without giving away my ideas.  
A difficult balance - one wants to blog….. but one can’t blog everything for security of ideas and artistic copyright.
Sad, but true. 

And a splash of colour.  I’m writing the next online workshop you can see the first one on Mini-Towers HERE.  

There are just a few copies left at the special intro price.

Above are the fabrics I’ve chosen for the workshop and below is the original piece of work that I’ll be recreating - with some tweaks and changes.

(If you want to know when the workshop goes live join the mailing list)