1570's English Gown Journey~

Hello All

I have not died, but life just takes me all sorts of places! Right now I am creating an 11th Century Cote so I can be with some friends who are stepping up to the Prince and Princess of the Mists.   I don't do this time era, so I needed to create something fitting.


But before I show you that...I want you all to see what I am doing for the 1570's Elizabethan, which should premier at 12th Night.

Okay background, I don't typically take 1 single portrait and make an outfit, I like to 'Frankenstein' something so that it is truly my own.

This is a French Lady, circa 1570's Louise de Lorraine-Vaudemont, by Francois Clouet of France, and is in the Museum of Fine Art, Houston, Texas. I loved the jewels along the bodice.













A Drawing of Queen Elizabeth, with the jeweled bodice, I love the headpiece in this as well.

I love this style of gown but not french curved I like the more square necked bodice version, so I combined them.

Yep I am trying my hand at making images to fit my brain's need to see it in detail! So this is what I think the gown will look like.

It will have;
Weaved Sleeves with embroidery
Forepart of silk taffeta that is shot gold and blue, embroidered, which a bottom guard of weaved and embellished with embroidered Fluer de Lys and pearls and anything else I have on hand!
Italian Hat with a coif made from the same silk as the forepart
Fashion fabric is a basic arabesque design, used in the Victorian times and taken from the Renaissance. it is Blue and Gold.

Okay so here are some of the fabrics

And here I am beginning to weave the dratted sleeves:

All done for the sleeves  & Close up of the weaving, this is grosgrain ribbon about 40 yards of it, well with the bottom of the forepart too.  It did not take a long time about 2 nights effort, then I had a pet mishap and had to redo the whole thing, cats.....  So once this was done, I ironed it onto pellon, so I could cut it and move it around.  I cut out my sleeves and then did the embroidery onto them.

          























  I always tell people I start with my sleeves, because often I will run of time and energy trying to get the whole thing done, and you end up sleeveless, this is not something I wish to do with this project as I might just make 2 different types of sleeves.

Sleeves check! Now onto the bodice!









Ouche Making!!! So I have tons of these small and large, they were on Cheaptrims like 6 years ago they are not there now, sorry, and so I have these and I can make them any color I want, with some paint and some crystals.  They go from Victorian to a little Elizabethan in a couple of steps!

So now you see the some of the pieces, I choose not to use the small fleur de lys in this gown.  and you can see the fashion fabric along with the deep dark blue velvet I only found 2 yards of this on a run to the LA Fabric District.

Now to the Forepart!!

This is the luscious silk taffeta I have in Blue/Gold. I am going to embroider (Machine) the crap out of this!

 

 First design going on!

In process I think that is number 8 being put on by my lovely Myst!

You can see our puppy Sabine checking out what I am doing, this is not sewn together as yet and I love the giant fleur but thought it too much for the whole piece, I wish I had done it all over, perhaps on another forepart!  Next step is to put a backing on this of canvas, and then attach it the rest of the forepart, I could have just pinned it to a petticoat but I like them to be ready for me to go, so I will be doing that soon.

Next? Bodice, Over skirt, Silk Petticoat and Farthingale!!