A Red Italian Doublet
I decided that it was time to update my doublet pattern. I found a good page on farsetto construction a while back, and put many of the ideas there to use in building this one. It's been a while since I started it, so I don't remember exactly what layers are involved in the body of the doublet, but there are many, as well a large padded area in the central chest area. The lower sleeves are quilted with a layer of quilt batting in the middle. The upper sleeves are completely unlined, though I think they could use a little more substance. The collar is also quilted, both with coarse wool and quilt batting. The buttons are all simple cloth bag buttons, with the button holes done by machine. The holes at the bottom edge for the hose points are hand worked over metal rings. I've had many points pull through previous doublets, and I wanted to avoid that. All pieces of the doublet and lining were constructed flat, then sewn together at the edge and bound with a strip cut on the straight grain. Though the look of this doublet is far superior to what I have done before, I worry that it is somewhat over-engineered and will be far too warm to wear when summer rolls around again. I plan to try lightening up the construction a bit with the next one. The next phase of this project will be to make new hose once I lay my hands on some wool appropriate for the task. My old hose all leave something to be desired, and are not cut quite right for this new doublet, which has its lacing holes significantly lower than the old ones.
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Getting Started
Over the last few days I've been able to get a start on the base for the trunk hose. The lining and panes aren't my main concern. I have yet to make a pair of trunk hose that fits well enough that I can sit down without choking myself. I swiped the basic crotch pattern from the Don Garzia de Medici trunk hose in Patterns of Fashion. My interpretation can be seen here. The material I'm using is a loose weave, stretchy cotton that I've had knocking around for over a decade(!) now, known colloquially as the "vinegar fabric" due to an unfortunate incident with a bag of forgotten grapes. I originally grabbed it off the shelf more or less at random, but I really like the way it works as a foundation. I plan to make the panes of the red silk (obviously), lined with the ubiquitous black cotton/linen. the question is what to use as the lining layer beneath the panes. The first thing I found that I had enough of is a somewhat shiny black cotton broadcloth. The black-and-red color scheme seems a little too obvious to me. I made a doublet and pluderhosen a million years ago in red and black and it feels like it's still around, even though is wasn't for me and has never really been worn in public. The Medici hose were done in two different shades of crimson, and that appeals to me a little more. Perhaps a red a couple shades darker than the fire engine color of the silk would look good. I'd have to go shopping, though...
category: /red | permanent link

Contemplating
I divided the horse hair roughly in half and stuffed both sides of the trunk hose. It definitely gives them some shape! I just hope I don't end up smelling like a horse when I'm wearing them. This may be one of the few times that it's good to have a non-breathable fabric. :) I'm trying to decide what exactly I should use to line the panes. I was going to use the black cotton/linen, but I'm looking through some of the lesser fabrics I have lying around that need to get used up. I'm also foing to use more of the stiff mattres ticking as an interlining on the panes to really give them some substance. Looking at the pattern, I have some doubts as to how the whole thing will go together. In my mind's eye the pattern just doesn't seem plausible. I'll just have to do it and see how it turns out. [this was actually the 6/4 post. I accidentally overwrote the 6/2 post. Whoops. Not that nayone's reading this anyway...]
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On Second Thought
Looking at the projects out in the left column of the blog page, I recall that I never made trunk hose to go with the Moroni doublet. Since I also have a bag full of horse hair I was planning to use for stuffing a pair of trunk hose, this looks like a good opportunity to finish that project up. Of course, I can make a doublet out of the silk as well. Doublets are much easier for me to pattern, though, so I tend to run out of steam by the time I get around to making hose to go with them. this way I can build the suit from the bottom up.
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Happy Birthday To Me!
I've been out of the sewing mood for a while lately, but I got a nice birthday present from my lovely wife today: ten yards of red silk. It's a little rough but not slubby at all, and heavy enough that I don't have to worry about flatlining it. It was only $4 a yard, though there was a ten yard minimum. After I get done with whatever I make for myself, I'll probably use the rest for dresses for the girls. This, of course, begs the question: what am I going to make? Honestly, I have no clue. I don't want to do anything really wild or experimental, as I don't want to waste good fabric on a failed experiment. If anyone has any good ideas, let me know!
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