IRCC3 - Plans for the camicia embroidery

As you may have noticed, the IRCC challenges seem to send me off into an overly ambitious frenzy in which I will attempt nearly anything if I think it will be pretty. This generally ends with my finishing out the challenge period with a new pile of half completed--gorgeous, but only half-completed--projects! I have been looking for an embroidery pattern to work in double running stitch on both sides of my camicia seams and seem to finally have settled on a pattern!

(Just in time too since I only have one and a quarter of the drawn thread work bands to do.)

There are a whole lot of very nice, very elaborate patterns out there which made my heart jump, but I settled on a very pretty simple pattern which may actually be possible for me to complete. Yay for sudden bursts of sense!

IRCC3 Camicia Sleeve #2 - First row of drawn thread work done!

It is possible that I am getting faster at this, which would be quite a relief since I am looking at so much more on the partlet. Speaking of which, while I'm waiting for my Margo's Patterns to get here (and trembling in anticipation) I've been pondering what I want to do with the collar. I don't really care for the netting pattern on the collar of my inspiration piece, nor do I want to go with plain fabric, so I think I'm going to go with more of the same drawn thread pattern....and possibly a macramé edging.

I know, you're most likely thinking 'but you already tried a macramé edging on a veil and got nowhere,' and, well, you'd be right. However I learned a lot in the process and one of those things is that the fabric I was using wasn't suitable for such work. I think this one may be. Since I will have to cut a length of fabric at least 10" deep to make gussets I think I'll make a test swatch from some of the scrap and see what I think. If it works I'll probably use the test for cuffs. (Which would also conveniently solve the question of whether I am going to make loose or cuffed sleeves. Bonus!) I've seen examples of macramé lace on partlet collars in portraits so I know it was done in period too.

And then there is the insertion stitch to join the pieces together. As it turns out, I only had to look a few minutes on Pinterest before I found a pin with the exact stich I was looking for. As I thought, I will have to put in the rows of hem stitch and square hem stitch at the edge of my fabric panels, and then make a WHOLE LOT of stitches to connect the panels together and then join them together into bundles, same as the drawn thread work I've already done. I think if I do it right they will be nearly indistinguishable, at least from a bit of distance. :)

Finally, musings on embroidery...pattern? color? What to do?

Hmm.....

And finally, progress on the IRCC3 layer 1 project

I've finished the three drawn thread bands which break my sleeve in four half-width panels. Well, I mean that I have finished the bands on my first sleeve. yippee! And I've started pulling the threads to repeat the pattern on the second sleeve. Progress is being made!

The Maybee's are going to Turkey!

In my real life my Clarence and I (April) work in Academia and he has just had a paper accepted at a conference in Istanbul this fall. I am so excited for him on a professional level, but for me it means I get to celebrate my birthday in Turkey this year *and* (drumroll) spend about a week poking about the Military Museum studying their tent collection!

I really don't think I could be more excited!

I admit I've also been thinking about doing some shopping, particularly for oyas to use on a late period partlet, but first things first. Time to learn to speak a lot more Turkish. :)

Squee!

Layer 5: Largesse?

I have been musing on the subject of actual physical prizes for IRCC winners, or all the participants. In earlier iterations of the challenge some individuals donated prizes to be given to the winners. Very cool.

I've been thinking it would be wonderful to make something small/easy/related-to-one-of-my-items to share. It wouldn't have to be fancy, but how wonderful to receive a token to remember the challenge by. Especially if it would add to your period authenticity or enable you to complete projects!

Even better, what if several of us did it and the overall winner, or the newbie winner, or all three of the winners, received a box of loot!

I'm thinking the item wouldn't necessisarily need to be worn. It could be an item for a renenactment kit, or a kit to make such an item or a part of a larger costume project.

Some of my ideas:
Pearl drop earrings on gold hoops
A set of handmade buttons (if I made 10 a month there would be 40!)
Embroidered cuffs, possibly with a matching collar
A length of bobbin lace
Tablet woven garters
A handkerchief
A pocket
An apron
A paper flag fan with a space to insert the recepient's device
Finger loop braided cord, possibly tipped with metal aiglets
A needle case
A waxed linen cover to keep bugs out of a container of food
A very plain partlet
Brass pins
A thread winder
The list goes on and on...

What do you think? Good idea?

IRCC3-We're Off!

I know it's silly, but I spent much of yesterday stitching away at the drawn thread work on my camicia sleeve and impatiently waiting for the IRCC3 to get started in the USA so I could finally get to work *for real*.

I have days (probably weeks) of embroidery still to come but it just feels different to know that we are now all working together, and I can work on anything I want!

Woo Hoo!

I've been pondering my four accessories and I'm pretty sure I will make a partlet, veil and feather fan. But what to do for item 4....shoes?

Anyway, good stitching to my fellow IRCC3-ers! I can hardly wait to see what you get up to.

Layer 4 thoughts - Partlet

As I was working on the drawn thread embroidery of my Camicia a few days ago I came upon this glorious outfit courtesy of the Elizabethean Costuming facebook page. As I gazed on in awe I realized that the oversleeves and partlet are most likely/almost certainly draw-thread work, formed in large part by the same pea hole stitch I am using on the camicia!

How, exactly, one would get drawn-thread to work in a series of graduated rings as depicted in the partlet is a mystery to me at this point (if it can even be done!) but the sleeves are simple bands. THAT I can do. Thus my IRCC3 partlett was conceived.




In order to figure out the pattern before attempting to size it up into a partlet I cropped-out a detail of the flattest part of one of the sleeves, blew it up and started counting. On closer examination I feel that while this portrait is not an accurate-to-the-stitch recording of the pattern it does convey the feeling and approximate pattern and proportions well. I read the bunches as being sets of 5 bars taking up the space of 2 1/2 pea hole stitches in width and two pattern heights in depth. Two and 1/2 pea hole stitches are comprised of 5 bars so I feel good that my counting out various sections of the portrait sleeves has worked to establish a plausible pattern. I guess the next step would be to work up a test swatch. :)