I promised to eventually come back & create more diary entries for this project. So here I go:

I machine basted the shoulders on this entirely hand sewn bodice, *facepalm*. Those machine basting stitches were pulled out later but I find it ironic that I have the patience to hand sew a garment but not to hand-baste two wee, little shoulder straps to check the fit. Life is full of contradictions.

Evidence:

Here I have on all the undergarments, getting ready for the first try-on of the final bodice. I had just removed the original pleating on the camicia so it was hanging off my shoulder. After fitting the bodice straps (with the help of my housemate), I then made a new band to pleat the camicia neckline to fit. (more…)

I finally got the Florentine gown up on the webpage.

I sent it in to Bella from Realm of Venus. She did a great job putting together the content featurning it in her Italian gown showcase – If you haven’t checked out her site it has some very drool worthy Italian outfits. A must view site in my opinion.

By the way, I sent her higher resolution images to use on her site so you can see a little more detail. I will try to eventually do a more thorough dress diary on this blog as well. But it is on the back burner as I get more involved in my fall commissions.

In the end, the gown really isn’t done either. I still need to make the sleeves based on the Pisa gown. I do have enough fabric but used the smocked stuff to quickly have ornate decoration and get it done in time for the event. Eventually I’ll complete the sleeves I intended to make for the gown.

Tonight I’ll be heading off to the Valhalla Renaissance faire, for the weekend, after a long day of sewing and errands. I’m excited, as it is one of my favorite events of the year. In addition to being generally an awesome event it will also now hold special meaning to me because I’ve been selected to join The Order of the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem.

At Needle’s Eye (Royal White Eagle) encampment my Daming will happen at 2pm tomorrow, Saturday May 30th. A knighting seemed like a good event to finish my outfit for:

(more…)

In an interesting turn of events, my roommate was in search of a fabric for a Venetian gown and she now has the other 8 yards of this fabric from my stash. I’m looking foward to showing off both my Florentine inspired gown and her Venetian gown when they are completed. She is close to done with her bodice and has started her skirt. The interesting thing to note is that I am using the damask inside out and upside down from how it will be used in her gown! We will be the upside-down-inside-out twins.

I’ve always been tempted to have a long train on one of my Renaissance gowns. Whether it will be practical is questionable at best but I just had to do one! After seeing the “Pisa gown” in Florence last year I knew I’d want to base a dress on this patterning:

(more…)

I’ve started the next portion of my Italian gown. Here is a quick preview:

The petticoat patterning for the silk fabric is 9 pieces and the linen lining 14 pieces! It was fun putting them all together. If you come by the Needle’s Eye at Livermore Scottish games this weekend I’ll be working on hemming the skirt if you want to see it in person. I’ll also be working on pulling & knotting tons of threads on my stays. I’m trying reed as boning this time around.