msmcknittington (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
msmcknittington) wrote2007-04-25 01:25 am
msmcknittington) wrote2007-04-25 01:25 am
Fabric shopping, yay!
After my whiny post yesterday about the lack of satisfactory damasks on eBay and elsewhere, I'm surprised to say that I found a fabric I love . . . at Joann Fabrics.
Sure, it's acetate flocked taffeta, and it bears no resemblance to probably anything in period, but it's gorgeous and more than good enough for Bristol. Compared to the ladies who strut around with their breasts perched as if on a platter, I will be the epitome of sixteenth-century fashion.
Flocked taffeta
See? Isn't it pretty? The ground is a black/yellow changeable taffeta. It has the large pattern I was looking for, it's definitely flashy as hell, and it will match the accessories I already have. Not to mention the fabric for my sister's dress, whick is a red/black changeable silk shirting. It feels like a very light to mediumweight taffeta, basically. A little bit more well-behaved, though.
The only thing I don't know is whether or not to make it into the Venetian that I was originally planning the damask for, or if I should make it into a Tudor gown like my sister's. I know she was afraid she'd stick out in Tudor at Bristol, though I don't think so.
Did I mention it was on the value fold rack, and I got it for less than half what I was looking to spend before? And I got the last of it on the roll? I am psyched.
I also picked up these two fabrics.
Striped: green with small cream and larger tan stripes. The tan stripes have a bit of a twill weave to them.
Purple . . . thing. I think it might be a type of damask or jacquard. The ground is purple and the figures are gold.
Detail of purple.
I am actually more excited about the striped stuff than I am the flocked taffeta. Why? Because of this passage from Tudor Tailor:
I cannot even tell you how debilitatingly excited I am about having a striped kirtle, that isn't usually seen in period images, but is supported through text. It will be nice and middle-classed, I think, with some matching solid green sleeves, a pretty coif, and a knitted flat cap.
Sadly, the colors aren't at all accurate in that last photo. The stripe and the purple are exquisite together, though.
The purple stuff I thought I could use for an adventure into Regency costuming, but I'm beginning to think I'd rather use it as a kirtle or overgown, as well. It coordinates well with the others, especially the stripey stuff.
Sure, it's acetate flocked taffeta, and it bears no resemblance to probably anything in period, but it's gorgeous and more than good enough for Bristol. Compared to the ladies who strut around with their breasts perched as if on a platter, I will be the epitome of sixteenth-century fashion.
Flocked taffeta
See? Isn't it pretty? The ground is a black/yellow changeable taffeta. It has the large pattern I was looking for, it's definitely flashy as hell, and it will match the accessories I already have. Not to mention the fabric for my sister's dress, whick is a red/black changeable silk shirting. It feels like a very light to mediumweight taffeta, basically. A little bit more well-behaved, though.
The only thing I don't know is whether or not to make it into the Venetian that I was originally planning the damask for, or if I should make it into a Tudor gown like my sister's. I know she was afraid she'd stick out in Tudor at Bristol, though I don't think so.
Did I mention it was on the value fold rack, and I got it for less than half what I was looking to spend before? And I got the last of it on the roll? I am psyched.
I also picked up these two fabrics.
Striped: green with small cream and larger tan stripes. The tan stripes have a bit of a twill weave to them.
Purple . . . thing. I think it might be a type of damask or jacquard. The ground is purple and the figures are gold.
Detail of purple.
I am actually more excited about the striped stuff than I am the flocked taffeta. Why? Because of this passage from Tudor Tailor:
Paintings rarely show the abundance of striped fabrics worn by all ranks of society, which is evident from documentary sources. Queen Elizabeth owned many gowns, petticoats and kirtles made of striped silk. There are 11 striped gowns in a list of lost items, of which one is a kirtle and bodies "of great bard velvet," suggesting that both wide and narrow stripes were known. A rare depiction is that of a pink kirtle with narrow red and green stripes, worn by a figure who is probably Jane, fool to Mary Tudor, under her branched damask gown (fig 6). A striped canvas doublet is mentioned in the will of an Essex gentleman in 1584.
p. 39
I cannot even tell you how debilitatingly excited I am about having a striped kirtle, that isn't usually seen in period images, but is supported through text. It will be nice and middle-classed, I think, with some matching solid green sleeves, a pretty coif, and a knitted flat cap.
Sadly, the colors aren't at all accurate in that last photo. The stripe and the purple are exquisite together, though.
The purple stuff I thought I could use for an adventure into Regency costuming, but I'm beginning to think I'd rather use it as a kirtle or overgown, as well. It coordinates well with the others, especially the stripey stuff.