Dungiven Jacket Documentation (And Double HSM)

EDIT, 5-23-16: After the original was stolen, I decided to make it again--the Dungiven Mark II.  Because I'm lazy, I'm not going to completely re-write my documentation, but add to the section with details pertinent to the second go.  These paragraphs will be written in a different font, like this header note you just finished reading.

Mark II.  It was (obviously) much warmer this time.

You are correct in believing the hat is not period--however, it was bloody cold out.

The project I chose for my Queen’s Artisan’s piece was the Dungiven Jacket—a late period woolen doublet found in an Irish bog. For the challenge of accuracy I decided to hand sew it with wool thread, and see how close I can get to the original.

The Find:
The Dungiven find consisted of a pair of trius (the Irish trousers), a jacket, and a brat (Irish variation of a cloak) dug up by a farmer on April 23, 1956. There were several other pieces found as well as the major ones—a pair of Lucas Type 5 [Henshall, pp. 135] shoes (sewn with wool thread, interestingly enough), and fragments of a belt that was found in the waistband of the trius. No skeleton or body was found with the clothing, which is not unusual given the acidity of the soil. The pieces were found slightly North of Dungiven, Co. Derry, North Ireland (the tiny red dot on the map). One of the somewhat interesting things about the garment(s) is that we do not actually know what period they are from—it is estimated based on shape that the jacket could have been make any time between 1570 and the 1640s.

Featured Garment; An Early Frock Coat?

Last week we went to 1330s Genoa, with a rather interesting cioppa.  I had a devil of a time deciding exactly where to go this week--I just couldn't seem to find anything that piqued my interest.  Then I remembered a garment which caught my eye months ago (or however long since I first started using pinterest)--and extremely early example of a frock coat.

This coat, from Eastern Europe, dates to 1815--a good five years before the frock coat as we know it is supposed to have come into existence--as popular knowledge has it, anyways.  In reality, it existed on the continent before that--it just took a little longer to reach the shores of merry old England.

Historical Sew Monthly 2016--An Optimistic Plan

Edited: 3-15-16

Every year I attempt--somewhat--to follow the Historical Sew Monthly (or Fortnightly, when it was every two weeks).  For those who do not know, the Historical Sew Monthly is a sewing challenge.  12 historical sewing projects (cut off is 1938), due on the last day of each month; each has a different theme chosen by the sponsor and popular vote (to some degree), and it is up to you to come up with something--anything--sewing/costuming related that somehow fits in.  This year, there is a particularly nice lineup, which may actually help me get it done--I think there is only one which I'm looking at with no idea.

The main post on the Historical Sew Monthly can be found HERE.  Read it, or else.

Featured Garment: A 1330s Genovese Cioppa

This week, we are going back to the Second Quarter of the 14th Century, in North-West Italy, where a somewhat unusual garment caught my eye.  Any guesses as to which?

14th Century Kolpak

Today I'll be going over my process and some documentation for my kolpak.  Sadly, this project was a couple of years ago, and I didn't take full notes on my documentation.  Shame on me, I know.

When I made my 14th century Russian garb (lovely period, btw.  Quite comfortable, and warm) I needed, of course some kind of headwear.  Preferably one which wasn't commonly seen...this mostly left a tall kolpak.  I really don't feel like writing an article--when Sofya la Rus has already done so, and better than I can.  So go read HERE...I'll wait.

Well, they seem to have "typically" been made of a stiffened felt--not an option for me, sadly; I don't have the materials to do so.  So I went with a logical variation--using birch bark as a stiffener.  I figured "birch is common in Russia, and was used for some things, so why not" (I seem to recall a collar stiffened with thin leather or bark).

The first order of business was to pattern, figuring out the circumference (head, plus some ease for the fur), and the height.  I then drafted a slightly asymmetrical shape that I found pleasing to the eye.  Note that the curve to the bottom is necessary.

Featured Garment: A patchwork dressing gown from 1820

An absolutely fascinating, one of a kind garment--a dressing gown or banyan made entirely from tiny diamonds of printed fabrics.  Bear in mind that this was sewn entirely by hand--not a venture I would want to undertake.

In shape, it is not an untypical garment for the period--around ankle length (based on the measurements), double breasted, and with sewn on cuffs.

Franken-frock Coat: It's Aaaliiive!!

Almost...done.  When I last last left, I was discussing the pockets, and mourning the fact that I apparently did not take any pictures of the semi-complete garment.  So, an overview it is.

To recap, my Frankenfrock is a frock coat made of 11 different wools, patchworked together; all of the shell materials were upcycled from blazers I purchased at the thrift store.  When I designed the garment, it was partly because I wanted a unique coat, and partly for the challenge of pattern matching and forcing myself towards precision in sewing my seams (the other option would be making a quilt...which just doesn't appeal to me).