A Norfolk Jacket for Cycling

Back in April, late one night I decided I needed a cycling jacket--I started doing most of my commuting and errands on two wheels back at the beginning of December, and having to wear a Carhart jacket for warmth was just killing me.  Not a look I like, and not designed for cycling, either.  I also had issues in that it was way too warm for anything above 20*F, never mind rainy weather--I would get soaked both from sweat and the precipitation.

More photos of it being worn towards the bottom
of the post.
And safety first, even when just getting photos!

A Work-a-Day Elizabethan Shirt

Well...mostly work a day.  This project was intended to be just a shirt to wear under my late period wear; one which does /not/ have silk insertion seams as the last shirt I made does.  Even though the silk sewn shirt is fairly heavy and should be durable, my brain won't let me abuse and get it dirty as I probably will with this one.   This project was completed a good six months ago, and took about nine months of procrastinating to finish--there is a certain amount of guesswork since I wasn't doing a good job of journaling my projects during that time.

Wearing the pluderhose from my Brunswick Suit for the photos.

Party Pluderhose (and Chocolate doublet): The Overview and Photoshoot

About fifteen months or sew ago, I decided I really wanted to make a pair of leather pluderhose.  Something exaggerated, slightly shocking, but subdued in colours.  Something which would be relatively comfortable, and suitable for both rapier combat, as well as the bardic and partying afterward. And for court, I suppose.

This is what I came up with.

A Pair of Transitional Braies

Alright!  This project has been finished for well over a year, but I haven't actually worn it until recently.  I also had not written any documentation on the subject--or any other projects in the last year or two, for that matter.  I'm well out of practice in writing, and working from scanty notes and memory, so please bear with me.

Introduction:

As I have been working on a 14th century outfit (slowly), and intend to venture into the early 15th century, I needed an actual set of braies instead of the wrapped loincloth style hypothosized over on the Hibernaatiopesäke blog.  While comfortable and of a period form, I didn't feel they would be appropriate for later in the 14th century, never mind the 15th.  Therefore the first part project was to figure out what shape the braies would be, then make a pair which would work for a variety of outfits.

Norfolk Jacket Pockets: A (Brief) Tutorial

When I decided to go from the planned patch pockets on my current jacket project, to ones which were hidden under the decorative pleats of a Norfolk jacket...I had to figure out how to do so, and figure it wouldn't hurt to share here how I did it.

The Cutter's Practical Guide to Jacket Cutting & Making:
Lounges, Reefers, and Patrol Jackets.  by W.D.F. Vincent, 1890s
Page 35, Plate 15

A Jacket for Cycling, A Project Journal for April

A couple of weeks ago, at around 10pm, I got a wild hair to start on a new project...I could feel cold and wet in the air (we got 4-5 inches of wet snow that night), so I had a rain jacket on the brain.  Again.  I do every time it rains, go look at commercial examples and discard them because they don't meet my standards of fit and durability--as well as invariably having hoods, which I detest wearing.

Taken this very morning, in fact, as I double checked the sleeve fit.

 So, I went out, found a few yards of medium brown bull denim, and off white wool in my stash--both of which were from the thrift store--and started drafting, first on paper.  Just a rough sketch of the design idea and proportions.

Bliaut from the Cîteaux Moralia in Job Manuscript: Figuring the Design

I've been thinking about making a new bliaut for a number of years now, and as I have finally reduced the number of active projects down to a more reasonable number (I can count them on one hand!) it is clearly time to add more.  And as I want something straightforwards to sew instead of the ridiculously complicated projects which have been my lot for the last year, as well as have yardage brown silk/wool blend I set aside for a bliaut some years ago...a bliaut--basically a tunic--sounds like a good plan.

Naturally, I can't simply do things anymore, and just begin construction.  I had to do some research and find a piece of inspiration first.  Document the colour brown being used for bliauts--at least in illuminations--, what colours it might be combined with in the hosen, and just refresh my memory on what it looks like since it has been a good 5 years since I last looked into the garment and I had some...interesting...thoughts on the patterning back then.
 

Moralia in Job; Dijon, Bibliothèque municipale, ms 168:4v