I wrote up an update for IRCC II, but realized that I am a bit behind here. After I finished my delightfully successful mock up with the blue doublet, I went ahead and cut out the pattern pieces for the red underdoublet worn by Don Gabriel in his portrait by Moroni.
The top layer is red silk, second is red linen, and third is white canvas. I haven’t done the lining yet, but it will be a thin white silk similar to the fashion fabric.
It took me a while to decide on how I wanted to do the spacing for the trim. I wanted it to look like Don Gabriel’s doublet, and spacing them too close or too far would throw the look off a bit. I eventually decided on 1.75″ apart. I marked that distance on the fashion fabric lightly with chalk.
It took a long while, but I eventually got all of the spiral trim sewn on to the body and sleeves. I ran out of trim before I was able to decorate the skirting pieces, but I did manage to get the collar done (although I did have to piece together the trim to make it happen).
Twisting the velvet ribbon to make my trim, back stitching as I go along!
My goodness this was hard to photograph. The camera just wants to see it as a wall of red, even though the trim definitely reads as darker than the fabric in person.
Mostly done with the doublet now! It fits, although the stays will definitely be necessary to make it look nice. I might take in the sleeves a bit around the upper arm, haven’t decided yet. They are a bit poofy. :/
I haven’t decided on how I want to do the buttons yet. I would prefer something with a low profile, since the black jerkin will need to be able to fit over this. There’s a doublet in POF that has relatively flat buttons, I think Ms. Arnold says that they are a ‘cardboard’ base with silk fabric stretched over the base, and then embroidery (just a circle of back-stitches it looks like) over that. Obviously she does not mean modern corrugated cardboard, so perhaps something more like card-stock. I tried to look for what cardboard would mean in the 16th century but my google skills failed me.
Check out other parts of this outfit below:
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