Mikä viikonloppu! Tarkoituksena oli järjestää vähän erityistä ohjelmaa pitojen ja muun kivan oheen… lopputuloksena päädyttiin buukkaamaan Räikkä keikalle ja oli meillä keskiaikainen ilotulituskin!
Ja mikäpä sopisi paremmin juhlaan kuin uusi mekko, vieläpä uudella vyöllä somistettuna. Effigy dress pääsi ensimmäistä kertaa käyttöön viikonloppuna. Sen kanssa käytin toista uutuutta eli palavyötä. Kunhan saan vyön tekemisestä pari kuvaa, kirjoitan siitä oman artikkelin.
Mekko ei ole vielä aivan valmis. Siihen tulee vielä ainakin taskuaukot ja lautanauhaa helmaan.
Tässä jotain hajahuomioita mekon debyytistä:
Mekon kaava on D10584 Herjolfsnesistä, mutta tästä tehtiin alkuperäistä istuvampi. Olen pyrkinyt kuitenkin matkimaan mahdollisimman paljon alkuperäistä myös pienissä yksityiskohdissa, kuten ompelutekniikoissa ja viimeistelyssä. Olen nautiskellut detaljitiedoista, joita Medieval Garments Reconstructed tarjoaa: mm. kaula-aukon ja hihojen viimeistelyssä käytetty iskunyöri on tehty kirjan ohjeen mukaan.
Haastavimmat hetket koin hihojen parissa: tein aluksi niistä liian leveät, koska halusin varata tilaa alla olevan mekon napitusta varten. Liian leveänä tälläinen hiha ei toiminut oikein, vaan menee kurjasti kurtulle. Reippaan kaventamisen jälkeen se toimi aivan kuten pitikin ja mekon siluettikin muistutti taas 1300-luvun viimeisen neljänneksen tyyliä eikä 1980-luvun paitulia. Kiitos sovitusavulle!
Mekossa ei ole nyöritystä tai muuta kiinnitystä. Vaikka se on istuva, se ei kuitenkaan ole kireä. Sitä voi käyttää tarpeen mukaan mekkona tai päällysmekkona. Käytin sitä nyt päällysmekkona Moy-mekon päälle puettuna ja hyvin toimi. Sopivan lämmin asu kirpakkaan syyspäivään.
Tälläinen mekko on kaikessa yksinkertaisuudessaan oikeastaan erittäin yleinen keskiajan taiteessa. Oikeastaan harmi, että maltoin vasta nyt tehdä itselleni tälläisen. Aiemmissa on aina tehnyt mieli tehdä erikoisempia hihoja tai muuta. Kuitenkin asusteilla saa hyvin yksinkertaisesta mekosta erilaisia asuja. Tämän röyhelöhuntu-palavyöyhdistelmän inspiraationa oli tämä kuningatar Helvigin kuva Tanskasta.
On hätkähdyttävää huomata miten paljon vaatteet muuttavat vartalon muotoja aikansa ideaalin mukaiseksi. Kuten kuvasta näkee, keskiaikamekoilla on aikamoinen rintavarustusta häivyttävä vaikutus. Ihan heti ei uskoisi, että liivikaupoilla käytössä eivät ole aakkosten aivan ensimmäiset kirjaimet.
***
What a weekend! It all started out with us thinking it would be nice with a little extra entertainment with the feast and such… and we ended up booking Räikkä for a surprise gig and having fireworks.
And I got to wear my new dress. The Effigy dress got it’s debut even though it is not quite finished yet. I’ll add fitchets and some tablet-woven finishing.
But here is an outfit post anyway and some random observations about the new dress.
The pattern of the dress is D10584 from Herjolfsnes, except more fitted at the sides. Apart from that, I have tried to mimic the original in as many ways as possible: seam types and in the finishing touches. I have enjoyed all the info on the details provided in Medieval Garments Reconstructed. E.g. braid on the wrists and on the neckline is done according to the info in the book.
The biggest challenges were in making of the sleeves. I was a bit too generous when drafting the pattern and they ended up way too wide. I found that excess width makes this kind of sleeve pattern wrinkle and be a total fail in several places. Trimming off some material fixed them almost instantly. Thank you for the extra hands that came to do the fitting for me!
The dress has no lacing or any other closing. It is simply pulled on over the head. It is fitted, but not tight. I can use it as either a dress or an overdress. This time I used it on top of my Moy bog gown, which worked out nicely. A nice warm combination for a cool yet sunny autumn day.
This sort of very simple dress is very common in medieval art. It’s funny how it took me this long to make one for myself. I’ve always become distracted by my need to try out more complicated sleeves and fastenings!
However, it is a very versatile style that can be altered endlessly with different accessories. This outfit with the plaque belt and the frilled veil was inspired by queen Helvig from Denmark.
When I look at the picture above, I find it absolutely striking how much the clothing alters ones shape to conform to what was thought to be stylish then. My dresses do an amazing job compressing my boobage to fit a gothic standard. One would not really believe that I am a happy Bravissimo customer!
I also wore my new plaque belt, which will be the subject of a post of its own as soon as I get some making of-pictures.
Aivan älyttömän hyvän näkönen asu!
Kaikessa yksinkertaisuudessaan kauneinta ja samalla erikoisinta mitä olen päälläsi nähnyt. Voi kun sitä itsekin osais….
Kiitos! Nyt tekee mieli vaan ja yksinomaan käyttää tätä! Eikä tämä muuten ole vaikea!
Hello again. Congratulations on such a wonderful dress – it fits beautifully, so much so that one would hardly think that it is a pull-on. The colour is lovely too.
I have to say, though, I have a question for you. You say ”My dresses do an amazing job compressing my boobage to fit a gothic standard. One would not really believe that I am a happy Bravissimo customer!” Have you any fitting tips for getting this look?
I too am a happy Bravissimo customer and I’m about to embark on my first fully form-fitted dress project in the next couple of months (for my wedding!). However, most all of the other ”cotehardie”/”gothic fitted dress” projects and dress diaries I see on the web fail in this respect – even when the fit is very good otherwise, they are almost all more push-up bra than minimiser! I’m trying for uber-authentic so getting the fitting right as well as the sewing and finishing would be great, but is likely to be one of the biggest challenges of the whole project.
Here are some tips – although I have to say that to some extent the question of the disappearing boobs remains a bit of a mystery to me. But here is what I hope is at least half the explanation.
The idea is that the boobs are pressed together (aka monoboob-style), up and against the rest of your body by the clothes. And this is done by at least 2 layers of clothing – my linen shirt starts, the dress adds support and the overdress (like in this case) contributes a little bit, as it shapes the overall silhouette. And once the clothes are on you have to adjust yourself in place.
How do the clothes do this? What I do (with the help of a friend of course) as I am making the clothes is shape them on the body: pin the sides (usually it is the sides, but shoulders are important too) tighter – adjust yourself into the desired shape- observe – move pins that are not placed well (repeat) until you are happy, sew. All this with keeping in mind the period silhouette you hope to accomplish.
It is not as uncomfortable as it sounds, just supported and snug. And I am shopping in Bravissimo for the 6th (!!) letter in the alphabet.
Thank you for the response.
It seems, then, it is just an extension of the way I fit semi-fitted (i.e. fitted but non-supportive) dresses. The addition would be the fitted underdress (shift/shirt/smock), which I personally haven’t done before – my fittings have generally relied on the first dress layer to provide shape. Do you find the fitted underdress makes a lot of difference? Have you tried just using a fitted first dress layer?
Many of the instructions I’ve seen online say to fit very tightly just below the bust (where the bra band sits, to give lift and support) then fit tightly but not restrictively above and below that point (particularly below, where you should only skim the body, to prevent wrinkles). I guess with your method the area above the ’bra band’ is also somewhat compressed, resulting in the monoboob effect (rather like some sports bras?).
I’m in the double sixth-letter currently so I guess I could get a similar effect to you. How interesting! Not something I’d thought possible – and also something useful to consider for an under layer when crossdressing on the battlefield.
Thank you so much!
Thank you – this conversation has given me some interesting thoughts as well! I have some dresses that could do the supporting thing by themselves, too. I’ve just gotten more used to having the linen layer there too, as it gives a little extra and keeps its shape very well – and tightens back into shape in every wash. Another funny thing is, they really aren’t that shaped – since if you look at the dress when it isn’t on, it looks pretty much like a regular underdress/shirt.
…mun vyön palaset tuijottaa mua syyttävästi selkään ikkunalaudalla… ”tee meidät vyöksi” ne huutaa.
ja marjapuuron värinen villa kirkuu alakerrassa ”ompele minut”..
ja pellava… ”tahtoo ryppyyn ääääääääää”…
…ei mut hei, mähän alkaisin näyttää ihan sinulta… voi ei, pitää keksiä jotain omaa :D