Thursday March 21st, 2002 Agnes Cresewyke
These are pure conjecture of my own design. Another way the gores can be cut for Herjolfsnes gowns.
This shows cutting the panels for the gores to a more period width of fabric. This shows how I put the panels on top of one another and the waste produced. Some have seams up the middle and some will have false seams like the original. So there are 4 sets of 2 gores, with false seams or with real seams. All I have left to cut is the sleeves and they produce the gores for the upper sleeve with the diagonal cuts to make the angle. I found that when I cut triangles on my last one to make the gores they were too thin in the middle to make the shapes required. There is less waste to this method than to modern patterns. The online resource for the pattern is from: http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~mforest/Medieval/articles/garments/H38/H38.html
Thursday April 4, 2002 Agnes Cresewyke
Next is fitting. These next four pictures are inside out and right side out views of how far I have gotten to date. This is after the second pinning. Click on the pictures to get a large view. I just have to finish re-sewing the two side back seams to the right size and then I can put in my gores center front and center back. Then the sleeves, then hand finishing all the seams and openings. I can't decide if I want short sleeves like H39, or the long sleeves of H38. I suppose it depends on what I am going to wear under it. http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~mforest/Medieval/articles/garments/H39/H39.html I would be going much faster on this dress if I didn't have to do the end of semester rush on school projects.
Sunday April 7th 2002
Well this is how it is fitting me after all the side gores are adjusted and sewn in. Just have to hand finish all of them! Esh what I get myself into! Then the sleeves and center front/center back gores. I think I will go with the short sleeves because then I can have a nice overdress of dark wool for cold weather and wear this one for working. It is easier to wear wool in the summer if you have short sleeves. It isn't tight and it is still flattering (At least I think it is!) without binding. It seems to me to have the right shape for the Herjolfsnes finds and the period shape if you don't have the same shape as a 10 year old boy.
Monday April 8th 2002
Well the front and back gores are in. This is the first time I have put in gores that are so narrow in the front and back. I had to do the tops a few times. I guess if I had done them by hand it would have been easier. It just goes to show you how much I trust hand sewing! I cut the sleeves and gores for them. I tried to put them in like this lady says to: http://sca-garb.freeservers.com/articles/cotehardie.html with the seam on the top of the sleeve, but it looks ridiculous. I am going to have to take it out and put it in the way I normally do. Set in with the gore making up any difference in the way it lays smooth. The gore being directly on the back of the arm and the seam laying along the back of the arm, not underneath. I just thought I would give someone else's idea a try, but it hangs/feels/looks just wrong to me.
Thursday April 11th 2002
Ok. I redid the sleeve, the way I normally do it. I like this much better. I also have started hand finishing the seams with threads pulled from the fabric scraps from the gores. The seams lay very smooth and they disappear! You can't even see the stitching! Here is a preview so far:
So as you can see in the first picture the gore is on the back of the arm and the seam runs straight to the back of my elbow like it should. Second picture shows how the sleeve sits in the armscye and how the side seams just blend right in with the garment. Also it is the first picture of me wearing it since I put the front and back gores in. So far so good! One other thing. You can see the false seam hand sewn at the bottom, second lump from the left. It looks kind of puckered but that is just because I haven't ironed it yet!