The eleventh century outfit needs and overdress, which means I need a pattern. I want to make one based off a diagram from Kohler’s History of Costume, but the measurements are basically useless to me because my model is a doll. Fortunately, I have a chemise-y-tunic-y pattern already, and it’s a simple matter to alter that into the overdress pattern I want.
I’ve mentioned previously that some people really disapprove of Kohler’s work. It’s really next to impossible to verify his measurements and diagrams, or even that he was working with extant pieces to produce them. That said, my luck with it has generally been good, and I just don’t feel that trying to make a up something like the Moy Gown for a 16″ doll is going to do anything good for my sanity. That’s centuries later, anyway. ;)
So, here we go!
If you’re looking carefully, you’ll notice that some lines of the drawing aren’t getting a sewing line drawn. The Center front line of the body piece and the Center line of the sleeve don’t have seam allowances, because the pieces are meant to be cut on the fold. Also, I haven’t done anything to my neckline. That’s because I didn’t really cut out the front neckline on my pattern piece – I just transferred the sewing line marks. I’m sneaky like that…
When we used a princess line pattern to draft the chemise, we automatically got an angled shoulder. We had to square it off in later steps. The fact that it’s back tells me that this pattern will want to sit more closely along the top of the shoulder. It shows a slightly better knowledge of how to fit the body nicely.
Next… Drafting the Sideline