Now, at this point, I’d like to add seam allowances to everything. To do that, I need to (carefully) trace off the front and the back pieces so that they are no longer one piece. Old patterns that combined pieces like this didn’t really include seam allowances. That’s pretty gosh-darned modern. Patterns used to just show sewing lines. That’s actually a really cool way to do things, because it lets the seamstress choose what kind of seams she wants and allow herself the right amount of fabric. In this case, I plan to hand-fell the seams to the inside of the dress. For that, I need 3/8″ instead of my normal 1/4″.
Yay! I’ve actually got the darn thing cut out of that slightly dreary bog-scum-green wool that the pieces are on. (I really associate the middle ages with bog people, primarily because the Moy dress came from a bog. (Yes, I know most of them are from way earlier….) That might explain both the color choice and several of the reasons that I don’t find the early middle ages terribly attractive. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen any of the bog people – they’re amazing, fantastic, and icky-grim. Sort of like mummies with better moisturizer. The archeological evidence for human sacrifice, in many cases, does nothing to cheer me up about them!) So, anyway, dead people to one side, the dress is about half assembled. Given that the Chicago area is in the middle of Snowmageddon, I expect I’ll have time to finish felling the seams this evening.