My finished object for June was a doublet pattern for now Master Gomez's Pelican ceremony doublet. I took a bunch of measurements in May using this worksheet for guidance. Obviously, the bust-related ones weren't needed, and I added a few more length-related ones for his knee-length vigil shirt.
To make the mock-up I added four inches onto the width measurements (for ease and seam allowance) and an inch onto the length measurements (for seam allowance) and drew front and back pieces, a collar, and skirts on an old sheet with a sharpie. I also eyeballed a sleeve pattern, cut everything out, and sewed it up with 1/4" seam allowances.
Through some magic of the sewing fairies, when I had Gomez try it all on, the doublet was too small by a couple inches, and the sleeves needed a bit more room. I don't know if I mixed up my numbers, or if he just beefed up a bit in the month or so between measurement and mock-up, but I decided to add an extra inch at each side of the fronts and the back piece (totaling another six inches), and borrowed a doublet from him to just copy the sleeve patterns in the interest of time and sanity.
Between fifty year and Gomez's frequent work travels I didn't have another chance to try anything on him, so I used myself as an approximate model. Now, I have a couple of features that he doesn't, and I'm a bit wider in the hips, but we're of a similar height, shoulder width, etc. and I just had to be brave and go for it. I cut out the resized pattern in the lining fabric, a butter-yellow linen with a decidedly out of period pattern of flowers and cherubs, put it all together, and when the fit was pretty good on my shoulders and waist I used the lining fabric as the pattern for the exterior fabric, a synthetic velvet upholstery fabric.
Now, a lot of this merges into July, but why stop now?
Anyway. I cut out the body and sleeves, and cut out skirts/collar on the fold (since I wanted the velvet on the inside and the outside, assembled, and when all looked good, added a bunch of trim in a gold synthetic brocade (including whatever those little bits over the tops of the armscyes are called) and some lovely ribbon trim Gomez's wife found. Last step was sewing in the lining and doing all the little bits of hand finishing, like tidying up seams and sewing on the gold buttons..
I have to give credit to my awesome husband for doing the button holes on Gomez's wife's sewing machine when my button hole attachment wasn't behaving and I was stuck in class.
I tried the lining in the sleeves, but it made them feel too bulky and tight, so I merely serged the seams in the sleeves, added trim around the wrist, and sewed on five ties at the top of each one. There are five accompanying lacing rings on each armscye so the sleeves can be attached or removed as desired.
Gomez wore the doublet, along with matching trousers made by my awesomely crafty hubby, a couple of days ago for his ceremony. I haven't gotten any decent photos yet (sorry, too busy having fun), but it really turned out beautifully.
There were a lot of challenges with this garb including uncooperative fabric, lack of chances for fittings, and lack of time to do as much hand sewing as I wanted. The lining wound up being slightly smaller than the outside fabric so the whole thing doesn't lay quite flat in a couple places, and there's no good way to iron velvet even if it's not the kind that melts. Overall, though, I feel like we made sure he looked like the peer of the realm he now is. Congratulations, Gomez, and photos will come soon.
Check back in for more updates on the vigil shirt and our Hellsgate and Raptor War trips soon.