Kampfrau (Trossfrau)

Skirt: The Fiddly Bits

The bottom of the bodice is smaller than my hips. In order to be able to get into/out of the dress I needed to leave a slightly longer opening. To hide this I want to slightly overlap the front skirt closure. The right-hand side of the skirt ends flush with the right hand side of the bodice. The left-hand side…

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Kampfrau (Trossfrau)

Skirt: the pleating

Sunday was for pleats (not all day.. but a good chunk of it). I’m totally cheating.. and I’m ok with that. For pleating the skirt I’m going to use a cheater strip of gingam. I’m relatively certain -they- wouldn’t have done this.. but I’m fundamentally ok with the cheat. I found a nice woven-in gingham with (mostly) even blocks. Each…

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Kampfrau (Trossfrau)

Bodice

Saturday was about German-ating. I started the day with a nice fitting single layer of linen bodice mockup pattern and end the day with a mostly complete bodice. I clipped my seams on my mockup to 1/4 inch. Then I seam ripped my mockup apart. Using these pieces I cut two copies in linen and 1 in wool. Then I…

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Accessories

Unterhaube -> Brigitta Coif?

Idle wonderings. Might the under part of the wulsthaube be based on something like the cap commonly known as the “St. Brigitta’s cap”? It would make a very convenient structure that: – would contain long hair. – wouldn’t pull your hair when you put it on (like my current version does) – wouldn’t have ties at the neckline (which my…

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Accessories

Wulsthaube Mark 1

Last night I finally tried on my first (acceptable for public view) wulsthaube. I’ve been futzing with fabric and directions for a while and finally I got something I could put on my head and photograph on my head dummy. Wulst: I made a long skinny linen tube (a little bit bigger than I could fit between my finger and…

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Accessories

Wulsthaube

Bulge cap Diary started Feb 26, 2010. Progress: Finished May 28, 2010. Summary Headgear -makes- an outfit. It’s the line between right and “can’t put my finger on something wrong”. The Wulsthaube is a particularly German late 15th/16th century headcovering. Research and Background From Textiler Hausrat, Kleidung und Haustextilien in Nurnberg von 1500-1650 pages 106-110, by Jutta Zander-Seidel, translated by…

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Kampfrau (Trossfrau)

My sewing muse is a BITCH

First she disappears for like 3 years. THEN when she finally comes back and starts hinting about how spiff it’d be to wear Germans.. and I actually start sewing.. ONLY THEN does she remind me that I’ve totally forgotten how to sew fitted garments.. and although squares and straight angles are nice to sew for early periods (and look nice…

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Kampfrau (Trossfrau)

At 12th night this last weekend I scored ~9 yards of light grey wool. It’s destined for the Kampfrau dress. I’m psyched to start on it.