Mustard Doublets & Eggplant Mockups

Almost sounds like I'm making a salad, doesn't it?

Feline emergencies have subsided. We even gave Figaro his final pill last night! So I took advantage of the quiet to do some quick sewing. The sleevelets are on the jerkin, I nipped the trim around the collar, tucked in loose ends, and did the 'clean up' stitching that I always find necessary at this stage of any project. The jerkin's to the point where I need to make the doublet before I sew on the buttons and whatnot.

My poor battered old gorget isn't really a part of this costume.
I put it on there to 'frame' the collar
(because I thought it made a better picture)

Tossed over the dress dummy.
It really isn't this wrinkly normally.

I know, I know. I said I was going to be doing the buttons and buttonholes next. However, button holes are a pain to sew by hand (they never come out right on the machine) but they get easier after about ten or so when I find my stride. To wit: it will be easier to accomplish if I do the buttonholes for both the jerkin and the doublet at the same time.

So... on to the doublet!

As you might recall, the doublet will be a mustard color with a butterscotch lining. The lines will be very simple with no epaulets or peplum and a light adornment with simple embroidery stitches used sparingly.

Beginner Tips: "Mocking Up"I skipped this step with the jerkin, taking it on faith that the twelve doublets and jerkins I've made using variations of this same pattern would stand up to any difficulties I might face. Little did I anticipate collar problems. My mistake.
I want to modify the pattern slightly (again) to try to incorporate some of what I learned making the jerkin's collar. (No, this one won't be quilted, but still...) So - since I learn from my mistakes - I will be making a quick mockup out of some extra fabric we have lying around.

For the record:

I hate prototyping something in muslin when the final fabric won't be muslin weight. It's a rule with me. It just doesn't make sense to me to expect a muslin mockup to fit the same as a final piece when the final will be of a heavier denier fabric!! It's a little more expensive to use heavier fabric for these prototypes (called 'Toile' in period, I believe) but it pays off in stress-reduction in the long run.

A few years ago we wound up with an abundance of eggplant-colored denim from a clearance table. So I'll be making an eggplant-colored prototype which I may or may not finish into a final completed piece. (It looks violet, but believe me, it's really eggplant).


I will be splitting the back seam rather than cutting it out as a single piece. This should allow some shaping and better control of the silhouette. As the outter garment, the jerkin doesn't need to have as much form, but the doublet will be a simpler machine - so to speak - so the tailoring must speak for itself.