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DerynifanK

March 17, 2024, 03:48:44 PM
Happy St Patrick's Day. Enjoy the one day of the year when the whole world is Irish.

Re: Work In Progress--Deryni Action Figure Project (was Duncan Action Figure)

Started by Evie, March 11, 2012, 08:52:30 PM

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Jerusha

I almost hate to ask this question, but how will Rhys keep his braies from bunching up when he pulls his chausses on?  That has actually been a question in the back of my mind whenever I've been looking at medieval men's clothing.  I won't say I've never struggled pulling on a jacket over a shirt with three-quarter length sleeves. 
From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night...good Lord deliver us!

 -- Old English Litany

Evie

Since I've never worn chausses and braies myself, I can't answer that from personal experience.  However, I do know that the braies are usually either fitted somewhat snugly to the upper leg, or at least cut in such a way that the bottom edge can be flattened neatly against the thigh in order to pull the pointed top edge of the chausses over the hem of the braies (which is what I did when fitting the chausses to Rhys' leg over his braies).   The overlap is necessary, because that way there is some built-in looseness between the garment covering the legs and the garment covering the hips and crotch.  That looseness is necessary so that if a man sits, stands, crouches, kneels, lunges, or whatever, the more tender bits of his anatomy won't get squished by tight fabric tugging this way and that.  Men tend to appreciate not being castrated by their clothing, I would imagine.   ;)  I don't know exactly how the bunching of the underlayer is avoided, but unlike inner and outer sleeves, the tension on chausses and braies would come from opposing directions, so perhaps that's the secret to them remaining comfortable despite the layering?  The tension on the chausses would pull downward, which would help keep the hem of tucked-in braes in place, I would think, helping to counteract the natural tendency of a tucked-in garment to pull upward when tension is loosened around it.  But that's just a guess.
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Elkhound

Were they fastened by fibulae, or would he have worn something like a garter-belt to hold them up?

Evie

They were normally tied on, with "points" (the laces) attached to the top of the chausses and then tied to the drawstring of the braies.  The casing for that drawstring usually had some slits in it that would allow the points to be tied to the drawstring.  Or sometimes there would be a loop in the top of the chausses, and then the lacing would be threaded through the loop and the drawstring and then tied.  So in a sense, it would be similar to a garter belt, only the "belt" isn't a separate garment in this case, but just the same drawstring that holds the braies in place at the waist.  Chain mail chausses normally were secured to something else, though, and that "something else" was often a belt, IIRC, if not some other portion of the armor.  Wouldn't want heavy mail armor pulling one's knickers off in a fight, I don't imagine!   ;D

There are some great pictures of how the pieces attach together here:  http://www.revivalclothing.com/linenmedievalchauses.aspx  These are footed chausses and I am doing a non-footed version, but other than that, they'd be the same.  In order to avoid undue stress on the very thin linen I'm working with, I didn't attempt to slit and buttonhole stitch the openings in my 1:6 scale casing for fear of ended up with fraying or tearing in that area, so I'm altering my design just a smidge.  This website shows a more period-authentic way of securing the chausses than my small scale improvised version.
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Elkhound

So, if the chain mail ones fastened to the mail shirt, would that make the latter a "Merry Widower"? ;)

Evie

Well, I'm not sure how much "merry-making" a widower could get up to with all that armor on....  ;)  ;D
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Elkhound

Quote from: Evie on October 18, 2013, 02:05:26 PMWell, I'm not sure how much "merry-making" a widower could get up to with all that armor on....  ;)  ;D

I have heard ladies making similar complaints about a "Merry Widow."

Evie


One chausse completed by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

I tried the finished chausse on for size, but to my dismay, it was too short.  I could have sworn I had the point higher when I started basting the fabric in place to make the pattern, but evidently not.  It fits nicely around the leg (perhaps even a little too snugly to wear with braies this length), but it ended up about an inch and a half too short.  The point should come higher up on the leg, with the inner angle of it framing the crotch.  But at least I can use this one as a guide for cutting out a longer version.

The tight fit over the braies gives him the medieval equivalent of "panty lines," so I'll give him a little more leg circumference as well, but not too much more.  Any bunching at the knee level or below will be concealed by his cross-gartering, and any that shows above that should be hidden by his tunic.  Though if necessary, I could alter the braies to be slightly more form-fitting also.

I'm wondering what this length of chausse might look like on a female form.  I can see Avisa wearing cast-off chausses under her gowns, especially when going out for a ride.  Not that I've made an Avisa yet...


Rear view of chausse by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

Here is the chausse from the back side.  The top of the chausse should come up to just under the buttocks, so that they are framed by the outer angle of the chausse sloping upwards towards the point in front.  I will still complete this pair, though perhaps not right away, because they'll serve just fine under a longer robe.  But I want the final pair of chausses to fit him properly, so it's back to the drawing board to extend the pattern and try again.
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Evie

Now, about that missing hair....


Redyed red by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

The mohair on the right is in the original shade of red that I ordered, and the unbound hair on the left is the redyed mohair.  OK, again let me remind you that these photo colors are a little darker and more saturated than they appear when viewed in life.  That original color has almost a pinkish-grayish undertone to it underneath the original red dye.  Redyeing it took out that odd undertone, leaving the mohair a more true, coppery red color.  So while there's only a slight change in hue in these photos, that loss of drab pink undertone makes a world of difference when you see the hair in person.


Ginger Kitty snoopervises the ginger dye job by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

Luke, of course, had to inspect the results straight away.  Making this wig might prove to be challenging in a home owned by two felines.  I failed to take into account the rapt fascination that two pygmy lions would find in the leftover shearings from giant (to them) herbivores.  I'm afraid they will be all too eager to "help" me play with the mohair when it's time for me to start attaching it to the wig cap.
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Evie

Tonight's update...revised chausses!


Resized chausses by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

I remade my chausse pattern, adding on some additional length, and cut out a paper towel mock-up to test the fit before transferring it to fabric.  Here are the resulting chausses.  I still haven't added the points for tying them onto the waistband of the braies, but aside from that, they are done.  This pair fit a lot better.  The pointed top hems come up high on the leg, giving total coverage and framing the crotch area without restricting it, and the back of each leg comes down low enough to avoid bunching up uncomfortably between the upper thigh and the buttocks.


Resized chausses by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

Here is the rear view of the chausses.  This design of legwear allows for complete coverage restricting ease of movement.  Now he just needs some cross gartering and shoes to complete his lower half.  I want to make the shoes high enough to hide his bare ankles.  If I had more skill at fitting and drafting patterns, I might have attempted a footed pair of chausses, but I figured I'd better not push my luck.  Hubby says that footed chausses are exceptionally comfortable to wear with medieval footwear, though.  (And Jerusha, he says he's never had a problem with the layers bunching up.  Evidently gravity helps in that regard with keeping the braies hems from riding up inside the chausses, and of course the chausses are secured in place by the points, therefore that prevents them from slipping down.)
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Evie

Tonight's update:


Outfit with new undershirt by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

You can just see the cuff of a new undershirt peeking out from under the outer tunic.  I used the sage green fabric that I bought at the same time as the fabric I used for the chausses.  It is a silkier, more lightweight fabric, well suited for an undershirt.  I added some decorative burgundy stitching at cuffs, collar and hem as an accent to help tie the color scheme of the entire outfit together.

I may need to go with a front-closing mantle after all.  Michael's doesn't carry the sort of round pin back that I hoped to use to make the Healer's badge cloak clasp for a shoulder-clasped mantle, so I would either have to find the right size of pin online, or else go for an appliqued patch on one shoulder of a front-clasped cloak.  I've been trying to avoid an iron-on applique for fear of melting the fabric, but I've recently found some good fabric glue, so a patch is now more of a possibility.  Still working on figuring out the best solution.


Closer view of cuff by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

I meant to make the undersleeves a little longer than they ended up being, in hopes they'd show more.  Oh well, at least they do peek out a little bit.

He'll also need a new belt.  This one is just a smidge too small to buckle over two layers of fabric, and it keeps popping open.  If I can find another small buckle, that would be better than using a belt clasp that isn't adjustable.


Undershirt hem by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

Here's a glimpse of the undershirt hem peeking out from beneath the tunic.  The accent stitching isn't quite the same color as the chausses, but it's close.


Looking up by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

Checking out what the top of the chausses and the braies look like underneath the belted shirt and tunic.  Not that anyone will ever see Rhys from this angle unless he's out climbing trees!
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Jerusha

Beautiful work, Evie, and all by hand!

Maybe you could find a little cap of maintenance for Rhys until he gets his wig.  I'm thinking his head might be cold.   ;)
From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night...good Lord deliver us!

 -- Old English Litany

Evie

LOL!  Well, I do have a little fur-lined cap that he can borrow, but he'll probably get his new hair this coming weekend.  His amber eyes also, while I've got the brushes out.  (The sponge brush I'll use to paint the glue on his wig cap is in the same box with the paint brushes I use for repainting eyes.)
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Evie

Got home very late tonight, so nothing new to add on the Rhys and Evaine front, but I took about five minutes to wash the silly updo out of proto-Meraude's hair and stick her on a temporary articulated body:


Meraude by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

Here is what she looks like with the styling gel and rubber bands removed from her hair.  As I suspected, she has lovely long hair with a normal blunt cut in back.  I went ahead and put her on a spare articulated body I already have, even though this one isn't petite enough for her, until I can afford to buy her a more petite body to bring her down to that "only up to Kelson's chin" height.  There is only one style of adult female articulated body that short that I know about, and it doesn't come in a skin color that would match the other head, but it should match this head pretty well.  I do have a darker, more olive-toned articulated body that will match that other head, though, so she'll probably end up becoming Jashana eventually.


Meraude by evian_delacourt, on Flickr

Here's a closer view of her face.  She has almost a wistful, dreamy quality to her expression, I think...maybe we've caught her daydreaming about Nigel?  ;)  It's very different in character from the other "Barbie and friends" face sculpts I have, which is a good thing, IMO, since I want my littles to look like individuals and not clones.  The more figures I add to my collection, the harder it is to find head sculpts I haven't already used before.

No medieval clothing for her yet, since I need to finish Rhys and Evaine first before I can start work on new wardrobe pieces.
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Laurna

With the up-do hair, I had thought the doll looked too exotic to be Meraude. Now that you have her hair down, I think she is beautiful without that over-glamorous look. I can see her as Meraude easily. What colors did Meraude prefer in her gowns? I can not remember if she wore a lot of the Haldane reds or if Duke Nigel had his own colors.
May your horses have wings and fly!