Late 16th-Early 17th Century Waistcoat

I FINALLY was able to get pictures of the whole outfit! I'll take detail shots of the garments themselves, but I'm stuck at the Atlanta airport and thought that now was as good a time as any to write this post. :)

The waistcoat pattern is based on The Tudor Tailor, altered slightly to fit me better. It is made of white wool flannel from Renaissance Fabrics and lined with natural linen from Burnley and Trowbridge. It closes with brass hooks and eyes also from Burnley and Trowbridge.

I also made a linen partlet to wear over the petticoat and under the waistcoat, and linen cuffs for the sleeves. The coif and forehead cloth are also new, but not terribly exciting!

I had to play around a lot with the fit of the waistcoat, even painstakingly letting out the center front edges 1/4" on each side so that it would fit PERFECTLY. But I'm a little crazy like that... And very pleased with the effort. When I take detail shots at home, I'll go over my construction choices a bit.

There's also a new apron, made of a wool from Burnley and Trowbridge. It's the "dog ear" (my term) style apron, which is just a plain rectangle with ties. This is quite practical because it's easier to fold up or iron without gathers in the waistband. There are only paintings to go by, so it's hard to tell how the ties are attached. In some places it looks like the tie goes all the way across the apron, and in others it doesn't. I chose just to stitch the ties on either side of the apron, letting the "dog ears" flap free. It was the simplest choice, and the most economical in terms of tape usage.

Anyway, here are pictures! I'm wearing a pair of the American Duchess "Virginias". They are SO comfy! Go buy them!