Well, loves, we are back on track. Silk doublet parts are as assembled as possible without ironing the essentials. I will be weaving the trim the rest of this evening and awaiting the arrival of the new iron tomorrow.
A note about ironing. In my period of play, humid fabric, a solid iron heated over a brazier, and time would have substituted for our modern steam iron. The manipulation of natural fibers is what makes them so versatile. Heat, moisture, and movement make the fabrics take on the shapes we need to make our apparel fit better and better adhere to the target garment. I have an iron and a fireplace and considered whether to proceed in a more period manner. The fact is that I haven’t practiced with it and I don’t want to learn on $25 per yard silk. So I wait for the modern tool that will do the thing and weave instead.
Ciao,
Fiore
I am Nobildonna Fiore Leonetta Bardi (Fee-oh-re) also known as Fiore di Bardi (she/her). Primarily a costumer, I specialize in Florentine dress from the mid-1560s to ~1590, hand sewing, and embroidery. My area of interest includes research of life as an illegitimate woman in Florence, the Florentine Camerata, artifacts and practices for a noblewoman of this time — including the practice of hunting and falconry in Florence, and Florentine textiles. I am increasingly interested in the people we try not to see and which most would have tried not to see even in the 16th-century, namely those of mixed race in Europe. Especially how a person of my lineage (I am of African, French, and Spanish descent) would have lived in 16th century Italy. Motto: Penso e Creo * Blog: www.fioredibardi.net * Instagram: @dressingflorentine
