The unfinished wool wife

The short and sweet of it: I’ve got the chemise, hosen, St. Birgitta cap, and a bycocket done, but there is approximately zero chance that I’m going to have the many-buttoned cotehardie of my dreams complete by tomorrow evening.

Yesterday’s update: I am so ridiculous but instead of finishing the wool version of this gown I freaked some more about potentially messing up the wool and made a full version out of the navy linen that I’d used for the lining. I know that it’s going to be so gorgeous in wool, but this linen one can probably be worn more often in Trimaris. So now I have a lined dark blue linen cotehardie that just needs its buttons and sleeves, and this linen version definitely wants not metal, but self cloth buttons on the sleeves and maybe on the front too. With tippets.

I have 64 of the flat shank buttons (and can’t get more), and 45 of the ball buttons (and could order more if necessary), so decided that I just need more of the balls for the actual wool (which I can more confidently finish now that I have made the linen version without jacking it up royally), and these shanks will go on a future pleat-front buttoned gown based on some effigies that I’ve been eyeing,

Today: I actually worked on the dark blue wool version of the gown, and it’s now at the same stage: assembled, fitted, lined but sleeveless, still needing a front closure and its sleeves draped and attached.

is it possible to do sleeves, sleeve buttons and an acceptable front closure in 24 hours? Find out tomorrow on the next and final episode of Brass-Rubbed Wool Wives of the 15th Century!