15th Century Doublet Project - Part Ye Sixthe

Okay, so I'm playing hooky from busting my ass for the Big Event.  Sue me.

I'm sure you won't, though, because it means more bloggy yumminess for you to enjoy!  Yay!

So yesterday, right?  I was sooooo bummed about the fit of the Doublet after I installed the sleeves.  The solution is to cut new sleeves and affix those - sleeves which don't pull the rest of the Doublet away from my neck.

Today's project was cutting new sleeves and making them work.

First, of course, the old sleeves had to come off.  That meant carefully undoing the lining stitching from the armscye, because the old sleeve lining was one piece (the new sleeve lining will be the same shapes as the outer-material sleeve pieces). 

 







And then there were pieces. 

Lots of pieces. 

I'm happy to say I got a lot of frustration out simply - and manfully, I might add - ripping the Lower Sleeve pieces off the poofs by rending them the same way Lou Ferrigno used to tear shirts when he was painted green.

Hulk Smash! 

Once catharsis was exercised, I took the old Lower Sleeve piece and started to think how I was going to make them longer.  See, that was the problem - they were too short - and that was making them pull the Shoulders off my, er, shoulders. 

First thing we did - and I didn't get a picture - was pull one of the old sleeves on and try to put it in the right place on my arm.  That let us figure out how much we needed to add to accommodate my knuckle-dragging arm length.

I couldn't just add to the wrist, not if I wanted to get my hand through. So I added the extra to the TOP.

Clever, huh? Go, me!

Unfortunately, the left-over material from which I cut the new Lower Sleeves wasn't wide enough to just extend the cone-shaped Lower Sleeve piece along the same lines.  Thankfully, my manly biceps were easily accommodated by the girth of the old, too-short sleeves, so I decided to simply extend the cone into a cone on the end of a cylinder - rather like a manly, muscular, er, pencil. 

In the image at right, the old Sleeve is left, the new Sleeve right. 

New linings were also cut, this time in the same shape as the outer-material piece.

This evening, in breaks from folding patterns and doing laundry, I shall endeavor to get the new Sleeves at least sewn together. 

Tomorrow will probably see the new Sleeves sewn to the Poufs. Depends on how well I can keep up with fulfilling orders and packing for the trip.

Wish me luck!

Bob