the boy in the striped pajamas?

I didn't get around to cutting out the mock-up of the husband's doublet the night of my last post. But I did get to it yesterday morning. I found a great striped sheet at Goodwill and decided that I would do the doublet out of it because it would help me visualize the straight grain and get the fit better.

So rather than start packing, I cut out the doublet and put it together. It took about 4.5 hours (judged by episodes of Downton Abbey) and a couple of fittings to see how it's coming together on the husband. But I'm really impressed with the Modern Maker's drafting up of the doublet.

Unintentional pattern matching. I impress myself.

First fitting seemed to go alright. This was when Hubster decided that the stripes were actually pretty awesome.

 

 Then I got around to attaching the sleeves. There were. . . issues. Mostly because I wasn't following along with the sewing instructions given in the book because "This is just a mock-up and I just want to see if it goes together well". Also a lot of hubris about "I know WTF I'm doing and sleeves won't stop me" Suffice it to say, one sleeve took WAY too long to put together and also hangs wonky (although Hubster says it feels better, but he doesn't know anything because the elbow bend in the sleeve was in a weird-ass place on his arm). Lesson learned = sleeve caps are cap for a reason and the seams on the sleeve don't always match up with the seams on the bodice. 2nd Lesson learned = you're not fancy - go with what makes sense.

Love the rakish grin!

 

So what you probably don't see (because you are DAZZLED by the magnificence of these stripes) is that the right sleeve hangs all wrong. This is the one that I was trying to match up some seams rather than put the apex of the sleeve cap curve at the shoulder point. This required gathering/easing in what is the top of the fore shoulder seam. I tried it on him with just the one sleeve and thought it looked weird. So then I attached the left sleeve in a more conventional correct and uncomplicated way. This got the front sleeve seam hanging in the front of the arm rather than the top and the elbow bend gathers. . .  behind the elbow (who'dathunkit?) instead of poofing on the inside of the arm.

I didn't pull the wrong sleeve off because I know I'm going to take it all apart in the end and use it for the corrected pattern. Just have to remember (half the reason why I'm blogging this) that the right sleeve is the wrong sleeve and the left sleeve is the right correct sleeve.
Then I added the skirting all around and a zipper so we could see it with a closure. Tried it on him once more and came to the decision that I think it's too short in the back and definitely too baggy. Hubster has a very bad sway back. The doublet fits across the upper shoulder/back just fine. We did all the standard stuff of arm circles, hugging himself, the Hustle. But it was super baggy in the lower back. I'm going to have to take it in - I'm thinking an inch. But that is why we're making a mock-up. The pattern drafting followed general rules, but not specific to his exact body shape.

 

He's super impressed with the fit. He got out a modern dress shirt which is definitely baggy and he doesn't get as much range of motion across the back as he does in the doublet. I might make a believer out of him yet that late period clothes are more awesome than t-tunics and Rus pants.

Also, the stripes TOTALLY KICK ASS!!! If this wasn't just a sheet, I might be tempted to finish it up and make him wear it to events. But we all know I'd get pointed at and laughed out of the site snarky comments behind my back if I did. I'm totally willing for it to be a lining to a doublet though. He likes the idea; said he'd flash people the lining when it's done.