Blag!

So, today I begin chronicling the Red Snail. I've been commissioned to garb most of the wedding party for my friends Monique and Aaron, who will be tying the knot in June, 2010. I've been meaning to keep track of the historical costuming projects I've been working on, and this gloriously ambitious project seems the best place to start. (I've never been a fan of retroactive blagging. It's not only really hard, but I'm typically already involved with the next pursuit.) As a total aside, Firefox noticed that I spelled "pursuit" incorrectly as "persuit," but had nothing to say about my word "blagging."

Anyway, prior to this, I have discussed plans with Monique and Aaron and will be clothing the two bridesmaids, V and K, as well as the groom and the best man, P. The wedding party will all be dressed in the (more-or-less) Tudor style. Aaron likes the style of Edward VI and Monique likes Jane Seymour. Monique (the bride) will be doing her own gown (bless her heart).

So! I had the bridesmaids over my place a few months ago to take preliminary measurements. From these I was able to give the ladies ballpark figures for yardages required to make outfits resembling the portraits of Tudor ladies, most notably Jane Seymour. The three of them (along with Aaron, I presume) went shopping for fabric at some totally amazing place in Chicago... of which I need to learn the name.

Last Thursday I was mobbed with fabric for the four outfits I will be constructing. My friends were very thoughtful and made me a crib sheet with little swatches of which fabric belongs to which outfit! Great!

Measurements: Ladies - Check. Gents - 1 of 2.
Fabric: Ladies - Check. Gents - Check.

Now to get drafting!
I started this morning by using Drea Leed's Elizabethan Corset Generator to generate custom sized corset patterns for V and K. I have personally used this generator to make an Elizabethan era corset for myself and have found it to be INCREDIBLY accurate. (Unfortunately, since giving birth to my son in May, my corset no longer fits the way it used to, so I'll have to make another one!)

Anyway, for as similarly-shaped as V and K seemed to be from their measurements, the corset patterns turned out remarkably different, so I'm really glad I did up these drafts. Later this week I'll be cutting out the cotton canvas and stitching the boning channels.

Tune in next time for the exciting conclusion of corset drafting!