Revised border applique

Version two of the applique design turned out much better than the first. I traced it onto trusty wonder under and fused it to the suede side of black garment leather, cut it out and then fused it to the velvet. I'm going to finish the applique first, then cut out the front and back pieces from the fabric, I'm hoping to avoid fraying and fuzzing and stretching that way.

I chose leather for several reasons. One, I was flipping through Patterns of Fashion one day and ran across the silk doublet with leather applique and thought it was pretty cool. I then thought, hey, that would be great because I wouldn't have to worry about fraying. And thirdly, decided it would add interesting texture to my gown.

I started the stitching on the bit on the back of the bodice, and soon got a rhythm down. The leather forced me to use a thimble consistently for one of the first times in my life.  However, I quickly realized that this would not make a good traveling project though, as it is much easier working at it over a flat surface.  The leather stretches a little when each stitch is pulled through, and has started to tug the fusing apart in places and with all the constant folding and stashing I will have to do with a travel project I decided this particular part isn't the best. So it is set aside for now and I have started the embroidery on my camicia.

Here's the front part of it, laid out within a tracing of the front bodice pattern piece;

As for the camicia, I've decided to go a more whimsical route than I usually do. I want to make this style;

But since I didn't want it to be so plain, but didn't want to put anything to fancy into it as I am just using muslin, I decided I would use of a collection of random cotton flosses I've been unintentionally collecting for a while and embroider some hunting dogs and a floral motif on the upper sleeves. The floral motif is a 'typical Elizabethan motif' from 'A Schole house for the Needle' by Richard Shorleyker (1624) via 'Blackwork Embroidery' by Elisabeth Geddes and Moyra McNeil. The hunting hounds are adapted of a pattern I found in a printed out 'Modelbuch' I got quite a while ago. So, random, not necessarily Italian, and not all from the right time period, but I like it.

I've got one sleeve traced out and ready to go, started on the top row. It will make a good travel project. We leave for Georgia Wednesday afternoon, so probably no more posts for a little while.