Working-Class Italian

The Fruit Seller by Campi
Originally uploaded by lothruin

So, the Scottish Party is this weekend. Faire season is coming up (in fact, it starts next weekend!). And both my bodices are too big. I can wear them, but they'll require supportive undergarments, and bra straps sort of detract from the look. So what is a girl to do? Well, I have a good friend who is an amazing seamstress (and thus far has made both my bodices, and has a couple more in the works) but anyone reading this is likely to know that I am a DIY kinda girl. Even if I only do it once, I wanna do it.

So, observe the painting detail. That is The Fruit Seller, by Vincenzo Campi. She is a working-class Italian from around 1580. Her dress has a front lacing closure and two back ones, and it is a dress, not a bodice and skirt. However. I have four yards of burgundy twill out of which I intended to make a skirt to match one of the bodices Fay will someday make me, that is orange faux suede and red/orange plaid. If I make a skirt and a bodice out of red twill, I can use the skirt with my other garb, but also wear it as though it is part of a dress with my Italian bodice.

Here's the thing, though. I'm not a seamstress, really. At least, I think I'm not. I don't do it often. But I'm jumping in head first on this one. I already drafted a pattern for the bodice. I have a couple of adjustments to make, and I need some plain muslin, for the mockup (which will turn into the interfacing of the bodice) and for the ruffed blouse. It actually looks decent, which surprised me.

Now is left only to decide what color to make the detailing on the bodice front and back, what color to make the apron, and whether I want to try doing fancy insertion stitches and picot edging on any of it. Probably not by faire season. But I'm crossing my fingers that at least by the James Arthur Vineyard ren fest on May 16th, I'll have the ensemble finished. We'll see. I'm excited. I am probably completely out of my skull to even try this so haphazardly, but a girl has to get started sometime, right?