Butter Yellow Damask Sottana - Complete!

My sottana is complete!  Joyous noise!

I was up until about midnight Friday night, doing finishing touches on the sleeves, and attaching lacing rings for said sleeves.  I was determined to get them done so I could the new gown to Solstice Court.

The event was beautiful, the company was divine, and everyone looked magnificent.  I feel so blessed to live among such wonderful, talented people.  Noelle, you always leave me in awe with your elegance and generosity.

So enough with the talk, it's time to see what I did!

The sleeves are a warm golden yellow silk taffeta, flat-lined with linen to add some durability, and lined in ivory silk taffeta.  Strips were assembled into a chevron pattern, resulting in looking a bit like a pseudo-spiral sleeve.  I won't say much about my construction techniques on them, as you can buy Lynn McMaster's spiral sleeve pattern.  I used her instructions, with my own sleeve pattern.  My arms never fit commercial patterns.

While I haven't strictly found portraiture of spiral or chevron sleeves exactly like this in Florence, this portrait of Isabel de Valois clearly has spiral sleeves, and the below portrait of Laudomia de Medici has chevron-esque sleeves.  I feel confident that extrapolation of these to what I created is well within the realm of what could have been done.

Isabel de Valois

Laudomia de Medici

My partlet was a simple straightforward partlet to use until I get a fancy couched and beaded one done.  I may be adding some gold lace to the edges of this to fancy it up a bit, but I was relatively pleased with how quickly it came together.  This was cut as one solid piece (no shoulder seams), which made the stripes end up in a fun diagonal bias angle.  I kind of like that.  This partlet was sewn 100% by hand. 

Enzo, the melancholy zibillino was made by the ever fabulous Holly/Aine of The Sable Greyhound.  Her work is always marvelous, and you should go check out her shop at the link above.  She also has an etsy shop.  Okay, enough with the crass commercial announcements.  I just love sharing her with the world because everything she's made for me is amazingly beautiful.  She also made the necklace, earrings, and girdle belt I wore to Solstice.

Photo by Kao Martin and blatantly stolen by me.

I was lazy and didn't take a camera, so I'm forced to thieve this picture taken by Kao.  I haven't seen any full length photos pop up anywhere either, so this will have to do for now.  I'll try to get more images taken at 12th Night.